Don't Believe The Hype

A rap burgler, false media
We don't need it do we?
It's fake that's what it be to 'ya, dig me?
Don't believe the hype...

The Premier League AGM starts today in London and Paul Kelso believes it will be the liveliest in the organisation's history. With Wigan's chairman Dave Whelan absent on holiday and an arbitration panel set to hear Sheffield United's objections to the failure to deduct points from West Ham in a fortnight, anger over the Tevez affair may not be raised directly, but the issues it threw up will be on the agenda. Writing in his Guardian column, Kelso states that clubs will be asked to approve the inclusion of the controversial rule banning third-party influence in players' contracts to avoid confusion in future, and the chief executive, Richard Scudamore, will canvas views on the anomaly in the loan system that many felt was abused in the case of Tim Howard. A new distribution system for television money will also be discussed. The enhanced TV deal kicks in next season, and with Setanta and Sky competing for the best games there are concerns that less popular clubs will miss out on the 25% share distributed in facility fees for appearing on TV. A compromise will see clubs guaranteed a minimum of 10 "facility fees" - around £5m.

The League require a minimum of 14 votes to change or amend any of their regulations and will seek to make Rule U18 more transparent and so avoid any repeat of the Tevez controversy. Scudamore believes Rule U18 should be made clearer, leaving clubs in no doubt that 'side contracts' regarding the future sale of players owned by third parties should be declared at the time of signing. A Premier League spokesman said: "We are aware of the increasing phenomenon of more South American players being involved with clubs on loan agreements so we will be seeking to make this particular rule more explicit."

The Daily Mail believe Scudamore could be challenged to a live television debate on the Carlos Tevez affair when the meeting convenes. Wigan, Sheffield United, Charlton and Fulham are still threatening legal action against the Premier League in the row over the eligibility of the Argentine striker to play for West Ham, and the so-called 'Gang of Four' are considering the stunt to put pressure on the chief executive. The proposal would have to be tabled by either Wigan or Fulham as neither of the other two aggrieved parties will be invited to the AGM. Sheffield United, who are still refusing to relinquish their 'share' in the Premier League, are expected to turn up for the meeting but in all likelihood will be denied entry and told to request a separate hearing.

Elsewhere, Alan Curbishley has told fans to ignore the heightening transfer speculation in the press. The club has been linked to a series of high-priced targets including Eidur Gudjohnsen, Craig Bellamy, Darren Bent, Tal Ben-Haim and Ecuadorian Carlos Tenorio, with up to a dozen players speculated to be leaving the Hammers in the summer in what has been quoted as a £40m squad overhaul. Curbishley said: "People are assuming and just writing what they want. Of course there will be some changes, there are at every club in the summer. But you have to be sensible and a lot of what is written is just speculation. I am sitting down with the chairman almost everyday and we will do the right thing for this club. As I have said in the past, you will know who's coming in when they're here sitting beside me. That's how I do business."

With than in mind, I probably shouldn't bother mentioning that most of the country's media have gone to town on Scott Parker related stories this morning. The Times say the club are at the head of the queue for the Newcastle skipper, with a £8million fee having been offered. Tottenham are also thought to be interested but have baulked at the player's high wages. The article also states West Ham have told Anton Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora that they will not be allowed to leave. Ferdinand, the defender, has not always seen eye-to-eye with Alan Curbishley and is wanted by Tottenham and Newcastle. But Ferdinand’s blossoming partnership with James Collins persuaded his manager that he has a future at Upton Park. The Daily Mail insist the price for Parker is actually £7million and that the player is set to meet with West Ham officials today after the two clubs agreed a fee. It also reports that chief executive Scott Duxbury was involved in late-night talks with Parker's representatives after Tottenham had declared their interest in the Newcastle captain. The Sun push the price up to £8.5million and suggest that while Parker is heading to Upton Park, another target in Mark Viduka will not be following suit. The Mirror agree with The Sun over the size of the fee and add that Parker's arrival will hasten the departure of Hayden Mullins, with Alan Pardew showing an interest in the player who was his first signing as West Ham boss.

Fun Boy Three's European Tour

Sky Sports are reporting that West Ham have officially tabled a bid of £8.5million for Newcastle United captain Scott Parker. Alan Curbishley is keen to sign Parker as he is a big fan of the England international from their time together at Charlton, while Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is believed to be willing to let Parker move on as he looks to raise money for his own transfer plans. Those plans are rumoured to include a move for Manchester City misfit Joey Barton, a player who is also another Curbishley target according to a report on KUMB. Barton is believed to favour a move to the capital and would also cost in the region of £8million. Other players on the West Ham shopping list are said to include Darren Bent, for who we have already made a player plus cash offer, Reading left back Nicky Shorey, Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka and Monaco's Yaya Toure.

Elsewhere, an article in today's Newham Recorder claims Nigel Reo-Coker is resisting the overtures of Tottenham and playing a waiting game in the hope of a move to Manchester United (yeah, right!) or Arsenal this summer. According to Neil Trainis, Spurs are believed to have earmarked the 23-year-old as a potential transfer target but the player's adviser Tony Finnigan says his client, who spent last season embroiled in a relegation tussle, is keen on playing for a club in the Champions League. The article claims West Ham are looking for a fee in the region of £9million for a player who has been rumoured to be unsettled for quite some time. Reo-Coker was thought to have been frustrated with the decision of West Ham officials and previous manager Alan Pardew to deny him a move to Arsenal or Old Trafford on transfer deadline day last year and there have been rumours of the player's unrest ever since. In the subsequent months, Reo-Coker was targeted by a section of the Upton Park faithful, who held him responsible for the club's slump down the Premiership table which culminated in Pardew's sacking. A string of below-par displays were perceived by some to be lethargy on the part of Reo-Coker and he was on the end of vitriolic criticism from former Hammer Julian Dicks who, following the 6-0 New Year's Day Premiership defeat at Reading, insisted he had "spat his dummy out" in the wake of the Hammers' decision not to grant him a transfer.

Nigel Reo-Coker, Anton Ferdinand and Mark Noble have all been included in the England Under-21 squad for the European Championship finals in Holland, which start on June 10. It is especially good news for Noble who makes the squad for the first time, having survived the cull from an initial party of 30 players called up by Stuart Pearce. The official site claims the youngster will be hoping to make his debut in a friendly match against Slovakia, at Norwich City's Carrow Road ground next Tuesday, before England face their opening fixture of the championships against the Czech Republic in Arnhem on Monday 11 June.
The squad in full: Alnwick (Tottenham), Carson (Liverpool), Hart (Man City); Baines (Wigan), Cahill (Aston Villa), Ferdinand (West Ham), Hoyte (Arsenal), Onuoha (Man City), Rosenior (Fulham), Taylor (Newcastle), Whittingham (Cardiff); Bentley (Blackburn), Huddlestone (Tottenham), Milner (Newcastle), Noble (West Ham), Reo-Coker (West Ham), Richardson (Man Utd), Routledge (Tottenham); Derbyshire (Blackburn), Lita (Reading), Nugent (Preston), Vaughan (Everton), Young (Aston Villa).

Midfield Merry-Go-Round

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is expected to trigger a midfield merry-go-round by tabling a £7m bid for Newcastle captain Scott Parker according to a report in the Mail. The former Charlton and Chelsea player is believed to want to return to the south, and it is reported Nigel Reo-Coker, who handed in a transfer request at Upton Park on Saturday, could be used as a makeweight in any deal. Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is thought to prefer Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, who is also attracting interest from Middlesbrough. In the same paper, Aston Villa have also shown an interest in Reo-Coker. Martin O'Neill will make the first move for the Irons skipper but will not initially meet the West Ham asking price of £8million. Tottenham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Everton are all thought to be monitoring the situation. The Daily Mirror agree, claiming O'Neill will be the first with an official approach and that Reo-Coker would be prepared to discuss to terms with the Midlands club. That would be news to the good people over at The Guardian, who claim Reo-Coker will rebuff all advances in the hope of securing a move to one of the 'Big Four'.

Elsewhere, Alex McLeish has sent out an SOS to Christian Dailly after a call-off crisis left Scotland stripped to the bare bones for the vital Euro 2008 qualifier in the Faroe Islands. Football Genius will meet up with the national squad tomorrow to face Austria in a friendly in Vienna. Dailly revealed he had to rush from a holiday in the Algarve to answer the call of his country. He told the official site: "I was in the Algarve for half-term when I got the call and flew from Faro to Stansted to make it here. By now, everyone will know what it means to me to play for my country. All my stuff was in a locker at West Ham so I had to ask our liaison officer, Richard Simpson, to get some boots for me which he bought in a sports shop in town and I'll have to cope. I was gutted to say the least when I was left out. I now have a game to look forward to and that's all I wanted. I've played in the reserves every week and played in the testimonial against Northampton. I was chilling out on a beach but my mind is right and I'm ready to play. I was annoyed to be left out but I made a vow to myself that I would get back in and I have." He might not be the greatest player in the world but his attitude is, and always been, exemplary. Shame a few of the others players in the current West Ham squad do not follow his example.

It's Good To Talk

A story by John Cross in the Mirror claims Yossi Benayoun thought he was on his way out of the club before signing his fat new five-year contract. In what has been a bad couple of days for Alan Curbishley, Benayoun joined Carlos Tevez in the condemnation of our manager's inter-personal communication skills. "I really wanted to go away from West Ham because I was upset that the manager did not talk to me," said Benayoun, 27. "But that's all finished now. He has told me he wants me to stay in the team and be an important player next season." Even if a massive £50,000 a week contract will go along way to soothing over even the deepest of personal differences, someone really needs to tell Alan that it is good to talk.

Tottenham and Arsenal are ready to renew North London hostilities over the signing of West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. A story in the Mail claims there will be a scramble for the England Under-21 international who will be allowed to leave if any club matches the Hammers' £8million valuation on him.

Strained Relations

Carlos Tevez is keen to leave the club because of differences with manager Alan Curbishley, that's according to an exclusive in today's Observer. Jamie Jackson quotes a club insider as saying: "Tevez likes the club and wants to stay, but he won't while Alan Curbishley is the manager. He hasn't forgotten how he was treated when Curbishley first took over from Alan Pardew. He told Tevez he didn't know what his best position was, treated him indifferently in training, and refused to play him at first." Curbishley did leave the 23-year-old on the bench for his first game in charge, a 1-0 win over Manchester United in December, and it was a further month before he named Tevez in a starting line-up in the Premiership. "If there was a change of manager maybe it would be different," the source added, "but Tevez does not think Curbishley knows what he is doing and that he's a bad manager. He wants to play for someone who can further develop his game. Curbishley recognises now that Tevez saved our season, but it's too late." Tevez, who has won 25 caps for Argentina and played for them in last year's World Cup finals, was the subject of a £31million bid from Inter Milan while at Brazilian club Corinthians in 2005, and it is believed that a similar figure will be demanded for him this summer.

There is, as usual, a liberal smattering of West Ham related stories in the Sunday tabloids. The Star and News of the World both claim that Bobby Zamora's future at the club has been assured by the manager. Zamora had feared he would be part of the summer clear out at West Ham but has been told he is still a part of the club's plans. The News of the World insist that Luke Young will join West Ham this summer, a year after a £5 million move to the club was wrecked by a failed medical. Young will be allowed to leave Charlton for £4 million. The People say that Birmingham have had a £2 million offer for Paul Konchesky turned down, with West Ham holding out for almost double that figure. The Star mention the now familiar story that Derby County are interested in Callum Davenport.

Reo Can Go

It is a relatively quiet morning on the West Ham front with most of the newspaper choosing to put a little flesh on the bones of two stories from yesterday. David Bond in The Telegraph confirms Sheffield United are refusing to hand back their 'share' in the Premier League- effectively a membership card- until after the arbitration hearing into the Carlos Tevez controversy. It is claimed the Blades will not relent until they know the outcome of the League's arbitration hearing into the case, which we now know will be held on June 18 and 19, three weeks after next week's annual general meeting. A statement from Sheffield United said: "SUFC today confirmed that it has refused a request by the Premier League to deliver up its share. All Premier League clubs are entitled to a share in the League itself, and Sheffield United's position is that until the arbitration looking into the Tevez matter is resolved, it remains a Premiership club. The club believes if it gives up its share the Premier League cannot be guaranteed to fulfil its promise to return the share should the arbitration reinstate Sheffield United to the Premier League." A league source said yesterday that Sheffield United's share in the league would be unilaterally taken away from them if they refused to hand it over next week. Today, Premier League officials reiterated their stance. "If Sheffield United do not return the share, Premier League rules mean that it will be unilaterally transferred to a promoted club and this will happen at our AGM this coming Thursday," said a spokesman.

The other main story concerns our rumoured interest in Liverpool's Craig Bellamy. The Daily Mail believe West Ham have now joined Aston Villa and Blackburn in the race to sign the player, even though Liverpool have slapped a £12million price tag on the unsettled striker. The Sun go one further and suggest we would have the upper hand in any negotiations if Bellamy could be used as a makeweight should Liverpool firm up their interest in Hammers hitman Carlos Tevez. The same article also claims Nigel Reo-Coker has been told he has no future at the club. Alan Curbishley is leading his clearout by axeing the team captain in a show of strength; the player being granted a move as long as any buyer meets the £8million asking price. Unsurprisingly, Reo-Coker has a slightly different take on things. The midfielder's advisor Tony Finnigan insisted his client had handed in a transfer request and expressed his surprise that West Ham were willing to let the player leave Upton Park. "I can confirm that Nigel Reo-Coker has officially handed in a transfer request with West Ham United football club," Finnigan told Sky Sports News. "Nigel hopes his future will be resolved in the next few weeks. I am surprised that a 22-year-old Londoner who is captain of his club is being allowed to leave. As I said on Sky Sports in January, Nigel would get his head down and work to keep West Ham in the Premiership. And that is exactly what he did with 100 per cent commitment. At the end of the day he never felt wanted but I am sure he will have a bright future elsewhere." Roy Carroll (believed to be a target for Cardiff City), Paul Konchesky and John Pantsil are other players who have been been told they can go and another player, Hayden Mullins, is one of several targets for Premiership rivals Reading. Rob Green, who has three years left on his current contract, is set to be offered a lucrative new deal.


Finally, there is an interesting interview with West Ham skipper-in-waiting Lucas Neill in the Sunday Telegraph, Australia. He has issued a plea to Mark Viduka to join the West Ham revolution and in the process reveals the club have formally tabled a lucrative offer for the striker's services. The defender landed in Sydney last night ahead of Australia's World Cup qualification rematch against Uruguay and was speaking after a short break in Las Vegas. "I haven't spoken to 'Dukes' yet,'' Neill said last night. "I've tried to ring him a couple of times but I've been on holiday and with the time difference it's been difficult. I'd love him (to come to West Ham). I know him inside and out but defenders hate him. I hope he doesn't stay at Boro but he's a man in demand. I'll help him make that decision but I can't force it. This is probably his last playing contract, so he's deciding where he'll finish his career. One thing you know you're going to get with Australians is a good work ethic and a lot of heart and passion, which the crowd and the chairman love,'' he said. "But you can throw in a bit of skill. We're not mugs any more. We can play on the biggest stage, as all of us have proved. We're talking to Dukes, who's got a great track record in the Premiership, but it doesn't stop there. Its not unimaginable that players like Roberto Carlos end up at West Ham because of his (the chairman's) resources. But it's not about the money. It's about building a star team and not a team of stars. He's not going to throw endless amounts of money around willy-nilly. He wants a team that will gel, so he wants to buy leaders with strong character.''

Animosity Grows

The animosity surrounding the Carlos Tevez affair escalated last night with Fulham signalling their willingness to support Sheffield United formally when the arbitration panel convenes. Fulham director Stuart Benson has written to the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, outlining his backing for the Blades and his queries about the decision not to deduct points from the east London club for their rule breach. In a fresh twist, Fulham are now threatening further action by informing the Premier League that they intend to "revisit" with leading counsel an application for judicial review in light of the outcome of the arbitration and what appears to be a continuing refusal by the Premier League to conduct a "further investigation as requested in the letter of May 4 from ourselves, Wigan, Sheffield United and Charlton". Benson says that legal experts have been advised of flaws in the independent commission's reasoning process.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the 'hard-hitting letter', poses a series of searching new questions that include:

• Whether Fulham could join Sheffield as a party in the arbitration.

• Whether the commission's reasoning was "flawed" because it took into account what Fulham consider to be "irrelevant factors" but ignored what they believe to be "relevant factors".

• Whether it offered advice about what the appropriate penalty should be, for a transcript of the hearing, and whether penalties imposed for similar breaches were considered.

Fulham also want to know if the arbitration will take place before the AGM of the Premier League next Thursday. Benson wrote: "If the Premier League are seeking to exclude either of these clubs [West Ham and Sheffield United], on what basis will it do so in light that a deduction of points from West Ham or differently constituted commission might result in that club being relegated rather than Sheffield?" Wigan have also written to Scudamore pledging their support for Sheffield United. A letter to Scudamore from the Wigan secretary, Stuart Hayton, said: "We are still not satisfied with the explanations you have supplied in this respect."

Sheffield United are themselves refusing to hand over their membership 'card' to a newly promoted club. Relegated teams have to pass on a certificate of membership at the league's annual meeting, but the Blades are planning to hold onto it until the arbitration process over West Ham's record £5.5million fine for breaking regulations over Tevez's registration is completed. Sheffield United officially lose their Premier League status when they give up the "share", but believe they would be within their rights were they to hold onto it at the meeting scheduled for Thursday. No club has taken this form of action before and the refusal to hand over the share would stop the Premier League issuing fixtures for next season.

As if things were not complicated enough, a story in The Argos claims Brighton have written to the FA seeking clarification over the eligibility of Carlos Tevez for their FA Cup defeat at West Ham in January. The Seagulls are trying to establish whether they have a case for compensation as an investigation into the details of the Tevez transfer to Upton Park continues. Martin Perry, Albion's chief executive, said: "We have written to the FA but we haven't had a response yet. The issue revolves around whether or not he was eligible, it isn't an issue about ownership as far as we are concerned. The fact is the Premier League are insisting he was eligible. In that case we haven't got anywhere to go."

Benayoun Pens New Deal

The club has announced this afternoon that 'much-sought-after' midfielder Yossi Benayoun has agreed a new five-year deal to keep him at Upton Park until 2012. Benayoun, who has made 55 Premiership starts for the Irons since moving from Racing Santander for £2.5 million in 2005, was rumoured to be a target for a host of clubs, including both Tottenham and Arsenal. "I'm very pleased to have agreed this new deal," said the Israel international. "From the first moment I arrived at West Ham, the Club felt like home to me. We have the best supporters in England. The natural thing for me was to sign a new deal and I'm very happy because I want to stay at this Club. I'm sure we'll have a better season next season because we have players with a lot of quality. We will also have new players coming in to make us stronger and better. I'm very pleased because it is the best place for me. The Chairman is very ambitious and I want to thank him because the negotiations were very quick. He and the manager showed me they wanted me to stay immediately. Hopefully I will pay them back on the pitch and I will do everything in my power to match their ambition." Eggert Magnusson stated: "We are very ambitious and Yossi is a big part of our plans. I'm very pleased to have agreed terms to keep him at the Club for five more years. We are looking forward to bringing in exciting new signings but we must also make sure we keep hold of the hugely talented players we already have."

One of those 'exciting new signings' could be Reading defender Nicky Shorey. The Daily Mail claim Alan Curbishley wants the player as the first piece in his extensive rebuilding programme. The 26-year-old Shorey has been one of the foundations behind the Royals' successful first season in the top flight, starting 37 of 38 league games and narrowly missing out on a place in the PFA team of the year. Romford-born Shorey is a known West Ham fan with family connections to the club, yet it could take a bid in excess of £5million to land the England B international.

Finally, The Cub today also confirmed that Hammers goalkeeper Roy Carroll has asked to leave Upton Park so that he can play regular first team football and has been granted a free transfer. Paul Konchesky and John Pantsil have also stated their desire for first team action and will be allowed to leave when an appropriate transfer offer is made that is acceptable to the Club

Investing In The Future

Hammers invest in the future of the club's talent
By Tess McDermott

West Ham United has been known as The Academy of Football since the 1960s when Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters burst onto the England scene. Sales of recent graduates such as Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole have reaped more than £50million for the club in the last decade and the financial backing of new chairman Eggert Magnusson could herald further advancements for the already impressive youth development set-up.

Academy director since 1973 Tony Carr said: "When I first started we used to train at Upton Park in the evenings in the winter and use bin lids as goals. We played on the forecourt and someone might have left their car there overnight and we used to play round the cars. He added: "In the modern Academy system, the players are somewhat pampered. Every department has been analysed and has its own specialists. We've got fitness staff and a sports science department. There are people looking at how to warm up, how to warm down and at the science behind strength building and stamina. But that's progress. There's always ways you can improve and you must keep doing that as a club. You may have the best facilities today, but five years down the line if you don't improve, perhaps some people overtake you."

Carr has never been given a budget for the Academy but believes the costs run to about £1.5million a year. He said: "In effect whatever we've asked for, as long as I can convince them it's justified they've said OK. If you say player sales have brought in a minimum of £50m over the last ten years, we're talking £5m per year. So that leaves £3m profit on average over a year. We're not really about that, but if we're talking figures, you can easily justify the outlay. The challenge is to keep doing it. The conveyor belt never stops."

Seeing players step up to the West Ham first team is a source of massive pride for Carr and his army of staff. He said: "Not only does it keep the Academy ticking over in terms of that's another one to tick off, but you know it's the culmination of maybe ten years work. When a boy gets to the first-team at 18-19 years of age, he's probably come into the system at eight or nine years of age. People don't realise all the work before a boy actually steps onto the pitch. It's ten years of will he, won't he, is he good enough, is he going to grow, is he going to develop, is he going to take that talent on? It's fraught with danger. Your best players are always being scouted by other clubs. We lost Kieran Richardson and John Terry like that."

The West Ham Academy has had more than it's fair share of successes however with Anton Ferdinand and Mark Noble the youngsters most recently making their mark in the Premiership. "The names roll of the tongue," said Carr. "Unfortunately for West Ham most of them are playing for other clubs." Carr added: "But that's the nature of the beast. It's disappointing for me, but I understand the reasons. It's freedom of contract. The club was relegated at that time so there was a need for funding and the only assets West Ham had were really the young players that had come through the Academy. They had to be sold, but hopefully that's in the past and any young players we're recruiting and producing now we'll be able to keep, or keep a bit longer at least."

Discussions with Magnusson about the Academy have been positive, although limited, with the chairman keen to invest for the future. Carr said: "I would like to see the Academy and first team together for training. I think the manager and board also see that as the long term plan. A new training ground that would put us all together and knit the players and youth closer. Better quality of pitches, more irrigation, a sprinkler system - these are all the things that that we've added here in the last couple of years to help promote the type of football we want to play. We're always looking for ways to improve. When I spoke to Eggert he was very positive about the Academy and said that even with all the success we had he still wanted to invest further. That can only be good."

One thing Carr does not want to see is the Academy full of young foreign players. He said: "It's not me with my head in the sand. I do realise that the game is now more global and I've just come back from the United States where we're looking to expand our brand. If there was a player or two from there or anywhere else in the world who were going to enhance our system and push on to be quality first team players I'd never say no, but I wouldn't like to see it en masse. I wouldn't want our culture changed. You're never going to win them all, but you just hope to get your fair share of success and we've certainly done that in the past."

How the Academy system works:

We start recruiting from age six. We have guys whose job it is to identify the local talent bearing in mind we can only recruit from within an hour's travelling time of our Little Heath training ground. Whenever we register a player that might be near that mark, the Football Association run an AA mileage check on it. If the AA said it was an hour and 20 minutes, they'd refuse the registration. It can be an anomaly but it's to safeguard the children so they're not travelling long distances on school nights.

Then our teams start at U9s. We have a part-time coach, or more than one, for every team. So, there is an army of part-time guys that come in the evenings from 5pm through to 9pm and on Saturday and Sunday mornings when the Academy sides play their football.

The U18s, our full-time scholars, and the U16s - the boys in their last year at school - play on Saturdays. Then, the way the club is structured is that myself and the Academy will have a great input into what is going on at reserve team level.

And the final step is to first team level and I'm in close contact with the manager who is always asking about the up-and-coming young players and then sees them for himself in the reserve team. Players can't sign professional contracts before 17 and those that sign that young are an exception, but if and when they eventually do, it's quite a seemless transition now. I don't suppose it's rocket science, but it works for us and our record suggests we get it right most of the time.

Taken from the Citizen

As suggested in the article, West Ham have made a concerted effort to break into the US market in an attempt to find the best young talent. The club's newly formed Football Academy USA website is the first step in seeking clubs with which to form partnership programmes. The aim is to develop players capable of one day playing for the Hammers in the Premier League. The programme represents the club's first major foray into North America, a huge untapped market where football is likely to explode in the next few years.

Tony Carr and several members of his coaching team spent some time in Georgia last month giving lectures to local coaches and clubs. Topics on the agenda included 'Player Development - the West Ham way' and 'Fixing Common Team and Player problems'. The Hammers are seeking two clubs, schools and colleges from each area with which to partner with. Meanwhile the first product of the new scheme visited England last month to get a taste of life in East London. 14-year-old Cobb FC striker Jack McInerney, a member of the USA under-15 national squad from Alpharetta, Georgia spent a week with Carr and his staff gaining vital experience at Chadwell Heath.

Statement Of Intent

Most of the papers this morning have picked up on the 'Chairman's Statement' as delivered by Eggert Magnusson on the official site yesterday. The Times say Magnusson is intent on keeping Carlos Tevez and the Daily Mail suggest significant funds will be made available to Alan Curbishley. The statement in full reads:

"There is bound to be a lot of speculation over the summer about our playing squad. It is normal in a transfer window - who is going, who we want to bring in. We are ambitious for this club and what we can achieve next season. We want to strengthen the squad and to build on the positives of the 2006/07 season. I'm proud of what the club has achieved and now we can move forward. We will work hard over the summer to prepare for next season and that includes keeping our best players who want to play for us. There will be a particular focus on Carlos Tevez and I want him to stay. I suspect a lot will be written about his future but the starting point is that he is a West Ham player, registered with and contracted to the club with three years remaining on a 4 year contract. Whatever happens next we will act to protect the best interests of West Ham United FC".

An article in The Independent states the Premier League is to press ahead with preparations for next season's fixture list despite agreeing to set up an arbitration tribunal to rule on relegated Sheffield United's complaints over the Carlos Tevez affair. The three-man panel is due to be appointed tomorrow, but any final decision is not likely before the end of next month. The League is preparing to publish the fixtures for the new season on 21 June on the basis that the Blades have been relegated and West Ham remain in the top flight. It is claimed League officials are confident that the arbitration tribunal will find they acted according to their regulations in both the disciplinary case against West Ham and with regard to the registration of Tevez. Interestingly, it is thought likely that even if the Blades should persuade the arbitration panel of their case, they would be awarded a compensation payment rather than having the commission's decision overturned. The Sheffield United plc chairman, Kevin McCabe, said he believed the club's stand would be justified. "I'm here to protect Sheffield United's position against what I firmly believe was an irrational decision," McCabe said. "I genuinely believe that the arbitration proceedings will reverse decisions. Whether that means they are able to reverse decisions and deduct points rather than [impose] fines I do not know," he added.

The only other item of news is a piece in the Daily Mail in which James Collins expresses his desire to see Carlos Tevez remain at the club. Although busy preparing for a return to international duty with Wales, Collins clearly has the little Argentine firmly in his thoughts. "None of the players ever thought about the situation with Carlos," he said. "The funny thing is no-one was talking about how Carlos came to the club when he was not playing or scoring goals. As soon as he started scoring, people started having an opinion about him. We were just happy to have him in our team as he is a world class player and a fantastic professional. It would be great for West Ham and English football if he is still in the Premiership next season. I am sure we will do our best to keep hold of him."

Last Night At The Forum

Last night saw the first Fans Forum of the Magnusson era with Deputy CEO Scott Duxberry and Finance Director Nick Igoe attending an exclusive meeting with 18 fortunate fans. Several topics were openly addressed and what follows is a potted break-down of all the details in the order of items discussed.

• Carlos Tevez is under contract for 3 more years and was effectively signed on a Bosman. If he wants to stay then he will and in this sense he is no different to any other player. West Ham management will meet with Tevez within the next 14 days. We have first refusal on the player and hope and wish to keep him. It was admitted, however, that this could be difficult if a team of Champions League stature came in for him.

• Scott Duxberry met with Yossi Benayoun on Monday and there should be an announcement next week. It was intimated that he would be staying. At the moment Duxberry has many players and agents knocking on the door looking for new deals or the exit.

• There will be a meeting with Nigel Reo-Coker and his agent very soon. If he wants to stay then great and if not then he can go. The inference is that Alan Curbishley will not be going out of his way to keep him. It was said that, despite the rumours, no offer was made for Reo-Coker in August and none of the 'big four' clubs have ever lodged a bid for the player.
  

• It was confirmed that Teddy Sheringham, Shaun Newton and Tyrone Mears have all left or are in the process of leaving the club. A number of other players will follow. Overall, we can expect more players out than in and that certain players will leave before we add to the squad. The board were keen to stress that this is simply the way the deals are going to work and that it will not represent a fire-sale. There have been no official bids for any of our players as yet. It was also stated that we never made a move for Chelsea-bound Steve Sidwell.
  

• As far as season tickets are concerned there will no longer be a student band but rather U21s U16s, U10s, OAP and normal. There will be an increase but it will not be as high as speculated in the media. Season ticket renewal packs will be sent out next week and have to be done by 29th June. They have been delayed due to the uncertainty of which league we would be playing in.
  

• The club has a defined business plan with the intention of competing in the Champions League within three years. Magnusson, Duxberry and Curbishley will meet tomorrow to discuss signings for the new season. We can hopefully expect two or three "world class" players who are more than likely already playing in the Premiership. Having said that, the possibility of looking abroad is not completely ruled out. It is intended that the club will evolve rather than drastically change overnight.

• It was confirmed that there will be no re-development of the East Stand. The club intend to move to a new 60,000 all-seater stadium within three years. The Parcel Force site on the land around Stephenson Street looks like the favoured destination. The board feel the move is a basic requirement if we want Champions League football. The issue of atmosphere at the new ground was raised and the club plan to learn from other clubs mistakes on this matter. The board do feel that our fans would make an atmosphere anywhere and that its our fans who will give us the edge as opposed to other clubs like Arsenal where the atmosphere has always been quieter. The board also stated that there are no plans to price out the "traditional fan" as without us they would not fill a 60,000 all-seater stadium. They plan to use both traditional and corporate fans alongside each other to drive the club forward. Duxberry also said that the club's corporate hospitality had a record year and record profits.

• The average salary of a Hammers fan is actually £53k and not £60k as Eggert Magnusson famously claimed. Nick Igoe said the figures are taken from a Premier League survey carried out in December.
  

• Dean Ashton has had a one week holiday and is already back at the club and continuing his rehabilitation. He is nearing full training and will be fully fit for next season. It was also stated that had we got relegated Ashton would have stayed.

• The club shop now has a new Retail Director so we can expect a massive overhaul of the commercial side of the shops with better online facilities as well as new items to buy.

• The stadium will be completely non-smoking from July 1st onwards, as is the legal requirement. It is the same stance over the issue of standing, with club policy being dictated by law.
  

• There has been much internal consternation over the entire Carlos Tevez affair. Duxberry felt the press had been on a witch hunt and had blown everything out of proportion. The club believes that Sheffield United going to arbitration is completely misguided and that there is absolutely no fear that points will be deducted based on all the legal advice they have received. The club has kept quiet due to the political climate and they believe it is impossible to get the truth heard because of the media spin. It was claimed that Dave Whelan is ignorant of all the facts and that Tevez was and always has been signed and registered since Aug 31st. Amusingly, Duxberry said he had never heard of rule U18 because it is filed under miscellaneous in the handbook next to the rule that you have to have a advert in the programme for the Football Foundation - that is how obscure it is! Nobody would comment on whether legal action would be taken against Brown and Aldridge- with the clear implication that it might. The club is totally confident that the verdict of the Independent Commission will be upheld.
  

• The Hammerettes will not be returning.

• The new kit will be supplied by Umbro and the sponsor will be XL airlines. The deal is a massive nine times bigger than the previous deal and will be launched in June. The new away kit is to be launched on the Aug 4th friendly date- which will probably be against a highly rated Spanish Team. The new kit will only have a one year shelf life as we intend to keep the stock fresh. We can also expect to see more improved leisure gear in stock as well as other items as the whole club shop and online side is improved. The examples of Manchester City and Everton was sited, as both raise £5million a year from their stores and merchandise. We currently make £3million. The target is to exceed these other clubs as quickly as possible.
  

• There will be two new screens to replace the old ones at the ground. It is also hoped that WHUTV and the official website will be overhauled and improved.

• Historically there has been no real business plan. Now the club is focussed on the commercial side and have split this and the playing side to increase revenue from a commercial aspect. Arsenal have a £2million turnover per game and ours is £900k. It is a priority that this is improved.

• The museum is to be shut and its items placed elsewhere in the ground.

• We almost signed a right winger in January, believed to be Ashley Young, but then due to injuries to defenders we scrapped this deal and signed Davenport instead. Whoever the player was, a deal had been agreed and it was the club who pulled the plug.

• Alan Pardew did not play Mascherano for whatever reasons and Alan Curbishley did not think the player was fit enough. There were no financial or contractual reasons for not picking the player.

• The club purchase by the current owners is not secured on the club's assets. Magnusson hates losing and loves the transfer window as he aims to bring in world class players to take us to the next level.

• This pre=season we are going to Austria and will use the same training camp as Bolton. It is thought that the last pre season was poor and that we lost our edge and fitness. It is hoped we will regain our sharpness finish strongly in games as we did the previous season.

• On the subject of the January signings, Lucas Neill is seen as a crucial figure in driving the club forward. There is potential to tour Australia next year because the popularity of the player has led to considerable press coverage over there. Luis Boa Morte was also talked about in glowing terms and it was stated he has been both injured and ill since he arrived at the club and things will improve for him next season. The club are looking forward to the return of Matthew Upson but the future of Davenport at the club is less clear. There was no mention of Nigel Quashie.

• We have also launched some new academies in the USA.

• The board will carry out surveys in the summer over the fans perception off the club and what we hope to see. One thing raised was the size and content of the programme which seems to be under review. The programme will not increase in price this season.

• Nick Igoe stated that there would be more forums in the future, including ones with Eggert Magnusson and possibly Alan Curbishley. There will also be more open days at the ground and also training days, which again will be at the ground and open to the fans.

Upping The Antti

The Premier League have agreed to set up an arbitration tribunal to rule on Sheffield United's complaints over the Carlos Tevez affair. The League have conceded that the club do have the right to call for an arbitration panel, but have told the relegated side they are wasting their time and money. The Blades though are to insist on pursuing their claim that the independent commission should have deducted points from West Ham and that the League should have cancelled Tevez's registration. A source close to Sheffield United said: "We received a letter from the Premier League today telling us they do not think we have any grounds to request arbitration - but they accept it is our right to do so. They have said they will not appoint anyone until Friday to give us the opportunity to withdraw the request - basically they are saying we are wasting everybody's time. We still believe these matters need to be resolved so we will press ahead and ask for arbitration and we hope that this process can be concluded before the end of June." The Premier League say they are satisfied West Ham ended those agreements as soon as they were ordered to do so, and that the independent commission's decision cannot be appealed against by anyone except West Ham. Both parties will nominate one member each of the tribunal and these two members would then choose a chairman. The tribunal would effectively have the powers of a court and the parties would agree in advance to abide by any decision reached. The club is also challenging the Premier League's "failure to conduct an adequate investigation into the continued fielding of Tevez after the 27 April decision, despite serious questions over his eligibility".

On the transfer front, the Daily Mail claim Antti Niemi's sterling goalkeeping displays for Fulham have alerted West Ham. The article suggests Alan Curbishley is determined to perform a dramatic overhaul at Upton Park during the close season and regards Niemi as one of the best keepers in the business. Despite Robert Green's heroic displays towards the end of the season there remains a suspicion that his relationship with Curbishley is less than easy. Even so, this is a strange story considering Fulham were rumoured to be looking at Robert Green in the January transfer window to improve their own goalkeeping situation. The Rumour Mill also has us interested in Middlesbrough's former Derby County central defender Chris Riggott. In the same paper there is the story that Yossi Benayoun looks set to perform an about turn by pledging his future to West Ham. The Israeli midfielder was widely expected to hand in a transfer request this summer, with the likes of Tottenham, Portsmouth and Newcastle linked to the player. But the combination of West Ham's Premiership survival and (mainly) the offer of vastly improved terms at Upton Park appear to have prompted the change of heart- a weekly wage increase from £23,000 to £38,500 over five years the going rate for loyalty. In the Independent there is a story suggesting we have offered £40,000 a week to Bolton's out-of-contract central defender Tal Ben Haim. The 25-year-old is said to be holding out for an offer from Chelsea before making his final decision, with Portsmouth also in the hunt for his signature. West Ham, who tried to sign Ben Haim in January, hope Ben Haim's friendship with Yossi Benayoun may help their cause.

Scudamore's Letter

In response to several requests here is a copy of the letter (in full) as sent out by Richard Scudamore to all 20 Premiership clubs. Having read it through carefully several times I am genuinely mystified as to why Sheffield United would want to take this case any further.

Dear Chairman / Chief Executive

Independent Disciplinary Commission Decision relating to West Ham United

We write as promised yesterday in order to lay out what we believe to be the most pertinent facts in this matter, primarily to ensure that all Clubs have more clarity around what is clearly a complex matter.

The Charges
West Ham United were charged under Rule B13 which requires each Club to behave towards each other Club and the League with the utmost good faith and also with a breach of Rule U18 reproduced here in full: “No Club shall enter into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its teams in League Matches or in any of the competitions set out in Rule E10.”

At no point were West Ham United charged with playing an ineligible player – both Tevez and Mascherano were registered on 31 August. All the required documentation was received by the Premier League and the usual confirmations received and sent – a process you are all very familiar with. Registration is definitive as to the status of the player. At no time has Mr Tevez’s registration been revoked or terminated and at all times he has been eligible to play for West Ham.

This was the first time that Rule U18 had ever been applied and tested in this way. The arguments around the intention and application of the Rule as it relates to players’ contracts are, at the least, complex and contentious. The Board acted on its objective interpretation of both the Rules and the potential breach.

The Case
Central to the case are the “third party contracts” entered into by West Ham United and MSI/JSI. These did not come to light until West Ham sent them to the Premier League on 24 January 2007.

It is only at that point that the Board had prima facie evidence that a breach of rules had taken place. Even having submitted them West Ham United continued to argue that these agreements did not influence its policies or performance of the team and therefore were not in breach of Rule U18. The timing of subsequent events was then driven by procedures as laid down in our Rule book – giving all parties reasonable time to respond – a practice that all Clubs will be familiar with.

Much speculation exists as to why the Board did not identify these breaches in September 2006. We made all reasonable attempts to establish if any such agreements existed and the facts have now been established that we were deceived. The League can only function if good faith exists between Clubs and again all of you who have regular dealings with the League will recognise and agree that this is the way it works. More detail is provided in the Independent Commission’s judgement which is attached for your reference in a clearer, more legible form. (Attachment 1)

The Independent Commission
This was appointed from the Panel and convened strictly in accordance with the Rules as agreed by all Member Clubs.

Its chair, Simon Bourne-Arton QC, acted very promptly and properly, laying out directions for the hearing in the shortest possible timescale. This involved, amongst other things, an exchange of witness statements and skeleton arguments from both sides.

The Board insisted on the earliest possible hearing date, conscious that time must be available to hear any appeal prior to the 31 May AGM when the 2007/8 League officially forms. The dates for the hearing set by the Independent Commission Chairman were fixed at the only possible time allowing for all these considerations.

The fixture list (as it sometimes can) conspired to match Wigan v West Ham United on the day after – clearly not ideal but unavoidable. For the above reasons, neither the hearing nor the judgement was nor should have been delayed for any artificial reasons.

The Hearing
On the morning of the hearing West Ham United pleaded guilty to both charges. They then entered a plea in mitigation. The Premier League’s counsel in response to the matter of sanction told the Commission that it considered it to be a most serious offence, reminding them that it had the full range of sanctions available to it under the Rules (Section R).

The Judgement
We are sure you have all read this document and in the light of subsequent events we would ask that you do so again. Whilst those aggrieved by it have concentrated on certain phrases and elements, it contains or generates some very relevant facts:

• The Commission considered it no part of their remit to determine whether third party contracts are in the interests of football generally.
• However, they did lay out some rationale as to why they saw force in the arguments that such agreements could be construed as to be in breach of Rule U18 – in summary, because certain clauses in them were inconsistent with clauses in the Standard Players Contract. In any event, West Ham United had admitted they were in breach.
• The judgement also made comments about the Commission’s view of the enforceability of the third party contracts in question. West Ham United argued that they were not enforceable, the Commission was minded to agree, but West Ham United could not use this as a defence as they had acted as if they were enforceable in the first place.

The Sanction
You will all have formed a view about the sanction. The terms of the judgement made it clear that the Independent Commission considered very seriously the possibility of points deduction. You are well aware by now that our Rules provide no tariff of sanctions for particular offences. In the end, having had the benefit of reading all the witness statements and skeleton arguments; having listened to the plea in mitigation and the Premier League counsel’s response on sanction, they – and only they – decided on fines: £2.5m for breach of Rule U18, £3m for breach of Rule B13.

The media, and of course those aggrieved by the decision, have analysed the seven reasons given by the Independent Commission for not deducting points and concentrated on those that to them seem the least convincing. However, there are others that have a less convenient truth, particularly the one that says “had the Club in time made disclosure of the third party contracts to the FAPL, then, in all probability, contracts could have been entered into which would not have offended the rules”. We will refer back to this statement later.

In summary, the Independent Commission carried its work out fully in accordance with our Rules, having adopted practices entirely consistent with formal judicial proceedings. In reaching their decision the Independent Commission clearly considered the matter very carefully and did not deliver an irrational or extreme judgement and delivered the sanction that only they (having considered the matter fully and in light of copious evidence) deemed to be proportionate and appropriate.

Appeal
West Ham United as Respondents were the only party entitled to appeal. This is a deliberate construct of our Rules. Any Club that has faced a properly convened Independent Commission having had “their day in court” cannot be “re-tried” by the Board or group of aggrieved Clubs.

This has to be right as otherwise the Board could be subject to intense lobbying from some. Also, the League could not function if other Clubs could effectively intervene in an attempt to overturn decisions not to their liking – not those of the Board – those of an Independent Commission convened in strict accordance with the Rules previously agreed by all Clubs.

We also attach advice on the matter of appeal received from our own Legal Working Party. (Attachment 2)

Actions of the Board since 26 April 2007
We sense that this is where much of the concern even amongst a wider group of Clubs exists and so we will expand upon our actions since the hearing.

The Independent Commission declared that the registration of Carlos Tevez could be terminated by the FAPL.

The FAPL Board convened later that day to consider this matter. The Board minutes from this meeting are attached for your reference. (Attachment 3)

The Board was fully aware of the need to proceed very carefully and precisely, seeking constant advice from DLA Piper (our external lawyers) at all times.

It must be restated that this registration had been in place in full accordance with the requirements of our Rules relating to player registrations since 31 August 2006.

Having reached its decision the Board conveyed this to officials of West Ham United As contained in our note to you all of 8 May, the Premier League made it very clear to West Ham that unless it could be satisfied that all trace of any third party ability to influence West Ham's policies or the performance of its team was removed, Mr Tevez's registration would be terminated.

We would not normally disclose – and neither would you want us to – confidential information contained in Club contracts. However, we sense the need to reassure Clubs and so have gone further than we might in these unusual circumstances.

Prior to the deadline set of noon on 28 April, the Premier League Board received the following documents:

i) A letter from West Ham United sent to Carlos Tevez, MSI and JSI terminating the private agreement between them dated 30 August 2006 and notifying those parties that the private agreement shall cease to have any further force or effect.
ii) A letter from the legal representatives of MSI and JSI acknowledging receipt of the above letter.
iii) A letter confirming that the above letter had been served on Carlos Tevez personally.

The Board was fully conscious that it had to ensure that West Ham United could not continue to, or repeat a, breach of Rule U18.

In order to protect the League and all Clubs the Board sought additional undertakings from West Ham United. Again, these were in writing and commit West Ham United to the following:
1. copy the Premier League in on all correspondence (including any proceedings served) between the Club and any of Tevez, MSI and JSI (or any of their respective representatives or advisers) in relation to Tevez;
2. continue to contend that the Private Agreement is invalid and unenforceable and, from the Club’s perspective, terminated, and the Club will not perform in accordance with it; and
3. not act in a manner which is inconsistent with the confirmation given at paragraph 2 above and, for the avoidance of doubt, no settlement or resolution (or discussions or negotiations leading up to any such settlement or resolution) will include any concession by West Ham that the Private Agreement was valid and enforceable.

In summary, West Ham United, having considered all the alternatives, chose to terminate the offending third party agreement. The Board only regulates West Ham United – not third parties – and it has secured written undertakings that West Ham United can only act in a way that is consistent with its having terminated the offending agreement.

It is only because of these written undertakings that Tevez’s registration was not terminated. If the Board suspects or has evidence that these undertakings are false or have been breached, then it will take all necessary steps to enforce Premier League Rules.

In making these undertakings to the Premier League it could be that West Ham United has exposed itself to further legal challenge from third parties who may contest the legality of that termination. That is a matter for them and them alone as, again, we have no jurisdiction over third parties.

Given the complexities around this, we would ask you to step back from the detail and consider the matter in more general terms:
1. Tevez has been properly registered to play for West Ham United since 31 August 2006. The Board, under our Rules, is charged with the authority to determine this.
2. He continues to be registered with West Ham United.
3. This is a case without precedent and certainly cannot be compared with Clubs who have played unregistered players or players ineligible through suspension.
4. On 26 April West Ham United admitted to breaches of Rules B13 and U18 – for which they have been fined in accordance with our Rules.
5. The offending third party agreement has been terminated by West Ham United and therefore they are not continuing to be in breach.

On a wider basis:
1. Under cross-examination (though the hearing did not proceed) the Premier League witnesses would have had to state that in all probability had West Ham United submitted the third party agreement in August 2006, the Premier League would have highlighted the offending clauses and worked with the Club in an attempt to shape the agreement into compliance with the Rules. This is a common occurrence all Clubs are aware of as the League seeks generally to help Clubs register players not prevent them. This has happened in all previous known cases of this nature.
2. Third party agreements exist in many varied forms throughout football – banking or finance agreements, players’ commercial arrangements, agency or representative agreements – many of which do not fall under the Premier League’s jurisdiction and do not contravene our Rules. The Premier League applies the same objective tests to any agreements – an interpretation of U18 as determined by the Board acting in the utmost good faith at all times.
3. We are the only league to our knowledge that has such a Rule – neither the Football League, FA nor FIFA have one.

Ultimately the proper functioning of this League only operates with trust between Member Clubs, the Board and officials. This case demonstrates the difficulties we run into if this is not adhered to. We can absolutely assure you that the Board has acted in good faith at all times – implementing Premier League Rules using judgement, impartiality and consistency.

We believe we were right to bring the charges (even though we know some Clubs do not actually agree that these third party agreements breach Rule U18).

We believe the Independent Commission was properly convened, its judgement was rational and the sanction was one that it was entitled to make within its powers (even though some clearly do not agree with it).

We also consider Tevez was at all times registered to play for West Ham United and that they are bound to act in a manner that is consistent with them having terminated the offensive third party agreement.

These three elements are within our jurisdiction and we have acted in accordance with the Rules operating for the purposes of the 2006/7 season. We have no wider remit – and neither should we.

As you are well aware, we will have the chance to debate the wider implications of this at our Summer Meeting in two weeks’ time. The Board will be giving careful consideration – as we are sure all Clubs will – to how we might learn lessons from this situation to protect the future interests of the League and all its Member Clubs. Any resulting changes to the Rules will be approved by Clubs in the usual manner.

To reassure you further, we attach a letter from our legal advisers confirming that the contents of this letter are entirely consistent with the advice they have been giving the League throughout this matter. (Attachment 4)

As always, we appreciate your consideration and support and will be pleased to answer any follow-up questions you may have.

We really do look forward to seeing Member Clubs at the Summer Meeting.

Kind regards,

Richard Scudamore Sir David Richards
Chief Executive Chairman

Scandalous And Derogatory

Mervyn Day believes the West Ham players and staff have not received enough praise for the impressive run of results that ultimately saved their season. Speaking on the official site, Day stated: "I feel sorry for the players for the fact that they haven't been given the credit for what was arguably an even better escape than Portsmouth managed to pull off last season." No arguably about it Merv. Statistically it was the greatest escape act in English football history; a fact that seems to have been lost in all the negative publicity of the last few weeks. "We were very mindful about things that were being said about us as a Club, not so much about us as individuals, but about what had gone on behind the scenes before we came and you can't influence that," exclaimed the exasperated Hammers assistant. "I think what has happened since we beat Man United in the final game has been nothing short of scandalous and derogatory. The players have not been given enough credit for the achievement of winning seven out of nine games. Most people seem to have failed to grasp the fact that Tevez's registration was always correct, that wasn't the issue."

Speaking of Tevez, The Independent claim Chelsea have entered the bidding to sign the striker although they are facing strong competition from Real Madrid. The two clubs are the only ones to have made serious inquiries about the 23-year-old Argentine, although West Ham are hoping he will stay at Upton Park for at least one more season. Tevez's representative Kia Joorabchian has yet to inform West Ham of his intentions - or what transfer fee he wants for the player - although it is hoped that a meeting may take place as early as this week with Eggert Magnusson. The article suggests it could be that if neither Chelsea nor Real meet the asking price - which sources claim could be anywhere between £20m and £40m - that a deal may be structured to keep Tevez at Upton Park. Despite the problems caused by his arrival, West Ham have made it clear they want Tevez to stay and believe it may be in his interests to do so. He has settled and, having avoided relegation, there are ambitions plans in place to push for Europe next season.

There are two further pieces of transfer news, both emanating from sources abroad. Firstly there is a report in the Israeli press that Yossi Benayoun has received a very lucrative contract offer that would run until 2012 and he is very close to agreeing terms. The story quotes Benayoun's agents as saying: "West Ham made it clear to us that they very much want Yossi and have therefore offered him a much improved long term contract. They stated that they want to build a team around him and therefore he received an offer never matched by any Israeli player previously. In any case, we have not yet decided and will not talk to any other club until we have concluded with West Ham. A decision will be made by the end of the week." The other story comes from the Icelandic media where it is claimed we are considering making a move for young midfielder Teddy Bjarnason. The Icelandic youngster made his impressive debut for Celtic yesterday but is yet to decide on a new contract offer. In perhaps a sign of things to come, Bjarnason is the second such talent to be linked with club following our earlier reported interest in striking sensation Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

Going Too Far

Sheffield United have won a small but potentially significant victory in the Carlos Tevez affair with the Premier League agreeing to set up an arbitration panel to rule on the case that has left English football teetering on the brink of chaos. According to an exclusive in the Mail on Sunday, the League will facilitate the appointment of a three-man panel in the next few days even though it still may not be enough to appease United and the other clubs who want a new hearing following the original commission's decision not to deduct points from West Ham United. The League are insisting that any arbitration can only look at whether the original commission was conducted properly, but if the panel considered the process was faulty then they could send the affair back to the commission to review the punishment handed out to the Hammers. The article quotes a Premier League insider as saying: "It can't be about the decision, only the process. The only way the decision can be overturned is if arbitration decides it was a flawed process or an unrealistic judgment and they send it back to the original commission to review the punishment. It will be hard for anyone to prove that this was an irrational judgement."

It is the narrow terms of reference that may not be enough to satisfy Sheffield United, or even the other clubs who have come out publicly to support their stance. Indeed, Blades chairman Kevin McCabe remains willing to take legal action. "I have meetings with a QC on Monday," he said. "We are ready to get our team together within 24 hours to put our witness statement together. We will not rest until Sheffield United's position is protected from this unjust decision. We are not being unreasonable but we do have very strong feelings on this. The Premier League should be working to accommodate one of their member clubs, who have been wronged. This was a bizarre decision-making process. The decision not to deduct points and to cancel the registration of Tevez is totally flawed and illegal. You can't have regard for the players and fans of one club without having regard for all the fans and players at other clubs. Tevez and Mascherano were registered because the West Ham chief executive either misled or lied to the Premier League - and those are the words from the hearing - otherwise they would not have been registered. For the Premier League not to carry out the order of the hearing to cancel the registration is barely credible. Two wrongs make a further wrong."

This latest development will only serve to increase tensions when the Premier League convokes its annual general meeting on Thursday week. Steve Tongue, writing in the Independent on Sunday, suggests it is certain to be a frosty occasion, especially when the representatives of West Ham United and Wigan Athletic take their seats next to each other. Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, has been the most vociferous critic of the Premier League's decisions to fine West Ham rather than deducting points, and while Eggert Magnusson has been reluctant to discuss the issue publicly, he admitted today: "Some people have gone too far. I've been disappointed at how some people have been allowed to speak about my club after the judgement of the commission. I find it very strange, other clubs commenting [like that] about their fellow clubs. For me, it's over. I don't want to say any more at the moment, but I might do later in the summer."

In the same piece, Magnusson also shares his thoughts on the future of Carlos Tevez. "I hope he stays," he said. "He is a terrific player and a good guy. He knows the club and fans love him, and that will stick in his mind while he is on holiday." Tevez left Heathrow Airport with 18 suitcases last week, having apparently cleared out his Canary Wharf flat, and it has been assumed by many that he will not be returning to Upton Park. If Rafa Benitez has his way then that will certainly be the case. According to a story in the Sunday Express the Liverpool boss intends to spend a large chunk of his club's Champions League money on the Argentine striker. Benitez believes he holds a powerful bargaining tool with Javier Mascherano already at Anfield and will step up his discreet moves to land him after Wednesday night’s final in Athens against AC Milan.

The Sunday Mirror do not agree and insist Tevez will say farewell to West Ham today and open talks to seal his £25million transfer to Real Madrid. The article also claims Chelsea tabled a bid in excess of £20m for the 23-year-old Argentina international last Thursday but the player prefers to move to a Spanish-speaking country. They say West Ham did open talks with Tevez about a new contract which would have seen him become the highest paid player in the club's history but they are now resigned to his summer departure. Also in the paper is the story that Alan Curbishley will axe 12 of his underachieving West Ham squad this this summer in a £40million shake-up. It is claimed that The West Ham manager met senior officials at Upton Park last week and made it clear a major rebuilding programme was required. He has highlighted fundamental shortcomings in the Hammers' playing staff and also admitted that during his brief reign at the club he had made telling mistakes in recruitment. Two of the players he drafted in during the January transfer window, Nigel Quashie and Calum Davenport, are included on the long list of players being put up for sale. Among the biggest departures will be captain Nigel Reo-Coker, Matthew Etherington, Paul Konchesky, Anton Ferdinand and strikers Marlon Harewood and Bobby Zamora. Etherington and Konchesky have already drawn £3million bids from Wigan and Birmingham respectively, while Charlton's Darren Bent and Liverpool's Craig Bellamy remain top of Curbishley's shopping list.

Also in the tabloids the News of the World claim the Hammers are willing to beat the £45,000 a week salary Steve Sidwell has been offered to switch to Stamford Bridge. Sidwell is a free agent and his expected move to Chelsea is due to be finalised this week. Curbishley has warned Sidwell- a West Ham fan from boyhood- that he could be a bit part player in west London whereas he would be a essential figure at Upton Park. Meanwhile we will also move for striker Andy Johnson and midfielders Tim Cahill and Scott Parker. The same paper also has the club in a tug-of-war with Blackburn Rovers over the signature of Derby County's highly rated Giles Barnes, 18 year old son of former Hammers winger Bobby. Billy Davies wants around £4million for the young talent. The Star has Tevez signing for Liverpool, but this time for around £15million, and Konchesky moving to Everton for £1million. They also claim West Ham are leading the chase for highly rated Wolves striker Michael Kightly. The Essex-born youngster was previously a target for Manchester United. Finally, the Sunday People insist we are at the front of the queue, with Portsmouth, for Watford striker Hameur Bouazza.

Lost In Translation

Carlos Tevez has intimated he would not be disappointed to still be playing for West Ham next season. The 23-year-old striker, speaking in a hastily arranged press conference in Puerto Madero yesterday lunchtime, revealed that the prospect of a second season at the Boleyn Ground wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. "My priority is West Ham because since I arrived they have treated me very well and with much affection," he said. "They warmed to me because of how I am, and because I leave my heart on the field. It was hard to adapt at first; English football is more physical than technical. The culture is very different, very high level. But I like the tranquility. Four years ago I couldn't even go out for a walk," he added. However Tevez - who returned to Argentina on Tuesday morning following his final appearance for United at Old Trafford - also sent out a clear message to Europe's major powers that he would be open to any tempting offers. "It excites me that several teams are considering me. I want to play for a great European team. They have not communicated with me, but I suppose that [the rumours] must be true." So, make of that what you will. For Eric Beauchamp in The Sun something has obviously been lost in translation. Those simple quotes equate to the banner headline splash: "Tevez- I'm off To Europe".

Another player contemplating his future is Matty Etherington. According to a piece in the Independent Wigan Athletic have made a bid of about £3m to sign the troubled winger, an offer thought to have been met with some incredulity at Upton Park and been rejected out of hand. The likelihood is that the unsettled 25-year-old, who almost joined Fulham in the January transfer window, will leave, although West Ham are believed to be demanding a far higher transfer fee than has been currently lodged by Wigan. The article also repeats the rumour that West Ham have identified Scott Parker as their first serious transfer target. Sources at Newcastle United claim that the 26-year-old's future at the club is in the balance following the arrival of new manager Sam Allardyce. This has not gone unnoticed by West Ham manager Alan Curbishley who is keen to build his midfield around a player he groomed at Charlton Athletic before he moved to Chelsea for £10m.

One player who is not now departing West Ham is Yossi Benayoun who had demanded a transfer after appearing to fall out with Curbishley. However, as reported here yesterday, the Israel international spoke to the manager on Wednesday and held a meeting with the club on Thursday when he received assurances that he will be a first-team regular next season. Benayoun, who has two years left on his present deal, is also likely to receive a new improved contract which will see his wages rise from £25,000 to around £40,000 a week. West Ham also want to sort out the futures of players such as Anton Ferdinand, Paul Konchesky and Marlon Harewood before they start spending. It is claimed the club are also monitoring developments over Mark Viduka, out of contract at Middlesbrough, and Charlton's Darren Bent - two strikers they attempted to sign in January and who appear certain to leave their club.

Bored Of Baloney

Why I'm missing Soccer AM and refuse to believe that West Ham have stayed in the Premiership

By Russell Brand

Frequently in my life there have been occasions where I've had cause to suspect that the very laws of physics have bent themselves to inconvenience me, events so preposterous that I fancy God to be some malevolent trickster perched on a cloud piddlin' ill fortune and rubbing his holy hands with glee at his divine meddling. Like when my foot was run over by a taxi that I was sat in, I thought, "Well, this can't happen every day." Or when I awoke naked atop a double bed in a squat in Kentish Town, occupied by a dozen baffled refugees, when I distinctly recalled dozing off in the arms of a Norwegian woman called Petra. Or consider the evening where I was propositioned in the lavvy of the pub in which I worked by a horny-handed builder with the line, delivered in a heavy Cork accent: "I sensed chemistry between us when you passed me my crisps, how 'bout a kiss?"

The last two happened on the same day. All the aforementioned made me query the logic of the universe and sent me inwardly spiralling, questioning all that I'd previously known to be true - "I bet that don't happen to everyone else," I'd think. My feelings of cosmic persecution are similarly roused by the lingering threat that West Ham's extraordinary season, a tale of triumph snatched from the foaming gnashers of inevitable, incontrovertible defeat, could still yet magically dwindle into failure by means never before encountered. What? We win seven of our last nine, including a final-day victory at Old Trafford, and we might still get relegated by a brand new, retrospective point deduction after a £5.5m fine, when the season has concluded? I don't think the breaches are that bad and people that keep harpin' on about em are right squares. U18? B12? They sound like Nationalist factions that are best ignored. The main thrust of the argument as far as I can see, from behind my blinkers, is that you aren't allowed to have a third party in a position where they can influence club activity as MSI, purportedly, were as they were renting us the players.

West Ham pleaded guilty and were appropriately penalised and that should be the end of it. I don't think it's that bad, how does the breach favour the Hammers anyway? What, is Kia Joorabchian of MSI gonna phone up Curbishley and go: "Here, you might wanna tell Tevez to play football really well, you know, with a sincere, almost spiritual, devotion and scoring an' that." "Brilliant," Curbs would respond. "Until now we'd been playing him out of position with red hot gravel in his boots." Actually, the second bit's not impossible at West Ham; Greavesy mentions similar practices as a regular part of training during his time at Upton Park. It's probably a good rule that outside entities cannot exert force over clubs. In these days of oligarchs, consortia and agents it's likely to occur but ought to be kept to a minimum, and the largest fine in history is probably sufficient incentive to comply.

If Jose Mourinho is found to have brought his dog into the country without observing the correct procedure, perhaps John Terry should be made to play all Chelsea's away games wearing women's knickers and whenever Frank Lampard takes a corner he should have to breast-feed the opposition's fans. I imagine the issue will be discussed rationally on the consistently excellent Soccer AM this morning, in my humble view the best football programming available, which I deeply miss while in Hawaii. That looks stupid written down but it's true - you can only marvel at turtles for so long. It never patronises its viewers and it's honest, bright and in tune with the people it caters for. I was on it once and embarrassed myself a bit by falling over during a headstand, which was another occasion on which I insisted the universe was conspiring against me. This will doubtless be eclipsed on today's show as I understand Noel Gallagher, who has recently come out to me as bisexual, is guesting and will probably spend the entire show evading questions on the FA Cup final, preferring instead to lunge across the delightful Helen Chamberlain and fondle the thighs of dear Tim Lovejoy, which will make for fine viewing and be further evidence that worldly affairs are being maliciously directed by loonies on Olympus

All that's going on and I'm stuck here like Robinson Crusoe wondering if next season the Almighty, through his emissary on earth, Sepp Blatter, will ordain that some of West Ham's hard-won points must be hoovered up into the heavens condemning them to purgatory.

Guardian column

The Golden Boys

Blooming careers: Joe Cole and Michael Carrick were the stars of West Ham's 'golden generation' but, after going their separate ways, will meet again in the FA Cup final
Amy Lawrence

At some point between 'Abide with Me' and the beginning of hostilities under Wembley's Arch, two of the opposing players - one blue, one red - will catch each other's eye and share a private moment that goes back years. In the summer of 1999 Joe Cole and Michael Carrick were part of the West Ham academy team that triumphed in the FA Youth Cup final with a record 9-0 aggregate win. They were friends who lived in the same Romford cul-de-sac, loved their football and were lucky enough to have savoured 'cup fever' before they were old enough to buy a celebratory drink in the pub.

Coventry were their victims in the final and the second leg produced indelible memories. A boisterous crowd of 24,000 came to Upton Park, much larger than anticipated, and a fair few ended up spilling on to the edge of the pitch as Cole, Carrick and their teenage team-mates put on an exhibition. "It was like the White Horse Final!" says West Ham's academy director, Tony Carr. Harry Redknapp, manager at the time, had been to every game of the Youth Cup run to cast his eye over the club's starlets. 'The kids looked so fantastic, you could only see good times ahead,' he recalls. "We had only opened three sides of Upton Park for the second leg and suddenly there were thousands flooding in. We had won 3-0 at Coventry and then to win 6-0 at home was an incredible achievement. Chris Kirkland was in goal for them and I felt a bit sorry for him."

Picking out the likeliest lads to make it from that team was no mean feat. As it happens, only two have completed the ascent to the very top level. A few fell by the wayside. Some are plying their trade in the lower leagues. Izzy Iriekpen, captain of the class of 1999, is now at Swansea. Goalkeeper Stephen Bywater is hoping to return to the Premiership with Derby. Adam Newton is a regular with Peterborough. Richard Garcia, one of two Australians in the side - he scored in every round - has been helping Colchester to mount their unexpected, ultimately unsuccessful promotion bid. His compatriot Michael Ferrante went back home via a spell in Serie C in Italy, and earlier this year was released from his contract by Melbourne Victory. "The rest of us never stood a chance," Garcia admitted recently.

In football, the difference between nearly and really making the big time can be down to fractions. The fraction of extra speed, or touch, or imagination, or drive and desire to improve. The fraction of better luck with injuries. Cole was the one identified as a certainty by most of those in the know. Redknapp oversaw that period of rich development at West Ham when, in successive years, many future international players emerged: first Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, then Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson, and finally Cole and Carrick. He remembers the first time he caught sight of Joe Cole, a whippersnapper with mesmerising skills. "I first saw Joe when he was 11," Redknapp says. "It doesn't seem like five minutes ago but he was 11 years of age out there on the pitch at Chadwell Heath playing against Norwich on a muddy day. After about 10 minutes we couldn't believe what we were watching. This kid was doing things which really were a different class. "Bloody Hell," I thought. "Where's his dad?"'

One of the coaches pointed him out and Redknapp recognised him, as he had overheard him saying that his lad was not going to join West Ham. But Redknapp, being expert at sealing a deal, made an effort to change George Cole's mind. "George, Joe's dad, ended up being fantastic. He stuck with us. Joe was going up to Man United, having a look round at Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, everywhere. We let him do it because I felt if we said, "You're not going," his dad would have said, "No, he does what he wants". I thought the only way to handle it was to give him the freedom and Joe ended up loving it at West Ham. His progress just continued. I don't think there was ever a time when you looked at him and thought he was standing still. He always had the ball, was always playing football. Just a natural. From 11 he was very, very special and it has continued from there."

Cole's reputation, while he was still polishing boots, developed extraordinarily quickly. Before he had even established himself in West Ham's first team he had inspired banner headlines and was being compared to Diego Maradona and Pele. The tale of Sir Alex Ferguson asking about his progress every time he spoke to Redknapp only added to the aura around this prodigy. His team-mates, regularly left awestruck on the training ground, nicknamed him 'the conjuror'. Kevin Keegan, England manager at the time, could not rein in his excitement, placing Cole top of his list of teenagers. "I put him first because there is a shortage of that type of player," he said. "He's a Gascoigne-type player. He can make things happen, hold things up, let the ball run. Sometimes you look at him and think, "How do you do that?" And then you realise it's just talent and feeling. What he can do is tremendous."

Young Cole remained amazingly level-headed. Relieved of his apprenticeship chores ahead of schedule because he was pushed into the first-team squad while he was still eligible to defend the FA Youth Cup, he never allowed his ego to mushroom. Cole spent a couple of years at Lilleshall, the FA's centre of excellence until it was closed a few years ago to make way for the ill-fated project at Burton. There he was taught life skills as well as football techniques and had a few hard knocks, but it was a solid family life more than any lessons that has kept him easy going. "He's got no side to him," says Redknapp. "He's just a nice lad and nothing bothers him. He's obsessed by football. He's focused. His mum and dad will keep him right. George is pretty strict. Joe's temperament is pretty bullet-proof and he just loves the game. He's like a little kid who always wants to be out there with a football. If he gets the breaks there's no doubt he'll go right to the top."

Carrick was more of a slow burner. For a start, neither his football style nor his personality were as extrovert as Cole's. He was brave, though, choosing to uproot from his native north-east at the age of 15 to try his luck in the capital. A product of the famous Wallsend Boys Club, which counts Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley as graduates, he made his decision partly because Newcastle - then managed by Keegan - disbanded their reserve team, thus closing the main avenue for aspiring young Geordies. Carrick thought: "I've no chance of coming through here," and chose West Ham because their academy was fruitful and their welcome was warm. "It was a big move at the time but it was the right thing to do and I had to do it," Carrick recalls.

"At first it was hard. London, compared to Newcastle, is so much busier, quicker, bigger, like. I moved into digs with a couple of Australians who were in the same boat as me so we all looked after each other. After a couple of months I felt settled, and soon it was a home from home." His seriousness did set him apart from some of the other lads, however. That and the fact that when he phoned his folks back in Newcastle and his accent intensified none of the other boys could understand a word he was saying. Garcia, one of those Australians, remembers him as well behaved. "He never did anything wrong. He was a bit boring, really. When all the boys went out on the town he would just sit in the corner acting sensibly while the rest of us got drunk. Mind you, that's because he was on the verge of breaking into the first team at the time. The rest of us never stood a chance. "That's not to say Michael can't drink. It's just that he's totally professional. He's Mr Dependable. Always has been, always will be. Alex Ferguson will never have any trouble from him. He has always been ambitious and believes playing for United will improve his international hopes. He has always wanted to play at the highest level - for both club and country."

According to Redknapp, Carrick's difficulty at the start was mainly physical, and his development was hampered to the extent that he lost almost two seasons to injuries. "Michael was like a skeleton, he outgrew his strength. He suddenly shot up by eight inches and couldn't get around the pitch any more. He could pass the ball but couldn't run. He had problems with his knees because he grew too quickly. But once he grew there was never any doubt." Having Cole in the same age group was a blessing of sorts for Carrick in the early days. As well as their kinship, the frenzy around Cole gave Carrick the breathing space to develop at a gentler pace. "He took all the pressure off me," recalls Carrick. "I had a handful of games in the first team without anyone knowing much about me. Whereas with Joe, from his first game, there was so much attention because everyone had heard of him. He had all this expectation to live up to whereas whatever I achieved was a bonus. He bore the brunt of it. The way he coped with it all was amazing. He just took it all in his stride."

When Cole and Carrick first broke into the West Ham first team, they entered a dressing room full of experienced players. Paolo Di Canio, Frederic Kanoute, veteran model pros such as Shaka Hislop, Stuart Pearce and Nigel Winterburn, Croatia World Cup bronze medallists Igor Stimac and Davor Suker, and internationals Rigobert Song, Trevor Sinclair and Steve Lomas. Pearce made a particularly strong impression. Carrick recalls: "He helped us an awful lot, especially being just behind us on the field, he talked us through all the time, telling us what to do and where to go. Then after the game he discussed what went on. He's that type of character. He's boisterous - and if you're not doing it right he lets you know. He almost wants to fight if you've done something wrong."

Lomas recalls how comfortably the young pair slotted into first-team life - although one needed a little more encouragement than the other. "I'm delighted for both of them because they were two great kids who were fantastic to have around," the Northern Ireland stalwart remembers. "Coley was training with us from the age of 15 and he was obviously so talented. But you can see how the move to Chelsea has enhanced him as a player. Joe probably more than anyone under Jose Mourinho has come on. At times Mourinho was very hard with him, but he has gone from the situation where nobody knew his best position to a guy Chelsea have missed terribly this season. Michael was different. I was always saying to him, "Michael, show more". He had so much in his locker but he's the sort of bloke who needs the stage. He stayed at West Ham when we went down, but he's that quiet and unassuming he maybe stayed a bit too long. He needed to push on, and Totenham gave him the Premier League stage again and he improved with Martin Jol."

Carrick was the last of West Ham's big names to leave following the club's relegation in 2003. After one season outside the top flight, he felt compelled to leave. "The truth is I didn't feel I could play First Division football much longer," he admitted and the move across London to White Hart Lane enabled him, as Lomas always said, to show more. The transfer to Manchester United two years later was not an outrageous surprise, but the size of the fee - pounds 18.6million, a profit of more than pounds 15m for Totenham - was an eye-opener. "People were saying he was overrated and overpriced but they don't say that any more," Lomas says. "Now everyone can see what a good player he is and there is more to come."

Cole and Carrick made their England debuts in the same match. They were both still in their teens when they were called from the substitutes' bench by Sven-Goran Eriksson to play most of the second half of a 4-0 friendly win against Mexico at Pride Park, in May 2001. In the long run, Cole's versatility made him the most reasonable choice to take control of the vacant left midfield berth. But it has been harder for Carrick to cement a place in the international side because of the eternal Steven Gerrard-Frank Lampard problem that has bewildered recent England managers. Trying to fit both into the team naturally reduces Carrick's opportunities, but his performances for United as this season has progressed have enhanced his case. It will be interesting to see how he develops if, as expected, his England team-mate Owen Hargreaves arrives at Old Trafford.

It has been a season of discovery for Carrick. He had to learn to express himself on a stage as massive as Old Trafford and in the No 16 shirt, previously that of Roy Keane. He has had to disprove the doubters who baulked at the transfer fee and questioned his capacity to force the best out of his ability. "It was never a case of thinking that I had to do certain things to pay back the club or justify the price," he argues. "I never lay there at night wondering whether I could cope. To me this move seemed like a natural progression."

At both West Ham and Totenham he occasionally faced the charge that he is too laid-back, his easy personality preventing him from reaching a phase of consistent excellence. "Being laid-back is my nature in some ways, and that's the way I play the game. You can't change my personality," he says. United fans are coming round to Carrick's style and beginning to admire the way he has become a pivotal performer. Two sumptuous goals in United's 7-1 mauling of Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals exemplified a new willingness to express himself further forward as well as direct traffic from the heart of midfield. His old friend Cole has endured a more troublesome season, having been sidelined for most of the first nine weeks of the season and then for four months from November. His absence in a strange way enhanced his status. He was conspicuous by the vacuum he left in terms of Chelsea's verve and the impact he made on his return in Valencia in the Champions League was striking.

Cole was always popular with the Stamford Bridge crowd from the moment he followed Frank Lampard across London for what now seems a bargain pounds 6.6m in the summer of 2003, at the end of a season in which he captained West Ham at the age of 21. Nevertheless, it took a couple of seasons during which he was 'rotated' and erratic until he was really able to flourish. There had been talk of a loan move to CSKA Moscow, but he vowed to stick it out and fight for his place. Mourinho's demanding work ethic has channelled Cole's potential to the extent that he has become a key player at Chelsea. The turning point was in the Portuguese manager's first season, when Cole scored the match-winner against Liverpool, only to find himself on the end of a tongue-lashing afterwards as Mourinho slated Cole to the press, accusing him of neglecting his defensive duties. The player quipped that he had a season ticket to the manager's office at one point.

Being the conscientious sort, he chose to absorb the lesson rather than sulk. "I always take on board what the boss says to me and I learn from it," Cole acknowledged. "We are on the same page. He wants Chelsea to win games and I want Chelsea to win games. He wants Joe Cole to be a better player than he already is - and so do I. I have always taken criticism well and it wasn't massive criticism in my eyes. We both want to make me a better player for Chelsea and if that is the end result then that is all that matters. It hurt when people said I was showing off. All I like to do is put a smile on fans' faces as part of the side. What people must appreciate is I have had this attention since I was 16 at West Ham. The expectancy was enormous then and hasn't changed."

Cole and Carrick are still close. When they meet at Wembley they will be able to share how far they have journeyed since their boyish escapades in claret and blue. Even though they are in direct competition now they can empathise with the fact they are competing at the sharpest of sharp ends. As their old West Ham team-mate Lomas points out, "They have to perform under the spotlight every week now. At clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea, if you're not performing you're out."

As for Redknapp, he may have left West Ham years ago but he remains fiercely proud of the club's golden generation. In a short period they produced six future England internationals. Four of them - Ferdinand, Lampard, Carrick and Cole - will be at Wembley on Saturday for the FA Cup final. "And all four were in the Champions League semi-finals," he hastens to add. "The only pity is they don't all play for West Ham!"

Keeping The Faith

Eggert Magnusson can remember the moment he knew West Ham would escape relegation from the Premiership but it wasn't following the final whistle at Old Trafford last Sunday. Bizarrely, it was after the game that looked like the most shattering defeat of an unbelievable season. The date was Sunday March 4 and Tottenham had just beaten Alan Curbishley's side in a game which proved as difficult to pin down as Jose Mourinho's dog. Twice Spurs had come from behind to level at Upton Park before Paul Stalteri scored an injury-time winner to earn an unthinkable 4-3 triumph... so begins David Bond's lengthy piece on the under-fire West Ham chairman. A man who does not wear the demeanour of someone who has just pulled off one of the greatest escapes in the game's history, but rather the dog-eared comportment of someone shattered by the endurance of every conceivable emotion the game has to offer.

As reported yesterday Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore held peace talks with the Wigan chairman David Whelan in a further attempt to head off the growing revolt over the Carlos Tevez controversy. However, sources have confirmed that while both parties have agreed to conduct negotiations on the dispute in private, Whelan remains steadfast in his quest for 'justice': "There has been no softening in the chairman's position. He is still very angry and wants answers to the questions he has repeatedly been asking."

The Sun suggest West Ham want Craig Bellamy to replace Carlos Tevez. Hammers boss Alan Curbishley and chairman Eggert Magnusson feel signing the £8million-rated Liverpool striker will prove the club’s ambition following their narrow escape from relegation, and are prepared to offer the Welshman a weekly wage of £60k. The article also states Tevez is a £30million target for Real Madrid. The Mirror join in the fun and claim Bobby Zamora could be joining his strike partner in the Spanish capital. Atletico scouts have watched West Ham's run-in and have been hugely impressed with Zamora's recent performances. John Cross must have a hotline to the inner sanctum of the club as he also claims Nigel Reo-Coker could be off to AstonVilla, with Tottenham and Everton watching developments, and also Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp wants Yossi Benayoun with agent Pini Zahavi ready to broker a deal as he is close to both the player and manager. That last story seems wildly speculative. Reports coming out of Israel today suggest Benayoun is very much in Curbishley's plans. A meeting with the player yesterday saw a five-year contract with a significant raise put on the negotiating table, an offer the midfielder and his agent Ronen Katzav are leaning toward accepting.

Finally, there are two other West Ham related articles. The Daily Mail have taken a look at six classic FA Cup finals and West Ham feature in two of them. In the Express, John Dillon has concocted a piece so full of spite that if you read it you might well want to put your fist through your monitor screen. I can't be held responsible for any damage caused so click on the link at your own discretion.

Showdown Talks

Richard Scudamore, the FA Premier League chief executive, has held showdown talks with Dave Whelan after the Wigan Athletic chairman called on him to resign over the Carlos Tevez saga. Scudamore phoned Whelan today in response to an email in which the Wigan chairman said the chief executive and Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman, should consider resigning "over a dereliction of duty". A Premier League spokesman said: "The Premier League board and Mr Whelan have spoken today and both parties have agreed to continue their discussions in a manner more appropriate to League business. As such Mr Whelan has agreed to submit his remaining questions of the board in full and in writing. The board will respond in due course." It is understood Scudamore told Whelan that the commission had not ordered them to consider terminating Tevez’s registration, but stated the League had the power to do so if they felt the third-party agreements had not been ended. The League, however, were satisfied that West Ham did end those agreements on April 27.

West Ham have insisted again that they acted properly in cancelling Carlos Tevez's contract. The statement was prompted by Dave Whelan's comments, and also those of Kia Joorabchian, who said today he had handed the matter to his lawyer. The response reads: "West Ham acted in accordance with the requirements of the Premier League commission of inquiry in terminating the third party agreement. Carlos Tevez has a player's contract with West Ham and is properly registered with the club. There has been no resolution with Media Sports Investment but we will deal with how they respond to the termination of the contract." Elsewhere, Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney is refusing to get involved in the Carlos Tevez dispute. When asked what he thought of the row and The Blades' proposal of a 21-team Premiership, Mawhinney replied: "As chairman of the Football League it's got nothing to do with us. It's a matter for the Premier League, they're handling it. Do I have confidence in the people who are running the Premier League? Of course I do. But it's not our issue. For four-and-a-half years I've made it a point of not interfering in what happens in the Premier League. Thank you for the invite, but I'm not going to start now. We will wait to receive from the Premier League the three teams that come down. We will make them very welcome. We will embrace them as part of the Football League family while always understanding that they will want to get back to the Premier League as quickly as they can."

On the transfer front, The Independent claim Yossi Benayoun will have a showdown meeting with West Ham United today in which he is likely to ask for a move from the Premiership club. The Israeli midfielder is unhappy at the way he has been treated by the manager Alan Curbishley, who has endured a difficult relationship with several players at the club. The 27-year-old Benayoun was close to leaving West Ham last summer when there was interest from Liverpool and Arsenal but, in the end, no bid was made. He was offered a new contract, which would have earned him about £40,000 a week, but the deal was not signed. It is believed that Curbishley was particularly unhappy that Benayoun was able to play for Israel in their European Championship qualifier against England at a time when he was apparently struggling for fitness.

The meeting comes the day after Curbishley met with West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson to discuss the club's summer transfer targets. The article states that at the top of the list will be Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen, although he is not believed to be keen on a move to Upton Park. We now know that there is little truth in this. Speaking this morning in the Icelandic press, Magnusson confirmed the stories are not true. "I have not talked to Eidur and his name has not come out during our discussions of new players. As soon as the transfer window opens the stories will intensify and more often it is the agents talking their players up. I am not saying that is what is happening with Eidur but I think these stories are popping up because West Ham has Icelandic ownership. As far as I know Eidur has a long term contract with Barcelona and he is the type of player who will get stronger when the going gets tough." Magnusson also revealed that he is looking forward to the return of Dean Ashton, a player he views in the Gudjohnsen mould. "We have a phenominal player in Dean who didn’t play last season because of injury," he added, "but he will be ready and roaring to go next season. He is an outstanding player and its annoying how the media tends to forget that he actually exists. How can they forget such a player?"

Joorabchian Speaks

Carlos Tevez is the man in the eye of a transfer storm and Kia Joorabchian is the man with all the answers, so says Lee Clayton in an exclusive interview in the Mail. Joorabchian is the Iranian born businessman whose company owns Tevez and took him to West Ham in a sensational coup that has turned into a ferocious battle for Premiership survival. He has remained quiet — until now, as he answers the crucial questions on the transfer of Tevez to Upton Park.

How did you get to own Tevez?
I wanted to buy a club in England but I was drawn to Brazil, where there were many commercial possibilities. It was first suggested to me by Pele’s agent. Corinthians were a club with 25million supporters, the second biggest club in Brazil, but gates were as low as 12,000. I needed a player to spark interest and bring the club to life. We looked at many videos, spoke to different scouts across South America and everyone thought we should buy Robinho. Then I saw one DVD of one game of Boca Juniors, involving Carlitos. I knew he was the player. I flew to Buenos Aires and tried many times to sign him. Each time they said No. They kept on saying No and I was going crazy! He was the player I wanted. In the end, Carlos decided that he wanted to come and my company agreed a £14million transfer fee with Boca, a South American record. He came to meet me to sign in a Shell petrol station, wearing his flip-flops! When Carlos flew to Sao Paulo, word got out that he was coming. There was a dinner for 400 Corinthians officials but 3,000 people forced their way into the room and 20,000 lined the streets outside! He started slowly but once he started scoring goals, it was phenomenal. I said to him then: "This project is yours and mine. You do your bit and I will do mine." One day he played for Argentina in Uruguay and then took a private jet back to Sao Paulo and played the next night for Corinthians! They loved him for that. Within the first season, we had brought in five or six outstanding players, we won the title and broke the Brazilian record for stadium attendances. And a little sensation at the centre of it all was Carlos Tevez.

How did you end up at West Ham?
I had to return to England after the death of my father. I was trying to buy West Ham and so I showed him that the club had massive potential, with a huge fan base. He wanted to come to England, along with Javier Mascherano, to join me. Like me, he was excited by the potential. He hoped to be playing for a club competing for a place in the top six. When I didn’t buy the club, I had zero hard feelings but, even though he could have left in January, he was happy to stay. He has a great love for the club and the fans.

The original deal?
It was a situation similar to Alex Song going to Charlton, or Tim Howard to Everton, or Glen Johnson to Portsmouth. We did everything right. The proof is in the pudding, because nobody at the Premier League asked for me to go there and give evidence. They knew that we had behaved correctly. We used top lawyers, top accountants. We made sure everything was done. We’ve been involved in many other deals and didn’t have a single problem. It wasn’t a shady transfer. It wasn’t a controversial transfer. It wasn’t a strange transfer. It has been said of the old administration at West Ham that they had not presented the correct documents to the Premier League. I don’t know, but whatever happened I’m sure could have been repaired to prevent all this controversy. What I am very upset about — and sad about — is that Carlos has been dragged into this affair, when he has nothing to do with it.

What happened once the Premier League had made their ruling and the contract needed to be negotiated in order for Tevez to play?

LC: Did you agree to tear up the contract?

KJ:West Ham have unilaterally terminated the agreement and I have left it in the hands of my lawyer, Graham Shear, to deal with the matter.

LC: Are you comfortable with that.

KJ: Yes.

LC: To qualify Carlos to play, to satisfy the Premier League?

KJ: I am assuming so, or else he wouldn’t have been able to play.

LC: Who now owns Carlos Tevez, is he a West Ham player?

KJ: He is registered to West Ham.

LC: If he moves to another club, do West Ham make a profit?

KJ: No. To use an analogy, take Ben Foster. If he transferred to another club, do Watford get the transfer fee?

LC: Is the loan deal indefinite?

KJ: No.

LC: If he doesn’t stay at West Ham, could he go on loan to another club?

KJ: Yes.

LC: Do West Ham have a buy-out option on him?

KJ: That is confidential, but we are more than happy to talk to West Ham to try to resolve the problem, if they wish. Of course, Carlos’s views are paramount.

Sportsmail has since learned that the buy-out clause to own Tevez outright is £40million.

Third Party transfers?
They are a way of bringing outstanding players to clubs that would not be able to afford them ordinarily. So they increase the competition. Why should only Manchester United and Chelsea be able to afford the best players? What happens, in Brazil particularly, clubs cannot afford to buy a player. So they go to a business, a bank, a major supermarket, an individual, a person, a wealthy individual and say: "We want Mr X. You put up 70, 80, 100 per cent of the money, let him play here." It is a little bit like a loan deal between two clubs, except it is a loan deal between the club and a third party. You buy the player outright, you invest in the player and the clubs sign him from you; they take the registration, the rights on any resale belong to you. It does not give you any right to influence when he can play or where he should play. Unlike some of the loan deals in England, where, for instance, Ben Foster or Tim Howard cannot play against Manchester United. In all the time that Alan Curbishley has been manager, I have only spoken to him once and that was when he called to tell me he wanted Carlos to stay. We never had any recourse with any of our other transfers, not a single one. Michel Platini has said this sort of transfer is a common occurrence in parts of Europe and in South America.

Can Tevez stay at West Ham?
West Ham's board have to decide what their intentions are. Maybe they will think they want Carlos and build around him. Or maybe they will think that, for the money, they can buy four or five great players instead. We haven’t held talks with any club, contrary to what you might have read. This morning it was Inter Milan for £25m, the other day it was Real Madrid for £30m. These stories are the work of fiction. He has a great affection for the club — and the supporters. The decision on his future is his. He has been very happy there. I have a great respect for Eggert Magnusson, I believe they will be very successful in the future. Even though I didn’t buy the club, I have zero hard feelings towards them. As for Carlos, you must remember, he is only 23. He will get better and better.

The Opening Salvo

Richard Scudamore and Sir David Richards, the chief executive and chairman of the Premier League, last night faced calls to resign over their handling of the Carlos Tevez controversy. As Sheffield United became the first member of the 'gang of four' to file a legal claim against the League over the decision not to dock West Ham points for breaking regulations on third-party ownership, it emerged that Wigan chairman Honest Dave has written to Scudamore and Richards urging them to "consider their positions". In an e-mail, sent to all 20 Premier League clubs yesterday, Whelan is understood to have accused the League's two most senior figures of neglecting their responsibilities over the decision to allow Tevez to continue playing after the ruling by an independent commission on April 27. Critically Whelan feels Scudamore has still to offer concrete proof that West Ham's original agreement with Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment group, as third-party owners of Tevez, has indeed been terminated. Should he fail to do so, then Wigan would argue that the chief executive's position is untenable.

In the wake of an independent commission's ruling last month, Wigan demanded to see evidence that the third-party agreement had indeed been terminated, as this had given West Ham the green light to play the Argentinian striker in their remaining Premiership fixtures. The Premier League in its emailed response first stressed that it considered Tevez "at all times to have been registered to play for West Ham United". However, following the commission's judgement, it had reiterated to the London club that the Argentinian's registration would be cancelled should the league not be satisfied that "all trace of any third-party ability to influence West Ham's policies or the performance of the team was removed". Prior to the deadline of midnight on April 28 the Premier League board received three letters which satisfied them that West Ham had "acted in a manner that is consistent with them having terminated the offensive third-party agreement". The documents consisted of a letter sent by West Ham to Tevez, MSI and Just Sport Inc "terminating the private agreement between them dated August 30, 2006"; a second letter from the legal representatives of MSI and JSI acknowledging receipt of the Hammers' correspondence; and a letter confirming the above had been served to Tevez personally. Yet Wigan are incensed none of the letters appears to confirm that MSI or Tevez recognised the third-party agreement had been terminated and are amazed they could, therefore, be considered conclusive evidence. Whelan, in his email sent last night, again demanded concrete proof that the original agreement with Joorabchian was cancelled. If that is not forthcoming, Wigan intend to pounce upon Scudamore's assertion earlier this week that: "If the board suspects or has evidence that these undertakings are false or have been breached, then it will take all necessary steps to enforce Premier League Rules."

While the League insists it has seen West Ham’s termination of the contract with Media Sports Investment and Just Sport, as well as a letter from the companies acknowledging receipt, it admits it cannot ask the companies if they have terminated the agreement because they do not come under its jurisdiction. In a placatory move, The Premier League has said that it is willing to debate third-party agreements at the meeting of the Barclays Premiership clubs in two weeks. Meanwhile, it will consider its response to Sheffield United’s request for an arbitration panel under the Premier League's rule S4. The League acknowledged the legal claim from Sheffield United but refused to comment on whether they would agree to set up an arbitration panel to consider their claims. "We are in receipt of that request and it is under consideration," said a spokesman. United have hired law firm Denton Wilde Sapte to pursue the claim and although no other clubs were named in a statement they issued last night, it is understood the other clubs involved in the revolt, Charlton, Fulham and Wigan, are backing the move. The Blades want a three-man tribunal appointed to consider the decision to fine West Ham rather than dock points. The League’s rules for deciding disputes this way say that arbitration is "binding". United are also seeking a "hold on preparations for next season which wrongly assume that West Ham remains a Premiership club" and "an assessment of the clubs’ potential claim for damages".

The Best Since Maradona

The Footballing Warrior: The footballing warrior from Fort Apache
By Neil Clack

"Redondo, Riquelme, Cambiasso, Colocinni, Sorin, Gago..." Ramon Madonni proudly reels off the names of some of the 70 professional players he has discovered. It reads like a Who's Who of Argentine football, but the legendary youth coach is under no doubt as to whom he considers the best of the lot. "Tevez is the biggest explosion in Argentine football since Maradona," is his description of the kid from Fort Apache who has captured the hearts of West Ham fans.

Madonni, 62, works for Boca Juniors and first saw Tevez play when he was eight years old. "He was just different," he says, "but when I say different, I suppose I mean he was just better than everyone else. He was playing for Santa Clara, the team from Fort Apache, against my team, El Parque, who were the best in the area, but he ran us a merry dance that day. He played just as he does today, running all over the opposition's area, beating everyone. He had lots of aggression and chased everything. So we invited him to join El Parque. Maradona is something unique, something apart, so we never compare anyone with him, but, after Maradona, Tevez is the best Argentina has produced."

Fort Apache is not actually the real name of the isolated ghetto that lies four miles to the north of the centre of Buenos Aires. A journalist first coined the phrase after a shoot-out in front of the local police station in the early 1980s and it has stuck ever since. Most of the 30,000 inhabitants of the 22-block labyrinth are descendants of indigenous Indians from the interior of Argentina and bordering countries. It is a self-contained community, with its own set of codes, and a shocking crime rate. Built in two stages, the project was originally part of the Ongania dictatorship's plan for the eradication of shanty towns in the 1960s but, later, during preparations for the 1978 World Cup, the military government, worried about security and the image Argentina would portray to the rest of the world, rounded up delinquents, placing them, out of sight, in the Ejercito de los Andes estate, a name that has long been forgotten.

"The biggest problem is juvenile crime," says the captain of the local gendarmes. "Of every 10 arrests, seven are minors carrying arms." Since 2003, the neighbourhood has been patrolled by armed soldiers wearing bulletproof jackets. Rusting iron corridors run between the irregular buildings, giving the complex the feel of an abandoned military base, or prison, taken over by squatters but, "Fort Apache is the most beautiful place in the world," according to Tevez. "I had an unforgettable childhood there and I will never forget my roots," Tevez has said. "If I wasn't a footballer, I'd be one of the rubbish collectors, I'm sure of that. There is real poverty but I'd like to live there again one day."

At the centre of the community is the Santa Clara football and social club. Every evening they run classes of "Baby Football". All over Argentina and Uruguay, children are taught by qualified coaches, on seven-a-side dust pitches, with an emphasis on ball control in reduced spaces. After an hour-long series of repeated trapping, dribbling and passing exercises, the six-year-olds play a 10-minute match. The little lad up front, wearing the Boca Juniors shirt looks quite useful - his name is Christian Tevez. It was here, on this very dust pitch, that his uncle first started learning his tricks before Madonni spotted him. "Carlitos was a great kid, always well behaved," says Madonni. "All he wanted to do was play football. He never missed a training session once. We loved him and so did all his team-mates because he gave his all in every single match and inspired everyone around him."

Madonni becomes animated when asked to explain his methods. "We always look for technique, that's the overriding principle in everything at El Parque. Then we teach the kids aggression, jumping, heading, chesting, shooting, but when I say aggression, I don't mean kicking or hitting opponents, but channelled aggression - shielding the ball, using your weight and balance. The truth is you can't teach anyone how to play football, but you can perfectionise [sic] it. And most important of all, it must be fun, they must enjoy it!" All this would, of course, be music to the ears of the FA's director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking. It is a virtual blueprint of everything he wants English grass roots and children's football to adopt. "We never played in a competitive league at El Parque," says Madonni, "just friendlies. We were like a sort of Harlem Globetrotters team and the players knew that they were there to learn."

Only at the age of 12 do children in Argentina move on to bigger pitches and 11-a-side. So, aged 12, Tevez left El Parque to join his first senior club, lower league All Boys, a 15-minute bus ride away from Fort Apache. However, when Madonni invited him to join First Division Argentinos Juniors, the club where players like Maradona and Redondo had begun their professional careers, the 14-year-old Tevez's response was surprisingly negative. "'No, Argentinos, no, Papa', he said," recalls Madonni, mimicking Tevez's voice. "He was a fanatical Boca Juniors supporter and was not interested in Argentinos."

But, in 1996, when Madonni himself was handed the job of academy director at Boca, one of the first things he did was go back for young Carlitos. It proved a very astute move. A debut for Boca at 17, two Argentine league championships, two Copa de Libertadores (the South American Champions League) and the 2003 World Club championship, in which Boca beat Milan in Japan. Tevez then won a Brazilian championship with Corinthians and has been voted South American player of the year three times.

It is not unusual to see West Ham replica tops with Tevez's name on the back in Argentina, especially at Boca Juniors matches, and since he signed for the Hammers nearly all their matches have been transmitted live in his home country. Tevez's goals against Bolton and the presentation of the Hammer Of The Year award filled the middle page spread of Ole, Argentina's sports daily. But how does Madonni feel his protégé is doing at West Ham? "If I'm honest with you, I'm not quite sure how he ended up there," he says. "He should be at a better team, in my opinion. They say he went there to adapt but Tevez can adapt to any football. At one point, they were playing him in midfield. That's ridiculous! Tevez has all the natural characteristics of a striker, a brilliant striker in fact."

It does seem strange that it took two-thirds of the season before Tevez was able to nail down a regular place in the West Ham attack, although there has always been some debate over his best position. The former Boca Juniors manager Carlos Bianchi, with whom Tevez won everything, once said: "Not even Carlos Tevez knows what his best position is so, in the end, we just put him on the pitch and let him get on with it."

Back in Fort Apache, everybody has a story. "I saw him here on Christmas Day a couple of years ago," says one teenage girl. "He was playing football at 10pm with all the other lads. He's never really left the area. He signed a football for us last time he came here, which we raffled," says his old kindergarten teacher.

El Piola Vago (which roughly translates as "the lazy urchin" or "lazy chav") are a Cumbia dance band, made up of some of Tevez's old childhood mates and he sings and dances with them on stage, Latin American style, whenever he is back in Argentina. The group made a television appearance recently, two of the band wearing West Ham tops that Tevez had given them. "He'll be back, playing with them again in June and July," says Tevez's cousin.

Ramon Madonni recounts one more anecdote. "I remember that when I first took over at Boca, we had a match against All Boys and Tevez started on the bench for them. We were winning 1-0 but then he came on in the second half and scored two. When he got the winner he ran over to the bench and started doing that Cumbia dance thing in front of me, grinning away. I said: 'What, you want to dance with me?' and he took my arm and started swinging me around... that's Tevez for you."

The Independent

The Last Word

An excellent article by Martin Samuel in today's Times. It should be the definitive word on this subject but of course it won't be.

It was Tévez's third party so cry if you want to, but a solution would be better
By Martin Samuel

The reason a yellow card cannot be changed to a red after the final whistle, even if television evidence shows what appeared to be a careless elbow was in fact a full-blown punch up the hooter, is that a match cannot be re-refereed after the fact. The Premiership rebel clubs, it seems, would like to re-referee the 2006-07 season. So how many points should West Ham United have deducted for breaching rule U18? One? They stay up. Two? They stay up. Or is the punishment that is sought the precise amount of points necessary for Sheffield United to move above them on goal difference, allowing West Ham to drop into the bottom three, now we know the outcome of all 380 matches?

In which case, the problem is not that the Independent Premier League Commission sat too late, but too early. What an interesting precedent this would set. Wait for the season to be over and then adjust the league table on moral grounds. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got Milton Keynes Dons kicking off in Midland Football Alliance next year and AFC Wimbledon in the Champions League. West Ham got off lightly, we all know that. Privately, those at the helm of the FA Premier League probably admit it, too. A points deduction would have been a more fitting punishment, yet all 20 Premiership clubs signed up to this disciplinary system and none added the rider “unless the decision does not go our way”.

Sheffield United deserve our sympathy. Yet the righteous anger that was so appealing a few weeks ago has metamorphosed into the sort of wrongheaded feeding frenzy that keeps Chris Morris, the media satirist, in pay cheques. Latest to join the mob is Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, who tabled an early day motion yesterday calling for West Ham to be docked points. Betts would, of course, know much about false paperwork, having been suspended from the House of Commons for seven days in September 2003 for copying a doctored document so that his Brazilian rent-boy escort, José Gasparo, could stay in Britain. Betts also provided Gasparo with a Commons pass, as his “researcher”. Gasparo had worked out of a gay brothel in Earls Court called Villa Gianni and stated that Betts had met him there and paid him £70 for full sex. Johann Hari, writing in the Independent on Sunday, described Villa Gianni as a “sleazy, dangerous environment”. Still, it is good that someone is willing to pull up his trousers and take a stand for morality.

Now, back to the grubby world of football. Far from striking a chord with every club, the truth is that, until the Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano controversy blew up, many Premiership chairmen did not appreciate that rule U18 even concerned players’ contracts. The clause governing third-party influence on policy and performance was considered to deal with club ownership and be in place to prevent an investor having an interest in multiple clubs. With reference to players, there is no equivalent of it in many of the leagues around Europe. Dave Whelan, the Wigan Athletic chairman, has accused the Premier League of creating a new transfer window to allow Tévez to be re-registered, but that is wrong, too. Tévez was a West Ham player from August 31. He did not need special dispensation. (Actually, once a player is at a club, his status can be changed at any time. Tim Howard was on loan from Everton to Manchester United and the deal became permanent on February 14, 2007, legally and outside the window.)

The issue of Tévez’s future transfer fee is also a red herring. Whelan has said that the deal cannot be legal unless West Ham receive the money, but that is incorrect. West Ham own Tévez’s registration and always have; the matter of his transfer fee is a separate issue. Rio Ferdinand, Mark Viduka, Dominic Matteo, Michael Duberry, Eirik Bakke, Danny Mills, Michael Bridges and Olivier Dacourt, for instance, were bought by Leeds United on sale and lease-back deals of the type that allows the club to continue playing at Elland Road without owning it. When Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman at the time, broke the British transfer record for Ferdinand in 2000, someone else paid. This third party was reimbursed by Leeds over the period of the player’s contract, plus interest. In the event of falling short on payments, Ferdinand could be sold to give the lender his money back. The defender’s sale to Manchester United in 2002 paid the debt for his purchase, and then some. Others did not. After settling the loan, Leeds would not have received a transfer fee for the sale of many players. This does not mean, however, that they did not own the legal registrations. There are, in fact, similar agreements with banks and lenders throughout football. The situation with Tévez is not unusual.

The suggestion that Tévez and Mascherano would not have been able to play for West Ham this season is also false. Even had West Ham disclosed every financial arrangement on the day of the transfer, the players would still have been registered, even with unworkable contracts. The Premier League lawyers would then have spent several days with club lawyers knocking out each contractual arrangement that was not permitted, which is what happened when Mascherano signed for Liverpool. Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, states that the large majority of contracts with foreign players need work before being ratified. There was one clause that brought the signing of Tévez and Mascherano into dispute, which stated a third party could move the players on at any time. Premier League policy is to register the player and then iron out such wrinkles. Some may feel that this is too lenient, but it is safe to presume that 20 clubs wish it to be this way, rather than work with a governing body that prevents transfer activity rather than facilitates it.

This does not alter the fact that West Ham’s officials lied. But would Tévez and Mascherano still have played this season? Yes. Were they correctly registered as West Ham players? Yes. Is the final destination of the transfer fee an issue? No. And why are the rebel clubs not so vexed about Everton leaving out the first-team goalkeeper against Manchester United because of a gentleman’s agreement between the clubs that was waved through on the QT by the Premier League and would therefore appear equally baleful? The cynic might suggest because it does not affect them.

So we can continue down the path of recrimination or we can act like grown-ups and do something to ensure that this chaos does not happen again. And that begins with abolishing the loan system. Loans from third parties, loans from Europe, loans from Premiership or other English clubs. You buy a player, he is yours. No half-measures and no possibility of third-party interference. Could West Ham have afforded to pay full price for Tévez and Mascherano in August? No? Then there would have been no controversy. Would Manchester United have sold Howard to Everton last summer, knowing they had Edwin van der Sar and Ben Foster in reserve? Yes? Then he could have played against them on April 28.

Now do you see the root of the problem? You cannot let something go and keep it. You cannot run your shop with another man’s stock. There is a meeting of Premier League chairmen on May 31 and June 1, with the loan system on the agenda. If the clubs do the right thing, it should be gone by next season. Buy the players you can afford, sell the players you don’t want. And if you run short, that’s your fault. Next season the club who finish bottom of the Premiership will earn more from central distribution than the winners of the Bundesliga in Germany. There is no excuse for not paying your way any more.

The contrary argument is that the loan system benefits the small clubs, giving them access to players they could otherwise not afford. Hardly. Take the trio of goalkeepers at Manchester United. It would have been impossible for Sir Alex Ferguson to have kept Van der Sar, Foster and Howard happy, so one would have left. And that goalkeeper would have been signed by a smaller Premiership club, permanently, with no piece of elastic or gentleman’s agreement keeping him tied to Old Trafford. As it stands, the richest clubs win both ways. Foster accrues experience at Watford and returns to Old Trafford an England goalkeeper; but if he had been allowed to tire of his lack of opportunity with United, perhaps he would have moved and then another club would have ended up with the best young goalkeeper in the country, increasing competition.

Similarly, if clubs had needed to buy Tévez and Mascherano outright, the agents would have had to set a more realistic asking price than £30 million. The loan system creates an unhealthy paternalistic system; the smaller clubs creeping around their bigger rivals in the hope of receiving a crumb from the plate. Will Arsène Wenger find it in his heart to toss Birmingham City another trio of reserves (no wonder Karren Brady, the City managing director, is one of the system’s biggest champions)? Will Sir Alex Ferguson bestow the honour of a raw, teenage full back on a managerial protégé?

Get rid of it. Get rid of it all. You want a player? You buy him. Your money. Your contract. We can scream and squawk, but it shows what a mess football has become that something so simple is considered a radical idea.

Read It And Weep

The Sun have gained exclusive access to the six-page letter that Premier League officials sent to all 20 chairmen outlining why West Ham were not docked points over the Carlos Tevez affair. The missive states that the Hammers have satisfactorily terminated the "offending third party agreement" surrounding Tevez's move and are therefore "not continuing to be in breach" of Premier League rules. Chief executive Richard Scudamore and chairman Sir Dave Richards have put their name to the document which states that the punishment meted out to West Ham, in the form of a £5.5m fine, was "in accordance with our Rules". The key extracts from that letter are as follows:

• "At no point were West Ham United charged with playing an ineligible player - both (Carlos) Tevez and (Javier) Mascherano were registered on August 31. All the required documentation was received by the Premier League and the usual confirmations received and sent. Registration is definitive as to the status of the player. At no time has Mr Tevez’s registration been revoked or terminated and at all times he has been eligible to play for West Ham."

• "The Independent Commission was...convened strictly in accordance with the rules as agreed by all member clubs. Its chair, Simon Bourne-Arton QC, acted very promptly and properly, laying out directions for the hearing in the shortest possible timescale."

• "The Independent Commission carried its work out fully in accordance with our rules, having adopted practices entirely consistent with formal judicial proceedings. In reaching their decision the Independent Commission clearly considered the matter very carefully and did not deliver an irrational or extreme judgement and delivered the sanction that only they (having considered the matter fully and in light of copious evidence) deemed to be proportionate and appropriate."

• "The media, and of course those aggrieved by the decision, have analysed the seven reasons given by the Independent Commission for not deducting points and concentrated on those that to them seem the least convincing. However, there are others that have a less convenient truth, particularly the one that says, 'had the club in time made disclosure of the third party contracts to the FAPL, then, in all probability, contracts could have been entered into which would not have offended the rules'."
  

• "The League could not function if other clubs could effectively intervene in an attempt to overturn decisions not to their liking."

Whether it will be enough to satisfy the aggrieved clubs in this matter is unclear. Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe still insists he has not given up hope of salvaging his club's Barclays Premiership status after what he described as the "unjustness" of their relegation last weekend. To that end Sheffield United served arbitration procedure notice on the Premier League today and McCabe has also issued a letter to all MPs in an attempt to increase momentum for what he clearly sees as a fight for justice. "It is up to the FA Premier League to find a way round this exceptional circumstance where a club which has played by the rules has been relegated at the expense of one club who have fielded ineligible players," McCabe said. "The simple answer is why not have 21 clubs in the Premiership next season and relegate four of them at the end. It is not my decision to make but it seems like a very simple solution." McCabe also blamed the ongoing Tevez saga for the departure of Ted Warnock today- at least it's not all bad news for them then.

Matt Scott in The Guardian claims West Ham are set to pick up a multi-million-pound windfall if they sell Carlos Tevez this summer, a situation which is bound to infuriate the "gang of four" clubs who continue to contest the striker's right to play in the Premiership. It has emerged today that, under the terms of his four-year playing contract, only West Ham will benefit from the forward's sale. This is because the only document relating to West Ham that remains legally enforceable from the complicated sheaf of paperwork that dictated the terms of Tevez's arrival in London last August is his playing contract. That means he is West Ham's player and that the club alone would be due any fee from his sale. In reality, the offshore companies still retain commercial contracts with the Argentinian player. These would permit the companies to sue for damages in a commercial court if West Ham refused to pay them a consideration for any transfer fee they received - and with Real Madrid linked with a £30m bid for Tevez, that could be considerable.

If West Ham were to sell Carlos Tevez then some of the money would be re-invested into the signature of Newcastle United's Scott Parker. An article in the Mail claims Alan Curbishley is set to make a £6million move for the combative midfielder, a player we first enquired about in January. The England player would be the first star to leave Newcastle following the arrival of Sam Allardyce and would cast further doubt over the future of current Irons skipper Nigel Reo-Coker.

Everything By The Rules

The news that Fifa, football's global governing body, is to investigate the transfers of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano will at first sight have heartened Sheffield United and the other clubs arguing that the Hammers were treated leniently. However, Fifa's record in such cases suggests the intervention is nothing but window dressing, and that any investigation will quietly fade away. Glenn Moore, in The Independent, writes that Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, is not a man to stand aside when some posturing is possible, and also that Fifa has already looked into the transfers when it sanctioned Mascherano's January switch to Liverpool. That particular move, in theory, breached rules barring footballers from playing for three clubs in one season and yet Blatter has already stated: "According to our files the transfer of Tevez and Mascherano [from Corinthians to West Ham] was done correctly according to the international transfer of players." An article in The Times also suggests Blatter’s words should be treated with caution, with Fifa sources insisting that they do not intend to challenge the authority of the Premier League’s independent commission. As Moore points out, Blatter was actually responding to a question at Fifa's regular media briefing in Switzerland, rather than raising the issue of his own accord.

The threat of Fifa intervention has forced the Premier League to issue a new defence of their handling of the Carlos Tevez case. A brief statement read: "We have implemented our rulebook and processes to the letter in this matter and we are more than happy to give Fifa any assurances or explanations they need." Last night the Premier League also attempted to quell the growing domestic rebellion over the Tevez controversy as they sent a six-page letter to all 20 clubs setting out the full details of the case and why they allowed the striker to carry on playing following the judgement on April 27. The document is understood to include a detailed description of not only how the commission reached their verdict, but proof that West Ham had severed their ties with Tevez’s owners, MSI, and thus were within their rights to field the Argentina player. Simon Cass, in the Mail, says the 'Gang of Five', which now includes Middlesbrough, are pouring over the details of a document designed to quell the growing clamour for legal action and head off an expensive courtroom battle with the aggrieved clubs, while a piece in The Sun claims it could actually have the opposite effect.

The letter from chief executive Richard Scudamore and chairman David Richards insists the Premier League have done everything by the rules and they are convinced the Independent Commission who imposed a £5.5m fine, rather than points deduction, acted correctly. And there is no case for appeal, especially as any club that has “had its day in court” cannot be “re-tried” by aggrieved clubs. However, Scudamore’s letter also points out that if it is proved West Ham did not properly terminate their deal with the third party in the affair — MSI and Just Sport Inc who owned Tevez — then further action, including a points deduction, could yet be taken. It is this comment, according to the article, that will be seized on by the disaffected clubs. Prior to the April 28 deadline the Premier League received a letter from West Ham sent to Tevez, MSI and JSI terminating the private agreement between them dated 30 August 2006. It also received a letter from MSI and JSI acknowledging receipt of the letter and that the letter had been served on Carlos Tevez personally. In addition the PL board sought additional undertakings from West Ham. However there appears to be no confirmation from the MSI or Tevez side that the deal had actually been ended. This could be seen as a vital flaw. Scudamore’s letter says “if the Board has evidence these undertakings are false or been breached, it will take all necessary steps to enforce Premier League Rules. In making these undertakings it could be that West Ham has exposed itself to further legal challenge from third parties who may contest the legality of that termination."A separate piece in the same paper quotes a source close to the West Ham board as saying: "At one time, West Ham understood that the letter being sent out to Premier League clubs would be made available publicly. I’m sure it is what the West Ham board would have wanted as it would have cleared up once and for all this argument over Tevez. West Ham pleaded guilty to certain irregularities in the initial contract with Tevez but in hindsight I’m sure they wished they hadn’t as there’s a good case that they had interpreted the rules correctly. The Premier League’s mistake was not making it totally clear there wasn’t a problem with Tevez’s registration and he has never had to be re-registered."

Harry Harris claimed yesterday that Carlos Tevez would decide on his future next week. As the striker flew back to Argentina yesterday, Kia Joorabchian said: "I went out to dinner with Carlos last night. He was ecstatic. There was not one word about his future. Three clubs had made it clear they wanted to sign him but I told them to wait until the season had finished. Carlos did not want to discuss his future, he was so wrapped up in wanting to keep West Ham up. I’ll go to the Champions League final, then talk to the clubs who want to buy him. I’ll sit down with West Ham, too, if they want to talk to me about keeping him because you never know. But there are two of the biggest clubs in the world who want him." Harris has followed up this story by claiming Inter Milan launched a £25million move for Tevez last night. Inter president Massimo Moratti is believed to have already opened talks with Joorabchian over one of the most sought after strikers in world football. The article claims Tevez actually wants to stay at West Ham, but in reality he will definitely leave the club, with MSI ready to sell to the highest bidder this summer. Real Madrid and Sevilla are also in the hunt.

Finally, Javier Mascherano has urged the Premiership to forget the politics - and instead celebrate the fact that 'a big club like West Ham' has retained top flight status. The Argentine midfielder is glad that West Ham have produced an incredible escape act with their miraculous late revival, and he insisted that he is overjoyed for the club and for his close friend Carlos Tevez. "I don't know about the politics, and I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of whether they should be docked points, but I do know that we didn't do anything wrong," said Mascherano. "We just went there to play football, and even though I didn't play much, they still gave me the opportunity, they helped me - everyone, the staff the players and the fans. For that I am grateful, and I believe they are a great club. They are too big and too good to be playing at a level out of the top flight, and so I am happy they survived." Although he barely played during his six months in London, and reached the lowest point of his professional career, Mascherano still believes the experience was good for him, and he doesn't want to see West Ham punished for signing him and Tevez. "No matter what happened to me at West Ham, I am very pleased, very content and very happy that they survived, because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have the chance to play in a Champions League Final," he added. "By bringing me to England they gave me this opportunity. Everyone helped me there, and of course Carlos Tevez is my great friend, so I am so very happy for him. They have wonderful fans who always backed me, and the staff and the players were always supportive of me, so I am happy that they have survived, and can look forward to the Premiership next season."

Eggert's New Pad

West Ham United chairman Eggert Magnusson has forked out £3m for a luxury penthouse. The Hammers' supremo has splashed out for the swish Docklands pad as he celebrates beating relegation to the Championship by the skin of his teeth. The stunning penthouse works out at £1,000 per sq ft for Magnusson, the former president of the Football Association of Iceland. His plush new home, built by developers Weston Homes, has a champagne fridge in the kitchen and a home cinema system wired throughout the apartment, "creating the ultimate luxury London living space".

With a huge reception room, the Hammers' owner will be able to entertain many guests - maybe new signings for his claret and blue army. Many of the penthouse's walls are made of glass and with floor-to-ceiling windows, Magnusson will have a spectacular view over Docklands. The kitchen will be decked out with a wealth of luxury products and gadgets, including four American style fridge-freezers with icemaker and water coolers. With marble flooring and two terraces, one with a bar and water feature, any possible signings are going to be convinced to come to east London in luxury surroundings. Magnusson will also have the pleasure of a walk-in dressing room complete with en suite spa bathroom, which boasts a tub equipped with a surround sound system and mounted TV.

Robert Weston, chairman of Weston Homes, said: "The penthouses at 41 Millharbour showcases the best in Weston Homes design. The space available at the super penthouse has allowed us to include every imaginable luxury, experimenting with innovative designs giving us the opportunity to develop a space surpassing buyer's expectations."

Sermonising Claptrap

Just when West Ham thought they could kick back and relax, Fifa says it will look into Carlos Tevez's transfer to the Hammers. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said the game's world governing body had the power to pass a final verdict on an independent commission's decision to fine West Ham £5.5m for having a third-party agreement in Tevez's contract.Speaking at a media briefing in Zurich, Blatter said: "We will monitor this situation very carefully and once this situation is dealt with by the league and the FA we will ask for the files and have a look because we have the right and the responsibility to see how such cases are dealt with. The matter is linked with a club in Brazil - Corinthians - and with the ownership of this club and the ownership of the two players. According to our files the transfer of Tevez was done correctly according to the international transfer of players." Responding to questions from a persistent English journalist, Blatter added: "We will look at this - and not only if we are asked, we will do it anyway. We will ask for the file once it has been decided how and why the decision was made. If we feel something was wrong in this decision then we have to open our file." Invoking a recent ruling by the Swiss federal court against Spanish third division side Rayo Vallecano, Blatter insisted Fifa does have jurisdiction over individual clubs. "Yes we have the power," he said. "The Swiss federal court has made a ruling by saying that Fifa and its associations have the right and the power to use all 14 sanctions of the disciplinary code starting with a warning and ending with exclusion of a member via relegation and deduction of points." Confusingly, a Fifa representative told BBC Five Live Sport that it is not re-examining the evidence with the aim of testing the Premier League's ruling, while Michel Platini told Sky Sports News that the decision to not dock points was "up to the Premier League."

West Ham's case was strengthened last night when the BBC's Inside Sport programme broadcast details of a letter, dated April 27, which appeared belatedly to resolve the controversial shared-ownership issues in Tevez's contract. The letter, sent to the player, Kia Joorabchian's investment vehicle Media Sport Investment and Just Sport Inc, said: "We hereby notify you that the private agreement (as so amended, varied, modified or replaced) is hereby terminated with immediate effect and shall cease to have any further force or effect." It is the 'missing' piece of evidence that would be central to undermining any legal challenge from the 'Gang of Four'.

Wigan's owner, Dave Whelan, claimed yesterday that Tevez could not have been properly re-registered after West Ham were fined. He said the league had effectively created a new transfer window. "I don't think there's any chance of reversing the decision but we still believe that Tevez has been playing illegally," said Whelan. "West Ham should be relegated and they should be relegated in the next fortnight, £5.5m sounds a lot but it's nothing in terms of what they'll earn in the league. My sympathies lie with Sheffield United because they have been treated very, very badly and the fight to get them reinstated by me, by Fulham, by Charlton and by Middlesbrough continues." That will be news to Middlesbrough , with chief executive Keith Lamb stating his club would not be party to action against the league. Whelan also launched a personal attack on Richard Scudamore. "It's widely accepted that he did a good job on the renegotiation of the broadcasting agreements," the Wigan chairman said. "I've always respected him. But, on this one, I want him to be a bit more up front, take responsibility and admit they were wrong. And get the thing put right."

In the Digger column, Paul Kelso claims the Tevez rebellion poses one of the biggest tests of Scudamore's eight-year leadership. Having delivered a record £2.7bn television deal to the chairmen, he might have expected more support but the issue could also complicate negotiations over a new redistribution deal due to be discussed at the league AGM on June 1. A compromise acceptable to a majority of clubs may be harder to fashion as a result of the fall-out of the last week. A major consequence of the ongoing unrest among Premier League clubs over is a delay to the resolution of the Stevens bungs inquiry. A statement on Stevens was put back from last week and will now be held over for at least another seven days as Scudamore attempts to kill off the Tevez affair. The Premier League board - Scudamore, chairman Dave Richards and company secretary Mike Foster - has yet to meet and decide what action to take, but with some clubs uncomfortable about Stevens, it has the power to cause further unrest.

A two-page spread in The Telegraph claims legal proceedings will be stepped up this week. David Bond says the bitter dispute over Carlos Tevez will escalate today with the aggrieved parties seeking a judicial review of the decision not to dock West Ham points for breaking rules on third-party ownership. Following talks yesterday, the disaffected clubs will write to the Premier League this morning appealing for an arbitration panel to be set up to examine whether the decision by an independent commission to fine West Ham £5.5 million was "flawed." If the League refuse, then Fulham, Wigan, Sheffield United and Charlton will go to the courts to seek a judicial review in an attempt to overturn the decision. Fulham director Stuart Benson, a lawyer who is helping to co-ordinate the four clubs' case, said: "The fight continues and the clubs stand firm. We are grossly dissatisfied. The fact that the relegation issues have been sorted out makes no difference whatsoever." With one top sports lawyer suggesting yesterday that the fairest way to solve the crisis would be to allow Sheffield United to play on in a Premier League of 21 teams next season, Whelan reiterated his support for the team his club helped send down. He said: "The West Ham situation is in the hands of Sheffield United, we fully support them. Fulham do, Charlton do, Middlesbrough do. We have to clean all this up. Time is on the side of the Premier League, I have said to Sheffield United that they must get stuck into the League's bones in the next seven days. Sheffield United have told me they have a fantastically strong case." United plc chairman Kevin McCabe added that he would be seeking the support of more Premier League clubs in the coming days. He said: "It needs conversations with respective chairman and directors for them to understand all of the injustices but most of them do know that already. There is a consensus most clubs support an injustice so I hope we will get the vast majority of clubs in the Premier League supporting our case."

While all the forces of civilised Christendom seem to be ranged against West Ham, Sue Mott declares people should spare us the sermonising claptrap demanding that natural justice be done against the lying, cheating Hammers. If the rules had been properly upheld, she writes, then offering prayers to the deities of Just Causes would not have been necessary. There seems to be some muddle-headed thinking that West Ham should have done the decent thing and gone down. But that is the trouble with not punishing miscreants. They are thrilled and unrepentant. They tend to find this in the world of criminal justice too. Let off a burglar with one of those nice detachable tags and instead of volunteering for social work, he jemmies open another window and makes off with more loot. Having failed to punish West Ham properly, Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, had to watch as they appropriated another £35 million - the rewards of being in the Premiership. He can argue it was an independent tribunal that made the crucial decision. Who appointed the independent tribunal? No one should blame West Ham for this failure of moral justice, argues Mott. Survival is a highly-tuned human instinct, to which many a moral has been sacrificed down the centuries. West Ham remain a Premiership club because the Premier League were too feeble to back their own rules. It is the story of the chicken and the egg. And this time there's no question which one came first.

In other news, Gary Jacob in The Times claims Alan Curbishley is ready to ring the changes despite Premiership survival. According to the story, staying up will have little effect on the shake-up at West Ham this summer, where about a dozen players are still likely to depart. Curbishley will have about £30 million available to spend on players and will have discussions tomorrow about the transfer strategy with Eggert Magnússon. The West Ham boss will be able to offer competitive wages in his bid to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen, Craig Bellamy and Yakubu Ayegbeni, who are among the forwards that are being considered. In midfield, Curbishley is likely to try to prise Scott Parker, who played under him at Charlton Athletic, from Newcastle United, and a goalkeeper to replace the out-of-favour Roy Carroll. The recent good run of form has not changed Curbishley’s mind about certain players – or their opinion of him. Anton Ferdinand, Nigel Reo-Coker and Yossi Benayoun are expected to request moves, with Tottenham Hotspur a likely suitor for all of them. Marlon Harewood, Paul Konchesky and Hayden Mullins have long fallen out of favour with the manager. Harewood has attracted interest from Wigan Athletic. Teddy Sheringham has laready admitted he has no future at the club while Matty Etherington told the Evening Standard that "I've had four great seasons but I need a change."

F*&k Off Back To Charlton!

The momentum behind possible a legal challenge to West Ham's escape from relegation appears to be growing after Wigan chairman Dave Whelan claimed Middlesbrough had joined the so-called 'Gang of Four'. In an article in today's Guardian the Wigan chairman is quoted as saying: "Charlton, Sheff United, Wigan, Fulham and Middlesbrough are all determined that we should get justice and West Ham should have been deducted points. It has to be done quickly because the longer this goes on the less likelihood of the league reviewing it at all. We are going to fight and support them and we will fight with them to the end." Sheffield United's plc chairman Kevin McCabe also told Radio Four's Today programme he believed the groundswell of opinion was behind them. "I think most of the Premier League clubs and other football clubs support us over this injustice that has come about this season," he said. "Four years ago the Blades had just lost in the [Championship] play-off final and I felt gutted. This time I feel cheated. I think there is a consensus most clubs support an injustice so I hope we will get the vast majority of clubs in the Premier League supporting our case." The piece claims at least another two unnamed top-flight clubs are ready to throw their weight behind the movement. As revealed in yesterday's Observer, those two clubs are likely to be Tottenham Hotspur, who have been very vocal behind the scenes, and Aston Villa who have deep concerns about the precedent that has now been set.

A separate article states the 'Gang of Four' are meeting today to discuss their next legal move. Dave Whelan confirmed: "We have got legal advice and the legal advice is yes, we have a good, strong case. But it has to be done quickly. I am sorry for Sheffield United. We set off down the road for justice and we will not come off the road until we get it. I have just seen the chairman of Sheffield United [Kevin McCabe] and said, 'You get stuck into them'." The exact nature of the clubs' next step is uncertain but the Premier League is bracing itself for a fight, something which could force its chief executive, Richard Scudamore, to consider his position. What is clear is that any legal action will have to be initiated soon. Serie A had a delayed start last season because of legal action but there is no precedent in England.

A report in the Mail suggests Eggert Magnusson has no concerns about what the future holds. The West Ham chairman said: "The matter is in the hands of the Premier League and I am content to leave it so. The Premier League are clear they are satisfied with things and as far as I am concerned, that is that. I always wanted our destiny to be decided out on the pitch and it has been. Alan Curbishley has done a magnificent job and now we must sit down at talk about the future."

The Telegraph largely eschews the legal considerations in its coverage today. Alan Hansen states Jewell and Curbishley deserve all accolades and concludes whatever the rights and wrongs of the Carlos Tevez affair, whatever the rights and wrongs of fielding weakened sides - and this is something that has gone on for years in the Premiership - Curbishley, like Jewell, deserves immense credit. West Ham, like Wigan, were a side that appeared absolutely gone and yet they have survived in the teeth of the fiercest controversy. Ian Whittel believes survival eclipses all legal worries. He writes that the Carlos Tevez affair looks certain to rumble on but the prospect of possible legal challenges could not ruin the day for West Ham manager Alan Curbishley, after one of the most remarkable acts of escapology in the league's history. "We pulled off an amazing escape,” said Curbishley. "To win seven out of our last nine, considering the opposition we’ve played, is incredible. A few months ago I had fans shouting 'fuck off back to Charlton' at me because they couldn’t work out what had happened to their club. All the things that went on were before I got there in December. The Premier League had their inquiry, they gave their verdict and we have got on with it. We have been public enemy No 1 and that has been ramped up a bit this week. Now it is over. The Premier League say it’s over and I’ve got to look forward to next year."

Manchester United 0 West Ham United 1

Tevez Strike Allows West Ham To Join Old Trafford Party by Daniel Taylor

The Premiership trophy is back in Manchester United's possession but the euphoria inside Old Trafford was perhaps at its greatest in the corner housing West Ham's boisterous fans... The Guardian

Tevez Celebrates Escape To Victory by Matt Dickinson

The gang of four are struggling to put together a legal case but their moral argument took on a bludgeoning force at Old Trafford yesterday... The Times

Hammers Gatecrash Party With Argentine The Inevitable Hero by Sam Wallace

In the joyous aftermath, the West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson looked like he might even write the £5.5m cheque to the Premier League with the interest as well... The Independent

Talent Of Tevez Lifts West Ham To Safety by Henry Winter

When the history of Carlos Tevez's season at West Ham United is written, it will be a tale of lies, damned lies and the remarkable statistics of a little Argentinian with a big heart who struck seven times in 10 games to orchestrate the great escape... The Telegraph

Third Party Ire And Theft by Matt Lawton

Even if Sheffield United’s lawyers welcome the information, those they are about to represent will struggle to stomach what happened here at Old Trafford... The Mail

Beginning Of The End

Short of Alan Curbishley's West Ham reverting to their early and mid-season malaise and capitulating to the new champions, just as Wigan raise their game sufficiently to overcome hosts Sheffield United, Eggert Magnusson's sentiments- "that the matter of who wins the championship, who is relegated, should be decided on the pitch"- will be as fanciful as a tale from the saga of Noggin The Nog, according to Nick Townsend. In his column in the Independent, he writes: "Magnusson insists that West Ham's decision not to appeal against their £5.5 million fine 'is the end of the matter, as far as I am concerned'. In truth, unless West Ham end the afternoon being the condemned man of the trio it is liable to be no more than the beginning of the end."

In light of that, the Premier League's top two officials, chairman Sir Dave Richards and chief executive Richard Scudamore, failed last night in an attempt to destabilise the 'gang of four' clubs protesting about West Ham's punishment in the Carlos Tevez affair. An executive from one of the four clubs insisted they were there to put pressure on and to reduce the gang of four to a gang of two. In a story in today's Observer an insider is quoted as saying: "'Within around nine or 10 hours of the commission's findings, Tevez was allowed to play at Wigan because the League says it received a letter or fax from West Ham, saying that [part of the] contract was unenforceable and therefore they've torn it up. We want to see evidence, proof that Tevez was legally able to play on. Look at it this way - no money, apparently, has changed hands for a player who has transformed their season. No money at all. So who owns him? Unless we are shown a bank statement or other proof then are we to believe that someone, out of the goodness of their heart, has given him to West Ham for nothing?'

Scudamore wrote a second letter on Friday, having already stated the League's position in an earlier missive, in an attempt to persuade the clubs to stop their action. But his tone has simply increased their anger. "He is still saying that the Premier League is unassailable - that as the commission took the decision, then that's good enough. Well, all of the clubs will pursue this. Nobody has changed their view,' said the club official. 'It is not just us four clubs, either. There are others unhappy. Tottenham, for example, are very vocal about this privately. They can see it becoming just a matter of how big a fine do you need to buy yourselves out - they point to Chelsea, who could pay £15million or more. Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are also unhappy with the principle. Scudamore is aware that there are at least seven clubs in this - that's why he's so scared. And that's why he's trying to reduce the "gang of four".

Such is the indignation of Patrick Barclay in The Telegraph that he actively encourages a collaborative effort at Bramall Lane to mastermind the 'right' result of a West Ham relegation. He declares that Sheffield United and Wigan, like West Germany and Austria in the World Cup a quarter of a century ago, might be criticised, but West Ham, unlike Algeria, would not be innocent victims. Barclay has also penned another article, this time a far more salutary piece about Alan Curbishley, the pressure of the fans and the untapped potential of the football club.

Elsewhere, the beleaguered West Ham management have stumbled into another storm, this time over an agreement not to play Luis Boa Morte against his former club in January. Fulham were infuriated by the Portugal winger’s appearance, having initially refused to sell Boa Morte until after the fixture but relenting because West Ham wanted to play him the previous weekend in the FA Cup. The two clubs reached a noncontractual agreement that Fulham’s former captain would not be used against them in the match, which West Ham proceeded to ignore. A source at Fulham said: "We are furious at West Ham’s handling of the Boa Morte transfer." West Ham naturally deny promising not to use Boa Morte, which would, of course, have been a flagrant abuse of the Premiership rules on third party influence. A spokesman said: "As far as West Ham were concerned no such agreement was made, either contractual or noncontractual."

In the same paper there is an interesting article on football's greatest relegation escapes. Jonathan Northcroft says West Ham hold their fate in their own hands today- a great advantage according to those who have survived previous final day dramas.

Just Give Him The Ball!

In a season when lawyers as well as footballers have threatened to influence the Premiership's relegation battle, it is perhaps inevitable that fresh talk of conspiracy should loom over the concluding day of the season. With speculation rife that Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United could manufacture a result when they meet each other tomorrow, Alan Curbishley is unwilling to even concede the possibility of some Machiavellian collusion. "People can get together and have these conspiracy theories but I don't think it has entered anyone's minds because it is so dangerous," said Curbishley. "I don't see any other outcome than everyone trying their hardest."

There is a similar story in The Independent where in five months as West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley has already lived through some of the most outlandish football sub-plots ever to have hit a club. Survival Sunday has many implications for a club with the pariah status of West Ham, noticeably in terms of collusion at Bramall Lane, and there may be every reason to fear the worst. Yet the West Ham manager, observes Sam Wallace, still wears the thousand-yard stare of a man who has lived life on the brink this season but even he would not let that kind of paranoia gnaw away at him. "In the last game of the season there are so many twists and I don't think Sheffield United will forget what happened in 1994 when they played Chelsea and for a lot of the game they were safe, then it got turned around. You can't legislate for what can happen on that day. Wigan know what they have to do and if we pick anything up we have done our job. I don't think anyone can go into it other than flat out to try to get their result."

Ted Warnock yesterday insisted he was thinking of nothing other than getting the win that would guarantee his club's Premiership status. "It [the conspiracy theory] makes good newspaper headlines but I'm just thinking about Sheffield United," he said. "We have to assume West Ham will win at Old Trafford and that we need to win. You've got to think that everything that can go against you will go against you." Paul Jewell believes that the football authorities will be resting a lot easier if West Ham United are relegated from the Barclays Premiership tomorrow. "I think the Premier League would be jumping up and down if that happened," he said. "It would look easier for them, but that’s no concern of mine. The Premier League were in an almost impossible situation to a certain extent, but it’s probably their fault that they got themselves in that. We will get people off the hook if we win and send West Ham down, but if we go down it will be because we deserved it. The West Ham scenario is getting tiresome – the ‘Gang of Four’? I’m just waiting for Chairman Mao to join them now! – and we can’t use it as an excuse because it’s not a valid one."

David Lacey has written an article in which he states the officers of the Premier League might be forgiven a sigh of relief should the Hammers be relegated tomorrow. The season is ending under extreme protest; to the usual cheers and jeers has been added the sound of axes grinding. Lacey argues the league has, in effect, told the protesters to get lost and, now that Fulham are safe and Charlton are down, some of the momentum will have been taken out of the argument. Yet if Wigan or Sheffield United are relegated tomorrow the rancour will surely continue.

Sir Alex Ferguson joked that he had received a good-luck text message from the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, who he suspects may be secretly hoping that West Ham do get relegated. "We will get people off the hook if we win and send West Ham down," he said. To that end there will be no favours handed out at Old Trafford even if Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney may again be left out of the starting lineup in readiness for next Saturday’s showdown with Chelsea at Wembley. "It’s a difficult game for us, against a team at the bottom of the league fighting for survival, and, while one or two players won’t play, in the main it will be a strong team I put out," Ferguson said. "We will do that to represent ourselves in a proper way and to be fair to everyone. I think that everyone knows the English game is 100 per cent honest and people do their best. That is what we will do on Sunday. Alan Curbishley is a very good friend of mine, but he understands I have to respect the issues of the other managers as well. They [Wigan and Sheffield United] deserve our best attention to the game and I will be picking a team to win."

As if any extra motivation was needed, a piece in The Times says the lessons of history point to a hard time for the Hammers. It states Alex Ferguson has not forgotten the 1-0 defeat at Upton Park this season, in Curbishley’s first match in charge, and most probably, the three occasions in the 1990s when West Ham shot down his side’s title ambitions. West Ham played out of their skins to force a draw with United in 1995, when Blackburn Rovers were presented with the title even though they lost away to Liverpool. Oliver Brown, in a piece in The Telegraph, notes West Ham face a game of inverted incentives to complete their astonishing Premiership turnaround. He asks us to cast our minds back 15 years - to another anxious run-in, and to another momentous engagement with Manchester United. Then, the club were already relegated, but contrived a remarkable 1-0 win that effectively ended United's title ambitions. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned his opponents' "obscene" amount of effort. Now, with Old Trafford ready for a champions' jamboree tomorrow, West Ham have to show the same pride and perseverance in the service of a far greater cause - even if the result threatens to be even more unpopular.

The same article suggests West Ham are relishing their role as quiet assassins in the relegation duel. Players have been gagged following this season's surfeit of adverse publicity, while Curbishley has resolved to brave the barbs in his typically deadpan style. "We have been coming up quietly on the rails," he said. "Everybody has had their say, and it's becoming louder and louder in some respects. We are keeping quiet." Come tomorrow, the dark recesses into which West Ham have retreated of late could also be illuminated. The club would at last envisage a future that stretches further than the next game, with Curbishley expected to receive chairman Eggert Magnusson's backing for a major overhaul of the squad. But in the short term he stuck to the diplomatic line, denying that players would essentially be fighting for their careers against United.

The Guardian offers a spotters guide to relegation and cheerfully describes the scene if West Ham are on the verge of going down. "Close-up of really tired-looking Alan Curbishley standing with arms folded and slowly shaking his head. Home crowd spending a lot of time shouting, "Ole!" and offering extended rounds of applause to substituted star players. Shot of tearful Anton Ferdinand walking backwards and pointing sulkily at fellow defenders. Commentator says, "sadness for some inside Old Trafford," over pictures of furious, tattooed skinhead contingent chanting about not being fit to wear the shirt.

Les Ferdinand relives the agony of final-day defeat when the 2-2 draw with Birmingham City in 2003 was not quite enough.

I'd only been at West Ham for five months or so going into that final game and the rot had arguably set in a long time before that. But the reason I went there in the first place was because I genuinely believed we'd stay in the Premiership. I hoped to play my part in achieving that. That failure was the worst feeling in the world. There were times that season when, for whatever reason, we didn't have the fight or hunger we should have had. Maybe it was the tension. It was make or break, do or die, but some sides are tougher than others and can cope better. When you're losing every week, you concede and think: 'Here we go again.' Heads go down, shoulders drop and it's hard to get out of that rut.

Our biggest problem was that it was out of our hands on the final afternoon. Mathematically we still had a chance but that just makes it crueller. We had to win at Birmingham and hope Bolton failed to beat Middlesbrough at the Reebok. Bolton went two up really quickly and the Birmingham fans were chanting: 'Going down, going down, going down.' There was no big screen giving the scores but it filtered through to the players. That hits you and we were just treading water. We knew that it was hopeless and whatever we did wasn't going to be enough. I scored, we led, then ended up drawing 2-2. It just felt as if we were doomed from the off.

Henry Winter, in his column in The Telegraph, prays that natural justice will prevail this weekend; that is the points deduction West Ham deserve for the lies told over the Tevez deal will effectively be inflicted by Manchester United while Wigan prevail at Bramall Lane. He laments that the last weekend of the season, when the Grinning Reaper called relegation stalks benighted clubs, a maths degree is traditionally required to juggle all the permutations but tomorrow, when Wigan Athletic, Sheffield United, and Carlos Tevez's West Ham United fight for survival, a law degree is needed.

Also in The Telegraph, there is a detailed look at the three players that could decide which clubs avoid the drop from the top flight. Unsurprisingly, West Ham's nominated player is Tevez, a player that represents the team's main inspiration as an infectious source of pure heart and quality. Whatever the ramifications that may still ensue, you have to give this gutsy character tremendous credit for the way he has applied himself on the pitch in a strange country amid such controversy. "Just give him the ball!" That'll be the message from the bench tomorrow.

Cooing Over Carlos

First Paolo, now Carlos, I can't take another Latino striker walking out on me
By Russell Brand

I don't want Carlos Tevez to leave West Ham. I really don't. Like how I didn't want Paolo Di Canio to leave, I feel a pang, an impotent pang, a hopeless sense of foreboding, the futility of trying to reject the inevitable. I don't want to lapse into a fruity ode or juvenile love letter but I can't ignore these feelings. . .

He plays with such fervid determination and skill, how can he be replaced? And how can a player, who when he chases a ball inadvertently seems to evoke the image of his deprived youth, be running towards a future beyond the Boleyn Ground? It's beautiful when a footballer achieves effortless rapport with a crowd and Tevez has done this. He has become the embodiment of West Ham's struggle for survival, itself an emblem for the countless battles, trivial and awesome, we conduct throughout our days, catharsis and rehearsal for the struggle we all must face when eventually we die.

Oh Christ, I've gawn all maudlin, I am 15 once more and gushing unwelcome love and unsolicited sperm, I'll not condemn myself. Even Freddy Shepherd, when forced to countenance the departure of a cherished star, in his case Michael Owen, resorts to the hormonal yawps of a teenage jerk - "He should pledge himself to us, no one else wants him." That's pretty emotional, he should be shrieking that sentence outside a kebab shop on a bleary Saturday night with sick on his chin and his mini-skirt pinched between his bum cheeks: "I love you Michael, don't leave me - I can change. . ." With Tevez there is no evidence of impending departure in his demeanour or his game; he plays like it will last forever, like there could be no other club. How do they do that? Is it really just about money and ambition? I suppose it is. What right have I to be disappointed?

I allow my life to be governed by those factors, tucking the revolution down my pants to make my package more impressive whilst all the while pursuing women and power. But I expect more from footballers. Tevez was scarred as a boy and at Boca Juniors, his first club, was offered cosmetic surgery to correct it. Carlos refused out of integrity and self-acceptance - that's lovely isn't it? If I get a pimple I refuse to leave the house. It's odd how I relate to footballers - he's only 23, if I met him in another context I'd flip him a shiny penny, ruffle his hair and give him some tips on dames but as it is I'm forever frozen in adoring childhood peering, from my father's side, at these men, as fierce and loud as when horses rumble by. I only have the luxury of this current fixation as it now seems (don't jinx it, don't jinx it) that West Ham may survive after an implausible run inspired by Carlos and now only (ONLY!) require a draw against Man United at Old Trafford to be guaranteed of safety. I'm a bit miffed that Ferguson plans to field a full strength team, what a bloody cheek, those lads ought be resting after a gruelling season of triumph, they've the inaugural Wembley Cup final to consider.

Alex Ferguson appears more approachable and avuncular lately, I wonder why that is? It coincides with the Rev Ian Paisley becoming a bit more jolly an' all; perhaps there is hope for the world if these two formidable men, who forever seemed on the precipice of hurling chalk at some bothersome pupil, now have the bearing of a pair of Debenham's Father Christmases. So that's a reason for optimism. And after the irreplaceable Paolo we were blessed with Carlos, the lineage may continue, and they needn't all be Latino, these saviours, these heroes. Mark Noble radiates promise and his surname couldn't be more encouraging.

Guardian column

A True Gentleman

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he snubbed the opportunity to sign Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano because of uncertainty over the deal that was being offered Manchester United. Ferguson confirmed that, like most leading clubs, United were given the opportunity to buy the pair last summer. But the Scot was not happy at what was being offered. "Tevez was offered to everyone," said Ferguson. "We were offered both him and Mascherano but, if I remember it correctly, we weren’t sure of the deal." It is not clear if his interest in the Tevez still remains but he has obviously been impressed by the striker's recent form. "He is the one who has lifted their game a bit," said Ferguson. “He has scored a couple of really good free-kicks and seems to have a lot of enthusiasm for it." Tevez himself is looking forward to playing against Manchester United. "We go to Old Trafford to play the champions. To play in this stadium is something emotive because it's one of the greatest in history and I've always wanted to be part of that. I've spoken to Veron about the atmosphere and he told me it is sensational. I have so much desire to play there." According to various media reports the mutual admiration extended to a night out at Les Ambassadeurs Club in London this week where Tevez gatecrashed Manchester United’s championship celebrations.

A story in the Express suggests West Ham want to keep Carlos Tevez but it could cost upwards of £30million. Sources close to MSI said: "There are four clubs, plus West Ham, interested in taking Tevez and talks are on-going." Harry Harris claims the news will astound Irons fans while raising fresh questions about who controls the player. He insinuates that this current transfer talk, which the club deny, simply underlines the fears of West Ham’s angry rivals – the Gang of Four – that the player is still under the influence of a third party.

Elsewhere, a statue of England's 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore was unveiled by his widow at the new Wembley Stadium today. Moore, who died of cancer in 1993 aged 51, is fondly remembered for lifting the trophy when England beat West Germany at the former stadium which was demolished to make way for the new 90,000-seater arena that opened this year. Unveiling the statue, Stephanie Moore said: "I am delighted that Bobby's career is being recognised in such an appropriate way and in such a perfect place as Wembley -- he belongs to football and to the fans." Prime Minister Tony Blair, who attended the ceremony along with members of the 1966 team, paid a glowing tribute to Moore, saying: "He was a true gentleman and represented all the very best of our country."

In the Mirror, Sir Trevor Brooking has hailed Alan Curbishley's experience as the key to the West Ham revival which has put Premier League survival "within touching distance". Brooking, who twice took on the role of caretaker manager at the Hammers, touted Curbishley for the England job last year in his role of FA director of football development. And he now reckons the former Charlton boss's steady leadership during a torrid time at his beloved club will continue and see West Ham survive a nervy final weekend at the bottom of the table. "He has shown his experience," said Brooking. "He admitted himself he took longer to realise the depth of some of the problems. But it will be a fantastic achievement if we do manage to squeeze our way out of the bottom three. Because six weeks ago that looked pretty impossible. It is almost within touching distance now."

Looking ahead to the game on Sunday and Alan Curbishley believes the big occasion would not overawe his side after their tribulations of the last few years. "I'm sure those 90 minutes at Old Trafford will be nerve-racking but we're ready for that," Curbishley said on Friday. "The players have had big games. The Cup final last year, playoff finals- I don't think anyone's afraid of a big game. If you look at the players we've got here at the moment, they've all been through it and had enormous pressure to deal with this year but now it's just one more game. I know there's a lot of money at stake, but that's the last thing the players will think about when they go out on the pitch." In addition, Dan Roebuck offers a detailed analysis of the latest relegation odds and there is also a comprehensive statistical overview of the key games in The Telegraph.

Finally, a picture that appears on the front page of the Newham Recorder site...

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm.
Graham Greene

'Try walking a mile in his shoes' seems to be the message of the latest Carlos Tevez related article in The Guardian. The shoes in question belong to Premier League's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, a man who has endured the rockiest week of his eight year tenure. Since West Ham were fined £5.5m rather than docked points for entering into third-party agreements with the agent Kia Joorabchian in the purchase of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, the howls of protest have increased almost daily. A week ago today Whelan and McCabe joined their counterparts from Fulham and Charlton to discuss a legal challenge to the ruling made by an independent disciplinary panel. The Premier League is certain that the panel's ruling is bulletproof. The clubs are signatories to the league's rulebook and approved every stage of the process and any legal action would in effect be brought against themselves.

"The Premier League were always very confident that their rules have been adhered to in terms of how the [three-man independent] commission was convened and how the whole issue was resolved," he said. "That commission have decided on the punishment. West Ham pleaded guilty to the charges and the commission, independently of the [Premier League] board, have made that decision. There is no doubt that in terms of the process the rules have been followed and that is the end of the matter." Usually sure-footed and in tune with the mood among his member clubs, the prospect of a fifth of his members rising up in protest was not one he relished. Privately, at least, there is no question that Scudamore and his colleagues are angry at what they see as misinformation spread by desperate clubs.

One of those clubs is Sheffield United where today Kevin McCabe accused the Premier League of treating "like lepers" the clubs threatening legal action over the West Ham affair. "It's as if we're the ones doing something wrong when all we've done is act in a proper and professional way," he said. "Why should we be isolated and described as 'moaning'? Why don't the Premier League stand up and say: 'We've got it wrong'? Instead, they seem to have put a barrier around themselves after plainly getting it wrong." The 'Gang of Four', who plan to hold a second strategy meeting in the next 36 hours, sent a legal letter to the Premier League yesterday demanding evidence that the third party agreement between West Ham and Joorabchian had been terminated. McCabe added: "There's still a big question mark on Tevez's contract. I've read that Mr Joorabchian is saying that he still has the player. If that contract has been terminated, Tevez must have got a new contract. But how can you get a contract outside of the transfer window? What a cock up. I know Richard Scudamore and Sir Dave Richards. They are fine people. If they've got it wrong, why not just apologise and then reconsider."

In a seperate piece in The Times, Gary Jacob states he has witnessed the letter in which Wigan Athletic, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic and Fulham have formally asked the FA Premier League to provide the proof that Tévez has been eligible to play in the past two matches after the FA hearing into his transfer. The clubs also asked whether the League has contacted Media Sports Investment (MSI) and Just Sport (JSI), who own the rights to Tévez, to ascertain whether the companies have given permission for the contract to be terminated. "Have you obtained confirmation from a suitable independent legal source that West Ham’s assertions are well founded?" the clubs said. "Have you required sight of all relevant correspondence between the parties? Have you been given access to all relevant documentary materials, including any statements of the position of MSI and JSI?"

Scudamore and the league's chairman, Dave Richards, stated in a letter to the gang of four on Tuesday that their organisation "is perfectly satisfied that since the date of the hearing West Ham has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the third-party arrangements which gave that third party the ability to materially influence West Ham's policies and the performance of its teams in league matches have been expunged". West Ham did so on April 27, with a letter mailed by hand and faxed to offices of Media Sports Investment, the company that brought Tevez to the Premiership. On the same day the club forwarded their proof of receipt of the fax to the Premier League. The league accepted that this accorded with its demand that the third-party agreements governing Tevez be ripped up, since it takes only one party to break a contract. The club's legal advice states that, since the gang of four are not party to any specific contracts with the Upton Park club, there would be no basis for them to bring a civil action against the Hammers. The league's letter added that it "is not right to suggest the Premier League has been in breach of its duties to investigate breaches of its rules".

The view in legal circles lends strength to the stance taken by the Premier League. As if to hammer home the point, Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of The Times, has penned an article describing why clubs threatening legal action for breaking regulations over the ownership of Carlos Tévez have little prospect of success. One QC specialising in this field said: "In the first place, the Premier League is not in law a ‘public body’, which means it is not susceptible to a judicial review challenge." Like other sports regulatory bodies, its decisions cannot therefore be challenged as unreasonable, or outside its powers or on other procedural grounds, he added. The only legal remedy would be for breach of contract because the League has contracts with its clubs. "Courts have ruled that contracts in this area have implied terms which are similar to the duties on public bodies – that is a duty to act fairly, responsibly and proportionately," the QC said.

Such an action would be brought in the High Court, but he predicted that any such action would fail because the decision to fine West Ham was taken by an independent panel after proper processes and headed by a QC, Simon Bourne-Arton, not by the League. “It is difficult to see how a decision taken by this panel – however unpopular – could be deemed in law not to be one that it could reasonably take, having reached it after a proper process," the QC said. "No court is going to overturn that. Rather, the courts would allow the broadest of discretion to an independent quasi-judicial body of that sort acting independently and forming a view." Dan Tench, a sports and media law partner with a London law firm, agrees. First, the clubs had to show that they had the legal "standing" or relationship to justify a challenge. "It is clear that West Ham does, but less clear with the others," Tench said. If the “Gang of Four” surmounted that hurdle, then, he suggested, they could go to the arbitration procedure run by the FA and even then the chances of success would be remote. "It would be looked at on the same basis as a judicial review – whether it was erratic in some way or unreasonable. And any reviewing court would give very broad discretion to the original decision that was made. It would be very hard to undermine."

No Fears Now For The Little Man

Carlos Tevez has told his West Ham team-mates he will quit Upton Park at the end of the season — no matter what happens. According to Pat Sheehan in The Sun, the Hammer of the Year will bring the curtain down by playing his final game for the club at Manchester United on Sunday, with AC Milan and Spanish side Seville slugging it out to sign him. Miraculously for what amounts to a double page spread in the paper there are no direct quotes, save one from Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid’s former director of football. He said: "Every time I see Tevez in a West Ham shirt the first thing that crosses my mind is that he’s wasting his time there." As the great man himself would doubtless point out: a story without any real quotes is not a story at all, it's just a 'shit hanging from a stick'.

There is a far more edifying Carlos Tevez read in The Times, with a beautifully rendered article by Gabriele Marcotti and Guillem Balague...

No Fears Now For The Little Man From Fort Apache: Carlos Tevez may be at the centre of a storm, but the striker's childhood in Buenos Aires ensures he can cope
By Gabriele Marcotti & Guillem Balague

Florencia sits on her father’s lap as comfortably and as lovingly as he might cradle a ball with his left foot. She is 2 and has found a new game. Her father lights the candle in front of her, she leans forward and, “ Uno, dos, tres,” she blows it out. Repetition only adds to the fun. Flame goes out. Flame comes on. Flame goes out. Flame comes on. There is always someone ready to light her candle after she blows out the flame.

Whatever Carlos Tévez’s future may bring – and, as yet, it is undecided, regardless of what transpires in West Ham United’s final match of the season, against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, and in the dispute over his registration – he is grateful for one thing: should the flame go out for his daughter, someone will be there to light it. She will be raised in a different world from the one Tévez knew as a boy growing up in the aptly named Fort Apache – or El Fuerte, as the locals call it – neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.

"I felt fear [when growing up], real fear, very often,” he says. “I remember lying in bed at night with my brothers and parents and hearing gunshots and screams right outside our window. That’s the way it was. You didn’t even think of leaving the house after dark. Eventually you get used to it, just enough to be able to fall asleep. But you know it’s not normal, you know it’s not right. I wouldn’t wish that kind of of childhood on anyone. What is wonderful now is that my daughter can learn English, be educated in Europe. Regardless of whether it will be in England or elsewhere, all the doors will be open for her. She will be able to pursue the things that make her happy. And she will continue to have opportunities." Tévez had his opportunity, too, and took it. The difference is that, unlike his daughter, he knew that, if his flame went out, there would be no one to light it again. It was up to him to protect and preserve it.

"I only realised I was going to become a professional footballer when I was 17, on the day I made my debut [for Boca Juniors]," he says. "Before that, it didn’t seem real. I went to training, I played with my friends, but it was all about having a good time. I had no idea whether I would make it or what would happen to me if I didn’t. But the day I became a professional, I told myself that this is my life now and I have to do things properly." Thus was born a single-mindedness that is shared by many of the greats. Tévez does not smoke or drink ("I just don’t like the taste of alcohol") and his diet borders on the ascetic. His life revolves around the home – spending time with his young family, a round of golf ("I’m not competitive, I don’t have a handicap"), a few DVDs. Plus, every night, like clockwork, a few hours in the gym doing extra training.

Three summers ago, Tévez led Argentina to gold at the Athens Olympic Games. Living cheek by jowl in the Olympic village with swimmers, cyclists, gymnasts and athletes who trained six to eight hours a day for a fraction of a footballers’ wage was an eye-opener. "A footballer isn’t used to living with athletes from other sports and seeing what their life is like," Tévez, 23, says. "It was an amazing experience, one which kind of brings you back to earth. It taught me a lot. I am convinced that a footballer can work, if not six hours a day, certainly four – maybe two in the morning and two in the afternoon. It’s easily done, it shouldn’t be a problem. Each one of us has a different physique. We should be doing individualised work-outs based on our body types and where we play. For example, I am not built or physically prepared to be a midfielder, running all around the pitch. I know exactly what my body needs and I know that my preparation has to be different from that of a defender or a midfielder.

In Tévez’s world, there is no "one size fits all". A footballer needs to be, above all, an athlete and it is his responsibility to take care of his talents. "I think that, if one is born with quality and gifts, that is down to God and it means you are privileged," he says. "I can’t stop thinking how lucky I am every time I step on the pitch. And I know I have to protect that gift." Otherwise the flame might go out. It is striking to hear Tévez talk about his lifestyle when one thinks about the man to whom he was most often compared as a youngster: Diego Maradona. The pair remain close and last week Claudia, Maradona’s former wife, phoned with an update on his condition, as well as to finalise details of Florencia’s birthday, which she is arranging.

"There are many things you can learn from seeing what happened to him," Tévez says. "He started with nothing and then he had it all. It’s difficult to go through the things he went through, to be known everywhere in the world, to be unable to walk out of your front door. I don’t want to live like that. I am aware of what I do and what it brings, but I don’t love the attention I get." And yet that attention has followed him everywhere. It could not be otherwise. Not when he guided Boca Juniors to a league, Libertadores Cup and Club World Championship treble before his 20th birthday. Not when his move to Corinthians in 2004, for a reported fee of $20 million (about £10 million), was the biggest transfer in the history of the sport outside of Europe. Not when he became the first Argentinian to conquer Brazilian football, leading Corinthians to the title and making even the usually navel-gazing Brazilians grudgingly choose him as their player of the year in 2005.

"To succeed in Brazil as an Argentine is a feeling you cannot explain," Tévez says. "The first two or three months were not great, but then I started earning the respect of those around me, above all the players. And that’s the most important thing. Whenever you arrive at a club, you have to earn the respect of your teammates. If you can do that, they will be there for you, they will protect you. But it is something which must be earned, it can’t be given. You don’t do it by trying to impress in training or trying to make friends. I did it humbly – head down, training normally. Little by little, I started showing who I was. I knew, even in the difficult times, that eventually people would see me for who I am. I guess I am lucky that way. I have faith in the fact that if I continue being myself, things will turn around. That’s why I don’t care what people say or write about me. I don’t read the papers, I am not interested in what they say. What matters is how they feel about me in the long run, after they’ve had a chance to know me."

Tévez makes no secret of the fact that adjusting to life at West Ham and playing in the Premiership was not easy, particularly with the club’s difficult season. He does not complain about the times he was left out or some of the suspicion that greeted his arrival. And he does not hide behind excuses. "I am a foreigner here, but I never felt it was a problem," he says. "I never felt treated differently because of it. I have stopped learning English as I don’t know where I am going to end up next season. But yes, it was hard to settle. The language is an issue – and I will learn English if I stay in this league – and, of course, the football here is different compared to Brazil or Argentina. In my opinion, it’s the most difficult competition in the world. That may be why so few people make it over here. Every Saturday you get kicked and you end up going home with marks all over your body. They hit you hard, they hit you everywhere – Premiership defenders are very strong individuals. And the referees allow a lot. They don’t interrupt the game as much as they do elsewhere. But you know what? I don’t mind all that, it makes me a better player, a stronger player."

On Monday, 24 hours after West Ham’s immediate future is decided, he will go home to Buenos Aires. He has plenty of relatives living in Fort Apache, although he moved his immediate family to a safer neighbourhood. Still, their new home, far from being tucked away in a gated community or a highrise penthouse, is less than a mile from where he was born. He knows where his roots lie. "Everything I am comes from where I am from," Tévez says. "I left to pursue football, but I go back whenever I can. I’ll hang out with my mates, throw some steaks on the grill and maybe even play a little football on the streets if anybody is kicking a ball around. It’s who I am."

That is what makes him proud. While he has had the talents and strength of character to preserve and nourish his flame, he remains the boy from Fort Apache. The two are not mutually exclusive. And maybe there are some children in El Fuerte who, even as the screams and gunfire provide a harrowing soundtrack, can draw inspiration from what Tévez has become.

The Times

Guddy y Guily, Con Permiso Para Negociar

Eggert Magnusson has called for an end to the ongoing row over Carlos Tevez's transfer to Upton Park. "It is about time to end this matter," the Irons chairman said today. "We have had a very severe fine which put financial constraints on this club and it is about time to finish this off." Appearing on Sky Sports News, Magnusson admitted he was happy that the battle to stay in the Premiership would be decided on the pitch. "It is the Premier League that has stated that everything is okay and that Carlos Tevez can play until the end of the season, so for me that is clear," he stated. "We are with some clubs in a relegation battle and people are worried, I understand that. From my point of view the decisions about who is champions and who is relegated should be decided on the pitch. That is where points are taken and that is where you lose points. It is completely in the hands of the Premier League and I trust them 100 per cent."

There have been reports that Kia Joorabchian still owns Tevez and has to give permission for the Argentine to play, but Magnusson insists that is not the case. He explained: "I have not had any conversations with Kia Joorabchian about that. He was here at the game on Saturday but we just talked about the game. From the club's point of view there has never been any doubt that his registration, and also Mascherano's, were okay." And the West Ham chairman maintains the Premier League have seen documents that prove Tevez's registration is above board. "They are in order and they have been approved by the Premier League," he said.

While Magnusson maintains that everything is in order, the resolve of the 'Gang of Four' is hardening with a conviction that third parties are still dictating terms on which Tevez continues to play for West Ham. The club insist they have torn up their third-party agreements to comply with the decision of the independent commission but the four are querying whether those agreements have simply been deferred to allow the Argentine striker to continue to play. Fulham director and lawyer Stuart Benson said; "There is no doubt that binding contracts exist between West Ham and third parties, there has to be. It is implicit that West Ham are negotiating a deal with those same third parties and that a valid contract undoubtedly still exists. Third parties are still controlling Tevez. The Premier League are making assumptions based on what West Ham have told them and shown them, but we believe there might well be more to it. Our view is that this all needs to be sorted out with another full and proper investigation followed by another commission, and with other clubs being entitled to be represented at a further commission. Otherwise we are not going to be deterred from seeking legal redress."

The Express claim at least two more clubs are ready to join any legal challenge and many other clubs sympathise with the cause. "If the Premier League think we are losing interest they are wrong," said Benson. "Fulham are no longer in danger of relegation, which makes us even more determined to press ahead than ever, as we prefer to take this view on the moral high ground rather than somebody who might go down. There is a deep principle here and the letters that have been sent out is an attempt to sweep it under the carpet in the hope it will all go away. They say that points must be won or lost on the pitch, but Fulham have suffered when the rules have been rigidly held against us in the past. What’s good for us would be good for the rest."

Away from the legal wrangling and Catalan sportspaper Mundo Deportivo is reporting our interest in Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic striker has been told he can leave Barcelona this summer with us and Manchester United leading the chase of potential suitors.

Your Comments

Apologies for the comments fiasco. I think I have it sorted now and it only took me four months! A lot have unfortunately been lost but I have recovered everything from the last month and hopefully there shouldn't be any more problems now.

Scented Beef Jerkys

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has today insisted that complaining clubs have no chance of overturning the decision not to dock West Ham points over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Scudamore urged the teams fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table to allow their fates to be decided on the pitch and not in the court room. He stated: "The Premier League were always very confident that their rules have been adhered to in terms of how the [three-man independent] commission was convened and how the whole issue was resolved. That commission have decided on the punishment. West Ham pleaded guilty to the charges and the commission, independently of the [Premier League] board, have made that decision. There is no doubt that in terms of the process the rules have been followed and that is the end of the matter."

The statement comes after pressure mounted on the FA Premier League last night as its war of words escalated with the “Gang of Four” clubs angered by the dispute over the ownership of Carlos Tévez. Dave Whelan, the Wigan Athletic chairman, has once again queried the contractual status of Tévez, this time in a letter sent last night to Scudamore and the other top-flight clubs. West Ham have said that they have ripped up the third-party agreement with Kia Joorabchian to the satisfaction of the Premier League, clearing Tévez to play. But Joorabchian, whose companies, Media Sports Investment and Just Sport, own the economic rights to Tévez, says that he has not cancelled the agreement and that Tévez, who has led West Ham’s fight to avoid relegation, only plays with his permission.

Whelan’s letter to Scudamore reads: "In your e-mail of May 8 sent to all Premier League clubs, you state that assurances were received in a satisfactory form from West Ham. Surely the contract can only be terminated by both parties? Could we and the rest of the Premier League please see concrete evidence, ie, written confirmation that this contract had been cancelled by both parties and furthermore, was this termination actually completed before Saturday, April 28, the day West Ham played Tévez at the JJB Stadium?” A second letter was being drawn up last night from the “Gang of Four” in response to a warning from the Premier League that legal action will not succeed.

Central to that is Sheffield United, who yesterday reiterated that they are ready on legal grounds to pursue the Premier League over the Carlos Tevez affair and get it to reconsider its decision and appoint a new tribunal. Clearly cocking a deafen to the entreaties of Richard Caborn, United have consulted again with their legal advisors and circulated their observations to representatives of other aggrieved clubs, including Fulham, Wigan and Charlton, before a response to the Premier League. United's chairman, Kevin McCabe, said: "The original ruling found West Ham guilty but the penalty given undermines the governance of the Premier League and invites anarchy. It is a snub to every club and their fans." The Blades are ready to sue the Premier League if they are relegated as a result of West Ham being fined £5.5m rather deducted points. McCabe added: "This is not so much a case of gaining recompense as protecting our position in the hope that the Premier League will reconsider their decision and appoint a new tribunal. It was an unjust penalty. We might as well all field illegal players every week. Here are West Ham still playing an international whose signing has breached the rules. It's just not on."

On the transfer front The Sun repeat the rumour from a couple of days ago that Carlos Tevez will leave West Ham even if we stay up. Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is eager to thrash out a permanent deal for the Argentine striker but Tevez’s magnificent recent displays have alerted Chelsea and Liverpool. The article states the player is still partly owned by Kia Joorabchian, who is far from happy with the way he has been treated by West Ham since his efforts to buy the club failed last year. A Chelsea bid of around £15million would persuade Joorabchian to cash in, while Liverpool, who have already taken Tevez’s pal Javier Mascherano from West Ham, are also keen. The Guardian states it a little more elegantly in their Rumour Mill section: "It seems, another love affair is going to end in beers - because, whether West Ham stay or go on the final day of the Premiership this weekend, Carlos Tevez will be fending off defenders with that J-Loesque derriere of his for either Liverpool or Chelsea next season. Tevez, still owned by Kia Joorabchian, would cost about £15m, which, for a young, acclimatised, genuinely world-class player, is probably the biggest bargain since Scented Beef Jerkys were 2 for 1 in Londis."

Discretion Is The Better Part Of Valour

West Ham have revealed they will not appeal against the record £5.5m fine imposed by the Premier League's independent commission over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Eggert Magnusson, who was not involved in last summer's signings, said in a statement: "I think it is now time to draw a line under this matter. The fine imposed on us was very significant but we accept that mistakes were made and it is now time to move on. Our intention as a club is to be totally focused on Sunday's game. We know that our fate, like every other club, will be decided, where it should be, on the pitch." West Ham's decision will come as little surprise, given the public furore over the leniency of the punishment.

Meanwhile, Sports minister Richard Caborn has called on warring Premier League clubs to settle the row over West Ham United between themselves rather than go to court. Caborn, a Sheffield United fan and a former director at Bramall Lane, said: "Running to the courts, and the rules of sport being made up by judges, I do not believe is a good thing for sport. My advice to the clubs is to resolve this internally inside the Premier League. There are 20 clubs operating as a co-operative and they should be able to resolve their differences. Whoever is relegated should be a decision that is be made on the park and not in the courts. Football is able to govern itself - with power comes responsibility. I'm sure this can be resolved inside the family of football. I would say to all sports, try and sort it out inside the family of sport, that's by far the best way."

Looking ahead to more immediate matters and Carlos Tevez admits he is relishing the challenge of a relegation dogfight. The Argentinian international's inspirational form has been a huge factor in the incredible turnaround at Upton Park and he is hopeful of completing the Great Escape at Old Trafford this weekend. "We have to face the champions at their stadium. It is one of those special matches," he said. "Even more, if you are playing for important things. Fighting against relegation is something new for me. I was not used to fighting for not going down to the second level, but I take it like a challenge and I really like it. I think fighting against relegation is tougher than competing for the title, because you know that if you don’t win the title, you can win it later. This is totally different because if you lose, you can go down to the second level. If you are not champions, you can be sad, but it is not the same as being relegated." Tevez is hopeful that his good form will earn him a place in the Argentina squad for the Copa America in Venezuela this summer. "I want to play in the Copa America," he added. "It is special to me and to all the players. I need to play in the national team. However, I know that you put yourself in or out of the squad through your performances with your club. i know I haven’t played well but now I feel different. I am in good shape and playing well in the Premier League. Anyway, I have already demonstrated I am a national team player. I have played in a World Cup."

Lastly, goalkeeping legend Phil Parkes insists the Irons are already safe. In his column in the Newham Recorder, Parkes states: " I thought if West Ham beat Bolton then they would be safe in the Premiership this season and after a superb performance on Saturday I think they have secured their survival. It is not only West Ham's win that has clinched it for me. The vital thing was that victory by Aston Villa over Sheffield United on Saturday evening that means that the Blades will have to make sure of their own safety by getting a point against Wigan Athletic."

Confidence Abounds

As predicted yesterday, the FA Premier League has launched a robust defence of its handling of the Carlos Tévez affair, effectively clearing the West Ham United striker to play against Manchester United on the final weekend of the season and warning the “Gang of Four” that their legal threats are doomed to failure. Matt Dickinson, writing in The Times, states the organisation sent out copies of the letters, sent by the League to the rebellious quartet of Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic, Charlton Athletic and Fulham, to all twenty Premiership clubs. A missive written by lawyers for the Premier League warns the “Gang of Four” that any challenge to the commission’s findings “would fly in the face of the disciplinary structure that the clubs themselves created and we consider would, as a matter of law, be bound to fail”. The letter also points out that all the clubs agreed to the procedure that brought together a commission of Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, Lord Ouseley and David Dent, the former secretary of the Football League.

A second letter, signed by Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman, and Richard Scudamore, the chief executive, insists that the League has “diligently investigated” Tévez’s present contractual status and continues to do so. "The Premier League made it very clear to West Ham that unless it could be satisfied that all trace of any third-party ability to influence West Ham’s policies or the performance of its team was removed, Tévez’s registration would be terminated," the letter reads. "Assurances were received in a satisfactory form from West Ham. West Ham has assured us that it has terminated the contract. It has also indicated that under no circumstances will it regard the contract as binding on West Ham and that it will defend any proceedings brought against West Ham seeking its enforcement."

While war rages over Carlos Tevez in the corridors of power, the player himself will be in the shop window for future employers at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Argentina striker was an unused substitute the last time the Irons faced Manchester United, but according to a report in The Daily Mail there will be many interested spectators this weekend. Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry unravelled the clauses in the contract lodged with the Premier League to sign Javier Mascherano in January and they have already registered an interest in Tevez. So, too, have Chelsea, but much depends on Jose Mourinho’s spending power in the summer. Mourinho wants a player who can unpick the tightest Premiership defences and he has been impressed with the Argentine's recent contribution to his club’s revival. "If I can play at West Ham in such a difficult position," said Tevez, "it’s easier to play for a bigger club with players such as Rooney, Ronaldo or Drogba. I could play for any English team because the English game is no longer a problem for me."

The Guardian has a story that reiterates Alex Ferguson's desire to play it straight on Sunday. Although he has promised not to field a weakened team, and the declaration will be welcomed by West Ham's rivals, the article suggests it is still highly conceivable Ferguson will keep key players back for the visit to Wembley on May 19. Ferguson's priority is obviously to win his sixth FA Cup and tonight he is likely to start the process of resting senior men such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. As a similar piece in the Daily Mirror observes, Fergie will not have forgotten the occasions when West Ham have conspired to deny them the title, most notably in 1995 when United's 1-1 draw at Upton Park handed the title to Blackburn. Whichever players take the field on Sunday, Robert Green remains confident the Hammers can stun United with a shock win. Speaking in The Sun, Green said: "It could be set up for a great performance from us if we go to Old Trafford and play the way we did in the first half against Bolton, iron out the mistakes and keep it solid. There’s no reason why we can’t go there and get a result." Lucas Neill is equally optimistic. "We can go to Old Trafford knowing that any points we get mean certain safety," Neill told the Daily Star. "Manchester United might rest their big guns for the FA Cup final and we can catch them on an off day," added Neill. Shall I tell him or will you? "We have got the belief and now we have put ourselves in a position where we have insurance. Even if we don't win we still have a bit of a safety net. We don't have to look over our shoulders worrying about everyone else now which is nice with one game to go."

Lastly, the Telegraph state 'it is all to play for at the bottom' and offer a breakdown of team news and quotes ahead of the key games. Similarly, The Sun asks 'who will beat the drop?' and provides analysis of the varying scenarios and uses some historical background on previous 'great escapes' to colour the picture.

More Legal Posturing

The Premier League were today preparing to publicly reject the complaints of clubs threatening legal action over the Carlos Tevez affair. According to a story in the Daily Mail, they are drawing up a statement confirming their confidence in the decision not to deduct points from West Ham for breaking two rules in signing the striker last August and their ability to defend it in court. Premiership lawyers, after examining the written legal challenge from Fulham, Charlton, Wigan and Sheffield United, are comfortable Tevez's contract now does not allow the possibility of any external influence over West Ham. They insist this is the crucial point and means the fight for Premiership survival will be decided on the pitch, not in the courts.

It is believed the threat of legal action appears to be receding anyway after Charlton's relegation last night, with their defeat by Tottenham also making Fulham safe. Both were among the gang of four who wrote to the Premier League threatening legal action under Companies Act section 459. Charlton may now view the case as redundant while Fulham now have little incentive to pursue costly legal proceedings. The best any legal challenge could initially expect would be a re-investigation of Tevez's contract, which the gang of four claim is still owned by a third party, businessman Kia Joorabchian. It is to this end that a letter has been sent to FA chiefs asking for the ownership issue to be clarified.

Whatever the intentions of both Charlton and Fulham, Sheffield United are still intending to sue the Premier League for around £40million if they are relegated. Plc chairman Kevin McCabe pledged last night that his club will support Wigan in similar action should Paul Jewell’s side lose a three-team fight against the drop. Representatives of United and Wigan, who play at Bramall Lane on Sunday, shared a conference call on Tuesday with newly relegated Charlton and now-safe Fulham to discuss their continuing opposition to the Premier League’s imposition of a £5.5m fine on West Ham rather than deduct points. McCabe said: "We will support Wigan if they go down — and will continue to liaise with other clubs after the season. Our turnover in the Premier League would be £50m compared to £10m back in the Championship. We have crowds this season of 31,000 that would slump by a good 10,000. Then there is the anticipated shortfall in commercial revenue. It’s not so much a case of gaining recompense as protecting our position in the hope that the Premier League will reconsider their decision and appoint a new tribunal."

Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared to risk title winners Manchester United getting beaten by Chelsea tomorrow in order to preserve a sense of fair play in the relegation battle on Sunday. Ferguson is eager to make it clear Alan Curbishley can expect no favours this weekend, with Sheffield United and Wigan also scrapping for their lives. Indeed, the United chief's determination to ensure he has a full strength side available to face the Hammers means he will rest a number of key man at Stamford Bridge as his team head south to meet the side they have just deposed as champions. "The West Ham game is a very important issue," said Ferguson. "We have to respect our reputation. Alan Curbishley is a good friend of mine but he understands we have to respect the wishes of other managers. I get on very well with Paul Jewell and Alan Pardew as well. They deserve our best attention to the game and I will be picking a team to win on Sunday. I don't know what my team will be at Chelsea but there will be a lot of changes, simply because the players are so tired."

Regardless of which team Manchester united field at the weekend, Keith Peacock insists the mood is good in the camp. "It's not just the results we've got lately", he said. "It's the way we've played. We've played some very good football, got the ball down and the way the goals are conceived and finished has been superb. I'm sure that'll give us an extra bit of confidence going to Manchester United, where we'll have to pass the ball around in order to win. There is that belief that things are going for us and there's nothing quite like confidence and putting a run of good results together. Everyone has that little bit more bounce in their step, that little bit more energy in their play and we need to get off to a good start up at Old Trafford. That will be very important, that we don't concede an early goal. The concentration will have to be total. I think there will be a reasonable atmosphere there as well, to say the least!"

Meanwhile, Sky have confirmed the game at Old Trafford will be shown on Sky Sports One. The game between Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic will be broadcast on Sky Sports Three.

My God, What Sort Of Place Have You Brought Me To?

There's nowt much happening around E13 today so it gives me the opportunity to post a curious interview with Sir Trevor Brooking that I stumbled across. I have no idea where it comes from but it makes amusing reading nonetheless.

Hello Trevor, how are you?
Very well, thanks. And you?

Marvellous, as it were. Now, before we get into the fun stuff, perhaps you'd like to tell us about FA Learning...
Basically, we want to improve coaching skills right across the country and so we're running online courses for coaches. A lot of people who run local teams don't want to go on coaching courses either because they don't have the time or because they worry they might be out of their depth. FA Learning gives them the chance to learn about all aspects of coaching - from exercises to psychology - in their own time and at their own pace.

Good stuff. How do you rate the current standard of coaching in England?
We have good coaches, of course, but generally we're still behind places like France and the Netherlands at most levels. One of the goals of FA Learning is to improve our kids' technique. I watch matches all over the country and sometimes I'm just appalled by what I see.

Strong words, Sir Trevor, don't forget that people like to think of you as a fence-sitter ...
[Exasperated] Sometimes it's unbelievable. A kid can run down the line and get himself into a good position for a cross, only to shank it wide every time - and the parents and coaches just shout: "Oh, hard luck Johnny." Well I'm sorry, it's not hard luck: if he keeps doing it, it's because his crossing technique is bad. If someone can show him, for example, where to put his standing foot when he's crossing, then he'll get better. It's simple, but when players feel they're getting better, their confidence increases and maybe they won't leave the game when they leave school.

Any chance of you getting back into management?
No. My family didn't like it when I was doing it so I've decided that's a challenge I'm not going to pursue any further.

Everyone at West Ham raves about Bobby Moore. Was he really that good?
I was a West Ham fan who watched him from the terraces and then played with him after I joined as an apprentice in 1965. He had such an aura. He had supposed weaknesses of heading, pace and tackling, and yet strikers never seemed to get the better of him because of his reading of the game. He was one of the earliest thinking defenders: he liked to pass the ball out rather than hoof it in the air. When I was a schoolboy at West Ham, you used to go down to the training ground on a Sunday morning if you had an injury. Every single time I saw Bobby training there on his own. The physio told me it was because he liked a night out after a game on the Saturday, so he always came in to sweat it out the next morning. He was the only one in the whole squad to do it. That is a great lesson: you have to train hard as well as play hard.

Who was the best manager you ever worked under?
I'd have to say Ron Greenwood. Technically he was excellent and training was always something we looked forward to; he constantly introduced new things and it was never boring. It really is a shame that when he stopped managing England, the FA didn't find another role for him. It's the same with John Lyall, who of course was Ron's No2 for many years and was also an excellent coach. When he left Ipswich a few years ago, he went out of the game forever.

We can think of a few pundits we would like to see out of the game. Who do you think's the best of a bad bunch?
I suppose I'd better say a BBC one! [Hearty laugh] Seriously though, I think Alan Hansen is great. I have to admit I bumped into him a few weeks ago and asked him to go easy on West Ham's defenders this season! That must be one of the things newer promoted teams dread the most, having to watch Hansen analysing their defences to pieces on a Saturday night.

Does Hansen feel inadequate when talking to you? After all, he doesn't have a road named after him?
[Laughs] It was really very nice of Newham Council to do that. And just beside Brooking Road is Bobby Moore Walk.

Do you monitor developments there? It wouldn't do for the street that bears your names to turn into, for example, a red light district?
[Shocked laughter] No, no, nothing like that will happen there. Touch wood!

Have you bought a house there? Sir Trevor Brooking of Brooking Road is a mightily impressive address ...
[Helpfully] No, but if you're looking to settle in London, that might be the place. I was chatting to an estate agent the other day and he was saying that property values in that whole area will skyrocket in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

What was the nearest you came to leaving West Ham?
When Brian Clough was manager at Derby County, they bid for Bobby Moore and I was part of the deal too. The directors accepted the offer for us, but our manager Ron Greenwood said he would resign if we went and the deal collapsed. When I was with England there were about seven Liverpool players in the squad and they told me on a couple of occasions that Liverpool were keen on me. They wanted to know if I was interested before they made an official approach. But I said no, because West Ham was my team and I was happy in London. My little girl was starting school and I didn't want to uproot the family. When people found out later they thought I had no ambition, but I had other priorities.

Did you sing on England's 1982 World Cup song, This Time (We'll Get it Right)? Who acquitted themselves best in the studio?
There were about three or four players who fancied themselves as the lead singer, but I certainly wasn't one of them. I was more of a backing singer. Little Kevin [Keegan] had already released a solo single, so he wasn't shy of leading the lads. He was joined by Paul Mariner, Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence and, of course, Terry McDermott, the loose cannon of the squad. A few bottles of beer were laid on to help the lads relax, but as I'm teetotal it made no difference to me.

What's the last CD you bought?
The last time I was asked a question like that I happened to mention that I had an iPod - and the next day my staff here at the FA greeted me with total disbelief! I was quite annoyed, they seemed to think that once you're past 50 you're just some doddery old man who knows nothing about technology or pop music! The fact is I'm a bit of a weeniebopper ...

A weeniebopper?
Yes, the last album I bought was probably Dido's 'Life for Rent'. I'll be picking up The Eagles Greatest Hits soon too. I even like to go to concerts from time to time.

Iron Maiden are big West Ham fans; presumably you can be found near the front whenever they're in town?
[Laughs] No, I'm not much of a rocker. Not a rapper either. There was a festival in Kent recently with Van Morrison, Will Young and Ronan Keating and I would have certainly enjoyed that. I said to my wife that we should go but I was only joking because I knew that after what happened that last time we went to see Van, there was no way she'd have agreed.

What happened?
Well, Van attracts a very diverse crowd and we found ourselves parked right behind a group of guys who were smoking stuff that, shall we say, wasn't legal. Then they started passing it around and it was wafting up into our faces. Just as my wife said we should probably move, one of the hippies came over and tried to coax her into dancing with him on the stage! It had been my idea to go to the show and she looked at me as if to say: "My god, what sort of place have you brought me to?"

If somebody were to make a movie of your life, who should play you?
[Chuckles at the very notion] I suppose it would have to be someone quite old for a start! [Racks his brains] Maybe Sean Connery?

Not Roger Moore, a quintessential English gentleman like yourself?
Actually, now that you mention it, I did prefer Moore as James Bond, partially because I remember him as Simon Templar in The Saint, but also because I thought he was more tongue-in-cheek. He took the highs and lows with the sort of blasé humour West Ham fans need!

You appear to have always had the same hairstyle. Have you ever thought of going for something new?
[Large laugh] Have you got any suggestions? I've always been loathe to change it as you worry about how anything new would look. I'm not sure the spikey look which is fashionable at the moment would suit me. Funnily enough, my hairdresser is a punk, Ashley from Barnsley. She has bleached spikey hair and says if I ever doze off in the chair I'm going to wake up looking like her!

When you were around West Ham, did Rio Ferdinand strike you as a person with a bad memory?
I can't remember [huge laugh]! It's a shame how that whole scenario developed for Rio. I'm sure he was only too glad to get back to playing again. At West Ham, I remember a young lad who was always willing to learn. You knew he was going to be a big player. Every now and again you need a lesson in life - this has been a harsh one, but hopefully Rio can really focus and let his football do the talking when he returns.

Do you still scratch your head about how a team with Joe Cole, David James, Paolo di Canio and Jermain Defoe could get relegated from the Premiership?
We were hurt by the first season of the transfer window. In the summer we had three strikers, Frederic Kanoute, Paolo di Canio and Jermain Defoe, and we still considered getting another one. However, we thought they would be fourth in the pecking order and it would be easier to keep just three happy. But within a couple of months Kanoute got a groin injury and was out for four months. Then Paolo did his knee in November and was out for a while. We were without our two main strikers for an overlapping two months and couldn't buy a new one. We then had the farce of playing Ian Pearce as a striker for the whole of December. We had to wait until the transfer window to bring in Les Ferdinand from Spurs. If we'd got him earlier, we would have stayed up. With Les, Jermain and the other two returning from injury we had more of a goal threat and began to win games. We actually finished with 42 points, and no one is likely to go down with as many points as that ever again.

You must have had some uncomfortable requests in your time. What's the strangest thing a fan ever asked you to do?
[Nervous laugh] Probably to sign something that players today wouldn't do for fear of it making it into the papers and getting twisted out of context.

Such as?
All kinds of odd things. Ladies' items and all that.

Finally then Sir Trevor, could you tell us a joke?
A joke! Blimey. How about if I tell you the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me instead?

Why, that's even better. Spill them beans.
Whenever we had throw-ins, I used to walk away from the touchline and pretend I wasn't interested ...

[Slightly disappointed] This story doesn't have anything to do with those ladies items, then?
No! Anyway, this particular time, as I trotted away from the throw-in, the ref had walked right behind me, so unfortunately when I suddenly turned to dash back, my elbow caught him right in the eye and he was knocked unconscious! But Bobby Moore showed why he was such a great captain by running over, grabbing the ref's whistle and blowing up to stop play!

Did he send you off too?
No, I'm one of the few footballers to have knocked out the referee and gotten away with it! Though afterwards, when the ref had recovered, his wife came over to me and joked that she was going to call the police and make sure I get at least 25 years!

Don't do the crime if you can't to the time, Sir Trevor. And speaking of time, we'd best finish up here. Thanks for the chat.
And thank you too.

I Owe So Much To Dario Gradi

The latest entry from Deano's online diary. After you get through the Dario Gradi stuff there's not much left, save a few comments on the fitness struggle and some musings on the inquiry verdict.

I owe so much to Dario Gradi
By Dean Ashton

It was a little bit of a shock to hear that my old boss Dario Gradi has decided to step down as manager of Crewe. He's been there for 24 years and it's hard to imagine Gresty Road without him.

I am not as surprised by who has taken over though, as it's the academy manager Steve Holland who will take his place. It was Steve who scouted me in the first place and he got me to sign for the club when I was 16. He coached me through all the stages when I was younger and really helped me out. I think Steve is the natural successor to Dario; he is known for his fantastic coaching and youth development, so it's no surprise that he will be the next manager. It is just a surprise that it has happened now – I thought Dario might have a few more years in the role. The two of them are different in character, but in terms of how they coach and what they think is right for youth development their ideas are very similar. Steve won't come in and change a great deal – it will be more like carrying on the legacy that Dario started. I hope so anyway, because that’s the way the club is and hopefully that's the way it will always be.

My memories of playing for Dario are mainly of enjoying myself; I was given licence just to play my football and was given all the guidance and all the coaching I needed. Playing for him made me improve no-end, but at the same time Dario was always questioning every attribute of my game - making sure it was as good as could be. If it wasn’t – he was on top of me. It was actually Steve who helped me get my chance in the first team, because Dario probably wasn’t sure at the time. I owe both of them a lot as they played a massive part in getting me to where I am today. I only really appreciated what they had done for me once I had left though, that's how it is when you are young - you always think that you are right and everyone else is wrong. When I look at it now I realise signing for Crewe was the best thing I could have done. Dario hasn’t left completely; it will be a gradual transition as his role changes. I can't imagine him ever actually leaving the game, he lives and breathes it. Even if he only had a small role to play, he would do it.

On the fitness side of things my ankle is doing well; things are going steadily and I am progressing as I should be. I have been back up at Total Fitness again and they are slowly introducing running to me again – it's in water first of all, as that's not so hard on your body, but it prepares you well for proper running. I did some running on the treadmill too, which was good. I don’t have much time to relax at the moment, it is very hard work, but I am progressing nicely.

The decision was made this week not to dock points from West Ham, and obviously I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard. But it is a hefty fine; it's not just a slap on the wrist. It is for the governing bodies to decide and you have to respect the decision that they have made.

Taken from Icons.com

Put Up Or Shut Up

The Telegraph have made a story out of Eggert Magnusson's radio appearance yesterday. They report that the West Ham chairman has told the 'gang of four' clubs threatening to sue the Premier League and/or the Hammers to 'put up or shut up'. Of course, Magnusson never used those exact words but the sentiment is accurate; and it is also apparently shared by Fifa. A story in the Times suggests England could be suspended from international competition and English clubs prevented from playing Champions League and Uefa Cup matches if the "Premier League is taken to court over West Ham United’s use of ineligible players". The fact the players weren't actually ineligible doesn't really matter in this case. Any attempt to involve the courts is expected to receive short shrift from Fifa, which argues that the involvement of state courts in football disputes interferes with the autonomy of the game and undermines the sport’s own arbitration system. Article 62 of the Fifa statutes states: “Recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited unless specifically provided for in the Fifa regulations. To ensure the foregoing, the associations shall insert a clause in their statutes stipulating their clubs and members are prohibited from taking a dispute to ordinary courts of law and are required to submit any disagreement to the jurisdiction of the association, the appropriate confederation or Fifa.”

Talking of legal cases, Charlton chief executive Peter Varney believes his club have a right to challenge the Premier League's punishment of West Ham for breaching player ownership rules. Speaking just hours before defeat to Tottenham condemned Charlton to relegation, Varney said: "We are looking at legal avenues. It is clear what the issues are. It is self-evident the four clubs are unhappy but it is an ongoing process and I cannot comment further. We are down at the bottom of the table because of what we have done this season, not because of West Ham but if you see something that has gone on that is not right it is fair to challenge it." Speaking just hours after defeat to Tottenham condemned Charlton to relegation, manager Alan Pardew was not exactly on the same page as his pay masters. "The league table speaks for itself, there's no politics involved, no court cases, this is where it's at," said Pardew. "What we have to do, more importantly, is focus on our last league game and make sure we leave this division with pride." On the question of the Hammers, Pardew remarked: "I'd love West Ham to stay up because there are a lot of people there I love." And possibly a few people there he loves a little too much, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Looking ahead to the Sunday showdowns, and trigger-happy Ted Warnock has predictably fired the first shots in the psychological war. In a paint-by-numbers piece of mind-gaming the Blades boss said he had no doubts that Alex Ferguson would be putting out his full-strength team, irrespective of Premiership titles or an impending FA Cup Final. "At least I know Sir Alex will play a strong side in the last game," he said. "He’s got his pride. He’ll not disappoint. But it’s up to us. I’m proud of my lads. They have performed miracles."

Lastly, if you are of a volatile disposition it would probably be best for your health if you avoid any of the innumerable West Ham related broadsheet columns that popped up today. For some ill-informed Millwank propaganda you can find Danny Baker's utterings here. For Danny Kelly's sickening ode to collusion look here. For Rod Liddle's big-club conspiracy bollocks check here. Treat all three with caution.

Are You Gonna Bite?

Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?
Mr Blonde, Reservior Dogs

The Premier League is apparently confident it will successfully defend any legal challenge over the decision to fine West Ham rather than deduct points over rule breaches in the Tevez-Mascherano affair, despite the other four clubs threatened by relegation - Charlton, Sheffield United, Fulham and Wigan - confirming last night that they are "in the process of obtaining legal advice" with a view to contesting the verdict. It is unlikely that the aggrieved clubs will be able to raise a credible legal argument because as shareholders in the league the clubs would effectively be suing themselves. As shareholders, the clubs are also signatories to the regulations breached by West Ham. The Premier League believe that the process that led to West Ham's fine is bulletproof and in line with Premier League regulations the case was heard by an independent disciplinary panel.

There is deep frustration within the Premier League at the rebel clubs' actions, which are seen by some as a wilful misrepresentation of the facts, motivated by desperation. Sources point out that comparisons with cases in which clubs have been docked points for fielding an ineligible player are bogus, because Tevez and Mascherano were correctly registered. Claims that a points deduction is an automatic result of breaching rule U18 are incorrect, because the severity of any penalty is left to the discretion of the disciplinary panel. West Ham are confident they will repel any action, arguing that as the guilty party in the case they cannot be held responsible for the tribunal's failure to deduct points.

The Premier League have also rejected claims by the 'gang of four' that West Ham are still in breach of rules by continuing to field Carlos Tevez. The four clubs have protested that the Hammers remain subject to third-party influence, pointing to the fact that the player's economic rights are still owned by Media Sports Investment (MSI) and that West Ham have had to negotiate with the company before being allowed to play him. After meeting in London on Friday to discuss a possible legal challenge to the decision of the independent disciplinary commission, the aggrieved clubs sent a joint letter to the Premier League board calling for a new commission to be set up to investigate West Ham.

The letter said: "We are extremely concerned that WHUFC remain subject to that [third party] influence and as such there is a continuing serious breach by WHUFC of FAPL [FA Premier League] rule B13." It added: "It is incumbent on the FAPL to convene a commission and proceed against WHUFC in relation to this very serious matter." The Premier League board have yet to give a formal response but a league spokesman indicated that the claims would be rejected: "West Ham have satisfied the Premier League board in relation to the third-party agreement." The Premier League remain confident they have acted properly in clearing Tevez to play because, in the opinion of the disciplinary commission chairman, Simon Bourne-Arton QC, West Ham's private agreements with MSI for both Tevez and Mascherano were not legally enforceable in the first place due to "an obvious restraint of trade", even if the club clearly believed that they were valid, enforceable contracts.

While the Premier League are busy absolving themselves of all responsibility, West Ham are set to face a new challenge. According to reports that emerged last night, a third of the Premiership's clubs are ready to go to court and possibly bankrupt the east London club should they avoid relegation. Furious executives from four clubs - Sheffield United, Wigan, Fulham and Charlton - told Observer Sport that at least two others, not directly involved in the relegation fight, could join them in pursuing a legal action over what they consider to be 'a matter of principle'. Although there appears to be no avenue for a legal challenge against the Premier League, the independent commission found that West Ham had lied to League officials about the players' contracts, breaking rule B13, which states that 'each club shall behave towards each other club and League in utmost good faith'. It is this violation that allows any of the relegation-threatened clubs who believe their interests may have been damaged to sue West Ham privately. They can argue that by lying to and misleading the League, West Ham, in effect, lied to each and every rival club.

'A club might have a claim if they could establish that as a result of West Ham playing players they should not have done, the club was subsequently relegated, and if it could show as a result of that, that they have lost financially because they are in the Championship,' said Gerard Elias, a leading sports lawyer. The clubs are waiting for legal advice, which should arrive by late tomorrow or early Tuesday, before launching their action. If West Ham stay up, the clubs will back a legal claim for loss of Premiership status on behalf of any club who drop into the bottom three. They could claim up to £60m according to figures released last week by the country's leading football financial analysts, Deloitte. Even if West Ham go down, the clubs say, a legal case will go ahead regardless.

Elsewhere, Eggert Magnusson, speaking on BBC Radio Five Live this morning, discussed Carlos Tevez's future beyond this season. "I would like to see him at West Ham for the next few seasons but there are a lot of things that have to be resolved before that happens," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is interest from other clubs, so will have to see. I don't know at this point in time, we'll see when the season ends. He's a great lad, a great footballer who loves his football and likes playing for West Ham." In response to the impending threat of legal action the West ham chairman stated: "I leave that up to the Premier League. I can understand in a way but I cannot understand going everyday to the press and saying this and that. If they are gong to make a legal challenge they should come out when they decide to do so. That's my opinion." In other words, are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?

On the tabloid front, the Sunday People claim Rafa Benitez is poised to make a 'sensational' £12million raid for Carlos Tevez. The article claims the Liverpool boss met the dodgy Iranian in a London hotel before yesterday's match against Fulham in an attempt to thrash out a deal. They allege Tevez will quit West Ham at the end of the season irrespective of if the club survive, as the player's agents and owners are fuming about the way they have been portrayed over the controversial deal that has put the Hammers in the dock. The Sunday Mirror have gone with a story that the club will face a second official inquiry, this time from the Football Association. The FA were waiting until the Premier League delivered their verdict before mounting an investigation of their own concerning the FA Cup. Tevez played the full 90 minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion in a third round tie in January and that will be probed by the football authorities. The ultimate sanction could be expulsion from the competition next season but that looks unlikely in the view of the independent commission's assertion that neither of the Argentines was ineligible. Tevez has been given the all clear to play in West Ham's remaining league games, with Eggert Magnusson waiving the right to appeal against the £5.5million fine. The FA can launch their own investigation but without any question mark against Tevez's eligiblity. It is likely they will seek the return of the prize money the club received for reaching the fourth round- £40,000, and possibly the gate receipts which will be in excess of £200,000.

The Star write that four Premiership clubs are on the trail of striker Kepa Blanco, 23, who is on loan from Seville. Although the target for several Spanish sides, Blanco claims Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United have all offered him the chance of playing for them next season. Also in the paper, it is suggested that both Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday have joined Watford in the chase chase for goalkeeper Jimmy Walker. Walker saw his Hammers career put on hold through a serious knee injury suffered in the Championship play-off final two years ago. He was not even on the bench against Wigan Athletic last Saturday and news of the interest from Brian Laws and the Foxes could prompt Paul Jewell to make a move. In addition, Aston Villa boss Martin O' Neill plans to make Nigel Reo-Coker his number one summer transfer target as soon as the season ends. The £4million rated Irons captain is expected to leave Upton Park even if the club win their battle against relegation. Villa manager O'Neill has written a shortlist of transfer targets and is determind to add Reo-Coker to his midfield.

Finally, the News of the World has two transfer stabs in the dark. The first is that Martin Jol will launch a £6million bid for Nigel Reo-Coker this summer. It is thought that Arsenal had a verbal agreement with the Hammers that the 22 year old would move to the Emirates Stadium for £10million, but the Gunners have now scuppered this agreement following the emergence of Brazilian midfielder Denilson. The story claims Reo-Coker is determined to leave Upton Park and Jol views the our skipper as the 'enforcer' his side has been missing. An insider at White Hart Lane said "Nigel's name has been mentioned frequently. There will be a lot of change and it will be a surprise if he does not come in." The other story concerns Eidur Gudjohnsen, who is set to sign this summer if the club survive relegation from the Premiership. Alan Curbishley intends to make a £8million move for the unsettled Barcelona forward who has not been a success at the Nou Camp. Curbishley's spending will not stop there though. He is drawing up a wish list for next season which includes Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent. West Ham was knocked back in their attempt to sign the player earlier this season but if the Addicks go down and the Hammers stay up then Curbishley should get his man.

West Ham United 3 Bolton Wanderers 1

Tevez Thrives On The Transfer Controversy by Jamie Jackson

A season in footballing hell might nearly be over with a result that takes West Ham three points clear of the relegation zone where Wigan - who lost to Middlesbrough - now reside... The Observer

Tevez Points Way To Survival by Duncan Castles

A grim result for the Gang of Four, a good one for their lawyers. Three more points for West Ham United – controversially acquired with the devastatingly effective Carlos Tevez utterly to the fore – lifted the rule-breakers out of the drop zone; expensive legal counsel will now try and put them back there... Sunday Times

Tevez Bid To Beat Drop Fans Flames Of Furious Rivals by Jason Burt

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the justices and misdemeanours, of Carlos Tevez's presence in a West Ham shirt the striker seared an afternoon of rich memories into the mind of every one of the club's supporters yesterday... Independent on Sunday

Tevez Double Twists Knife On Rivals by Ryan Johnson

Carlos Tevez rubbed salt in the wounds of West Ham's rivals in the fight against relegation from the Premiership by scoring two goals in his side's 3-1 win over Bolton... Sunday Telegraph

Hammers Hail Saviour Tevez by Patrick Collins

Carlos Tevez strolled around the Upton Park pitch last night, his face lit by the broadest, brightest, toothiest smile in football. The West Ham fans bawled his name over and over again, and the smile grew wider. The little man is at the centre of one of the strangest controversies of the entire season, yet last night he seemed at peace with the world... Mail on Sunday

Magnusson Tells Rivals To Zip it by Jeremy Wilson

Eggert Magnusson yesterday risked further deterioration in his relationship with West Ham's relegation rivals by delivering a "put up or shut up" message to those planning to challenge the decision not to dock points over the Tevez-Mascherano affair... The Guardian

Tevez Issue Haunts West Ham by Gary Jacob

The problem will go away if West Ham United are relegated on Sunday, but as it is, controversy remains over the man who single-handedly has given them a chance of staying up... The Times

Tevez Still In Spotlight As West Ham Start To Sparkle by Mike Rowbottom

West Ham United's chairman, Eggert Magnusson, insisted yesterday that he would like Carlos Tevez to stay at the club for the next few seasons, but added: "There are a lot of things that need to be resolved before that happens." Something of an understatement in the circumstances... The Independent

Terrific Tevez Hots Up Moral Debate by David Miller

Had West Ham performed for rather more of the season the way they did for the first half-hour on Saturday, they would not now be fearful about legal action by their rivals in an attempt to convert the Premier League's £5.5 million fine into points deducted and thereby relegation... The Telegraph

Tevez Taking It To The Wire by Neil Ashton

There has been the threat of a points deduction, the threat of legal action and a contract that the Premier League claim no longer exists — but it is of no concern to Carlos Tevez... The Daily Mail

The First Shots

Breaking news courtesy of Reuters delivers official confirmation that four clubs are taking legal advice after the Premier League decided against deducting points from West Ham United over the signings of Argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The report states Charlton Athletic, Fulham, Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic are unhappy West Ham were fined a record 5.5 million pounds ($10.97 million) last week, rather than receiving a 10-point deduction for breaching the league's ownership rules. Sky said representatives of the four clubs met at the Harrods offices of Fulham owner Mohamed al Fayed on Friday. "The (league) board are given power under the rules to 'inquire into any suspected or alleged breach of these rules," read a statement from the four clubs addressed to the Premier League. "The FAPL (FA Premier League) have a duty to act in good faith and with reasonable diligence. That duty extends to investigating an alleged breach of the rules where there is some apparently credible evidence of a breach. You should understand we are separately in the process of obtaining legal advice arising out of the terms of the decision. You can expect to hear from us in relation to this in the early part of next week. In the meantime all our rights in that respect are reserved." A Premier League spokesman said: "We will consider the contents of the letter and respond accordingly in due course."

The statement comes on the back of news earlier in the day that Sheffield United are considering legal action against both West Ham and the Premier League in the wake of the Hammers' points deduction 'let-off' last week. The Blades became the first club to publicly confirm this intent, chairman Kevin McCabe revealing the club had lawyers assessing whether action could be taken within hours of the verdict being delivered. "There was no hanging around, no grass growing around our feet," said McCabe. "We took this course of action independently of anyone else in an attempt to try and protect ourselves should we suffer as a consequence of this bizarre decision. We have some excellent and reputable lawyers who have already been looking at this matter for us for a week. Obviously we hope that we don't suffer as a result, but we felt this needed to be done." The article in The Guardian suggests the legal battleground would centre around precedent and the punitive options available to the panel at the time.

Middlesbrough, initially linked to the “Gang of Four”, are not so keen to be implicated in possible legal action, questioning whether it could be successful. According to a lengthy article in The Times, Steve Gibson, the Middlesbrough chairman, spoke to Sir David Richards, his Premier League counterpart, about the matter, but distanced himself from Whelan’s plans. Middlesbrough were docked three points — and relegated as a result — ten years ago after failing to fulfil a fixture because of injuries and illness to 16 players. Although Gibson would privately shed no tears if West Ham are relegated, he will remind Whelan today, when Wigan play Middlesbrough at the JJB Stadium, that his club do not wish to be involved in any group action.

In the same article, it is revealed Carlos Tévez will play against Bolton Wanderers in the vital Barclays Premiership relegation battle today, despite West Ham United not having signed a new agreement for the Argentinian’s services. The Times understands that Kia Joorabchian, who owns the rights to the forward, has not agreed to terminate the contract, meaning that the club could still be in breach of Premier League rules. West Ham had been instructed to cancel or amend the contract because the agreement with Joorabchian potentially allowed him to affect club policy. West Ham told the Premier League that they had “unilaterally” cancelled their contract in a letter to Joorabchian, who has taken legal advice after talks with the club yesterday. The Premier League has accepted West Ham’s version of events, without contacting Joorabchian, and has given permission for Tévez to play for the rest of the season. It is believed that Joorabchian may have given his permission to play the forward today, but the club will probably have to pay the businessman significant compensation to avoid a court case. Whatever the truth, the confusion over Tévez’s situation will further anger the four clubs around them in the fight for Premiership survival.

Whether Carlos Tevez would be allowed to play was almost a moot question. According to a story in The Daily Mail, the little Argentinian will need an injection to help him play through the pain for West Ham on Saturday after spending the week in an oxygen tent in a bid to make the crucial Premiership fixture with Bolton. Tevez has been having daily sessions in the oxygen tent to speed up his recovery from the injury, sustained during an intense training ground session. In fact, so ferocious were the training exercises this week that Alan Curbishley had to call a halt for fear of incurring further injuries. Tevez only declared himself fit to play late last night but a close friend said: "He is desperate to play in this game. He probably shouldn’t because the injury is sore, but after all the furore of the week and the support of the West Ham fans, he will be there. He would play on one leg for the West Ham fans. He wants to score a goal as a thank-you because they have been behind him during this difficult time."

Glenn Moore in the Independent claims the quartet - Wigan Athletic, Sheffield United, Fulham and Charlton Athletic - last night asked the Premier League to review West Ham's continued use of Carlos Tevez. The four clubs want the league to examine whether, as press reports have suggested, Tevez remains subject to "third-party influence", a breach of Rule U18 for which West Ham were punished last month. It has now become the new area of focus as all involved seek to put the brakes on West Ham's recent revival. For their part, the Premier League have also taken legal advice and been told their position is unassailable. They argue the commission, headed by an eminent QC, Simon Bourne-Arton, was independent, had a full range of sanctions available, and that league rules do not mandate a specific punishment.

Alan Curbishley, who has largely distanced himself from the inquiry, has also spoken out. The Independent says West Ham's manager has tried to insulate his team from the situation as he prepares them for a match they know could be rendered irrelevant by court proceedings. "I can understand where the other clubs are coming from," he said, "but look at the system which prevents Tim Howard from playing for Everton against Manchester United, but will allow him to play against Chelsea. Look at the system which allows Premiership clubs to loan out influential players to Championship clubs. It's significant that the two clubs coming up, Birmingham and Sunderland, both loaned players from the Premiership."

Daaaaaave Whelan, Is A Whiner, Is A Whiner

Dave Whelan can eff right off, West Ham's only crime is being a shambolic club
By Russell Brand

Dave Whelan, the chairman of Wigan Athletic, in my view, can eff right off. I'm proper brassed off (at first I was just cheesed off, then browned off till eventually I reached the summit - brassed off) with all of West Ham's fellow relegation strugglers clamouring for a points deduction after last week's tribunal decreed that a £5.5m fine would be penalty enough. Six clubs in total, naturally the ones vying with the Irons for a place in the Championship, all met up, like castrato assassins, thumbing their impotent nubs, plotting litigation against a club that have endured a season of unremitting punishment. Eff off.

Where would it all end? If they successfully brought about legal action to convert West Ham's fine to a points deduction West Ham could protest about that and bring action until the fact that this carousel of legal activity was once "the beautiful game" would be forgotten in the blur. It's interesting though to learn how your team is regarded by folk outside the clan. I was tickled to hear Whelan refer to West Ham as "a big club" and a beneficiary of favouritism. Perhaps one judges the size of the team one follows in the context of the chief rivals encountered; and in the Premiership in London that's Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs - all teams that in terms of silverware and funds overshadow West Ham. Not in the area of support though, no, nor in calibre of supporter, that's where the Hammers tower, precisely because we have to endure defeat, ignominy and poverty (not me personally any more, I've recently acquired a nest-egg).

AFC Wimbledon have suffered a deduction this season for comparable offences and this, along with the demented belief that Wigan or Watford, had they similarly transgressed would have their season's points tally reduced by half and be forced to play their remaining games with teams comprising drugged, woodland animals, is the foundation for Whelan's spiteful scheming. He can eff right off. He's simply a bit peeved that West Ham now have a decent chance of avoiding relegation by, horror of horrors, winning football matches. Call me a cad but this is the fashion in which I like to see the Premiership conducted - perhaps Whelan (and I'm fighting powerful urges to grant him an alliterative nickname now, eg, Whining Whelan) would prefer it if instead of facing Bolton at Upton Park on Saturday West Ham appeared at the Old Bailey and had Rumpole or Judge Pickles decide the outcome of the match using their genitals as a sexy divining rod of soccer justice? I reckon he would, I reckon he'd get off on it.

I myself am a bit peeved that Manchester United didn't win in Milan giving us an all-English final but I shan't dwell on it or start a barmy campaign to have Kaka and Ancelotti appear before Chelmsford magistrates' court and be given community service. I shall just wish Liverpool all the best and hope they bring home the cup, even though they prevented West Ham winning their only trophy for 25 years by beating them on penalties in Cardiff last year. I was disappointed after that match and on the way home, with Olympian and chum Ade Adepitan, the two of us grieved and consoled ourselves with the knowledge that football can be painful and seemingly unfair, we didn't try to raise the ghost of Biblical adjudicator King Solomon and ask him if he could stop Stevie Gerrard scoring just as stoppage time began. It's just not on.

West Ham's purchase of Tevez and Mascherano was obviously, to some degree, irregular, but they have been fined five-and-a-half million quid as a result and it's not as if the transaction was an unqualified success - the whole thing's been a right balls up; as was the sacking of Pardew and the bonds scheme which sold the club to the fans a few years back and the enormous expenditure on a daft model of a boat that adorns the club's foyer. West Ham's only crime is that they are a shambolic club. And that is also their punishment.

Guardian column

The (Not Very) Civil War

In a follow-up to yesterday's story, 'Honest' Dave now claims half a dozen clubs are considering suing the Premier League for failing to deduct points over the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano transfer dispute. Whelan states that three Barclays Premiership clubs have already instructed lawyers to look into the findings of an independent panel, and while he has decided not to seek legal advice personally, the Wigan owner-chairman has vowed to support any proceedings should they materialise. Fulham and Middlesbrough are thought to be two of the clubs leading the threat to sue. The Wigan chairman is convinced the east London club "got away with murder". "There's six clubs involved and I know there are three at present receiving legal advice," he said. "You have owners involved as well as chairmen. You have the likes of Middlesbrough, the likes of Fulham where the owners, like myself, stay in the background. They have come forward big-style to say 'we're not happy with this'."

Whelan then launched a wide-ranging attack on the Premier League, saying none of the other clubs near the bottom of the table would have been treated as leniently as West Ham: "There's a general feeling through the Premier League that what has happened here has been shambolic. The Premier League is in shambles. Had West Ham been deducted points I wouldn't have been elated, but it's clear that this is a very serious offence." In a piece in The Times, Whelen insists: "If there is a case, I think the clubs will vote to take it to court or wherever they think is necessary and I will support them. Had it been a smaller club, ten points would have been deducted. However, it’s West Ham. They’ve been fined £5.5 million, which is absolute peanuts because if they stay up they’re going to get a minimum £35 million.”

An article in The Independent suggests the threat of civil war is now hanging over the Premier League. Andy Hunter believes the admission that six clubs have reached a "gentleman's agreement" to sue the Premier League or West Ham, regardless of whether they avoid relegation, will alarm the organisation and illustrates the depth of the grievance felt at the commission's findings. In any case, there appears to be unilateral support for a ten point penalty to be imposed on West Ham. "All the clubs up to Middlesbrough feel pissed off," said Whelen. "Every club down there, we'll support each other. It's a shame to fall out with other football clubs, but what must be must be. If West Ham stay up it's not justice in any shape or form. I have spoken to other chairmen at length on this. Will it go to court? I don't know. The lawyers are looking at it now. Whether they're going to sue the league or West Ham themselves for damages and loss is another matter. We're waiting for opinions from QCs and I would expect within a week we would have an idea about what they're going to do."

West Ham's new owner, Eggert Magnusson, is said to be confident that no further sanctions will be imposed on his club, because recommended punishments were not contained in the Premier League regulations and no precedent existed to the charges brought against West Ham. However, there is a concern that the involvement of wealthy individuals such as Fulham chairman Mohammed al-Fayed may lead to a lengthy legal dispute. Whelen is looking at a slightly different angle though. Lawyers are exploring how the third-party liability was removed from Tevez's contract on the day before West Ham won 3-0 at the JJB Stadium last Saturday. "If that proves to be illegal, then we've a strong case to get the three points back we lost because that lad was very influential in that game," argued Whelan. "Good luck to West Ham because they've got away with it, but I hope in the end that justice prevails and they go down."

As the storm clouds gather, the Premier League are still refusing to be drawn into a public row with those concerned. According to a report in The Telegraph, they are instead waiting to see if any clubs start legal proceedings against them. It is understood that the Premier League maintain they followed the letter of the law in the case and that there is no precedent for a massive points deduction for the offence. Whelen has a problem with this as well. "The FA is in charge of all rules and regulations and I asked Richard Scudamore why didn't he let the FA handle it," moaned the Wigan chairman. "I think the FA would have been much tougher. They would have gone into it a lot sooner and we'd have had an answer weeks ago."

Alex Ferguson is another name who has thrown his weight behind some form of legal challenge. He is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "It is nothing really to do with us but I do understand it. They have every right to take advice on it because it was a strange decision. I feel for the clubs at the bottom, the pressure on teams like ourselves doesn't compare with the pressure those teams are under. Paul Jewell has done a fantastic job at Wigan but they have never recovered from the decision that went against them at Arsenal. You just hope they can get out of it. That is where the real pressure comes as opposed to teams like us trying to win the league."

Away from the court room, and the Daily Express contains a story that both Matthew Upson and Lucas Neill have declared their intention to stay at the club. Upson, who has been troubled by calf problems, said: “I will not write off playing again this season, but we are running out of games and time and my chances look slim. I have worked hard to get the move here, so to not be able to play given the position the team are in is frustrating. It is difficult, but you look to solve the problem and get on with it rather than complain." Fellow crock Dean Ashton has also met with Magnusson and has been informed he is part of the club's plans regardless of what happens in the next two weeks. The same article predicts, however, that Anton Ferdinand, Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood and Hayden Mullins will all be shown the door by Alan Curbishley this summer.

Finally, the Daily Mirror have picked up on the Carlos Tevez interview on the official site to claim the Argentinian striker may stay at West Ham beyond the summer. Despite being at the centre of a legal wrangle, Tevez said: "I have come to love the people of West Ham and the club. I have always worked hard as a player and as a man and West Ham inspire me to continue doing this. They have always treated me with respect and I admire them for supporting me through this. My aim is to continue working hard for them because just as they love me, I love them." Sky Sports flesh out the story a little more. "There is a possibility I could stay," Tevez told WHUTV. "It is a case of sitting down with the directors of West Ham to sort out a few things, but certainly there is a chance I could stay with the club. The fine and everything surrounding it is something for West Ham and the lawyers to take care of. My only concern, as always, is playing football. We will be doing everything we can to keep this club in the Premier League and for me it is an opportunity to repay the support the fans have shown me. They have supported me from day one and I have a very special relationship with them."

Court Wars

Sometimes I go about in pity for myself while, all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky...
ye olde Ojibwe saying

Irate Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed that his club is considering taking legal action after the Premier League declined to dock West Ham points for fielding ineligible players. Instead of concentrating on his own club's increasingly desperate plight, 'Honest' Dave has become somewhat fixated with the dark machinations of the independent Premier League inquiry. In an article in The Guardian, he is quoted as saying: "This is a very serious offence West Ham committed. They broke the law, told blatant lies and should have got a 10-point penalty. If we can sue West Ham or the Premier League, I am sure that will happen." Indeed, if the Irons do not finish as one of the bottom three sides then the clubs around them may join forces to demand we are demoted. "Justice would be West Ham being one of the two clubs that still has to go down, but justice has so far not been served in this case," Whelen said. "If there was any action taken by the bottom six clubs that are in danger of going down, I'd be a big supporter of that action. I think the bottom six will stick together and take action together whichever two clubs go down, if West Ham aren't one of them. If any action is taken I think it'll be in the next 14 days and I'll support any action that the clubs want to take. The chairmen and chief executives have all spoken and two, maybe three clubs are in the process of taking legal advice, Wigan being one of them. Would we sue the league? We don't know whether we could. Would we sue West Ham? Again, we need to find out whether we can."

According to top sports lawyer Mel Goldberg there could be a case for legal action against the Premier League. In a piece in The Times, he states: “I do believe that, if a club goes down by a point or two, those relegation clubs would have a decent claim. It seems part of the decision has been attributed to the fact that it is near the end of the season and they didn’t want to upset the supporters. That seems to be irrelevant. If West Ham were playing players who were not properly registered, there have been precedents of other teams being dropped points. The rules should be the same." Clubs in lower leagues have previously been docked points for irregularities, while Bury were kicked out of the FA Cup this season. Past precedents would add to a case for relegated teams if West Ham climb out of the bottom three. Goldberg added: "They could possibly ask for money as compensation if they argue they were not being treated fairly."

To continue the litigious theme of this post, another story in The Times suggests Mohamed Al Fayed, the Fulham chairman, has also instructed his lawyers to examine the decision not to deduct points from West Ham United. Fulham are said to be among the clubs unhappy about the reasoning of the three-man independent panel for not docking points, arguing that West Ham should be accountable for their actions. "We are looking at the evidence involved in the outcome very carefully and will review our findings and act accordingly,” a Fulham statement said. Al Fayed has been quick to act in the past if he believes there to have been an injustice. He took action against Jean Tigana, claiming that his former manager had overpaid for players by millions of pounds. Tigana was cleared of any wrongdoing in the High Court in 2004.

In a further twist, the BBC are reporting that former West Ham chairman Terry Brown is also threatening to take legal action against the Premiership club. According to BBC sports editor Mihir Bose, Brown is furious after being sent a letter terminating the contract he signed when he sold the club, a contract that allowed him to earn £1.5m until 31 May 2009. It also contained certain other privileges such as directors' box seats and the job of vice-president. The present regime hold Brown responsible for what they allege is a breach of trust as chairman. Brown's former managing director Paul Aldridge has already threatened legal action, saying his reputation has been "besmirched" by the inquiry into the transfers of Tevez and Mascherano. Aldridge said: "Naturally, my sympathies lie with the club I was chief executive of for 10 years in respect of what seems a very harsh sanction. However, my own personal and professional reputations have been besmirched. The findings accuse me of acting dishonestly and lying. This is hardly natural justice in my view. Until the publication of these findings, my integrity has never been questioned during my career. Accordingly, I have placed the matter in the hands of my lawyer who will be taking the matter further on my behalf."

The Dog's Dinner

There are further reports this morning that Carlos Tevez could be refused permission to play on Saturday against Bolton. An article in The Times claims the club have until Friday to agree a new contract with MSI. Tévez was cleared to play for the rest of the season because the club told the FA Premier League that they had “unilaterally” cancelled their contract with Kia Joorabchian, who owns the rights to the player and could stop him playing for them. However, Joorabchian has denied that he has given permission for the contract to be annulled because he would then have no guarantee that Tévez would return to his control at the end of the season. The Iranian-born businessman says he is willing to make necessary amendments to the contract that would satisfy the Premier League, but he has been unable to meet West Ham officials this week. Unless an agreement is reached, he is unlikely to allow Tévez to play against Bolton on Saturday and Manchester United eight days later. The Premier League has said that is a matter between the club and Joorabchian. “West Ham United can’t just tear up a contract more than anyone else can. It is legally binding on both sides,” a source close to Joorabchian said. “Kia is frustrated because this is not of his doing. He has great affection for the people at West Ham and has absolutely no gripe with the club, the directors or the chairman. He wants them to do well and he is, of course, very close to Carlos and wants the best for him. He has made himself available to West Ham this week [for talks] and hopes they can come to an amicable settlement before the game on Saturday.”

A piece in The Sun clarifies the situation further. Shaun Custis believes it was only a 'gesture of goodwill' from MSI that allowed Tevez to play at Wigan last Saturday. There are apparently a number of problematic legal and financial matters still to be sorted out, not least concerning who would be liable if the Argentinian suffered a serious injury. It appears that despite claims made by a Hammers spokseman yesterday that Tevez would still be able to play in the final two crucial games, it is now understood that West Ham are not in a position to dictate terms — and that they had promised to sort out terms regarding his continued employment at Upton Park.

Elsewhere, The Guardian's expert on football finances, David Conn, has written an article that asks : "How do we make sense of the dog's dinner that is West Ham's punishment?" Conn states that the independent commission has managed the rare feat of uniting football. Nobody seems to like it. Not Eggert Magnusson, who is said to be shocked at the record fine and considering a legal challenge; not Paul Aldridge, who believes his personal and professional reputations have been besmirched; and certainly not the other clubs around the bottom of the table, for who a legal challenge is almost a certainty. Conn concludes, "if Tevez continues to rampage the Hammers to safety, it is difficult to imagine that the clubs relegated instead will accept their fate quietly." The Daily Mail have picked up on that last point in The Screamer section. They suggest five clubs are set to mount a legal challenge against the Premier League’s decision to fine West Ham £5.5million for fielding ineligible players. Fulham, Sheffield United, Charlton, Wigan and Middlesbrough are angry that West Ham have not lost points for playing Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore met Wigan chairman Dave Whelan yesterday to try to smooth over the row but a senior official at one of the clubs said: "It is within the Premier League rules to challenge the decision and we will be looking at it. They said it was a serious breach of rule U18 and, according to the rules, that should carry a points deduction."

The Daily Mirror claims Richard Scudamore's summit meeting with Whelan was the first of a whirlwind tour of all those clubs threatening revolt over the independent inquiry. Relegation battlers Charlton, Fulham, Wigan and Sheffield United are at the heart of the fight, but insiders reveal there may be as many as six in support of action and are threatening court action. Scudamore is frantically trying to appease the rebels whose anger is fuelled by West Ham's admission that they were guilty of breaking a rule and lying to cover it up. Also, in the same paper, there is a story that Watford defender Danny Shittu is a £3million target for the Irons. Strangely, the article claims that boss Alan Curbishley is "desperate to strengthen his central defence" despite this being one of the areas of the team where we have too many players already on our books. The piece states that even if we do go down there will be money to spend.

Lastly, there is excellent analysis in the Martin Samuel column in The Times that looks at the loan system and how it is open to abuse.