Mar 05

Squad sheets: West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

Context is everything. West Ham must win this match, for it presents their sole realistic chance of success in a run that includes Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Bolton, meanwhile, are in a run of games against fellow relegation-battlers, having beaten Wolves last week and with Sunderland and Wigan to come. So much for the context, what of the contest? On paper, there should be none: West Ham have conceded in one of their last five at home, Bolton have scored in none of their last five away. Simon Burnton

Venue Upton Park, Saturday 3pm

Tickets £35-51 (0871 222 2700)

Last season West Ham 1 Bolton 3

Referee L Probert

This season’s matches 15 Y52, R3, 3.67 cards per game

Odds West Ham 5-6 Bolton 4-1 Draw 13-5

West Ham

Subs from Kurucz, Stech, Da Costa, Stanislas, Daprela, Collison, Mido, Ilan, McCarthy, Dyer, Ngala

Doubtful Dyer (leg), McCarthy (knee)

Injured Gabbidon (hamstring, 13 Mar), Noble (arm, 13 Mar), Ilunga (calf, 20 Mar), Boa Morte (knee, Aug), Hines (knee, Aug), Davenport (legs, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide LWWLDD

Disciplinary record Y49 R3

Leading scorer Cole 9

Bolton

Subs from Al Habsi, Bogdan, Gardner, Weiss, Ward, Samuel, A O’Brien, Shittu, Riga, Cohen, Klasnic, Vaz Tê

Doubtful None

Injured Cahill (arm, 20 Mar), Basham (knee, Apr), Holden (broken leg, Apr), McCann (foot, Apr), Davis (knee, Aug), M Davies (ankle, unknown), J O’Brien (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide WLDLDL

Disciplinary record Y52 R2

Leading scorer Klasnic 6

Match pointers

• Three of the last four meetings between these sides in all competitions have finished 3-1 to Bolton

• West Ham have won one of their last 11 league meetings with Bolton (3-1 in May 2007), losing nine of the other 10

• Bolton have failed to score away from home in the Premier League for seven hours and two minutes

• If selected, Scott Parker will be making his 250th Premier League appearance

• 67% of Bolton’s goals have come from set-plays, the largest proportion in the Premier League

Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedBolton Wanderersguardian.co.uk

Mar 04

Tessa Jowell invites West Ham to tender for the Olympic Stadium

• Olympics minister throws door open to London club
• Stadium use likely to be granted to highest bidder

West Ham United’s hopes of occupying the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games gained fresh impetus today when Tessa Jowell invited the Premier League club to put in a formal bid to take it over.

The Olympics minister announced that the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), which will manage the Stratford site after the Games, is preparing a tender process for interested parties to compete. “The legacy company is inviting bids for potential legacy tenants,” Jowell said. “It is not a decision for government. We are a stakeholder but it is a decision for the board of the legacy company. The fact is there is going to be a competition to determine the tenant and if West Ham want to submit a proposal, they are welcome.”

As Jowell was specifically calling on West Ham to bid, Britain’s International Olympic Committee member, Sir Craig Reedie, was stressing that the £537m stadium should be reduced to a 25,000 capacity in order to accommodate the athletics legacy pledged to the IOC in London’s bid. He considers that promise still to be compatible with the ambitions of either a football or a rugby club.

However, it is not a scheme that would suit West Ham and there were early indications yesterday from well-placed informants saying that OPLC will grant tenancy of the stadium to the highest bidder. It is believed that the terms of reference will be broad and that all options will be examined but, as public money is involved, there is a determination to get the best deal for the taxpayer.

The legacy-company board has yet to formulate its terms of reference for the tenancy procurement process, having only met for the first time late last year. The company is believed also to have an open mind to a deal that would see a tenant paying a fixed sum for a multi-year lease at the stadium as much as to an outright purchase.

That is likely to mean UK Athletics’ best chance of securing its tenancy is in a formal partnership with another tenant. That is not likely to be West Ham.

Olympic games 2012West Ham UnitedPremier LeagueTessa JowellMatt Scottguardian.co.uk

Mar 03

Should West Ham get use of the Olympic stadium?

Should a football team be allowed to move into a stadium that was supposed to have an athletics legacy

Num	Team	PTS	G	GD
1	Manchester United	63	29	43
2	Chelsea	61	28	39
3	Arsenal	61	29	37
4	Tottenham Hotspur	49	28	23
5	Manchester City	49	27	17
6	Liverpool	48	29	16
7	Aston Villa	45	26	16
8	Birmingham City	43	28	-1
9	Everton	41	28	4
10	Fulham	38	28	3
11	Stoke City	35	28	-5
12	Blackburn Rovers	34	28	-15
13	Sunderland	30	28	-8
14	Bolton Wanderers	29	29	-22
15	Wigan Athletic	28	28	-26
16	West Ham United	27	28	-9
17	Wolverhampton Wanderers	24	28	-25
18	Burnley	24	29	-31
19	Hull City	24	28	-33
20	Portsmouth	19	28	-23

Watch West Ham

Squad sheets: West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

Tessa Jowell invites West Ham to tender for the Olympic Stadium

Should West Ham get use of the Olympic stadium?

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