Ok meet times are a little more sociable now the clocks have changed in the UK. This one kicks off at Midnight.

Lets get Brisbane Hammers out in force for the Villa game on Saturday 16th April at the usual Pig n Whistle Eagle St Venue. We will be there from about 10pm (KO is Midnight).

Venue: Pig n Whistle
123 Eagle Street
Brisbane City
W: pignwhistle.com.au

The next meeting for the Sydney Hammers has been arranged. It's on Saturday 19th March at 11.45pm KO and the game is the away game against Tottenham.

11.45pm kick off and we'll be meeting there from 10pm.

Venue: THE ROYAL EXHIBITION HOTEL
86-88 Chalmers Street
Surry Hills, Sydney 2010
W: royalexhibition.com.au

At last we have a Sydney Hammers Gatherine planned and for such an important match.

Simon Mann is the coordinator and you may contact him via email here.
Meet from 10pm.

I'll be in Sydney for a rare visit so look forward to catching up with a few of you.

The Adelaide Hammers are BACK!

Venue: Rosemont Hotel
Hindley Street, Adelaide
W: rosemonthotel.com.au
Kick Off: 11.15pm (yes its an early kickoff)
Meet Time: 10.00pm

Get there to support the Hammers and Paul Kaye!

25th May 2011 - from London
What an embarrassment!

2 points from the last 9 matches and stone motherless last...

My forecast too has been embarrassing and there is not doubt that I too was once again victim of our theme song. Talk about fade and die! We capitulated without a whimper and it was so horrible to watch.

These last 2 seasons have been pathetic. I read today on KUMB.com that we have achieved the following: 15 wins from 76 league games - and just three on the road in those two seasons. That's a disgrace and clearly worthy of banishment from the PL.

I just can't stress enough how awful the last 2 seasons have been. For those of you lucky enough to have missed this week in week out, you simply can't appreciate how terrible it has been to NOT have anything to cheer about. There has been no spark and so little quality.

At the end of the day this is meant to be entertainment (aka religion) and it's been impossible to believe. We need some quality management, playing staff, desire, inspiration and dedication and, as far as I can see, that is not evident in any part of our once great club.

Make no mistake - this time we are REALLY at the cross-roads!

Playing Staff
They were useless so let's not fret that the high earners are going. We have just proven that they were not good enough. However, it might just have been the manager's fault? No doubt that he was anything but inspirational.

The Manager
Clueless - fact.

However, very poor management by our Directors once again in that they allowed him to stay and take us down and only terminated his contract in a private room at Wigan Athletic straight after the penultimate match of the season. How about a bit of class gentlemen - wait until Monday morning back at UP!

We now need a strong proven manager. Anything else and we will be outside the top flight for a considerable period of time. The club is clearly in a pathetic position with very low morale.

I have heard that Dave Jones from Cardiff is the current front runner with Chris Hughton (ex Newcastle), Sam Allardyce (ex Bolton, Newcastle & Blackburn) allegedly top of the betting list. Curbs is also in the frame as are Martin O'Neill (Aston Villa) and Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea) however these last two are for dreamers only. MON would be my pick and its what we need but I just can't see it. This appointment is so important.

Club Finances
The only good news is that we do get a chance to rebuild and we have to do this top to bottom. The May 2010 accounts disclosed that the WHU Group recorded a loss before taxation of £20.6M on turnover of £71.7M. Our wage bill is over £50M per annum but down almost £10M on the previous 12 months. However, wages were over 70% of Turnover and whilst close to the PL average, this is an unsustainable level.

Interestingly, about half of the WHU turnover was made up of payments for broadcasting rights and PL status fees. This means that a fall into the Championship will result in not more than 30% of those fees. Thus our turnover could be almost cut in half!

The seriousness of these figures should not be underestimated and here's why:

The Group made a small operating profit in 2009/10 before exceptional items yet retained a significant borrowing level at several banks. The loss of PL status and at least £35M of revenue will mean that even with a halving of the wage bill, the Group is almost certain to rack up a loss in the tens of millions and perhaps more.

The Group has borrowings of around £40M so with limited revenue in the Championship, a wage bill of circa £30M, administration expenses of at least £15 and revenue of not more than £30M (based on the loss of PL revenues), one does not need to be an accountant to realise the extent of the problem.

And I have presented the best-case scenario!

Of course there are the parachute payments and that is £48 million over four years, or £12M per year. It's likely that the Group will lose between £3-10M each year.

That has to be made up somehow and the only way of course is through player sales. That is IF anyone wants to acquire players that have failed to deliver so spectacularly.

Player Sales
We only have three players of any value and in terms of actual funds to benefit the bottom line Parker is the real one. Robert Green will be worth a little however as he only has a year left on his contract and is a goal keeper, his trade value is not high. Carlton Cole is the other and we may now get around £4M for him.

Scott Parker is worth somewhere in the £8-10M range if we can get it.

Of course these payments must in part be used to recruit so not all of it goes to the bottom line although the vast majority will. Its effect is in year one only so the longer we stay in the Championship, the longer we rack up more debt unless we can sell more players and further reduce the debt / wage / revenue balance.

IF, and it's a huge IF, Tony Carr can continue to produce quality young players then we will have something to sell that will keep us afloat. Tony has to stay in charge of our Youth - pay him more!

Who stays?

Robbie Keane, what a waste of money! Returns to Tottenham after loan. His terrible misses were consistent with past failures.

Wayne Bridge, was on loan from Man City - gone.

Victor Obina was on loan from Internazionale - gone.

Kieron Dyer & Matthew Upson have been released after the expiry of their contracts.

Scott Parker, Rob Green and Carlton Cole will be sold.

Demba Ba has allegedly been offered a new deal to stay.

Thomas Hitzlsperger also allegedly offered a new deal to stay. Both he and Ba may have 'relegation' clauses that allow them to leave although I doubt that would be for free?

Jonathan Spector and Danny Gabbidon have also allegedly been offered new deals.

Benni McCarthy was released a few months ago and I am uncertain about the fate of Herita Ilunga.

It is worthy of note that Faubert, Kovac, Pablo Barera and Boa Morte have current agreements in place (although Boa Morte may only have a one-year deal that expires this month) and if they do not leave the club is bound to pay their wages no matter what. Of course they are on PL wages too.

Gary O'Neil, a very bad ankle injury has put his career in danger and it will be many months before we see him back in action.

Jack Collison, Mark Noble and James Tompkins are likely to stay and that's good news. I'd also like to keep Freddie Sears, Jordan Spence, Manuel da Costa, Junior Stanislas & Zavon Hines provided they are on low wages and want to stay!

Having said all that, this group were basically the ones who lay down and surrendered to Sunderland in the final match of the season. If a 0-3 loss is the best that this lot can do then we are headed for League One rather than the pipe dream of a return to the PL in 12 months time.

Conclusion
West Ham is at the cross roads and to be honest it could go either way. And League 1 is a real possibility this time!

If we do not get promoted in year one then I really do fear for the club. The debt is high and with the planned move to the Olympic Stadium in August 2014, we simply wont be able to finance that refit from the Championship.

As the London Olympics are staged in 2012, if we are still in the Championship for the 2012-13 season then I simply can't see how we could progress with a move under even worse financial circumstances.

My predictions have been poor this season and at this stage so much depends on the identity of the new manager. Until I know who that is I simply can't even dream of redemption. Get this wrong and we could be in the wilderness for the best part of a decade.

The Fixture List is released at 9am London time on the 17th of June. Can't say I am relishing the prospect of playing the 'giants' of the Championship.

Here's what we must do:

• Appoint a STRONG manager with EXPERIENCE. No lightweights please!
• NO Board interference in player selection.
• Dignified behaviour from the Directors that inspires professionalism.
• Buy two experienced tough centre backs (it is our defence that is the major problem).
• Pray!

Refereeing
The only success for me has been my refereeing in London. I am delighted to advise that the FA have invited me to join the ranks of referees in the Supply & Contributory Leagues at levels 4 & 3. This promotion means that I will be officiating at a semi-pro level. At least someone got promoted!

STOP! Hammer Time
Last one for the season will be online soon and there is an Aussie on it too.

On FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7950250447
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DPL
Forever Blowing Bubbles

West Ham has been resurgent this past month but we still have such a long way to go to save our Premier League status!

This is a very unusual season in that no single team is adrift at the bottom of the table and a high number, if not a record number of points will be required to stay up. That record is of course held by WHU when we were relegated with 42 points in 2002/03. In fact, had we won at Birmingham in the last match of that season we still would have been relegated with 44 points!

That season Sunderland (19) and WBA (26) set their own record for the lowest total of the two bottom teams thereby condemning us to the Championship for two years.

Today any of 10 teams can be relegated. Fulham occupy 11th place after 29 games with 35 points. They are a mere 4 points ahead of WHU in 18th. Wigan is last with 27 points.

Wolves in 2003-04 set the record for the highest number of points, 33, scored by the team in 20th position. This season the team finishing last should eclipse that number.

All this means is that WHU MUST get to 40 points as a minimum. To do this we must win 3 of our 4 home matches against Man Utd, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Sunderland. And even that may not be enough?

So Who's Going Down?
There are so many teams in the mix and with 9 matches to play any of these 8 teams can be relegated.

Stoke (12th) have 34 points and a very hard run in. They have lost all of their last 6 away games and play 4 of the top 5 and 4 fellow potential relegation teams in their last 9. Their goal difference of -6 is probably worth an extra point. However, of their 5 home games, two of these are against Chelsea and Arsenal. Lose those and slip up in the others and they could be in real trouble?

Aston Villa (13th) 33 points just have too much class for me and their schedule of 1 top 5 team and 5 fellow potential relegation teams means they really have their destiny in their own hands. Villa will win 2 of their next 3 games against Wolves (H), Everton (A) and Newcastle (H) and secure their status.

Blackburn (14th) is one of my picks to be relegated as they too are imploding. They play 3 of the top 5 and 4 fellow potential relegation teams in their last 9. They have gained 1 point from their last 6 matches and have tough home matches on the run in. They had a player sent off last Saturday (full-back Gael Givet) after the final whistle for running at the referee in an aggressive manner to cap a petulant display against Fulham and this kind of ill-discipline underscores a club in some crisis. Hopefully they will lose to WHU at Upton Park in a critical match on 7 May! My prediction is 36/37 points.

I'd love to see Holloway's Blackpool stay up but they too have a tough draw. 15th and 32 points, 3 relegation 6 pointers and 3 top 5 games makes for an interesting mix. Also, 4 points from the last 27 is deathly form. Key game is their next PL match against Blackburn on 19 March. Win that and they will doo just enough to survive.

WBA have also imploded after a good start this season. They lie 16th with 32 points and have taken 6 points from their last 4 matches. However, they now enter a horror stretch of games that could and should see them lose 5 of the next 6! WBA play Arsenal (H), Liverpool (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (H), Spurs (A) and Villa (H). After this they may be too nervy to pick up many more points? West Brom will be in the bottom 3 with 35/36 points.

Birmingham has been all over the shop this season and could do anything. With a game in hand, 17th and 31 points and a better set of remaining matches, they seem well placed to drive up the table. The next 4 fixtures against Wigan (A), Bolton (H), Blackburn (A) and Sunderland (H) will be key. The extra game is Chelsea (A) so that wont be worth anything. 40/41 points.

West Ham - 18th 31 points. If we can avoid losing a match until Chelsea (A) on 23rd April, then we will survive. Much will depend upon the other results but if we win 3 of our 4 home matches then this should be enough. We also have Wigan (A) mid May and I expect they will be all but relegated by that game. We are in good form, 11 points from the last 6 scoring 12 goals. 41 points and safe!

Then again, our next 6 matches are very tough so we will need to pick up points against Tottenham, Man Utd, Bolton and Villa.

Wolves have been remarkable this season and I think they will survive against all odds. The play none of the top 5, are in 19th place on 29 points and play 5 of their fellow strugglers. Problem for Wolves is that they have done better against the top teams. I think their current good form and momentum will carry them through. 40 points.

Wigan will be relegated. 20th spot, 27 points and no form. Matches against 5 fellow relegation strugglers give them a chance and they only have 2 top 5 clubs to play. Birmingham visit the DW on 19 March. Failure to beat the Brummies might be the final straw. Wigan will remain last and finish on 34 points.

The Manager
If we do indeed survive then we will be only the second team to be bottom at Christmas and survive since West Brom in May 2005. Avram Grant will be heralded as a great escape artist and will earn himself significant praise.

It's still very much in balance as per the above analysis but at least we do now have a chance. Back in December I was certain we were doomed.

Grant is an enigma and I am just not sure if he is quietly brilliant or clueless. There is no doubt though, if he keeps West Ham up he will have played a significant role in that survival and will deserve all the praise he will get.

Back in January he was lined up for the chop as it looked like Martin O'Neill was almost a certainty to replace him. Clearly, there were forces agitating against this as a leak from the club derailed that appointment. No one knows where that came from although it seems certain that powerful forces were at play.

There is talk that no matter what happens to West Ham, Grant will be off in the summer back to Chelsea as Director of Football.

The January Player Transfer Window
We did very good business in January and results since the end of that month have been terrific. New signings were exactly what we needed and they have all performed very well.

Gary O'Neil, a non-stop Midfielder from Middlebrough has been well received and whilst he is not generally a starter, he is an excellent addition to the bench.

Robbie Keane, a seasoned Irish international, is on loan from Tottenham. If we stay up a permanent deal is possible whilst if we do not he returns to Spurs. Robbie damaged a calf muscle in his debut match against Birmingham but should be back this week.

Wayne Bridge, England international and quality left back is on loan from Man City and once again a critical addition to our team. He had an awful debut but has been excellent since then. SO GLAD I was wrong about these two players, as I simply did not believe that we could sign them.

25 year old Senegalese striker Demba Ba has joined on a permanent basis and has scored in every game in which he has started. His energy and power has radically changed our results. He failed a medical with Stoke and then we signed him for way less than his asking price to the Potters! The bargain of the campaign so far.

Thomas Hitzlsperger is almost a new signing as he has played just 3 PL matches for us since his pre-season injury whilst on international duty with Germany. He too has revolutionalised our play slotting in with Parker & Noble in midfield.

As a result of these signings WHU exceeded our 25 player Premier League squad limit. Therefore, Benni McCarthy and Herita Ilunga were not registered. They can play in the Cups, and have done so, but cannot feature for the club again in the League. We have tried to unload them but unsurprisingly there have been no takers. McCarthy was a very poor signing in January 2010. Ilunga has suffered a worrying loss of form that is perhaps linked to several injuries.

In addition these quality players have meant that Grant has been able to omit other serial underperformers Faubert, Dyer, Kovac and Boa Morte and the team looks far better as a result. To be fair, LBM continues to give his all whenever he is given a chance. He is at the end of his career and I for one always appreciate the effort he puts in.

Faubert is rumoured to have claimed that he has played his last game for the Hammers after a falling out with management. There have also been press reports of an altercation with some fans.

Of the other long term injured, Jack Collison is back in training and is close to a return to action. This means that the club has one of its lowest injury levels for a decade.

Other Movements
The Steve Sidwell move never happened although he did undergo a medical. Strange one this as he was ready to come and wanted to as all was agreed - or perhaps it wasn't?

Valon Behrami returned to Italy as forecast and Tal Ben-Haim ended his loan from Portsmouth.

NEWS FLASH - Kieron Dyer has been loaned out to Ipswich, where he began his career, for a month. Kieron has been with WHU since August 2007 and is reputedly on huge wages. In that time he suffered a terrible broken leg almost as soon as he arrived and has failed to score a single goal.

The Olympic Stadium
Well its ours.

I have serious misgivings about leaving Upton Park and even more concern about watching football with an athletics track between the players and me. I have experienced this in Sydney with our 80,000 seater stadium and its horrible. You are so far away from the action and I hate it to be honest. Unless something is done via retractable seats then no-one will be close.

However, I know there is no way WHU could EVER have such a high quality facility with brilliant transport links any other way and perhaps it is what we have to do to progress.

Whatever we do WE MUST INSIST on modification to bring the fans closer to the action. If we lose the intimacy of the current experience that is WHU & English Football, then there simply is no point attending matches anymore.

Make your views known!

Conclusion
Well we lost the FA Cup quarter-final this weekend against Stoke City, this time at their place. Had we won we would have earned a trip to Wembley as both FA Cup semis take place at that venue.

We had beaten Stoke twice this season at home and drew away back in September. A day out at Wembley would have been a treat we all deserved but it was not to be. Having said that we were unlucky in that we hit the bar and had a perfectly good shout for penalty denied in the 2nd half.

Stoke's 2nd goal was very poor wall construction and defending. Their free kick was right on the edge of our area and they had a couple in the wall. All they did was peel away to leave a gaping hole to shoot through. I could see that coming however all my yelling to cover behind was not heeded and Robert Green had no chance!

So Premiership survival is now our sole focus, as indeed it should be.

I am quite nervous about our next 6 matches as they look so hard on paper yet I am dreaming of success against both Spurs and Man Utd!

I'll be back in Sydney for the former on Saturday 19th March and there is a Sydney Hammers gathering as it's an early KO so make sure you get down to our new venue. The Brisbane and Adelaide Hammers are also meeting so let's get out in force. Full details are on the OzHammers website.

STOP! Hammer Time
I was on the show this week with Tony Cottee and it was great fun. Top show so don't miss this one:

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DPL
Forever Blowing Bubbles

Well it's been quite a while since I was able to report on the Hammers so it is certainly great to be back in the chair again! I am making a strong recovery and I do hope that I will continue to progress.

Refereeing is on the agenda for January and I remain on the promotion scheme so here's hoping that I am selected and progress to the semi-professional ranks.

Now to WHU - Sadly It's Awful
Back in August I wrote:

"I can't say that I am too optimistic both as our first six EPL games look absolutely horrid and I fully expect to stay in the bottom 3 until October. I must say that I don't mind losing if we play good football however this is something we simply have not done for ages."

Well it has been truly awful. Christmas is here and we are stone-motherless-last and we all know what that means. West Brom is the only Premier League team to have been bottom at Christmas and escaped relegation. They achieved that feat in the 2004/05 season despite only having 10 points at Christmas, three fewer than West Ham, but in the 17 other years of the Premier League, no one else has done it.

We are toast - no doubt about that.

We need more than a point per game from here with 20 games left and that includes home games v Arsenal & Man Utd and away games against Chelsea, Spurs, Man City.

So that means in reality only 15 games to earn AT LEAST 23 points. This means that we need to not only score goals, (we have only scored 18 in 18 games) it also means that we actually need to win not less than 4 games and a point in 11 others.

The maths is quite simple, we can only afford to lose the above 5 games and win at least 4.

Can't see us winning many games from here?

The Manager
Avram Grant has allegedly been given 3 games to save his job:

26 Dec	Fulham Away
28 Dec	Everton Home
1 Jan	Wolves Home

Fulham are struggling but still have Schwartzer between the sticks and the pressure on both sides will be huge. It's a televised game and the OzHammers are gathering in Sydney & Brisbane so make sure you get along to the venues (Cheers George Street, Sydney KO 11pm; Pig & Whistle, Brisbane KO 10pm).

We can win but it all depends if the team actually turns up as we have been very poor.

Everton played VERY well this week in beating Man City and this coupled with our lengthy pathetic record against Liverpool based teams means that we will do very well to get a point.

Wolves just like us have not won away this season and they are missing key players so once again it depends how big a night the players have in the London nightclubs on New Year's Eve!

7 points would be amazing and quite out of character with performances to date. Any loss just compounds the equation even more and would almost certainly spell the end of Grant's reign.

My prediction? Based on recent showings - 2 points.

Re the potential treatment of Grant - it's so hard to call. There are few alternatives although now that Big Sam Allardyce is available, formerly at Blackburn, Newcastle & Bolton (all Northern Clubs), there is at least a specialist albeit boring long-ball tough PL manager around.

Chris Hughton, recently sacked by Newcastle, is also in the frame. He did very well to bring the Novocastrians up and was seemingly doing a great job until my volatile neighbour, Mike Ashley, unbelievably terminated a manager who had taken a newly promoted team to mid-table respectability by mid season?

In case you hadn't heard, former Hammers boss Alan Pardew is the new manager up at Newcastle signed on a 5.5 year deal! Unless that club has an effective escape clause, Alan is set for life.

Avram has a 4 year deal so he too will be expensive to sack.

Writing in The Mirror today, namesake Darren Lewis suggested as follows:

"My mate Stuart is quite clear about one thing. While he has the utmost respect for the job Sam Allardyce has done at Blackburn and Bolton, he'd rather his beloved West Ham go down than welcome the out-of-work boss to Upton Park. It was a view that stunned me, I have to say. Allardyce has a track record of stabilising clubs and getting the job done. It might not be pretty, but then Premier League safety is surely all-important - or so I thought. I asked a few more West Ham fans inside the office and they were with Stu. They too would rather go down than see Big Sam betray the traditions of the club by bringing his long ball game to the Boleyn."

I can't see Sam being vaguely interested to be honest and he is also too tough for the Double D's to take on.

Having said that relegation with circa £80M in debt and few players of any note would be a disaster. Our juniors still look great and Dominic Voce, has just signed his first professional contract with the club. There are several more terrific youngsters coming through but they wont stay long if we are in the Championship or worse for long.

My tip? Grant out, Houghton in, no real change in results and relegation.

The Players
As already noted, there is no one interesting to watch except a terrific defensive midfielder (Super Scotty Parker) and the acrobatics of Robert Green.

I sat there in the 1-3 loss to Man City and just wondered why I was there? The home 0-3 loss to Wolves last year was worse however we just do not have anyone of interest.

Carlton Cole
I expect he will be sold in January if there is a buyer?

Matthew Upson
Out of contract in June so we really need to sell now to get anything back. I doubt he will go.

Valon Behrami
Still wants to return to Italy ASAP for family reasons.

Scott Parker
Signed a new 5 year contract in August but could still go if a big offer came in. This would signal the end.

Pablo Barrera, Winston Reid, Tal Ben-Haim
Awful.

Piquionne has been quite good but is not good enough at this level.

New Signings
Steve Sidwell, the Aston Villa midfielder, was today undergoing a medical at West Ham. He is recovering from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury so who knows what he can offer.

There is talk of Tottenham striker Robbie Keane joining on loan as well as Manchester City's left back Wayne Bridge but these type of signings are fanciful in the extreme.

There is no doubt that to have any chance at all we need to score goals and a new striking force is a must.

Collison and Noble should be back in January whilst Hitzlsperger is unlikely to feature before February.

Conclusion
Note that I have not even mentioned our Carling Cup semi-final against Birmingham over 2 legs on the 11th and 26th of January! It is quite unbelievable that we could earn a trip to Wembley with this squad.

I watched our 4-0 demolition of Man Utd in the last round and could not understand how we could play that well in only that match.

Avram needs to get excited and passionate and overtly so. We also need two new fit strikers who can actually score goals, two new fit midfielders with passion to help Scotty, a quality left back and new centre back to replace Upon.

If that happens and we actually get a run going who knows.

History remains against us!

STOP! Hammer Time
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Forever Blowing Bubbles

Dear OzHammers,

I apologise for the lengthy silence however I have a good excuse.

Mid October I travelled to New York City on a family holiday.

On Wed 27 Oct I was rushed to hospital with chest pains and on Thurs 28 Oct underwent surgery by way of angiogram to have 3 stents placed in 2 of 3 blocked arteries. One was 99%, another 85%. The main LAD was 90% blocked and they left that uncorrected in the initial procedure.

I was VERY lucky not to have a heart attack and I am incredibly lucky to be alive.

Unfortunately I suffered a mini-stroke during the procedure and lost sight and some mouth functions.

As a result, the NYC Drs required me to stay here and some 5 weeks later I am still here! They wanted the stroke symptoms to settle, and they have mostly, and undergo further tests.

Yesterday I had the next round of surgery to implant the 4th stent in the main left LAD artery and it seems to have gone well.

There is a message here - I am very fit, eat carefully, have never smoked and have regular check ups. In short there is little defence against genetics although there ARE things that you can and MUST do to protect yourself, particularly for men over 45: Check your Blood Pressure, EKG; Check your Chloresterol; Have an Echocardiogram; and, most importantly; Have a regular cardiac stress test.

This might just save your life!

So, as I have been stuck here for some time, and have suffered the above, I haven't exactly had the motivation to report on the Hammers. Our recent pathetic showing at Liverpool has compounded our plight and I am afraid that unless we beat Wigan at home this weekend, we may be doomed to relegation already.

I have only attended one game this season that being our sole win over Spurs - so it might be all my fault!

Here's hoping that I manage a few more soon.

In the meantime...

DPL
Forever Blowing Bubbles

Sorry about the late start here. August, as I am learning is holiday season over here in the UK so not much happens unless you are in football!

West Ham as usual has flattered to deceive as our pre-season was creditable and this delivered some hope. Four wins and a draw, all away from home, preceded the controversial SBOBET Cup (replacing the Bobby Moore Cup much to the chagrin of Bobby's family) against Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday 7th August.

I attended that game, a dull 0-0 draw followed by a 5-3 win on penalties by the Hammers. To say we were uninspiring would be an understatement so much so that my first score prediction for the new season was a 2-0 loss to the Villa. Right on cue the Hammers even bettered that in what many reported to be a dire performance.

Our injury curse continued with new signing German international Thomas Hitzlsperger out injured for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring strain even before we start.

Normal service has been resumed and we find ourselves straight away in the relegation zone on the first weekend!

Pathetic...

I can't say that I am too optimistic both as our first six EPL games look absolutely horrid and I fully expect to stay in the bottom 3 until October. I must say that I don't mind losing if we play good football however this is something we simply have not done for ages.

The Players
Not enough has changed and even though my suggested departures back in May have so far failed to take place, I still expect Carlton Cole to depart with Behrami and more:

Carlton Cole
We have already turned down offers of £8m and £10m but its only a matter of time - I still believe that he will leave for less than previously thought at around £10m. This week we have been strongly linked with Man City striker Roque Santa Cruz. He is an excellent player and this would at least be a quality addition to our squad.

Robert Green
Had such a poor World Cup that any move is now impossible. He needs to re-establish himself and this is good news for us

Matthew Upson
Also had a poor WC. However, he only has a season to go on his contract and if he fails to signup to the offered extension, then we simply have to sell him. Problem is who would have him on his current form?

Alessandro Diamanti
Nothing has changed over the offseason - "Purchased for £6M and has been told he should find another club. Problem is he has a contract until 2014 and he is on a large wedge so he may be in no hurry to move! My guess is that he wont be able to be moved on."

Valon Behrami
Moving on for sure. This week there were reports of links back to Roma and he has publicly acknowledged that his partner is unhappy in London and they do not like living here. He's a great player but we'll take the cash!

Araujo Ilan, Guillermo Franco, Mido
All released.

Radoslav Kovac
Probably going to Stoke for £2M. With all due respect to the player who has I am certain given his all, he is not a Hammers player and just has not been good enough.

Luis Boa Morte
So pleased he has signed a new contract. Certainly lower wages but this guy is a good player and is well worth watching.

Danny Gabbidon
Seems I was wrong here and Danny is still with us and there has been no talk of a renewal so he must have had more time on his current deal. I met Danny in May 2006 and was very impressed by both his humble demeanour and professionalism. I hope he can recapture that form.

Scott Parker
Still Mr Untouchable! Spurs have made an approach and today Sullivan has again made it VERY clear that Scott is not for sale. Of course an offer in the region of £15M would test the club's resolve!

The rest are still there and to date we have sold no one and therefore MUST do so to balance the books. Below is the list of players signed and their actual or assumed fees.

Players In:

Player	Fee	Club
Winston Reid	£2M (?)	FC Midtjylland
Tal Ben-Haim	On Loan	Portsmouth
Frederic Piquionne	£1M+ (?)	Lyon
Pablo Barrera	£4M	Universidad Nacional
Thomas Hitzlsperger	Free	Lazio

It is unlikely that the club can afford to spend without selling so something has to give particularly if we do sign Santa Cruz for circa £8M!

Winston Reid is a young NZ international who had a great WC. However, his debut against Villa was awful and it looked like he was thrown to the wolves.

Tal Ben-Haim was with Avram Grant at both Chelsea and Portsmouth and is a quality player who has not recaptured his early form of a few years ago. He failed a medical at WHU and therefore is on loan pending a review of his condition.

Piquionne was also at Portsmouth with Grant and looks a squad player at best. Hope I am wrong.

Pablo Barrera is a Mexican international who again had a strong WC but is unproven in the Premier League.

The Manager
It's Avram - but is he the one?

Whether he survives past Christmas is another matter given that I expect we will be in relegation mode all season. After recent years I simply have no expectations anymore.

The current squad does not excite me - Collison and Hines remain injured and to be honest there is no one else who I really want to pay to go and watch.

THE Stadium
Some interesting developments here:

Coe backs West Ham Olympic bid
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 15th August 2010
By: Staff Writer

Sebastian Coe has endorsed West Ham United's proposed move to the Olympic Stadium for the first time. The 2012 Games committee chairman, who had previously appeared hostile to the Irons' bid to move to Stratford after the Olympic Games two years from now told insidethegames.biz that West Ham's move 'has got to be a good idea'. "I think it's obviously the situation that everybody is looking to and I think it's a sensible acceptance that we were always going to live within the bid commitment," he said, adding: "In fairness, this is a different West Ham to what it was a few years ago, where, with the best will in the world, it was fairly transient. "These are two owners that are committed to the club, committed to the community, that recognise there is a sensible mix here, of serving a community, but also of having a permanent tenant in there, which has got to be a good idea."

Coe's comments follow West Ham's recent public admission that the club would commit to keeping the running track in place after the games - an issue that Coe has championed from the start, yet one that is threatening to cause a rift between the club and its supporters, the majority of whom remain opposed to a move to a stadium with a running track in situ.

This is the first time we have heard positive support for the WHU bid. I agree we need to move as sad as it may be to leave Upton Park, we simply have to do so. The transport infrastructure there is inadequate, the local community does not generally support the club and a stadium in this area is now out of step with local needs.

Having said that, most fans and I are opposed to a stadium with a running track between the fans and the pitch. If this is what we get then the club will never fill the stadium.

Club Ownership
This week the Club also announced that it had finally wooed additional investors in the Club and it's 'back to the future'!

13th August 2010
W H Holding, the parent company of West Ham United, is pleased to announce the club has raised £4m in new equity through a placing of shares, primarily with new investors.

The proceeds will partly be used to buy in some of the shareholding of CB Holding EHF, with the balance available to fund the further development of the club on and off the pitch. The placing was conducted by Shore Capital and Corporate Limited.

The new investors are John Harris CBE and Daniel Harris, and Terence Brown, former Chairman of the club. Daniel Harris is joining the board and Terence Brown is becoming Honorary Life President of the club. David Sullivan and David Gold also subscribed for further shares.

Terence Brown is well known to supporters having been involved with the Club for many years. Father and son John and Daniel Harris are lifelong supporters of West Ham and will also be known to many supporters. They previously built up the publicly listed Alba Group, which was founded by John Harris, and currently run Harvard Medical Devices.

Daniel Harris said: "My father and I have considered investing in West Ham on a number of occasions. We chose to do so now because we have confidence in the new management team and believe they are capable of fulfilling West Ham's exciting potential. We look forward to the future success of the club."

As previously reported, Messrs Gold £ Sullivan had increased their shareholding to 60% and we assume that they have taken this marginally further. The remnants of the Icelandic foray into East London remains held by past entities and we are aware that the now eight month old search for additional equity partners continues.

Tickets to Matches
I am pleased to advise that WHU have softened its approach to access to Match Tickets for international visitors. I have been advised as follows:

Each member of the OzHammers may now contact the WHU ticket office direct, as WHU now acknowledge that they receive requests from fans travelling from over the globe and whenever they can they always look to accommodate requests and appreciate the effort international visitors put into attending matches.

WHU estimate that they currently allocate around 200 tickets to overseas fans each home match, mainly from groups around Europe but a number from America and Australia. Again, whilst WHU has commitments to UK members, when possible they will always look favourably on OzHammers and other international supporters.

With the above in place, whilst possibly less rigid than I wanted, there is now a mechanism in place for direct dealings with the WHU Ticket Office.

The best email address to forward any ticket requests would be hammersworldwide@westhamunited.co.uk this is checked daily and the supporter will always receive a prompt and informative response from a member of the ticket office staff.

Of course, if you don't get an adequate response or actual purchase of tickets, please get back to me and I will do my best to assist!

Refereeing @ Upton Park
I officiated at Upton Park on Wednesday 26 May in the aforementioned charity game! It was a great thrill to lead out the teams to the sounds of bubbles and it was a terrific night for all.

Further on the refereeing front, I have been invited by the AFA to advise and assist with the setup of a Referee Centre of Excellence in which we will train and develop promising young referees in England.

I am in discussions with several League and PL clubs and hope to be able to announce a partner soon.

I am very disappointed with the setup in this football market as it appears that there is no focus at all on grass roots. To have a successful system one needs foundations and that is sadly lacking.

Our NSW state system is vastly superior in this regard notwithstanding that the opportunities in the UK football market are significantly greater. I have penned a report for the FA but it appears no one is interested?

Conclusion
To date I have seen nothing that excites me at WHU for this season. We have started very poorly and that does not bode well. Our first 6 games are:

14 Aug - Villa Away - Lost 3-0
21 Aug - Bolton Home - our record against Bolton in recent years is terrible.
28 Aug - Man Utd Away - nuf said
11 Sep - Chelsea Home - ditto
18 Sep - Stoke Away - tough fixture
25 Sep - Spurs Home - In recent seasons Spurs has done the double

On Tues 24 Aug we have newly promoted Oxford Utd in the 2nd round of the Carling Cup after their 6-1 triumph over Bristol Rovers. It's a match we should walk through but then again...

This is where the manager has to earn his wages. We must get some form going in the above matches otherwise our season will be once again long and miserable.

STOP! Hammer Time
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Forever Blowing Bubbles

What a horrible season!

This will of course be my final posting for the 2009-10 season and I can't say that I am sad that it's over. The World Cup beckons and hopefully Australia will perform well to ease my anger at most things football after so much disappointment - more of that later. "Fade & Die" never had some much resonance than this season.

STOP! HammerTime
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Zola
Sad as it is he had to go. Sure we had loads of injuries and sure the financial turmoil did not assist. Notwithstanding though Gianfranco was out of his depth and experience. He will be a great manager however he needs a great team as none of his recent experiences, playing or managing, have been with what we must acknowledge were 'lesser talents'.

I agree that he had to go and go now. Under Zola, West Ham won only 23 out of 80 games.

However (gee I have a lot of these), the way we have done it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Apparently SuGo have terminated his services and claimed breach of contract. It has been claimed that Zola's comments about the Chairmen has been used as the reason for his termination without a payout. I am aware that Zola has put this matter in the hands of the LMA - the League Manager's Association, and they will manage discussions with WHU from here.

I am unsure whether the parties could simply not agree on a settlement or if there is more afoot. As always with West Ham, there will be more innuendo and subterfuge before we get the full facts. Then the commissions of enquiry, High Court challenges and substantial legal fees!

SuGo 10-Point Plan
SuGo as they are now known, our Chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan, have issued a blueprint for the club's future. This inspirational and novel 'ten point pledge' announced a string of strategies designed to ensure the club takes the giant steps forward that we all desire! The ten plagues, oops sorry pledges are:

"As the Board of West Ham United our pledge to you is to do the following:

1. Appoint the right manager;
2. Sign new players;
3. More investment in the Academy;
4. Continue to clear the debt;
5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals;
6. Build the status and image of the club;
7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch;
8. Get closer to the community;
9. Go for the Olympic Stadium; and
10. Listen to supporters"

Ground breaking stuff I hear you say? Amazing isn't it. I'll bet some high price was paid for this earth shattering set of initiatives. I just have no idea how anyone could exhibit such genius so as to have drafted such an impressive set of initiatives. Gotta fill you with extreme pride and enthusiasm!

Today all registered fans also received the following email from the joint Chairmen:

"We have promised to keep to you fully informed regarding your club. We therefore wish to confirm that we are making good progress in the search for a new manager and that the appointment will be made by early June.

We are in the middle of a thorough selection process which could continue over the next 10 days before being finalised. The new manager will then have a month to prepare for the start of pre-season, with all at the club determined to improve on the previous campaign.

As with all the West Ham United breaking news, the new manager will be confirmed first via whufc.com and personally to you via email. Keep checking whufc.com and your inbox for all the latest updates.

Thank you for your continued support."

The cynical amongst us might conclude that the delay to appoint is merely due to a desire to further cut the wage bill and avoid paying a new manager for the downtime that is May-June/World Cup.

Certainly the club has sought to minimise expenses at every turn. OzHammers staff writers have it on good authority that WHU management even turned down all the WHU office heaters during January and February to conserve costs!

International Marketing
The club has been so bad at marketing its laughable.

Basically there has been a consistent failure of many clubs to understand the actual business they are in. West Ham has been guilty of this too in that 'bums on seats on match day' coupled with the Sky TV money have been the sole focus of many.

Over the past few Season WHU has had the captain of the Australian Football team as its captain, Luis Boa Morte - a highly respected and noteworthy Portuguese international, Hérita N'Kongolo Ilunga from the Congo and so on.

NO focus was made of these players in their home countries and no leverage was sought on merchandising, licensing and so forth.

This completely misses the point.

Football and sports in general is much more than just match day. Its all about image rights, licensing and merchandise.

Lucas Neill offered so much to West Ham and there were significant opportunities to increase revenue. Clubs continue to ignore this obvious revenue source.

Potential Managers
SkySports and many others ran an item suggesting that Sullivan and Gold had short-listed four managers - Former Portsmouth Manager Avram Grant, Cardiff City Manager Dave Jones, Ian Holloway from newly promoted Blackpool and Sam Allardyce former Bolton and now Blackburn Manager. It has now been suggested that this was journalistic 'make-believe' - so what's new.

These really were names out of a hat save for Grant's as this story broke before the Blackpool v Cardiff play-off final and Sam's inclusion simply had to be a wind up!

However, from 21 May there have been many reports that Avram Grant had agreed a deal in principle and that a formal announcement would be made soon. Today The Times reported:

"Avram Grant has accepted an offer of a three-year contract to succeed Gianfranco Zola as manager of West Ham United, according to reports in Israel."

Grant has done an amazing job at Portsmouth this season since taking over early in the campaign. They have had no money, total financial meltdown, become the first EPL team to go into administration and still took his players to the FA Cup Final clearly demonstrating just how good a motivator he is. Adding to that is the fact that he was perhaps, again, a 'simple' penalty away from an unlikely victory when Boateng struck an innocuous shot straight at the Chelsea 'keeper in the first half of that match.

I would be delighted to have this man as our manager.

I also have it on good authority (from daughter Charlotte) that he is an outstanding orator as she met him in Poland two years ago when he was Chelsea manager and he mightily impressed.

On STOP! HammerTime a few weeks ago I suggested that we might struggle to attract a quality manager given how Gianfranco had been treated. If Avram is appointed then clearly I will be wrong as there is not doubt that this is a passionate man with sufficient drive to assert himself.

To be fair, SuGo had a good record at Brum of supporting their managers so perhaps, just perhaps, there was more going on behind the scenes in relation to Zola?

Please may it be Avram! Then hopefully no plagues...

New Players
So much for the austere times at WHU in light of a £110M debt - SuGo seem to have lost their rag and offered to make Thierry Henry the highest-paid player in our history by offering him a two-year deal worth around £75,000-a-week, more than £7.5million in total!

Is this a real offer? Well sort of but of course it won't happen. Just another media stunt. Apparently Thierry is a target of the New York Bulls and Hans Backe has allegedly already spoken to Barcelona. Somehow a highly profitable swansong in the US might be more interesting that East London.

Who will stay and who will go?
Carlton Cole
We have already turned down offers of £8m & £10m but its only a matter of time - he will leave for circa £15m.

Robert Green
Will also likely be off after the WC for £8M. He has previously expressed a desire to move and will most likely be first choice for England. He made 2 excellent saves in last night's game v Mexico and if he has a good campaign then the price will only increase.

Matthew Upson
Had a very poor season with WHU. Was the absent captain and really failed to command any presence on the field. For some reason he is still in the England squad even if its only cover. Another to leave for £10M+

Alessandro Diamanti
Purchased for £6M and has been told he should find another club. Problem is he has a contract until 2014 and he is on a large wedge so he may be in no hurry to move! My guess is that he wont be able to be moved on.

Valon Behrami
Swiss international who had a poor season after so much promise. Much again depends on his World Cup performance. My tip is that he will play in Serie A next term and leave for £8M+.

Kieron Dyer
Has another year to run on his contract and allegedly paid £70k per week for not a lot. Hardly played and therefore is going nowhere.

Scott Parker
Mr Untouchable! Should take a huge offer to tempt SuGo. Under contract until June 2012.

Araujo Ilan
Plucked from obscurity and scored 4 very important goals in the run in. May be retained for backup. Contract has expired.

Guillermo Franco
Mexican striker with lots to offer and scored last night against England. Was on a one-season contract. Unlikely he will stay which is a shame as he is class.

Mido
On loan from Boro and will not be retained.

Luis Boa Morte
Portuguese international whose contract has expired. Scored in the final game against ManCity and his post match outburst condemning SuGo has not endeared him to them. Missed the whole season with a terrible injury pre-season. One of my favourites and I would love him to stay but there is no chance. Was on significant wages.

Mark Noble
Under contract until June 2013 and not on huge wages. Will be there next season.

Jonathan Spector
The 'hapless' Jonathan Spector, USA international, had a very poor season. He is out of contract and is unlikely to be offered a new one.

Radoslav Kovac
Under contract until June 2012. At best a squad player. His lower wages will mean that he is retained.

Benedict McCarthy
What a waste. Hardly played, cost a lot and is now under contract until June 2012.

Julien Faubert
Under contract until June 2012. Played reasonably well this season but is not consistent enough at this level. He gives the ball away too much for me. Unlikely to move on so he'll be with us next term.

Danny Gabbidon
Plagued by injuries the past few years and such a shame as he played brilliantly in 2006-07. Out of contract and is unlikely to be renewed. Was on significant wages.

Hérita Ilunga
Under contract until 2013 on low wages. Needs to recapture 08-09 form and he will be a great asset.

Manuel Da Costa
Under contract until 2012 on low wages. Showed great promise.

Junior Stanislas
Academy graduate under contract until 2014 on very low wages.

Zavon Hines
Academy graduate under contract until 2012 (?) on very low wages. The only exciting player this season!

So on that reckoning I have the following:

Staying Diamanti Dyer Parker Ilan Zavon Hines Noble Kovac McCarthy Faubert Manuel Da Costa Junior Stanislas

Going Cole Upson Green Behrami Franco Mio Luis Boa Morte Spector Gabbidon

If the above were correct then we would get circa £40M for Cole, Upson, Green & Behrami. The debt must be reduced by circa £20M so that only leaves £20M for investment unless additional funding is obtained by the "Double Ds".

The Double D's have promised "we will buy more than we sell" but watch this space as I interpret this promise as follows:

We will only 'sell' the top 4 as the others simply leave by way of expiry of contract so we would only need to buy more than this number to fulfil a 'core promise'.

The squad desperately needs renewal and some fighters at that. Boateng is aggressive and perhaps a Grant type player. I have heard that he also wants to bring O'Hara and Ben Haim with him. Burnley striker Steven Fletcher and Everton's striker Ayegbeni Yakubu are also players touted as possible signings.

I have no doubt that unless we make radical changes to the playing staff we will come 19th next season - Blackpool will come 20th.

THE Stadium
Work has started so if you want to see what the new Hammers Stadium looks like click here.

SuGo have made it clear that we have to move and that this is a major if not the major strategy. I have to reluctantly agree as we cannot stay at Upton Park and progress. The tube connection is poor, the ground is not in a fan friendly area anymore as the infrastructure is just not there, the ground capacity of 35K cannot be increased and the fan base has largely moved on too.

However, again, the WHU Olympic Stadium presents loads of problems:

Per KUMB - 21 May:
Three in four West Ham supporters are opposed to moving to an Olympic Stadium with a running track, according to a KUMB.com poll. The poll, conducted on the KUMB.com forums in the wake of the news that any move to the Stratford venue comes with the proviso that the stadium must include the 400m track, has seen the plans given an overwhelming thumbs-down by Hammers fans concerned about the considerable distance they will be from the action.

The Olympic Park Legacy Committee have published statistics revealing that the view for supporters in the new stadium will be worse than that at both Man City's Eastlands stadium and Arsenal's Ashburton Grove. Those sitting in the upper tier of either side stand at the OS will be situated 124m from the centre circle - whilst the same seats at Arsenal place you 97m away from the action (98m at Eastlands).

Fans would fare little better behind either goal, where the 2012 games upper tier will be positioned a whopping 153m from the centre circle - 18m further away that those seats at the 90,000 capacity Wembley stadium, and once again considerably further away than both the Emirates (120m) and Eastlands (91m).

The major headache faced by David Sullivan and David Gold, whose very plans for purchasing the club were based on the move to the OS is that the 'bowl' shape of the stadium is not conducive for football, where the pitch is rectangular. Temporary seats will be virtually impossible to place due to the lack of gradient available (ie most people would not be able to see over those immediately in front of them), although it has already been stated that no further work can be considered inside the bowl due to 'contaminated ground'.

In the Sydney Australian context this is like comparing the Sydney Football Stadium, or whatever its called this week, in Paddington with our own Olympic Stadium in Homebush! I hate going to the latter as you are way too far away from the pitch for football. The SFS with a 40K capacity is superb.

A 50K rectangular stadium would be perfect for WHU - problem is where is there one?

Refereeing @ Upton Park
At long last I get to 'play' on the hallowed turf of Upton Park when on Wednesday 26 May I have been invited to referee a charity game!

There will be several former West Ham professionals playing - Don Hutchinson, Steve Lomas, Marc Bircham and Martin 'maddog' Allen have pledged to play. Julian Dicks is managing one of the teams with the other controlled by Ian 'Moose' Abrahams from TalkSport. Several more ex pros and celebrities have been invited and I understand that more are scheduled to play.

I have had a great season of refereeing in London and I expect to officiate at a higher level next season.

World Cup
It's almost here and I approach the event with great expectation.

Australia has a very hard group (D) and Germany, Ghana and Serbia will be very hard to beat.

England on the other hand is very well placed to top their group (C) with the USA, Algeria & Slovenia in the way.

The round of 16 is what I am looking forward to as an Australian resident in London. If England top their group as per the seedings and Australia finish 2nd in Group D, then Australia play England on Saturday 26 June at 7.30pm in Rustenburg! Australia and England have understandably never met in a true competitive football match so if this one eventuates it will not be for the feint hearted! England should be unbackable favourites to win such a contest but would the pressure get to them??? Can't wait.

Of course this assumes that we actually get through Group D and to be honest I think we will be very lucky to do that.

I would also like to apologise to all NZ Hammers for the disgraceful performance by the Socceroos last night. That would have been two clear Red Cards and I am at least pleased that Pimhad the honesty not only to admit it publicly but also to admonish the players to the press.

Its a tough one for the referees as they never want to issue RCs but really I think they should otherwise there is no sanction and challenges like those take place. It was disgusting to watch.

In the England v Mexico game Aaron Lennon was cynically brought down and that too would have earned a RC instead of a YC in a 'normal' game. That decision by the referee was more defensible as he could exercise discretion that it was NOT DOGSO.

Conclusion
Well the Hammers survived and just as predicted with one of the lowest points total in the history of the EPL. We were poor all season and it was not a great deal of fun yet life as a Hammers fan is never plain sailing. I'm not sure I could cope if we were regularly top 5? It's a nice dream though.

Next season is quite simple really:

1. Build a real squad with a quality manager and survive; or
2. Sell the top 4 players, reduce debt, make no real improvement in the squad and get relegated.

No need for the 10 plagues - it's patently obvious to me.

To wrap up, please join me in thanking our OzHammers Sponsors and please do use their services and products! We are very grateful to:

Treats From Home
OMNIS Software & DLA
E-Football
Macintype Design

Enjoy the World Cup and see you all next season. Until then...

DPL
Forever Blowing Bubbles

I've been so slack over here in London and to be honest the form of the Hammers is largely to blame!

Without a shadow of a doubt, this season's games in 2010 have been the worst I have seen from WHU for many a year.

I was at the Birmingham game on 10 February (W 2-0) and the Hull game on 20 February (W 3-0) and I really believed we had turned the corner. Then I travelled to Australia for 3 weeks and the wheels completely fell off.

23 Feb	Man U 3	WHU 0
6 Mar	WHU 1	Bolton 2
13 Mar	Chelsea 4	WHU 1
20 Mar	Arsenal 2	WHU 0
23 Mar	WHU 1	Wolves 3
27 Mar	WHU 0	Stoke 1

Sure we couldn't expect much out of three away games to the top three. It was however the manner of our play and the lack of fight and discipline. Zero points out of 18 placed us right in the mire.

I returned just in time to see WHU v Wolves on 23 March. You all know that we lost 3-1. For the first time ever I left Upton Park early. To say we were poor would be an incredible understatement. I have NEVER seen a Hammers team play worse and I know I will never want to. It was utter, utter rubbish.

I can honestly say that this has completely dampened my enthusiasm as the football has been just so bad. The prospect of watching WHU v Scunthorpe Utd in season 2010/11 still looms and I am not keen to do that!

Having said that it looks like we will just survive, although we are far from safe right now. Two weeks ago I was not so sure as I suggested the following:

• Everton A - always lose there - (a fighting point!)
• Sunderland H - resurgent - perhaps a point (we got 3!)
• Liverpool A - always lose there
• Wigan H - the only game we could win?
• Fulham A - hoping they are exhausted
• Man City H - Tevez to send us down as they secure 4th

Last weekend's win against Sunderland and Burnley's remarkable first away win of the season against Hull City was the best possible result for us.

Burnley & Hull will now most likely be relegated with Portsmouth and we could even survive with a record low points tally. WHU have 31 points with 4 to play. We should get no more than 34 and that is IF we can defeat Wigan.

In fact, at no time in the last 10 years has a club survived with less than 34 points.

• 2009 - Hull survived on 35 points
• 2008 - Fulham survived on 36 points
• 2007 - Wigan survived on 38 points
• 2006 - Portsmouth survived on 38 points
• 2005 - WBA survived on 34 points

Of course only the Hammers could be so unlucky to set the record of the highest point count for relegation with 42 points in 2002/03. We wont get anywhere near that this season.

The run in for the teams in the relegation dogfight are set out below. I'll really stick my neck out here and I have suggested the point result for each game (I wrote this before this weekend's games and sadly the update did not get loaded in time. Of course a mad result has come in and Wigan beat Arsenal on Sunday! To make matters worse, Stoke did us no favours by also capitulating to Bolton at home.):

Hull City	Burnley	WHU	Wigan	Bolton	Wolves
27 Pts	27 Pts	31 Pts	32 Pts	32 Pts	33 Pts
Birm (A) 0	Sun (A) 0	Liv (A) 0	Ars (H) 0	Stoke (A) 0	Ful (A) 1
Villa (H) 0	Liv (H) 0	Wigan (H) 3	WHU (A) 0	Ports (H) 3	Black (H) 0
Sun (H) 1	Birm (A) 0	Ful (A) 1	Hul (H) 1	Tot (A) 0	Ports (A) 0
Wigan (A) 1	Tot (H) 0	ManC (H) 0	Chels (A) 0	Birm (H) 0	Sun (H) 1
Liv (H) 0
30	27	35	33	35	35
18th	19th	14th	17th	16th	15th

Burnley has by far the hardest run-in and I can't see them getting any more points. Hull City have not won an away game this season and I can't see them starting now. Villa and Liverpool at home will also be too much for them.

West Ham still needs a win against Wigan to be safe and that is our key game now. Happily Scott Parker is back from suspension for that game and he remains crucial. Now however, the fact that Wigan have had an amazing win against Arsenal at home on the weekend when they were 0-2 down with 10 minutes to go and won 3-2 means that they will come to Upton Park on Saturday 24th April brimming with confidence and even bravado!

This Monday night against Liverpool will be interesting as they cannot make 4th now, they will be without Torres and focused on their UEFA Europa League match against Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderon a mere three days after our League match. We actually have a chance as this is their only real possibility for European football next season and the financial cost of failure is very high.

The problem though is that they may only have to finish where they are, 7th, for a spot in Europe given that Chelsea must surely win the FA Cup and that result would mean that an extra spot in Europe goes to the 7th placed team in the EPL. This means that Liverpool DO have something to play for on Monday.

A point at Anfield would be a real bonus!

Our record at Anfield is sadly abysmal as we have not won on Merseyside since 14th September 1963 and have scored just four goals there in 14 Premier League matches. Our overall record v Liverpool in all competitions is W 23 D 34 L 62. The last outing at Anfield resulted in a 0-0 draw on the 1st of December 2008.

The Hammers' goal difference does help as we are -16 whilst the others are all in the minus 20s and 30s! This means that we are really 4 points ahead of Hull rather than 3. After this weekend's amazing results it really looks like that two of the following teams will be relegated with Portsmouth - Burnley, Hull City & West Ham. How pathetic that we are down there with that lot.

All this talk of needing strikers - its our defence that's been the real problem. Only 5 teams have had more goals scored against them whilst a mere 9 teams have scored more goals than us.

Our prospects from here?
We'll survive - just - albeit with one of the lowest points totals in the history of the Premier League. All due to two of the worst teams the EPL has seen and financial mismanagement at Pompy.

Next season will be another matter as Newcastle and WBA are already confirmed promotions with Forest as the next favourite to join them, Cardiff, Leicester and Swansea are the remaining teams in the play-off positions. Any of these will be far tougher than Portsmouth, Hull and Burnley.

WHU must make major changes or we will be stone motherless last in the next campaign.

How much has Zola aged in 1 years 4 months!
Who would go into football management - absolutely frightening. If he saw this he WOULD resign immediately. This is what football management does to you:

6th Nov 2008 / 23 March 2010

Ownership of WHU & Finances
I have to own up to maintaining a dialogue with Mr Sullivan since January on the prospect of a Supporters' Trust investment in WHU.

I had significant discussions and made an offer to raise and invest £20M into the club. David Sullivan made several public comments inducing such an investment but sadly we have not been able to even get to the starting gate.

What we needed was an Option to acquire 20% of the equity for £20M based on the valuation set by the club. We built a comprehensive business and execution plan and corporate structure, appointed the lawyers, gathered the support of significant players and were ready to proceed.

However, in the absence of the grant of a formal Option, we could not proceed.

The club appointed a city firm with a mandate to raise £40M and that has not borne fruit. The Club also held meetings with all the significant match day sponsors and box holders and they too have declined to invest directly as there was no clear benefit offered to those club members.

What we offered was a simple supporter run company that would invest in the Club. Sadly without a real commitment from the Club it was clear that we had to withdraw. They would not consider a formal Option and told me just to go out and raise these funds and then come back when we had done so.

Of course, the investment world does not work like that and hence our genuine and well comprehensive plan remains dormant.

Conclusion
The Wigan match remains pivotal. Make sure you gather round your TVs, wherever you are, and cheer on the Hammers. As for me, I'll be at Upton Park... Forever blowing bubbles in London!!

And bloody nervous at that!

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

My first London based report comes to you from the coldest UK Winter in 30 years. Snowed here in North London and loving it!

Sadly Sunday's fixture against Wolves was postponed for the all-pervasive UK H&S (Health & Safety) reasons even though the streetscape around Upton Park was remarkably clear? We were told that even though the pitch was fine given the under pitch heating system, the surrounding streets were not safe and therefore the match could not proceed.

This is a great shame as in recent weeks the Hammers have been resurgent even though we have failed to claim maximum points and have failed to progress past our first hurdle in Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Round Up
20th Dec - WHU v Chelsea
An all round terrific performance by the Hammers saw us earn a valuable point and, save for a poor decision by the AR in deeming Matty Upson's perfectly timed and executed tackle in the box on Daniel Sturridge in the 58th minute a foul, all 3 points would have been ours. A penalty was awarded to Chelsea and 1-1 was the way it stayed.

Video replays made it clear that this was no penalty. The AR had an excellent view of the incident and it was he who 'awarded' the penalty. The referee, Mike Dean, was left in a very difficult position and after consulting with the AR had little choice but to award the spot kick.

It is common for many referees to request ARs to check whether the referee has seen incidents in the box before flagging for penalties however one can only guess at the agreed instructions in this match.

I am very loathe to criticise such things and its all too easy to be wise after 7 slowmo replays, however I do think that this is a case where the official might have done better with the benefit of hindsight.

The taking of the penalty itself was a lengthy exercise as Mr Dean required Frank Lampard to have 3 goes at it, all of which he converted. One of my Chelsea mates (yes I do admit to a few) complained bitterly that the referee was ridiculous and wrong for this decision. Mr Dean was spot on (sorry) and this is why (I have simplified the LOTG and have just dealt with the attackinf team's actions):

Neither team's players may encroach into the penalty area or the 'D' prior to the kicking of the ball by the penalty taker.

• If an ATTACKING team player encroaches prior to the movement of the ball AND the ball enters the net, then the penalty kick must be retaken as the ATTACKING team is deemed to have gained an advantage from the encroachment.
• If an ATTACKING team player encroaches prior to the movement of the ball AND the ball is saved by the keeper and cleared, then the penalty kick is NOT retaken, as the ATTACKING team has gained no advantage from the infringement.
• If a DEFENDING team player encroaches prior to the movement of the ball or the keeper advances forward of his goal line AND the ball enters the net, then a goal is awarded as the DEFENDING team has gained no advantage from the infringement.
• If a DEFENDING team player encroaches prior to the movement of the ball or the keeper advances forward of his goal line AND the kick is saved by the keeper and cleared, then the penalty kick is retaken as the DEFENDING team is deemed to have gained an advantage from the infringement.

Video replays show the Chelsea players well inside the area before the kick was taken on the first 2 occasions.

Such a shame for us that Frank is so good at penalties as he drilled all 3 into the net!

26th Dec - WHU v Portsmouth
2-0 to the Cockney boys! A workman-like performance by most and an outstanding performance by the inspirational Scott Parker.

Alessandro Diamanti scored our 7th penalty of the season midway through the first half and Radoslav Kovac scored with a powerful header in the 89th minute from a corner to secure the most valuable of 3 points against our relegation and administration haunted opposition.

Unbelievably, WHU have been awarded more penalties than any other EPL side this season. This is amazing as I recall complaints for so many years now that we were always the ones denied spot kicks - its heartening that we are at last top of this list.

I was at this game and I can tell you that not only was the crowd relieved, I saw members of the WHU Executive in the Directors' box hugging and getting VERY excited when that 2nd goal went in to secure the win. They knew all too well how much that meant. We were not to be last at Christmas.

28th Dec - Tottenham v WHU
Tottenham became the first team this season to do the double over the Hammers, as we were completely out-classed at the Lane. We went behind in the 11th minute after several Spurs raids, mostly by Aaron Lennon down the right wing and it was he who delivered the cross to Modric for their goal.

We had risked Scott Parker, who was clearly unfit after his Portsmouth heroics 2 days earlier and he succumbed in the 12th minute to a hamstring injury. Ilunga followed 7 minutes later resulting in two major changes within the first 20 minutes.

Our Hammers never recovered and we were fortunate that we only conceded one more goal to old-boy Defoe late in the 2nd half.

The game was men against boys and we were horribly out of our league in this fixture. Luis Jimenez and Jonathan Spector are to be honest mediocre subs and it showed. Jimenez on his performances this season is just not good enough.

3rd Jan - WHU v Arsenal - FA Cup 3rd Round
Franco was suspended and injuries to Noble, Parker, Ilunga and long-term absentee Carlton Cole meant that we had a host of teenagers on the pitch.

Diamanti scored again just on the stroke of half time and had a game of great vision and industry however our newbees just did not have enough in reserve to hold off Arsenal. They brought on Diaby and Nasri whilst Eduardo stepped up a gear as they scored 2 great goals in the final 12 minutes to steal the game away.

In the absence of Parker, Valon Behrami played in the middle and had a superb game. Kovac again performed well but once again it's the star-studded talent of the opposition, and their subs, that are simply too much for our team.

We did play well though and were unlucky to lose and, as much as I hate to admit it, given our thin resources and perilous position in the table, we need to ensure we finish 17th rather than have a great cup run!

Our prospects from Here?
Hard to say - the January transfer window is upon us and the general consensus is that Parker & Upson are the key players. If we sell those two then we are as good as doomed. They are closely followed by Behrami, Cole & Green.

Of the above 5 there is talk about Behrami and Upson as potential sacrificial lambs given the financial position of the Icelandic bankers who are our masters.

There is no doubt that this would be foolhardy in the extreme. Asset stripping wont work and will merely serve to reduce the value of the club. Time will tell though as it really depends on who, if anyone, we sell rather than who we buy.

We are scoring lots of goals and even though we are also conceding, we have a relatively good goal difference and this helps. The great shame is the postponement of the Wolves home game as we could have leapt to 13th with a win further boosting confidence.

The next 2 games are both away fixtures to Villa on 17 Jan and then Portsmouth on the 26th. Four points from those two games will ease tensions significantly. Portsmouth are in financial freefall as they now have a transfer embargo in place given that they have failed to pay several clubs for players and they have also failed to pay their own players and back-room staff!

Then we have Blackburn at home on Jan 30th, a fixture we usually win, so provided we retain our best players and the current form continues, and it has been good in December, then we might, just might be mid-table by the end of this month.

Oh the trials and tribulations of being a Hammers fan...

Ownership of WHU & Finances
It appears that we are inching ever closer to a change in ownership at the Club. Straumur, an Icelandic Bank, currently effectively owns WHU albeit through a company called CB Holdings. This company was formed to assume the WHU asset base after the collapse of Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's banking empire in the wake of the GFC.

Eggert Magnusson was the initial chairman of West Ham United under Gudmundsson's 2006-07 structure and he held 5% of the equity. It was he who was allegedly responsible for the acquisition of several high profile and again allegedly overpaid players in the January 2007 transfer window.

Straumur appointed Rothchilds Bank late last year to manage a process of sale of WHU and it has been widely reported that several parties have expressed interest and that a deal is close to completion. All this is however pure press speculation and the Club and various parties have yet to make their intentions public.

At the very least it appears that we have dealt with almost all of our poor signings under the current administration as almost all the 'non-performing assets' have been moved on or their contracts have expired.

In an excellent article this weekend, The Observer catalogues several clubs with non-performing players sitting on the bench or even permanent reserves earning £50,000 per week and up! (See "What a waste of money - the Premier League's best-paid flops"). Pompey seems to be the worst offender although Spurs (David Bentley - £50k per week, 6 year deal, 1 goal, 21 starts), Manchester City (Jo - signed for £19M in 2008, 6 starts, no goals, back on loan to Everton with no goals in 09/10) and Liverpool (Ryan Babel - £11.5M signing in 07, £60k per week, 24 starts) all have their troubled stars.

West Ham had them too in the form of Freddie Ljungberg, allegedly on £85k per week. Freddie had his contract bought out by the club to reduce the financial exposure. Happily, WHU don't have any high profile players drawing wages and not playing except perhaps Kieron Dyer albeit that he has been terribly unlucky with injury. Hopefully the appropriate insurances are in place to cover that contingency?

I have argued before for a salary cap or some other similar system to save clubs from themselves. League 2 has such a system and it is only a matter of time before we have something in place for the others. Many are sceptical, however it's a simple matter of numbers - current wages are unsustainable and without regulation from somewhere, clubs will otherwise go bust!

Team Of The Decade: WHUFC.com
Even though the decade still has another 12 months to run, in true WHU style we have announced our "Team of the Decade" covering the period 3 Jan 2000 - 28 Dec 2009. When will those marketing people ever learn?

See the full Team story HERE.

Full Team - Appearances in parentheses:
Keeper: Robert Green (134)
Rt Back: Tomas Repka (188), L Back: Stuart Pearce (50), Cent Backs: Rio Ferdinand (158), Matthew Upson (93)
L Midfield: Joe Cole (150), Rt Midfield: Yossi Benayoun (72), Cent Mid: Scott Parker (72), Frank Lampard (187)
Strikers: Paolo Di Canio (141), Carlos Tevez (29)

The most amazing statistic from the above team is that of all the players NOT to have played international football, Paolo Di Canio is the most unlikely given that he, IMHO, was the most gifted of them all. Perhaps the explanation for this amazing omission is best expressed by Harry Redknapp HERE.

Conclusion
So, here's to a few good results this month and no loss of players. I'll keep you posted!

Forever Blowing Bubbles (snow) in London!
DPL

Thirteen games into the season and we are in HEAPS of trouble. ELEVEN measly points, 17th in the table, relegation form. Sure we've had a tough start to the season with 4 of our 6 Home games against heavyweights Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and Villa, however the loss at Wigan early in the season and two poor draws against Blackburn (A) and Fulham (H) coupled with our regular defeat by Everton at Home two weeks ago and it all makes particularly poor reading. Bolton's loss on Sunday is all that keeps us out of the bottom 3 on goal difference.

Then we concede 3 goals away at Hull on Saturday and the alleged England defence pair of Upson and Green look anything but compelling.

The home fixture against Burnley now takes on critical status. Anything less than 3 points from that game and we'll be back in the bottom 3 for sure at the end of this month - then just have a look at the schedule that follows. Regrettably, I can't see any other result.

Where's the spark, the creativity, the finishing and the discipline.

And where is Lucas Neill to organise our defence and lead the team? Everton of course and we are all the poorer for it. Great business to balance the books and get rid of him when he wanted to stay. Hate to say I told you so...

Against Fulham we led 1-0 at half time. Fulham had a player sent off in the 41st minute and then we conceded 2 goals to 10 men at home in the first 12 minutes of a shambolic 2nd half. Jiminez rescued a point deep into injury time and our team was then booed off the pitch by 32K+ fans.

Is there any amazement that we deserved anything else?

As usual there are those who claim we are "too good to go down" and that we must eventually score goals against the weaker sides and climb the table. I am just so worried though given that we look toothless and rudderless in the middle of the park.

The UK Mirror wrote last month:

"West Ham have now made their worst start to a season since the 2002-03 season. Ominously enough West Ham were (sic.) relegated. Predictably enough similar forecasts are now being made, although those gazing pessimistically into their crystal balls ought to take a step back and review their misguided standpoints."

Its quite unusual for the press to be West Ham friendly and the article, published back in October, suggests that we are premature in our forecast of demise.

Just last week Jason Burt in the Telegraph suggested that our financial plight is also easing and that good times are just around the corner:

"On the field, West Ham are (sic.) playing reasonably well, even if the results are not there yet. There is confidence in the manager, Gianfranco Zola, and a determination to prove that relegation fears will soon pass. Time will tell. Off the field, fortunes are improving. That may appear counter-intuitive. After all, why would CB Holdings, the company formed by creditors which runs West Ham, have appointed Rothschild and Standard Bank to seek out new investors?

Burt also tells us that the three potential investors, Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, former Birmingham City co-owners Davids Sullivan and Gold and a mystery consortium represented by the Intermarket Group have all bid to assume control of WHU.

Burt goes on to suggest that all potential investors believe that there is a real bargain to be had and that they are misguided as West Ham chairman Andrew Bernhardt has remained cool in his negotiations with all parties and has remained firm on his valuation of the club:

"Straumur's (the Icelandic bank that is CB Holdings' biggest shareholder) own fortunes have improved, and that is now helping West Ham. If they had needed to sell by now, they would have done so. The bank is restructuring itself in Iceland and there is real hope that it may soon come out of a moratorium, a suspension of payment to creditors, to reflect its improved status. Negotiations with creditors are continuing. Another extension beyond the December deadline should be agreed."

"At the same time, CB Holdings has renegotiated the terms of a loan facility at West Ham, which has placed it on a more sound financial footing. As part of that agreement, Straumur put in more than £5 million of new investment a prerequisite demanded by the banks who conducted the refinancing to show goodwill while the debts now stand at £38 million and are wholly manageable with a turnover of around £90 million."

"Furthermore, the club has dramatically cut its wage bill, which had grown under previous chairman Eggert Magnusson, from £62 million to £38 million a year."

All this positive WHU press has my head in a spin! Whatever the case, we are again headed for a change in ownership and hopefully, some stability and progression.

Is Relegation Possible?
You better believe it! We are disorganised and all the euphoria after the comeback against Arsenal and then Villa was lost against Everton. If we fail to beat Burnley next week expect a long cold winter of discontent.

Home-grown rule introduced
Premier League clubs must limit squad sizes to 25
15th September 2009

The Premier League has introduced a home-grown player rule which will come into effect from next season, alongside a limit on squad sizes. From the 2010/11 campaign, the 20 Premier League clubs have voted to introduce measures which will see all teams required to have eight home-grown players out of a squad of 25.

Chief executive Richard Scudamore confirmed the changes, with clubs only able to make alterations to their squads during the two transfer windows.

"As of next season clubs will be required to have a squad named of up to 25 players, of which no more than 17 can be over the age of 21 and not home grown," Scudamore said. "The definition of home grown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system. "Clubs will have to declare their 25 at the end of August when the window shuts and then again at the end of January."

Players who are aged under 21 are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per squad. Scudamore does not believe the move will encourage clubs to hoard young foreign players and claims the England team will ultimately reap the reward. "It's not in the club's interests to stockpile players. It will make buying home-grown talent more attractive," he said. "We're not going down the route of a nationality test but what this will mean is that you just can't buy a team from abroad. "We think it will give clubs an extra incentive to invest in youth. We think that one of the benefits will be that it will help the England team."

Well - what will this achieve? From a WHU perspective it is interesting to note that Lucas Neill would qualify under this rule given that he went to the UK as a 17 years old!

This means that the wealthy clubs just need to spend more time at grass roots and bring more youngsters in earlier and 'hoard' them so as to ensure that they qualify under the rules.

The exact wording has yet to be released so it may be that Richard Scudamore means that the absolute squad limit is 25 named players PLUS these other restrictions. This would limit squad size and therefore cost but would not restrict wealthy clubs, one presumes, from having multiple youth teams so as to ensure that they maximise the number of players who qualify under this 'home-grown' rule.

How ludicrous would it be that the Australian captain would qualify as an English 'home-grown' player?

There was more:

"All 20 Premier League members also agreed to adhere to a set of financial reporting rules designed to protect the viability and sustainability of the clubs.

"They will all have to annually submit accounts and future financial information," said Scudamore. "At all times the board of the Premier League will be applying a test which basically says this: can the club fulfil its fixtures, pay off its creditors when they are due and also to meet obligations to the Premier League's contracts and partners? "If the board believe a club is at risk of not meeting those obligations, it has to then step in and agree a budget for the running of that club. Any transfers can be embargoed. "It's absolutely crucial that these clubs are run as ongoing viable concerns. These financial rules apply immediately. "This is tied in, and we passed the rule during the summer, to a 'fit and proper person test'.

At our club meeting last week, the clubs absolutely endorsed our position of not linking expenditure to income."

Implications for West Ham
Note the use of the word 'risk' above. Our current financial position is risky to say the least although it is yet unknown whether this equates to a position where the board of the Premier League would deem the club unfinancial.

I can see more fees generated in sports litigation over this one should the board ever find that an EPL club breached this rule!

Ethics & Sport
Last week I gave a paper to an Australian/New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) seminar on 'Building Effective Amateur Sports Disciplinary Tribunals and Dealing with Abuse of Match Officials'.

In this paper I dealt with the requirements of Sports Disciplinary Tribunals and the sad reality that poor behaviour by professional stars in many sports translates into even worse behaviour by parents, coaches and players in grass roots sport.

Every time players surround or abuse a referee we cop it on the pitch the next weekend. And when we hand out a 4 match ban and the equivalent behaviour in the EPL gets a slap on the wrist it makes our job even harder.

I explained how we have significantly reduced both referee abuse within my FA and how our judicial system has also assisted to arrest the spiral in offences. This blight on weekend sport is driving many match officials and volunteers away and really threatens so much of our enjoyment of sport.

My opening remarks poignantly drew on an excellent paper by Amanda Smith published in 2005 in which she asked: "Is Sport the Last Bastion of Moral Certainty?"

Smith suggests:

"For sport to exist at all, it has to exist within an ethical framework of playing fairly. There's no point to it otherwise. A game of cricket that's fixed has lost all its meaning. In the corporate world, a rouge trader might wreak a lot of financial damage, but still doesn't destroy the raison d'etre of business. The presence of a rouge trader in cricket or any other sport does."

Smith goes on in the 2001 paper published in 2005, to note the important role sports stars play in the psyche of the community and how different they are treated to leaders in the Arts "Do we care if a painting by Brett Whitely was created while he was under the influence of heroin - a performance enhancer to his creativity as he saw it?"

Quite clearly the best paintings of Brett Whitely were produced, on his own admission, under the influence of a 'performing enhancing drugs' and the Art world, as Amanda Smith notes, might condemn his use of illegal substances and find that morally repugnant, however the expression of his genius is not tarnished by his 'unsocial' behaviour.

Not so with our sports stars - Sports 'cheats' in whatever form are viewed with disgust.

The Hand of Gaul
Thierry Henry, one of the greatest players for Arsenal and France, tarnished his image, almost certainly irreparably, by clearly cheating in the Ireland v France World Cup qualifier last week.

Sport has rules and boundaries and it is for this reason that its stars are held up as role models - they are REQUIRED to participate within a moral code. Others have less well defined roles. Henry has shown us that in a moment of weakness even he was prepared to break the rules with such devastating effect.

There are those who seek to blame the referee however the position of the incident, for those who are familiar with the diagonal system of coverage used in refereeing, would understand that it was quite impossible for the officials to see this incident. Thierry knew that in his position with traffic in the way it would be most unlikely that the officials would see what has aptly been called "the Hand of Gaul".

Of course had FIFA adopted the additional official behind the goal currently on trial in the Europa League, then surely this goal would not have stood.

FIFA have said that the game cannot be replayed and they are correct. Claims that the Uzbekistan v Bahrain game set a precedent are wrong as in that game the referee made an error in Law not Judgement. This distinction is critical.

Henry's late support for a replay is clear recognition by him that his livelihood is at stake. It's too late and perhaps, just perhaps, the media through its cameras and the spread of HDTV might finally prove to be the best incentive to players considering other forms of cheating to think again. The football world has seen this and all except blind supporters of one nation condemn it.

Thierry - shame on you!

London Calling
This will be my final OzHammers report from an Australian base, as I will take up residence in London in December 09 for a 2 year stint in the UK. I'll be working on a few new business ventures and of course assuming a regular position at Upton Park each match day! Here's hoping I'll be watching the EPL?

Discount WHU Shirts @ Rebel
Before I go, I have finally secured a deal on WHU shirts for Australian supporters. Rebel is offering shirts at A$99 (save A$41) until 24 December. They are available online here.

If you wish to redeem the offer in-store you will need to take a copy of the online OzHammers Merchandise page, as it is full price in-store and the actual web page is hidden from view until after this deal ends. This means you will need evidence of the offer in order for the register operator to be able to override the price.

Not all Rebel stores have stock so check our OzHammers Merchandise page for locations!

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

The new season is underway at last and as always I get quite excited to see the claret and blue back on the TV. Mind you the new shirt is far more claret than anything and will take some getting used to.

I was underwhelmed with our performance at Wolves as we 'won ugly' and my fears were only confirmed by yet another home defeat at the hands of Spurs, this time suffering the ignominy of 'Array at the helm, then an awful 0-0 draw at Blackburn which leaves us mid table and looking quite unimpressive.

Carlton's wonder goal to take the lead against Spurs only flattered to deceive as we meekly surrendered the game. I hate to admit it but Spurs do look good and their attacking options are very high quality. If they stay fit then their 'fans' will have loads of goals to cheer this season. If only we had a striker or two?

09/10 Season - Debt
Sadly we have failed to attract the type of goal-scoring resources I had called for in July and its now clear why. Back then I suggested that our financial position was quite good when compared to others. Seems I was more than a little optimistic:

Matt Scott, writing in The Guardian on Thursday 3 September launched the following stunning revelation:

"The shocking extent of West Ham United's financial crisis during the Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson era has been laid bare in the club's accounts, which have been obtained by the Guardian. The documents reveal a business strategy that, in the opinion of the club's finance director, Nick Igoe, was "fundamentally flawed".

"The accounts set out a loss of more than £37.4m for the year ending 2008, which was covered by an injection of £30.5m of cash from the holding company of the former owner, Gudmundsson, and £17m of new loans negotiated with the banks in January 2008. Now that the club's parent company, CB Holding, is effectively a subsidiary of Iceland's now defunct bank Straumur, even a marginal loss this year could result in a return to the 2008 crisis.

"In addition, the Hammers have net debt and contingent liabilities approaching £100m. But since West Ham are also yet to file their May 2009 accounts, the true current picture has not been presented. It is believed five syndicate banks have together raised their loans to the club to £50m and whether the auditors, Deloitte, will sign off the most recent accounts is an important consideration."

The full story can be read HERE.

Basically we have overspent by a huge amount and costs had to be cut. We can't afford new players and that's why massive cuts have been made, Collins sold to Aston Villa and no new players brought in of note.

It is clear that our banking owners must sell the club and that they cannot invest in it in any meaningful way and that they just need to maintain the asset as a going concern prior to realizing a profit.

Our squad is therefore small and boasts many inexperienced players albeit mingled with some excellent professionals.

Having said that Jiminez does look very good and once he settles, and he will, he offers some of the mid-field creativity we have craved since the departure of Yossi. We have an outstanding backbone with Green (England's No 1), Upson, Ilunga, Parker, Noble, Behrami and Cole.

My concern is that there is precious little cover up front and if Carlton gets injured then its up to the "teenager brigade" of Hines (20), Stanislas (19), Nouble (18), with Tompkins (20), Collison (20) & Daprela (18) in defence.

I doubt if any other EPL side has this many youngsters as front line prospects?

We have just signed Alessandro Diamanti from Livorno and he does look lively in reports so that will assist - last night he scored 2 goals in his debut in Hammers colours in the 6-0 rout of Birmingham Reserves as he converted two free kicks from distance! (Amazingly it seems that SBOBET, WHU's principal sponsors, provided an advance of funds to enable the club to make this signing!)

However, I have no doubt that our illustrious masters are simply biding their time and betting on this talented group to maintain our PL status. I happen to think that this strategy will work both because they are talented and for the reasons suggested back in July that the opposition is just not as good as us.

Savio, that £9m 19 year-old touted as a miracle player last year and WHU's record signing, has failed and has returned to Italy. To his credit, Scott Duxbury has executed what sounds like an excellent deal to recover £3m plus Manuel Da Costa, a 23 year-old Portuguese defender, plus a 50% sell on clause just in case Savio does make it in the future.

It's a shame he could not settle and compete but let's remember that these are kids and an international move combined with the pressure cooker EPL environment is enough to frighten a seasoned pro let alone a major culture shocked kid. The Club has to try out new options and I do think credit is due here as this type of 'sale or return deal' makes a lot of commercial sense.

Also let's not forget that we have the 'dream team' management/coaching of Zola and Clarke - clearly the envy of the majority of PL teams. I have it on very good authority that the players revere them and that all are benefiting enormously from their direction and experience.

However, without serious investment WHU was never going to progress this season. Regrettably Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and CB Holding are no longer in a position to materially assist.

There is recent talk of Ali al-Faraj, a Saudi property investor who recently failed in his attempts to buy Portsmouth, may be considering a bid for West Ham.

However I recommend that you send me your pocket money and I'll mount a bid!

Mark Viduka
There is paper talk surrounding a move for the out of contract Mark Viduka. Australian fans will have mixed feelings about 'Duke' joining the Hammers as we would love to see him succeed yet have the suspicion that he is too injured and not enough motivated to be a real contender. If, however, those matters can be resolved in the positive then there is no doubt that he could make a positive contribution if Carlton needs a rest.

I doubt the two of them fit in the same team but must admit that I always want an Australian at UP for purely biased nationalistic reasons.

I am particularly disappointed that Lucas has not been re-signed and am aware that there is significant misinformation floating around in the press as to the reasons why this is so. He is a towering influence and I know that I would always want him in my team.

International Fans
Whilst in London becoming one of the few living Australians to witness a loss at Lords, I travelled to UP to meet with WHU staff and revisit part of some marketing advice I provided to the club some 3 years ago. There is so much to be done at the club and I can only hope that progress can be made.

I doubt the Club can afford me but you never know?

09/10 Season - The League
I still maintain that WHU is better than all of the following teams and that we should finish above them:

• Hull City
• Stoke City
• Burnley
• Birmingham
• Wolves
• Sunderland
• Portsmouth
• Wigan
• Blackburn
• Bolton

Portsmouth looks in terrible shape, as they really do not have the team, youth system or the management to progress. We'll finish 9th - 12th.

Chelsea Ban & Eduardo Dives
For those of you who have not heard:

Chelsea has been banned from signing any new players in the next two transfer windows by FIFA. The Premier League club was found guilty of inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens when he joined in 2007. "Chelsea is banned from registering any new players for the two next registration periods," a statement on FIFA's website read.

Chelsea can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Chelsea has indicated that they will appeal.

Lens lodged a complaint with world football's governing body after Chelsea had landed the player two years ago. Now FIFA's dispute resolution chamber (DRC) has ruled that Kakuta breached his contract with Lens and Chelsea induced him to do so. The FIFA statement continued: "The French club had lodged a claim with FIFA seeking compensation for breach of contract from the player and requesting also sporting sanctions to be imposed on the player and the English club for breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract. "The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club.

Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such breach." The DRC ruled that Kakuta must pay compensation of 780,000 Euros, for which Chelsea is "jointly and severally liable". Chelsea must pay additional "training compensation" of 130,000 Euros to Lens, while the player has been banned from playing in official matches for four months.

AND

UEFA charged Arsenal's Brazilian striker Eduardo with "deceiving the referee" when he dived to earn his side a penalty in last week's UEFA Champions League play-off win over Celtic.

Arsenal will of course also appeal and have cited "obvious errors and inconsistencies in UEFA's judgment".

I applaud both these decisions as its time to put some ethics back into sport. Whilst I have enormous sympathy for Eduardo after that horrendous tackle 18 months ago and his understandable and fearful desire to avoid a repeat, in this case he dived.

This is cheating.

If Chelsea did indeed induce a player to breach his contract with another party then this is also unconscionable and, notwithstanding their market dominance and power, cannot go unpunished.

In Australia our A-League has adopted the following rule on Simulation for the current season:

"FFA A-League Disciplinary Regulations"
(a) a Participant is guilty of Simulation;
(b) the Referee has made an Obvious Error in failing to detect the Simulation; and
(c) the Simulation committed by the Participant resulted in:
(i) a penalty kick being awarded to the Participant's team, such decision to award a penalty kick being one that no Referee in the possession of all the facts, including the Broadcast Footage, could reasonably have made; or
(ii) a Red Card being issued to a Player and such Red Card is one determined by the Match Review Panel, on application from the Player in accordance with clause 9.3, to be expunged in accordance with clause 9.6, the Match Review Panel must impose a sanction on the Participant of a suspension of two (2) A-League Matches.

As a referee it is VERY difficult to identify simulation and I applaud the introduction of these sanctions.

However, the various authorities, FIFA, UEFA and FFA must exhibit sufficient determination to follow through with these sanctions. Respective Judiciaries and Disciplinary tribunals must be made independent of the Football bodies so as to make the process transparent and consistent.

At our grass roots level in ESFA, I designed such a system and this has delivered significant benefits to the competition and gained the respect of all players and officials.

Its not hard guys - just follow through!

Millwall
I couldn't omit this item even though I want to.

I was ashamed to be a Hammers fan on my morning of the 26th of August as I awoke to read of the disgraceful behaviour of our fans. A Millwall supporter was stabbed outside the ground. This was a man with a family, wife and life and whilst I have heard that he is recovering, I am disgusted that I must assume that someone wearing 'my' colours assaulted him!

There is no place in football indeed the world for those who believe that violence towards another is acceptable. I don't care who they support this is just not on.

Then there are those who invaded the pitch! WHY? What on earth did you do that for?

Green Street properties were damaged and general public misbehaviour was, by all accounts, rampant.

I apologise to all Millwall fans who were there that day and can only hope that you all got home alright to your loved ones and that you never have to suffer this again.

To those Millwall and West Ham fans that participated in this carnage, in the words of Ray Winstone in the FA's respect video, "Some of us need to have a long, hard, look at ourselves".

New Sydney OzHammers Venue Required
Our Bondi watering hole is finally set to close early November so the Sydney Hammers will need a new venue. I am looking into options at the moment and welcome recommendations from Sydney Hammers.

The criteria is that we must have a venue that will give absolute preference to Hammers games and show them whenever there is a live broadcast. This means every week as Foxtel's Viewers' Choice delivers us 37 of the 38 WHU matches.

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

I've been even tardier this time with an update. All based on a lacklustre end to the season, predictably winning 2 and losing 2 in May and the total obscurity of a top 10 finish, albeit 9th with a negative goal difference as usual. So sorry about all that but I have been preoccupied.

I am on my way to London this week for several business meetings (as well as the Lords Test match). I expect to have more WHU news by my return. Hopefully, WHU will soon realise the value of the international supporter base and start paying attention to the opportunities this presents. If only a structure existed to assist internationally based Hammers to properly engage with the club. I wont hold my breath though.

09/10 Season - Debt
I expect WHU to easily maintain last season's result as I think that this next EPL season will be one of the weakest for some time. Investment in players will be far less than recent years as clubs consolidate under mountains of debt.

In this department WHU actually looks pretty good when compared to Liverpool (Debt £280M, Wages as proportion of turnover unknown but HUGE), Fulham (debt £197M, Wages as proportion of turnover 73%). Relegated clubs Newcastle (Debt £106M, Turnover £100, Wages as proportion of turnover 74%), and Middlesbrough (Debt £93M on Turnover of £48 in the EPL, Wages as proportion of turnover 73%), are in real strife.

In comparison our debt ratio is quite moderate:

• Turnover £57m (down from £60.1m in 2006, a drop of 5.2%)
• Gate and match-day £17m
• TV and broadcasting £24m
• Catering and corporate hospitality £5m
• Commercial activities £9m
• Retail and Merchandising £2m
• Wage bill £44.2m (up from 31.2m in 2006, an increase of 41%)
• Wages as proportion of turnover 76%
• Loss before tax £22m
• Debts £36m

There is no doubt in my mind that we could make so much more as there remains great scope to improve WHU's financial position. Please click here for more detail.

09/10 Season - Players
I agree that we must have additional strikers as that is our weakest link now - everything else looks solid. Diego Tristan and David Di Michele have been released after their less than auspicious loan spell at the club, Freddie Sears has been sent out on loan to Palace and therefore we were left with just Dean Ashton and Carlton Cole as front line strikers.

The one thing we must do is sign 3 more strikers - minimum.

Inter Milan's Luis Jimenez has now signed on loan but this is not enough as we must have at least 2 more. Defence looks great and now that Danny Gabbidon is back playing after 18 months out and Spector has done well in the US, we have even more cover there for Upson, Tompkins, Collins and Ilunga. I expect Lucas Neill to return as well and he is an excellent influence that is not readily replaceable.

Our midfield stocks are huge and for once we have several excellent options:

• Behrami
• Boa Morte
• Collison
• Dyer
• Faubert
• Noble
• Parker
• Payne
• Quashie (surly he's not staying?)
• Savio
• Stanislas

There are several juniors and academy players who have also come through and we will see more of them. In essence a fit Ashton, Cole, Jiminez plus 2 other quality strikers coupled with fewer injuries and we will do very well.

09/10 Season - The League
IMHO, the following 10 teams look very soft indeed and any 3 of them could be relegated with particular emphasis on the first five:

• Hull City
• Stoke City
• Burnley
• Birmingham
• Wolves
• Sunderland
• Portsmouth
• Wigan
• Blackburn
• Bolton

This makes the coming season comfortable for last season's 7-10 ranked teams albeit very little capacity to progress for:

• Fulham
• Tottenham
• WHU
• ManCity

ManCity "should" challenge Everton and Aston Villa for the top 6 (but will they) whilst Fulham, Spurs and WHU should finish no higher than 8-10. WHU and Fulham have the 2 best 'keepers in the EPL and if they get injured both could struggle.

I sadly believe that the 09/10 table almost picks itself before a ball is kicked! Looks almost boring next season. Having said that, this will not stop me from obtaining my 1st season ticket, provided I can get one that commences mid-season as we wont be there before 19 Dec.

I know Zola has said that we should target a top 4 finish and although my heart says YES, I just can't get my head around it.

Salary Cap
I want to see this big time. If only it can be implemented and properly policed then all leagues in the EU can once again be competitive. If we don't make it happen then all leagues will descend into predictable sequences and that must in time result in reduced interest.

The issues are clear - all there needs to be is the will to implement the required changes EU wide and then the future will be bright. The current system is not sustainable long term either financially or interest wide for the fans. A sham contest will lose its appeal particularly in the current economic climate.

Scott Duxbury Interview
There's a fantastic 7 part interview with the CEO of WHU, Scott Duxbury on Iain Dale's website - well worth the read!

Refereeing and Abuse of Officials
I have used this forum for a while now to champion the eradication of abuse of officials.

Over that past 5 years I have held the position of Chair of the ESFA Judiciary Committee and have rebuilt the processes and structure of an efficient and truly independent Judiciary. I have also sat on several Commissions of Enquiry for FNSW at the professional end of the game.

During that time I have written over 300 judgements covering so many bizarre and sad instances of player, parent and club official misbehaviour. Later this year I plan to publish those judgements and make these available to the football community in the hope that they inspire further action by FAs to deal with the unpleasant side of football. Judiciary structure is critical to the successful management of a competition and this is increasingly a professional requirement even at the amateur levels of the game.

I hope you will all read and enjoy these judgements and assist me to reduce the abuse of Referees. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to assist in the UK later this year as well?

Referees at Grass Roots
This Australian 09 season I was asked to assume the position of Chair of the Referee Standing Committee of the newly formed ESFA Referees Branch, modernise its operations and rebuild its membership. By 2008 available referee numbers had shrunk dramatically and game coverage was under 40%.

After some fantastic dedicated work by members of my Standing Committee, we have trained and appointed 215 referees to our panel. We started with 5 in January 2009! Over half of the 215 are seniors so we have good coverage for the older games whilst the kids are flocking back to refereeing.

Much of this is due to a modern attitude to the management of refereeing and the introduction of technology to assist that process. We built a Referees website that enables referees throughout the district to view their weekly appointments online and enter all Red Card, Yellow Card and Reports online. This online data all ties in to the local FA thereby streamlining processes, reducing cost and increasing efficiency.

Referee centre coverage is up over 93% and most games now have ARs.

Interestingly, with referee numbers way up and more officials on games, abuse of referees has fallen by 50%! Our training, branch coach and organisation have contributed, however we have to acknowledge that the PLAYERS have responded and they clearly recognise an improvement in quality as well as quantity otherwise these figures would have been quite different!

Its a terrific job for the kids too as they get paid for running around a football field with whistles, flags and the occasional yellow card. Far better for them than the more sedentary behaviour they are so often criticised for these days.

Our branch now boasts lots of female referees as well as girls are finally joining our ranks to redress the gender balance.

Complaints About Officials
I am often amused by emails and complaints of this nature and always have a template ready at hand. Just this week we received a vitriolic complaint from an U12 girls' team coach alleging all sorts of incompetency against one of our young officials.

This is park football and players and officials alike are going to make mistakes. Participants need to keep it in perspective and realise what they are involved in and what is the purpose of the endeavour.

I am yet to see a situation where the coach of a side verbally, or in writing, makes a complaint to their players alleging gross incompetence, failure to complete goal scoring in a workmanlike manner or failure to stop easy goal scoring opportunities created by the opposition.

Strikers miss open goals, keepers let the ball slip through their fingers and into the net and defenders sometimes even have the temerity to fail to stop an attacker scoring. This takes place at both senior and junior levels of the game - its part of 'sport'. The whole attraction of the endeavour is that it is variable, mistakes are made and outstanding opportunities are taken. Hence our attraction to and love for the vicissitudes of life in sport.

Yet when an official makes a mistake, or merely makes a judgement with which we disagree, there are no levels of tolerance. It matters not that the official is, like the players, learning how best to make these judgements or execute his/her craft, we the coaches, parents or spectators demand perfection. We never expect that of our players!

In the Judiciary over recent years when I have been confronted with a player who has been dismissed for a foul mouth tirade against an official, I have often indulged in the following line of questioning:

DPL: Have you ever taken a penalty?
Player: Sure!
DPL: Have you ever missed and shot wide or over the bar?
Player: Sadly yes!
DPL: Would you agree that a you should always score from a penalty kick?
Player: Yes - absolutely.
DPL: Well, when you last missed a penalty, what did your teammates do?
Player: I don't understand - what do you mean?
DPL: Did they come up to you or call out that you are an 'effing' ..... and a clown and how on earth could you have been so pathetic as to miss that penalty?
Player: err, umm, no, ahh - I think I see what you are getting at.

At least the more savvy of them reached that conclusion! I now referee in the local Premier League and whilst the abuse is endemic during the game, its generally smiles all round afterwards. This culture of abuse though must be broken and it is incumbent on the ever-increasing Over 35 aged players to ensure that it is eradicated.

London Calling
I'll be in London for the rest of July and whilst there will be no football for me this time, I hope to see the Aussies continue their march to glory in the Ashes series. I've never been to Lords before so this is to be a most anticipated pleasure.

I am still working on a move back to London for 2 years at the end of 2009 so hope to have even more football in my life!

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

I've been a bit tardy with my latest update as I have been preoccupied. Actually I am planning a return to London at the end of the year for at least 2 years and this has taken some time and much planning. But more of that later!

The Hammers have had a good February and March and that now sees us not only very safe in 7th place after our comfortable 2-0 defeat of Slumberland this weekend, it also means that we are pushing for a European place in the new Europa League next season courtesy of ManU's dominance this season and 3 of the top 4 in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Basically if 2 of ManU, Chelsea and Arsenal make the final of the FA Cup, then 7th in the League will deliver a place in Europe.

Simon Lewis in London has advised:
"The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the top two teams directly entering the group phase. The third and fourth placed teams enter the competition at the third qualifying round and must win a two-legged knockout tie in order to enter the group phase.

However, this has changed as of the 2008-09 season, so that the top three teams enter the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League at the group stage, and the fourth-placed team enters the third qualifying round for non-champions.

The fifth placed team automatically qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, and the sixth and seventh placed teams can also qualify, depending on what happens in the two domestic cup competitions.

If the FA Cup winners qualify for the Champions League, the runner-up is awarded the Europa League place; if the runner-up has also qualified for the Champions League, the spot goes to the next-highest placed league finisher not already qualified for Europe.

If the League Cup is won by a team that has already qualified for Europe, the League Cup's Europa League spot also goes to the next highest placed team in the League (unlike the FA Cup spot, it is never transferred to the losing finalist).

Prior to 2008-09, the highest placed team that had not qualified for the UEFA Cup was allowed the opportunity to compete in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, provided they had applied to enter the Intertoto Cup in the next season. The Intertoto Cup was discontinued after 2008 and folded into the UEFA Cup, which will be rebranded as the Europa League effective with the 2009-10 competition."

So, 7th will most likely deliver a place in Europe next season, if we want it. I believe that the Europa League starts late July so its not much of a break but then again pre-season friendlies start early August anyway?

Remaining Fixtures
The fly in the ointment though is our run-in and significant injury list. The remaining games are:

• 11 Apr - Tottenham Away
• 18 Apr - Villa Away
• 25 Apr Chelsea Home
• 2 May Stoke Away
• 9 May Liverpool Home
• 16 May Everton Away
• 24 May 'Boro Home

Cole seems out for the season joining Collison, Behrami & Ashton. Parker was out this week and Spector took a bad knock. New recruit Kovc was also out with a thigh muscle strain. Lucas even rushed back from leading OZ to victory on Wednesday night in Sydney to play central midfield in place of Parker! I can't recall him ever playing there and he must have been exhausted as he could not have arrived in London any earlier than Friday AM.

We are 2nd top of the PhysioRoom list, as usual, and all this means that we will struggle to score goals for the rest of the season! 50 points would be terrific but unlikely to be enough for 7th.

Tottenham - OzHammers Gathering - Saturday 11 April Midnight
I'd LOVE to beat Tottenham next week and if we do then we really could push on and even challenge the Toffees in 6th. Our Academy products Junior Stanislas and James Tomkins each scored their first senior team goals either side of half time. This is incredibly pleasing and once again proves the worth of Tony Carr and his amazing decades of worth as our Academy Director.

We have again arranged a special OzHammers Gathering for Sydney Hammers at our regular haunt:

The Hakoah Club - 67 Hall Street, BONDI
The Tottenham match KO is back to midnight given that daylight savings is now over so I look forward to seeing you all there. No doubt Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth Hammers will make their announcements as well.

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

It's been years since I said this - what a great time to be a Hammers Fan!

OK, so its not THAT long ago back to May 2006 when we beat 'Boro in the FA Cup semi-final to qualify for our first FA Cup Final in 26 years. We were comfortably top half of the table, smashed Spurz in the final match of the 05/06 EPL season and life was good. It was even pre-credit crunch!

Make no mistake we are playing good football and the crowd is entertained, if not too quiet for the traditional Upton Park crowd. Even a rare home defeat to ManU could not dent the quality of our play although I must say that I thought we were disjointed against 'Boro in the Cup last weekend.

Then again even in that condition we managed to rescue a draw - the rematch is on Wed 25 February at The Riverside - surely Zola and Clarke will have the boys refocused by that date. I'd just love a repeat of 2006! Who's coming with?

The last 4 weeks have been such a pleasure. How we did not score 10 against Hull City at home is beyond me as that was a simply awesome performance. Their 'keeper and the woodwork played brilliantly to deny us.

I am now totally confident that we will end mid table if not above as Zola really has the team humming and we have over the next 4 weeks a real opportunity to press forward. We will beat WBA at home and should win one of our away games v Bolton, Wigan and Blackburn and I can't see us losing too many given our form.

Transfer Window
I am delighted with the work done by the WHU staff during the window and at last it seems someone understands that we need to build a team rather than sell one! Signing our profile players to long term agreements is good business in itself as a stable team can look forward rather than outside.

The sales were good ones and the new players look encouraging. I still think that there are some fringe players still on our books who are either so lacking in confidence that they can't perform or have just lost interest.

Lucas is the only senior player who is out of contract at the end of this season and if press reports are to be believed, he wants to stay and will negotiate a new contract late May.

However, according to reports on SSN yesterday: "Scott Parker has just penned a new long-term deal - but Zola is now looking for Lucas Neill, Matthew Upson and Robert Green to follow suit. The Hammers have shrugged off talk of financial problems off-the-field and they are showing this by offering fresh terms across their squad. Zola is hoping captain Neill will soon extend his contract as his current deal expires in the summer. "There are players that have been very important this season on and off the pitch", he said. "They are the core of this team and I believe they can be the core of this team for a long time. The club knows this and they are offering them contracts and they deserve that. It is good for stability. They are positive players and they will help us to build something important. Hopefully soon Lucas Neill will be signing a contract."

England Call Up for Three Hammers!
In the recent friendly against Spain, the Hammers had 3 players selected in the squad and they all had quality field time. Carlton Cole was rewarded for his goal a game recent form whilst Green finally got a run between the posts in the 2nd half. Matthew Upson was retained and also featured.

Referees Needed in Sydney
For my eternal sins, I have been appointed Chair of the ESFA Referees Standing Committee and will be managing much of the business of the Eastern Suburbs Referee Branch.

This is a new 'high tech' referees branch with loads of training, mentoring, quality management and much more. We are rebuilding this branch after many years of neglect and need more referees to join us. ESFA has employed a full-time referees co-ordinator, the first paid role of its type in Australia, so that referees can concentrate on quality service rather than administration.

We will train over 100 new referees by the end of March!

This is a great past time for juniors and there are now, thanks to the FFA, wonderful opportunities for young referees to progress to the A-League, the AFC and beyond. Senior referees are also needed and wanted and I urge any of you with experience in 'black' to join me in the East!

Have a look at www.esfa.com.au and join up ASAP.

Sydney OzHammers Gathering - Sunday 1 March from 11pm
The return of Bellamy to Upton Park, provided he is fit (LOL), will be a terrific event and the match will be an event not to be missed.

We have arranged a special OzHammers Gathering for Sydney Hammers at our regular haunt:

The Hakoah Club - 67 Hall Street, BONDI
KO is 11.30pm so I look forward to seeing you all there. Let's try and get some numbers there this time and sing a few songs! No doubt Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth Hammers will make their announcements shortly.

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

What a difference a month makes!

I am delighted to have been proved overly pessimistic in last month's analysis in that we now find ourselves mid-table and in a far stronger position than I anticipated. However, 10th on 26 points whilst only 6 points away from Tottenham, of all clubs, in relegation 18th position is hardly a position of safety. Complacency is not an option and quality results are still required.

The January sales are upon us and this month will be fascinating as we must end this month with at the very least 'maintained' as opposed to weakened squad so as to ensure our Premiership status.

Christmas Round-Up
WHU were one of only 5 clubs to take the maximum 6 points from the critical fixtures. A terrific 4-1 win away at Portsmouth was followed by an incident packed 2-1 home win against Stoke City.

In that game, Stoke took the lead in the 5th minute and it took WHU a further 46 to equalise courtesy of a top draw goal from the much maligned Carlton Cole. On the way back to the KO after that goal, Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller argued with his captain, Andy Griffin, and then struck the bemused Griffin whilst the referee and WHU watched in some shock. The Referee quite correctly issued Fuller with a Red Card.

WHU rallied against the 10-man Stoke and scored the winner 3 minutes from time with Cole again the provider, even though Diego Tristan was credited with the goal after he unknowingly deflected Cole's shot into the Stoke goal.

Last weekend we visited St James' Park for the annual goal fest against Newcastle United and the match did not disappoint. A cracking game saw WHU fall behind to a wonderful strike from Michael Owen in the 19th minute, he always scores against us, before Parker & Bellamy combined beautifully to restore parity in the 29th minute. To be honest it was all Newcastle in that first half hour and they played some very good football. We just hung on before Bellamy's sublime goal.

After that it was all WHU and we played well. Cole added a 2nd after 55 minutes, his third in as many EPL games, and we just looked great. Newcastle came back strongly and levelled in the 78th minute. Make no mistake, this was a great game and terrific entertainment and a fair result. We might have had a penalty in the first minute of the second half when Bellamy was clearly restrained by a Newcastle defender around the neck however for some reason that was not given. Then again, Lucas Neill's side-foot attempted clearance into our own net was disallowed by the referee for a push on Collins in the build up so we can't complain.

Lucas might admit that this was not his best game back after injury as the Newcastle & Argentine winger, Jonás Gutiérrez, was superb - albeit almost all defenders would have struggled.

FA Cup
On 3 January WHU welcomed Barnsley to Upton Park in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. Another quality performance by the Hammers delivered a 3-0 result commenced by Herita Ilunga's first goal for the Club and finished by Carlton Cole midway through the 2nd half. A Mark Noble penalty in the first half completed the scorers.

Kieron Dyer played in the final 20 minutes of this game in a welcome albeit brief return to the first team.

WHU now meet League 1 Hartlepool United in the 4th round on Saturday 24 January.

The early KO of this match (12.40pm UK - 11.40pm Sydney) and the fact that our friends at Setanta have chosen this game as 'the one to watch', means that OzHammers will be gathering around the country for this one (see below).

January Transfer Silly Season
The usual mad rumour mill is in full swing and this year we are linked with almost no-one coming in and the entire squad up for sale to whomever will take them.

So far only Matthew Etherington has actually left for Stoke City whilst the perennial absentee Nigel Quashie has been linked with either a transfer to Birmingham City, where he has been on loan for close to 6 months, or recently to Newcastle! The latter is clearly a media beat-up. Luis Boa Morte is apparently close to a move to Hull City. Lee Boyer has been loaned to Birmingham City for the balance of the season whilst Callum Davenport might also be on his way out?

Manchester City is allegedly purchasing 50% of all players worldwide over the age of 16 (joke). There have been at least two offers made to WHU by ManCity for both Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker. We rate Bellamy, aged 29, as worth not less than £15M whilst Parker is 'not for sale'. However, an offer of £15M, double what we paid Liverpool for Bellers, would surely tempt the Board. Provided we can replace him then it would have to be considered good business.

In other words, if we are offered huge money for a 29 year-old, then it has to be considered. I'd want to beat Fullham and Hull City first though before parting with him if at all.

IMHO, the quartet of Parker, Noble, Upson & Green should be untouchable as the backbone/spine of our team. I'd add in Behrami, Ilunga & Neill as they add very important stabilising qualities that we can't do without mid-season.

Carlton Cole has just signed a 5-year extension and has scored good goals in each of the past 4 matches, Jack Collison and James Tomkins are wonderful WHU juniors and are just building their WHU careers, whilst James Collins is finally cementing his position at centre back with Matthew Upson.

I'd rather keep Bellamy right now as he remains a good talent and I doubt we can replace him this season. With Dean Ashton still many months away from a return, I just can't see other scoring options. Di Michele does not look anywhere good enough and Tristan is way off match fitness. Of course if ManCity offer REALLY silly money, like they are for Kaka at AC Milan, then we will have to sell and find a quality replacement pronto.

Julien Faubert could also be on his way back to France with both the player and others expressing a desire to bring him home. He has had a torrid time this season and I can't see him as central to requirements.

So, this January as far as WHU is concerned, it's more about who is leaving rather than who is joining! Don't hold your breath for the latter unless they are relatively unknown resources. Expect more to go than come in too - reduce the wages, trim the playing staff, etc, etc.

For all the latest news watch the Transfer Centre.

Conclusion
The Hammers are looking good and these next 2 home games against Fulham (18 Jan) and Hull City (28 Jan) will in all likelihood determine if we are to be comfortably mid-table for the rest of the season (6 points) or struggling with relegation (less than 4 points).

I predict a draw against Fulham and a win against Hull City. This will place us on 30 points and then anything against The Arse and ManU, following a comfortable win at Hartlepool in front of a capacity crowd of 7,687 in the FA Cup 4th Round, will see our beloved Hammers well placed this season.

Sydney OzHammers Gathering - Saturday 24 January from 11pm
As noted above, Setanta have announced that they will exclusively broadcast the Hammers FA Cup 4th Round clash with League 1 Hartlepool United.

Whilst Setanta now have a channel on Foxtel, regrettably most subscribers have not added this to their channels.

Do not fear - we have arranged a special OzHammers FA Cup Gathering for Sydney Hammers at our regular haunt:

The Hakoah Club - 67 Hall Street, BONDI
KO is 11.40pm so I look forward to seeing you all there. Let's try and get some numbers there this time and sing a few songs! No doubt Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth Hammers will make their announcements shortly.

Forever Blowing Bubbles
DPL

Are we all masochists? Is this the way it has to be for time eternity - doomed to scrape and scratch at the edges of the competition never to actually reach the promised land of Premiership success or even, dare I request, domination?

Another relegation scrap is now firmly on the cards as we sit precariously in 16th position in mid December, a mere single point above the relegation 18th spot.

Prior to the start of the season I suggested that this would be a great season for the promoted teams as the financial melt down would mean that few teams would strengthen and that meant that pure emotion could carry those teams into positions of safety.

Hull City, as my friend Lloyd would say - "the only team in the 4 divisions that can't be coloured in", have certainly proved that prediction valid as they sit in 6th on 27 points whilst Stoke City enjoy 13th with 20 points. WBA are the exception propping up the table and looking lost after a 4-0 drubbing by 18th placed Slumberland last weekend.

All this translates into a VERY compressed table and therefore, as I suggested, there are more teams than ever fighting relegation. Unbelievably 5 points separate Fulham in 8th spot and Slumberland in 18th! A win by WHU on this weekend at home to The Villa could propel us to 11th whilst a loss could see us slump into 18th.

This means that it is going to be a long hard season now for the Hammers as we attempt to stave off relegation and the disaster of falling over the cliff into the 'Championship', aka the 2nd Division. This is dangerous, far more dangerous than in the past as the gulf in earnings is now so great that a club that loses its status risks long term oblivion.

Have a peek at Leeds in League 1 struggling to make the top 6 and Charlton now last in the Championship. In the absence of significant investment AND quality business management, football clubs are now under great stress.

In this respect West Ham are in a very precarious position:

• Our owners have lost the vast bulk of their fortune and allegedly have no capacity to invest further in the Club. Indeed there are some who suggest that come January we will sell many of our stars to reduce expenses.
• The absurd Sheffield Utd legal circus act continues with claims of £30M+ suggested as the amount of compensation WHU will be compelled to pay. Given the above position a fire sale may really be on the cards?
• Our best goal-scoring asset, Dean Ashton, is injured and unlikely to play before March. Not only has that meant we have scored very few goals this season, it also means that he can't be sold to reduce debt/raise capital.
• Further, no investor would purchase the club at a level that would even compensate the Icelanders for their investment given all of the above.

Make no mistake - we are stuck in a classic chess fork! There's only one way out and its on the field - if the players can be motivated to respond by Zola & Clarke then we the fans and the owners have some chance. But its only survival and not honours that is the prize if you are a Hammers fan.

Like all of you I start to question whether this is enough. Does this entertain me anymore and what is it I can really settle for from the Hammers. At times I want to walk away but just can't seem to let it go!

The Matches
So, what do we have in front of us over the Christmas period?

Sat 20 Dec - Aston Villa (H) - great manager, well organised with ex Hammers to boot.
Fri 26 Dec - Portsmouth (A) - a horrible home 0-0 draw a few weeks ago but they are in trouble now - we might sneak a draw?
Sun 28 Dec - Stoke City (H) - a must win game - long throw specialist Rory Delap will be a handful.
Sat 3 Jan - Barnsley (H) FA Cup - as usual for WHU anything is possible - take best on 0-1, 3-0 or 0-0!
Sat 10 Jan - Newcastle Utd (A) - Mr happiness, Joe Kinnear, has got them scoring again so this will be tough.
Sun 18 Jan - Fulham (H) - another must win game - home coming for Zamora, Pa(i)ntsil and Konchesky

If we can win 2 and draw the rest of the PL games I will be 'satisfied' - of course that's assuming we actually score a goal.

Last 5 Games
We actually didn't do too badly in the last 5 games - it just seems so horrible given the pathetic performance against Spurs:

Sat 15 Nov - Portsmouth (H) - we have a poor record against Pompy
Sun 23 Nov - Sunderland (A) - a very tough place to go in the North East and its COLD!
Mon 1 Dec - Liverpool (A) - say no more!
Mon 8 Dec - Spurs (H) - Houdini Harry can do no wrong...
Sun 14 Dec - Chelsea (A) - ditto Liverpool

We did get 4 points from Portsmouth & Sunderland if unconvincing and to get points against Liverpool & Chelsea away in good displays under the circumstances was a major achievement.

We just have to kick on now and not only score a few goals but also provide entertainment AND results.

Refereeing
I continue to hear of disgusting player behaviour around the world particularly in relation to the abuse of referees and other match officials.

Over the past 4 years I have acted in the role of Chairman of the Judiciary for ESFA and have drafted policies to deal with not only Referee Abuse but also codes of conduct for players and team officials. During these 4 years abuse of referees has increased 200% and we are forced to deal with increasing number of physical assaults on referees.

Regrettably we are witnessing an explosion in sports rage and the abuse of referees. Only today I received a report from a Sydney referee who was spat at by a player in the face and then threatened from the sideline by the dismissed player. He was forced to abandon the match as that player overtly threatened his safety!

We all need to take ownership of this as both parents and players and ENSURE that we treat officials with respect and stop others in our teams from abusing officials.

The game continues to lose so many referees as they just can't stand the abuse - and who can blame them. Referees don't do it for the money - it barely covers the travel costs. We do it for the love of the game and as a public service. Junior referees give it up in droves after a couple of seasons no doubt due to the unbelievable abuse they suffer at U10 - U12 games from parents.

Sadly, the FAs too lack the will to be sufficiently strong to stamp out this abuse. The club president of the home team I refereed in London published on the 'net a stinging attack on me personally for having the temerity to give a couple of red cards to his players. The English FA for all their campaigning under the Respect Programme, feigned lack of capacity to do anything about it.

I will not sit idle and I am taking this matter further.

I implore ALL OF YOU to support your referees and make sure none of your players or children abuse an official. No referee = No game! Such a shame that these simple words aren't understood by even the organisations that pens them!

WHU Car Magnets
I still have a few WHU Car magnets left and these are available to OzHammers for A$9.95 (Australian delivery). See OzHammers Merchandise for details. If you would like one or more, email me and I will send bank details for payment.

Season's greetings and Merry Christmas to all

Forever blowing bubbles!
DPL

Well I am now back from London and sadly I have brought no joy to the Hammers. After 25 years of visits I have finally witnessed WHU lose at Upton Park in the 0-2 reverse to the Arsenal on 26 October. I then followed that with a long LONG trip up and back to Old Trafford to 'enjoy' another 2-0 loss. I must admit that after the first 20 minutes I feared it would be 10-0 by the end, such was our ineptitude and their brilliance.

In my October Thoughts I suggested that I was unsure where we would be in the table. We were 5th with 12 points after 6 matches - now we are 2 points off last with only one more point after 12 matches!

We have conceded more goals than ANY other team (22 - so much for the song of "England's No 1" to Green but to be fair, save for the Bolton game its not his fault) and with Ashton injured indefinitely and the rest of the team seemingly incapable of scoring, we have failed to make any progress.

I can report that we look 'pretty' on the pitch in that Zola has the boys passing neatly in mid-field in prolonged build ups. However, IMHO, we just do not have the skill level required in this squad to play that sort of game. Eventually we lose the ball without really testing the opposition defence, our fullbacks are in semi advanced positions and this just places extra burden on our own central defence and midfield.

Against Arsenal I must admit that we were unlucky, albeit that we did not really look like scoring. We defended well until Faubert turned a cross into our own net and then we conceded a late 2nd chasing an equaliser. Having said that, Faubert for me is just not a right back. He loses his man too easily, a trait that was mercilessly exploited by ManU on 29 Oct - how on earth they didn't score more is beyond me.

We deserved a draw against Arsenal but could not hold on, were massively outclassed against ManU, could not hold on against Boro and then again the same against Everton last weekend.

Old Trafford - Wed 29 Oct
The travelling Hammers' fans were incredible but that was the best the club offered that night as it was men against boys. Its a long way there and back from London. I caught the train up and that took only 2 hours. The coach back though was another story - we were ushered out of the huge Manchester stadium and by 10pm we were on our way. An hour to the start of the freeway (2kms) and then 5 hours from there. This got me back to East London at around 4am and back home at 4.45am! All that for no goals and an insipid performance. Why do I do it?

In Trouble
Make no mistake The Hammers are now in deep trouble this season. I always felt we would struggle and the table shows its very compressed and competitive with no obvious candidates for relegation - Fulham in 10th on 14 points are a mere 3 points ahead of WBA in last position.

Consider that with our performance in the last 6 games - Won none, Drawn one, Lost 5, F 3, A 12 and its clear that WHU are the team in free fall. And we could very easily lose 4 of our next 5 games. In fact, sadly, I believe come Christmas we will be at the foot of the table. Just look at the fixtures:

• Sat 15 Nov - Portsmouth (H)
• Sun 23 Nov - Sunderland (A)
• Mon 1 Dec - Liverpool (A)
• Mon 8 Dec - Spurs (H)
• Sun 14 Dec - Chelsea (A)
• Sat 20 Dec - Aston Villa (H)

The next 2 games are critical. If we don't get 4 points from these games then morale could slip badly and we could be terminal.

I know that we have been unlucky against Boro and Everton but we just have not converted the minor chances. Its all very well to look good in midfield, but if we don't even get a shot on target then we have no chance. Our defence is clearly the worst in the league.

Sorry for all the doom and gloom but the figures just don't lie...

Who Owns WHU?
Our Icelandic masters have struck hard times. By all accounts our Chairman has lost the bulk of his fortune and if he remains the owner then there will be no funds to invest in the squad come January. Whilst this has been denied by WHU CEO Scott Duxbury, there can be no doubt that the 'peripheral frivolities' of a football club can hardly compare to the complexities of the potential death of the Icelandic banking system. I don't know if he will 'lick his wounds and retreat' but it would surprise on-one if he did so!

Problem now is that how could he sell? The team's performance is poor and a forced seller is hard pressed to obtain a premium. All this coupled with the absurd Sheffield Utd claim for compensation from WHU for imagined losses due to the so called Tevez affair and we look like a right dodgy outfit.

Oh to be the owner of a football club.

Refereeing in London
Whilst in London I was offered a Senior County Premier League game to referee on Sat 25 October by the FA.

I graciously accepted and officiated at the Hillingdon Athletics Stadium in Uxbridge, West London. This small stadium was terrific and even though the conditions were far greener and colder than Sydney, the football in the first half was similar in standard to equivalent games in higher level OZ football.

I must say that the facilities were outstanding and the care of Refs far far better than I have experienced in Australia.

The home team led 1-0 at the break and seemed in absolute control. They wasted several chances and should have been ahead by at least 4. Sadly the behaviour of the teams deteriorated very badly in the 2nd half. A bad tackle by a home player on the away captain resulted in a scuffle and a 2nd Yellow for the home player. Regrettably, after he was dismissed and left the field, he re-entered the field of play for some reason and started an all-in-brawl. More Yellow & Red Cards were required!

Behaviour by players was just as bad as in Australia. There is no defence against these actions and it is absolutely unforgivable for a player to re-enter the field.

Notwithstanding, the home club looked after me very well and I enjoyed the experience.

WHU Car Magnets
I still have a few WHU Car magnets left and these are available to OzHammers for A$9.95 (Australian delivery). Click here for details. If you would like one email me and I will send bank details for payment.

Forever blowing bubbles!
DPL

Last month I suggested that "True to form, it has been a roller-coaster ride to start the season", however the last four weeks have been even more of a trial as we lurch around like a drunken sailor! Happily our on-field form has been not only entertaining but lucrative as far as competition points are concerned and we find ourselves in 5th on 12 points. And what's more we could easily be on 16 points after the next 2 matches against Bolton at home and then Hull City away!

A short review of the Hammers' month of September makes incredible reading:

• September 3 - Curbs resigns citing interference by the WHU Board in transfer policy and decisions;
• September 4 - Kevin Keen takes temporary control of the team whilst speculation abounds that we are getting a host of different new managers including Zola, Croatian national coach Slaven Bilic, former Italian boss Roberto Donadoni, Roberto Mancini and a few other more fringe managers.
• After the Transfer window shuts, WHU announce that we have signed a few new players allegedly on loan and by transfer. These players include the Italian striker David Di Michele (33) on loan from Torino, Uruguay left-back Walter Lopez (22) on a one-year contract, and then Herita Ilunga (26), a left-back with international experience with the Congo joins on a season's loan.
• September 11, an ominous date, the club announces Gianfranco Zola (42) as the club's new manager.
• September 12, XL Leisure Group, the Club's major sponsor, goes bankrupt!
• September 13, WHU play WBA at The Hawthorns wearing modified shirts minus the 'XL' and go down 3-2 in a highly entertaining game. Zola watches on from the stands at possibly the worst defensive games ever seen. This was a game we should never have lost. Bellamy is injured again and can't be used as a sub whilst Ashton has to be replaced after stitches in his head or ear from an on-field clash. Lucas Neill scores his first goal for the club.
• September 15, Steve Clarke, another old Chelsea boy, joins WHU as first-team coach working with new manager Gianfranco Zola. Worryingly we are looking more Blue than Claret! By all accounts Clarke is an outstanding coach and a great capture. He was at Chelsea for 21 years before moving upwards to a bigger club at WHU!
• September 20, WHU thrash Newcastle 3-1 at Upton Park in Zola's first match. Di Michele scores 2 and makes the third in an impressive debut but WHU waste a hat-full of chances. Lucas finally reverts to the centre of defence with Upson and we look far more composed with Faubert at right back and Ilunga at left-back.
• September 23, WHU crash out of the Carling Cup at the hands of Championship club Watford. Normal erratic service is resumed!
• September 26 - the circus that is the ongoing arbitration with Sheffield Utd over the Tevez affair comes to a nasty conclusion for WHU. In an astonishing decision, the FA independent arbitration tribunal accused the WHU of new breaches of a Premier League rule and were particularly critical of the conduct of CEO Scott Duxbury.
• September 27 - WHU grab first away points of the season in a 2-1 win at Fulham. How on earth we stayed focused is beyond me?

Not only that, the Tribunal found that Tevez was ineligible to play at the end of the 06/07 season and that he contributed to the relegation of Sheffield Utd by enhancing WHU's points tally. Sheffield Utd has claimed in excess of £30M in damages.

Just to make it even more ludicrous, Sheffield Utd players are reportedly considering action against WHU claiming loss of wages and other benefits as a result.

The decision beggars belief!

Where to from here?
Thank goodness our results have been good as all the rest is simply too frightening. We all complained that last season was far too humdrum with Curbs, I mean 10th for over half the season with no drama to speak of, it seems we have made up for it in one month alone.

Zola is a great risk in my book. I know he has limited managerial experience but he was one of the best players ever and our squad will look up to him, especially our Italian connections. Clarke is clearly outstanding and the defensive changes they have already made are in-line with what all the fans have known for ages. He has promised a more attacking style as well so that will sit well with home fans too.

I am optimistic now even given all the other off-field horrors as the players look up for it and that alone will mean that we have a real chance to progress as a club.

The XL debacle can be easily dealt with however the same can't be said for the Sheffield Utd matter.

It seems that we may not be able to appeal given the restrictions placed on the arbitration. However, the decision of the Tribunal has got to be one of the weirdest I have seen. The claim that one player made that much difference is ridiculous particularly as all other hearings of this matter failed to make this conclusion. Further, it sets an absurd precedent in that sporting clubs will be encouraged to sue 'someone' if results don't go their way. This just can't be allowed to stand.

We have a great set of matches this month:

Bolton (H) Sun 5 Oct
Hull City (A) Sun 19 Oct
Arsenal (H) Sun 26 Oct; and
Man Utd (A) Wed 29 Oct

I'll be at the last 2 games and can't wait! Who knows where we'll be in the table after this?

Forever blowing bubbles!
DPL

True to form, it has been a roller-coaster ride to start the season. Press speculation has centred on manager Alan Curbishley and his imminent dismissal and a mass exodus of players. Neither has occurred. In fact, we have enjoyed one of our best starts to the Premier League with 2 home wins and an away loss.

Notwithstanding our lofty position on the points table after three rounds, these rumours persist. Then right on the close of the transfer window, our only true left back and arguably, our most consistent defender, Northern Ireland international George McCartney, leaves for Sunderland for £6m citing family reasons. Fans' response to this latest 'balancing of the books' has been nothing short of scathing as some argue that this latest sale clearly indicates that the Board have no interest in strengthening the squad.

On the evidence its hard to draw any other conclusion. Now that the transfer window is closed of course we have no option.

There is strong conjecture that Ashton, Cole and Bellamy have also been offered around and Green and even Upson have also been 'available'. Lord knows who would be wearing the claret and blue if they were also sold.

Once again its quite clear that we remain a selling club and have no realistic chance of being anything other than a feeder for others. To be honest, the investment required to be anything else is way beyond us right now. In any case, would we want to be a Chelsea anyway?

I have argued long and loud for a number of years now that football is nothing more than a business and given that the credit crunch is hitting all financial institutions in the form of cost cutting, asset write downs and sales, why should we be any different.

However, we don't see the same happening at any of the big 4 nor at Portsmouth, ManCity, Sunderland, Blackburn, Villa and more. The inescapable conclusion therefore is that our masters have an agenda that differs from the aforementioned clubs. Our transfer window activity shows that we sold players for £21M and bought for £5M - a net profit of £16M. This does not include the savings on Ljungberg's contract. No other club comes close to the profit achieved by West Ham in this transfer window and whilst that looks good for the bankers, it also means that we have a weaker squad vis-a-vis our competitors all of whom have strengthened. Everton is the only exception but even they have extra players in.

So where does this leave our beloved Hammers?

Unstable is the only way to describe the position. The British media will feast on the Hammers given their insatiable appetite for a scandal and I have no doubt that Curbishley will continue to be a target of the media. The failure to bring in any new players save for Behrami, the pay off of Ljungberg, sale of Anton, Zamora, Paintsil and now George makes the position quite clear.

Of course the real litmus test comes from results and we have, on paper, one of the easiest starts possible. Five plus points this month against WBA, Newcastle and Fulham, a win at Vicarage Road against arguably a troubled Watford in the Carling Cup and then the prospect of Hull at home and Bolton away in early October, could leave us very well placed. Then again this is West Ham!

For me morale is the real problem and if the rumours are correct then its hard to expect that the players can perform under these circumstances. Yes our squad was too big but we are now overloaded with players who really won't figure for the top 11 or if they do are not up to standard.

We have a small number of select players and if they remain fit then we can finish mid table. Bellamy and Ashton are the keys in attack, whilst Parker, Faubert, Noble, Upson & Green are critical in midfield and defence. If any of these 7 gets injured long term, we are in BIG trouble.

Have a look now at our player options:

21 Fit Players (excluding reserve goalkeepers)
5 of those 21 are youth players with limited or no Premier League experience.

It doesn't take much analysis to determine that we are skating on thin ice.

So, my take on all of this is that the strategy must be as follows:

• Drastically reduce the wages and balance the books with asset sales (aka players of value);
• Trust that the critical players stay fit and the youth shine through;
• Bank on the promoted teams (Stoke, Hull, WBA) remaining weak;
• Teams like Bolton, Newcastle, Wigan and Fulham will also struggle;
• Sell the club before January 2009.

Will it ever change at West Ham? Only if some enlightened football management types assume control...

Until then, we can only watch and hope.

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL

The new season is always a time of anticipation, hope and expectation and as usual I can't wait for the football to start.

This season we have a very gentle opening and the first 8 games look 'comfortable' and I believe that these games will very much settle what type of season we are to have. All the usual off-season doom and gloom from the media will resonate loudly if we fail to capitalise on what all commentators are calling an easy start.

After the below 6 matches, in October we have Bolton (H) and Hull (A) before Arsenal (H) and ManU (A) so by the end of October if we are not upper mid-table expect HUGE pressure on Curbs if not a new manager!

I wont be happy with mid-table obscurity this season and whilst I do not expect Champions League, it would be nice to be around 6th AND playing entertaining football. After all this is meant to be enjoyable after all!

The transfer market has been very quiet this year and I can't see that changing. A far tougher world business outlook means that players on great wages, settled pre-credit crunch, have no incentive to move down the wage scale and all clubs are feeling the pressure of reduced season ticket renewals.

This means that Hull, Stoke and WBA have chosen the best season to join the EPL as I can't see too many of the mid tier clubs improving their player quality in leaps and bounds. They will get a proportional jump in fan revenue and may be better placed than usual promoted teams to compete with established members of the EPL.

The news from Upton Park has been very mixed during the off-season. Some report that our Chairman has been badly affected by the credit crunch and the Icelandic economic conditions and that the club cannot go forward, whilst others point to the fact that we have not sold or released players en masse and that we have even strengthened the squad.

Whatever the truth, it is clear to me that we still have a potent and quality squad and if the leading players stay fit and we have some inspirational leadership then we should do better than last season!

Faubert looked terrific against MLS in Toronto and Deano was sharp in the first half. Upson, Sears, Dyer, Bellamy, Noble and new signing Behrami were all missing from that team. Add McCartney and Ljungberg and you have to agree that this is a good team with plenty of excitement capacity. BTW, Behrami's performance against Posh sounded terrific by all accounts so this too bodes well.

I still maintain that we are missing Yossi and that we have failed to replace him. I'd like another quality striker so we really have more options up front as I still remain unconvinced by Boa Morte and Cole. Having said that, I do like Boa Morte's obvious on-field commitment as he clearly gives everything and this can motivate the players and the fans.

WHU v Wigan, Sat 16 August, KO Midnight
Foxtel have just announced that our first game is now LIVE on Viewer's Choice so Sydney Hammers will be gathering at The Hakoah Club in Bondi for a midnight KO! Make sure you join us for the season opener.

Sydney Hammers will gather from 11pm at the latest for drinks at:

The Hakoah Club
67 Hall Street
BONDI

See you there!

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL

Dear OzHammers,

This Friday 25th July at 9.30 am EST (9am Adelaide, 7.30am Perth) Foxtel's ESPN will show LIVE from Toronto, Canada the MLS All Stars match against West Ham United!

Sydney Hammers - Hakoah Club in Bondi (Sydney)
The Hakoah Club will broadcast the Hammers' matches in preference to all others during the season. Announcements of all official Sydney Hammers gatherings will be posted here. Hakoah show all standard broadcast Foxtel EPL matches each week:

The Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
Bondi, Sydney
P: 02 9130 3344
W: www.hakoah.com.au

Adelaide Hammers
The Adelaide Hammers are having their first official meet-up on the Saturday night the 30th of August for the Blackburn game. We will be at the Rosemont Hotel, 160 Hindley Street (corner of Morphett & Hindley Streets), Adelaide from 10pm. Kick off is at 11.30pm Adelaide time.
Cheers Kaye and Paul
Adelaide Hammers

Brisbane Hammers are meeting at the Pig n Whistle at 9am, 123 Eagle St, Brisbane - some will be there for breakfast from 8am. Check the forum for news on their gatherings. Always a great crowd in Brisbane!

Forever blowing bubbles.......
DPL

Dear Sydney Hammers,

One certainly could not claim that 2007/2008 was a scintillating season for the Hammers! However, for me it was quite satisfactory after the previous heart attack inducing potential debacle of 2006/2007.

I know this campaign opened with much promise but after losing so many of the new signings so early, the writing was on the wall. We did well by any measure to end up 10th (above Spurz let me yet again stress) was a sound result.

However, make no mistake, 10th with 49 points and a GD of -8 this season is only marginally better than 15th in 06/07 with 41 points and a GD of -24.

We need to improve and the cliche of "we are getting x number of new signings with the return from injury of 12 players" just does not wash for me. The estimated windfall to be enjoyed by WBA, Stoke and Hull is now estimated at £60M for the coming season so in my book that warrants some investment to protect that revenue in the EPL.

Dean Ashton, who signed a new five-year deal with the Hammers earlier this week, is one of our big players now and at 24 is a profile player around whom we can build a substantial team. There are many other stars, Robert Green, Lucas Neill, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, and Mark Noble, with the exciting youngsters Freddie Sears, James Tomkins and Jack Collison plus almost new signings Bellamy, Dyer & Faubert and we have a wonderful top 12.

We MUST however continue to build and understand that everyone else will also do so. There were 29 squad members at the end of the season and quite a few of these should not be retained as we can and need to do better if we are to grow. Outside of that top 12 and we look ordinary.

Here's my list and why:

SELL
Luis Boa Morte, aged 31: Signed by Curbishly but really not good enough for us anymore.

Lee Bowyer, aged 31.5: Lots more injuries these days and not in our top 6 midfielders;

Daniel Gabbidon, aged 29: Injury prone and has lost a lot of capacity. Most likely to take some time to regain his former standard - if ever.

John Pantsil, aged 27.5: Not good enough and we have better fullbacks.

Henri Camara, aged 31, Loan from Wigan and has returned.

Nigel Quashie, aged 30, out injured all last season. Perhaps his contract might not be renewed? Nigel was signed in January 2007 to assist our relegation battle in that season.

KEEP IF WE HAVE TO:
Hayden Mullins, aged 29 - average yet dependable midfielder;

Carlton Cole, aged 25 OR Bobby Zamora, aged 27.5 - One of them has to go and be replaced by a top draw goal scorer. We simply did not score enough goals in season 07/08 and this has to be a priority. They are young enough to improve but must do so NOW!

Matthew Etherington, aged 27 - on his day terrific - problem is these days a few and far between.

Nolberto Solano, aged 33.5 - a squad player now and worth remaining in that position with WHU. News is that his contract is not to be renewed.

Freddie Ljungberg, aged 31 - past his best bit still a good player when he is motivated. Lots of injuries last season, but then again who wasn't. Will probably move on with Roma now the favoured destination.

THE JURY IS OUT:
Craig Bellamy, aged 29 - deserves a chance - only played in 8 games last season.

Kieron Dyer, aged 29.5 - deserves a chance - only played in 2 games last season.

Julien Faubert, aged 25 - deserves a chance - only played in 7 games last season.

Anton Ferdinand, aged 23.5 - Lotsa talk about him going to Spurs for £6M so there must be something to it. I think he has potential still and at 23, he is worth keeping.

WHAT DO WE NEED:
Two (2) CREATIVE MIDFIELDERS/WINGERS! A left back and at least another top striker.

Eidur Gudjohnsen (29), the Icelandic ace at Barcelona has been told (allegedly) that he can leave and given our 'connections' to that part of the world he would be a favourite to join us. He's had lots of rest these last few years so if he is keen to actually play he might be up to it?

2008/2009 Fixture List
The new season Fixture List has been released and our first match is a Home Fixture against Wigan Athletic on Saturday 16th August. Not the most exciting first up game however our first 8 fixtures are quite 'gentle' so you never know, we might be top of the table in mid October! Then again, a reality check might deliver something different....

Those first 8 fixtures are:

August
16 Wigan (H)
23 Man City (A)
30 Blackburn (H)

September
13 West Brom (A)
20 Newcastle (H)
27 Fulham (A)

October
4 Bolton (H)
18 Hull (A)

Notable Upton Park fixtures are:
25 October 08 - Arsenal
8 November 08 - Everton
6 December 08 - Tottenham
7 February 09 - Man Utd
25 April 09 - Chelsea
9 May 09 - Liverpool

WHU will be making the trip to Portsmouth on Boxing Day, which falls on a Friday this year, while there is no fixture on New Year's Day this season because the FA Cup third round falls on Saturday 3 January.

Click HERE for the full WHU Fixture List. Remember that the Fixture List is always subject to change due to European Cup (something we continue to dream of), UK Cups and Sky TV selections!

The pre-season friendlies are also now on the official site so have a look at http://www.whufc.com if you plan a July/August London sojourn!

For those who have often wondered how the matches come to be agreed and exactly who it is that determines when and where you will be going between August and May, two key members of The EPL's Fixtures Working Party, the group responsible for overseeing the fixture scheduling, explain HERE how everything comes together.

Forever blowing bubbles.......
DPL

Dear Sydney Hammers,

THIS SATURDAY night, 3rd of May, we plan a huge OzHammers gathering in Sydney at

The Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
BONDI NSW 2026
Tel: 02 9130 3344
http://www.hakoah.com.au

to celebrate an uneventful season in the EPL!

They say that a week in politics is a long time BUT what a difference a Year makes!

Its down to the last 2 games of the season and this time the game up at Old Trafford takes place under vastly different circumstances.

This year we get to 'play king maker' as we play a large part in determining where the EPL Title goes AND the UEFA Cup position given that we have the Villains at Upton Park on Sunday May 11.

The Newcastle draw last weekend means that they can't leapfrog us in the table as they visit Chelsea this weekend and Tottenham's last 2 games don't look like 6 points either so we will remain in 10th, just where we have been since November. Therefore, its time to enjoy a few games and simply have some fun with desperate opposition.

OzHammers gathering in Sydney

9.45pm KO - Sat May 3 Man Utd v West Ham - after the loss at Chelsea, ManU must win both of their final games to secure the title. HOWEVER, West Ham have a long history of denying ManU this pleasure AND have beaten them 3 times in a row now, both 1-0 results last season and 2-1 at Upton Park last December. A cracker game with lots of old boys on show.

Saturday night, Hakoah Club, 67 Hall Street BONDI - 9.45pm KO!

See you there!

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL

With only 6 more matches left in our 07/08 season, I must admit that it is a welcome change for the Hammers to be in mid-table obscurity.

We are likely to finish where we have been for the past month or so and that is 10th. To be honest, I'll take that after last season and given our terrible run of injuries. A rebuilding season is just fine by me even though we continue our inconsistent run of form.

I have only recently returned from London and Upton Park and am pleased to have done so with my record intact. In fact my friends in my regular seats were delighted to see me as they shrieked "we're going to win" as I took my seat - very funny especially after three consecutive 4-0 defeats.

The first 20 minutes against Blackburn was awful and I lamented that I had brought no luck at all. We desperately needed a first half goal and Deano's 39th minute strike was well taken and just the wakeup call we needed. After that we went from strength to strength and really played them off the park in the 2nd half.

Sears' winner 9 minutes from time raised the roof and, I expect, he will bring much joy to the fans next season. He's fast and exciting and a TC style of player. Ashton and Sears up-front is an exciting prospect for the future! West Ham are really only a couple of (fit) players away from being a very good team. Add another quality striker, creative midfielder, cover at left back (and let go a few of the squad players so they can't darken our door) and I believe we can challenge up the table from here.

Don't expect major new signings for next season as I see the removal of 'Eggy' as a return to a more frugal approach. In reality we will have several new players in Bellamy, Faubert, Sears, Collins, Gabbidon, Dyer, Parker and the youngsters coming through. These alone are good enough so even a couple of new boys and we will make further progress

Quite obviously, we are not top 4 material and this will take more time to develop, if ever!

Most of all we need to stay fit and have vision, in my experience the latter remains an elusive quality in football management throughout the world. I'd love to have my turn at control of the levers!

Remaining games are Harry's return with Portsmouth next Tuesday night (H Tues 8 Apr), Bolton, likely to be relegated so a tough scrap (A Sat 12 Apr), the already relegated Derby County (H Sat 19 Apr), resurgent Newcastle (H Sat 26 Apr), Man Utd, beaten 3 straight times on the trot by the Hammers (A Sat 3 May), and finally the pretenders Aston Villa (H Sun 11 May).

The Portsmouth game is the only remaining game that is NOT being televised by Foxtel under viewers' choice as their rights restrict them to at most 37 of the 38 games per team.

We'll shoot for an official Sydney gathering for the Newcastle home game, KO times and scheduling permitting. I'll also attempt to get the rest of our fixtures on live at Hakoah given that KOs will be back to midnight.

I'm predicting only 7 more points from the above as I fear we are almost on our summer break.

I'll be in Cambodia this week on Indochina Starfish duty to launch our football charity. See the ISF link for more details.

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL

"Then like my dreams they fade and die..." Thus was the month of January!

We are all over the shop and continue to return highly variable results. Beat Liverpool for the first time in 5 decades (oh alright, just a few seasons) interspersed with losses to Man City, the 'mighty' pie men of Wigan infamy, no FA Cup and then a meek performance at home against the Brummies.

Consistency - until we get there we have no chance at the top 6. With Curbs in charge, I hesitate to suggest that we will never get relegated as he absolutely knows how to get a team to mid-table, but I just can't see him getting us above that. Having said that, this is preferable to last year and we are a far better team with him in charge albeit not as an exciting team.

Our injuries continue and there is speculation that Scott Parker might be out for the rest of the season or just another 4 weeks and there is some considerable mystery surrounding Craig Bellamy as he has gone MIA once more. He may really be lost to us for the balance of this campaign. Bobby Z is rumoured to be returning in 2 weeks time but Collins and Davenport are likely out for the season.

During the transfer window, we finally said goodbye to Christian Dailly when he signed for Scottish leaders Rangers. Dailly had been with WHUFC for 7 years. The Scotland defender, and former club captain, was the longest-serving first-team player at the Boleyn Ground - an honour now shared between Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Etherington - and has been described by manager Alan Curbishley as a "fantastic servant". In all, he made 191 appearances for the club, scoring five goals.

There were no additions to the squad, as expected. The off-season will be most interesting as that will really tell us where the club is heading.

We now have a break for 2 weeks before resuming action for four straight Saturdays in London on Saturday 23 February away to Fulham, 1 March at home to Chelsea and then 8 March away to Tottenham. Our postponed away match against Liverpool is finally scheduled for 5 March at Anfield. I'll settle for 7 points against that lot! Then I get to see WHU v Blackburn on 15 March as I return for my 2nd home game this season! Of course nothing less than a win is required.

Premier League Matches in Oz?

Over the weekend the EPL announced intentions to play an extra fixture from 2010 at several international locations. Australia has been included in the 'list'. The powers have stressed that this would be an extra round so that no team loses its Home advantage or disadvantages season ticket holders on the one hand however they have also stressed that the points would count! I will call this the 'foreign exchange money' round!

I see several major problems with this plan - whilst a West Ham v anyone would be well attended in Oz (and many other countries) just imagine Derby v Wigan! Who would go?? Therefore, as this is quite unashamedly a pure promotional (translate money making) endeavour, the draw for these matches would have to be hand picked otherwise some unattractive games would be staged.

Then imagine if we are having one of our 'off' seasons and need points to avoid the drop and we are one point above relegation after 38 rounds and we draw one of the top 4 clubs for the 'foreign exchange money' round and we then get relegated!

If the EPL makes the 39th 'foreign exchange money' round points count, then this could be grossly unfair to teams top and bottom. If they don't make the points count, or give exemptions, then it's nothing more than exhibition games.

My view - BIG MISTAKE! The whole experience that is the EPL is not transportable and those who think it is are deluded. Any fan who has been to their home ground with the home fans to see their team play knows exactly what I mean. Anfield, Old Trafford, Goodison Park, Upton Park and even all the other 2nd tier grounds have their own atmosphere and feeling. You simply cannot bring that with you when the teams tour. All the new stadia spend considerable effort to rebuild the elements that made their original ground so special. Some succeed and some don't but at the end of the day you just can't transplant the home fans.

The objective here is financial and promotional. I think there are far better ways to achieve these objectives without damaging the real drawing power of the EPL.

Somehow I think (hope) its back to the drawing board on this one!

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL

7 points from 12 over the December Fixture Rush was a quite reasonable result and we remain well on track. After a terrific win over ManU, I just don't want to hear any more criticism as we have done so well given the horrendous injury toll at WHU.

As I said last month: "Just reflect back 12 months! We were 18th, on 14 points, scored a mere 8 goals and conceded 18". On 18 December 2006 we had 17 points and on 2 January 2007 we had just suffered the demoralising 6-0 drubbing at Reading and had a mere 18 points.

Today we have 29 points, are in 10th position with a POSITIVE goal difference (when did that last happen?) and we have many players coming back from injury (see here).

Julien Faubert made an exciting return in a reserve fixture this week and scored after 39 seconds. Bellamy and Zamora are very close so at **** last Curbs will have a chance to play his first 11. Can't wait!

At one stage we had 12 front-line players out injured so our 07/08 results are simply outstanding. Alan Curbishley deserves considerable praise for his outstanding management under very tough circumstances.

I just can't believe that some Hammers fans are still whinging? We have done so well with a patched up side all season. Ashton remains out of sorts and I predicted some time ago that it would take him a full season to recapture his form pre-ankle break. He needs time and we must all be patient.

Having said that, our lack of creativity is a problem and we miss Yossie badly. If it was up to me, that is the player type I would seek in this transfer window. However, we will probably have to wait until the end of the season for such a major acquisition. I did not expect or demand more than a season of consolidation and it is unreasonable to do so.

Camara and Pantsil are off to the African Cup of Nations for the rest of January and I don't expect that we will see many player movements at this stage

Shame about Everton in the League Cup. They are a quality outfit and we really struggled in those 2 fixtures. The OzHammers Tour is still an outside chance as we have our FA Cup 3rd round replay up at Manchester next Wednesday night (6.45am KO ESST Thurs 17 Jan) AND, believe it or not, the winner of that match meets Sheffield Utd in the 4th round. A tantalizing prospect after their chairman's never ending accusations against WHU! Love to see that one!

So, forthcoming matches are Fulham (H 23 Jan), another double dose this time of Man City away (16 Jan FACP, 20 Jan EPL) followed by our postponed fixture against Liverpool (H Wed 30 Jan - KO 6.45am ESST Thu 30 Jan). Then we have 2 games we must expect to win against Wigan (A 2 Feb) and Birmingham (H 9 Jan).

At this time of the year all our fixtures kick off at either 2am ESST (3pm UK) or weekdays at 6.45am (7.45pm UK) neither of which allow us to organise gatherings. Hopefully February may deliver some opportunities. That potential Blades match is the stand out - the tie will take place on the weekend of 26/27 January!

I wish all OzHammers a happy and healthy new year and look forward to seeing you all cheering on the Hammers as soon as possible.

Forever blowing bubbles...
DPL