Barnsley are reportedly close to signing former loan winger Kyel Reid from West Ham United for a fee of around £200,000.

The 19-year-old played an integral part in the Tykes’ successful battle against relegation from the Championship and boss Simon Davey admitted that he was keen on taking him back to South Yorkshire this summer. Kyel Reid suggested that he would have liked a crack at playing in the Premiership, but it now appears that West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is ready to offload him.Kyel Reid’s agent Lara Southworth confirmed on Wednesday that, if it did not work out at Upton Park, he would be delighted to return to Oakwell and it now looks like he will get that opportunity.

West Ham United have reportedly snubbed a £3million bid from Premiership rivals Wigan Athletic for left-sided midfielder Matthew Etherington.

Matthew Etherington who was born in Cornwall on 14th August 1981 started his career at Peterborough United for whom he made 43 appearances, netting six times before a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur in 13th December 1999. The deal was worth £7000.000 and also involved Simon Davies joining Spurs as well and he went on to make 20 Premiership appearances scoring once. Whilst at White Hart Lane he was loaned to Bradford City in October 2001 fro a couple of months for whom he netted once in 12 league appearances. (more…)

West Ham United are stepping up their plans to land Newcastle United captain Scott Parker With a bit of £7m.

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.

Newcastle United are likely to demand at least £7m for Parker who, although captain, has endured a difficult time at St James’ Park through injury and the under-achievements of the team.

The Actim Index  the Official Player Ratings of the Barclays Premiership has revealed that Australian international defender Lucas Neill is The Hammers’ Actim Player of the Season 2006/2007.

Lucas, who finished 81st in the final Index, is West Ham United’s highest ranked player in the Index this season with 355 points. He has contributed 14 shots, 101 tackles, 40 clearances, 45 interceptions, nine blocks, nine dribbles, 261 passes, 39 crosses and five assists in 2,881 minutes of football. (more…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovKdLRZ3tc

Yossi Benayoun had a showdown meeting with West Ham United yesterday in which he was likely to ask for a transfer 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. (more…)

Benfica’s Nuno Gomes says he is ready to make a move to the Premiership.

Nuno Gomes has been watched by scouts from Upton Park and has spoken to his Portugal team-mate Luis Boa Morte about a possible £3million move to the East End.

The 30-year-old Portuguese striker believes.

“It is an attractive opportunity to play in England because I have always enjoyed watching it on television,”
“I have watched my Portuguese team-mates Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira and it makes me believe I can make a move to England.

“I’m happy at Benfica but a proposition to Europe would be my last big deal. I am ready for an English adventure.”

West Ham United chairman Eggert Magnusson is willing to hand Carlos Tevez a staggering £6 million-a-year deal to keep him at Upton Park.

That would put him amongst the top half-dozen earners in the Premiership - but it still might not be enough to keep him at Upton Park, says the People.

An Upton Park source said: “Everyone at the club is desperate for Carlos to stay. He has an amazing rapport with the fans and seems to be very settled here.

“The chairman will break the bank to keep him, even if it will cost £31m to sign him on a long-term deal, and he will use the Premiership TV money plus other sponsorship to bankroll the deal.

West Ham United’s captain Nigel Reo-Coker wants out of Upton Park after claiming he has been singled out for abuse by fans for the poor form of the team.

Tottenham boss Martin Jol had targeted 23-year-old Nigel Reo-Coker, who is disillusioned at West Ham,but his dream move to Spurs is in the balance. (more…)

Harry Redknapp has predicted the break-up of the ‘Gang of Four’ who have lined up together to fight the Premier League for their failure to deduct points from his former club West Ham United.

West Ham were found guilty of playing ineligible players, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, but were fined £5.5million rather than being assessed a points penalty and ultimately retained their top-flight status after a final day victory at Manchester United. (more…)

Last week Junior Stanislas was awarded the Bobby Moore Young Player of the Year after an exceptional first term at Upton Park which saw him fire in nine goals for the youth team and a couple for the reserves, where he become a regular alongside more senior players. (more…)

The wizardry of Carlos Tevez took West Ham to the brink of Premiership survival yesterday.

West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley last night praised the courage of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez after his contribution to this crucial victory at Upton Park.

Carlos Tevez scored twice and made the other for Mark Noble.Gary Speed grabbing the late consolation as West Ham secured their sixth win in eight games, and a delighted Alan Curbishley said: “It is in our hands for the first time”.

“Carlos did very well to play,he picked up an ankle injury on Tuesday and although he joined in training on Friday, it didn’t look good.But he assured us he would be OK and we are glad he was out there.”

(more…)

 Wigan Athletic  millionaire chairman Dave Whelan last night claimed West Ham United “got away with murder” over Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano and pledged to fight for them to be hit with a 10-point penalty.

Dave Whelan confirmed six clubs were in talks with lawyers over possible legal action against the Premier League or the Hammers.

Dave Whelan  said: “We’re p***ed off. What’s happened isn’t right.”

West Ham who were fined £5.5million by the Premier League. For failing to reveal the full details surrounding the deal which brought Carlos Tevez and fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano to the club.Were forced to amend the contract so Carlos Tevez could face Wigan Athletic last weekend. (more…)

WEST Ham are considering taking legal action against former chairman Terence Brown and chief executive Paul Aldridge after the club was handed a record £5.5m fine.

West Ham United were found guilty of breaching two Premier League regulations relating to the signings last summer of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

The signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were negotiated by Paul Aldridge, Terence Brown and Scott Duxbury (Scott Duxbury is still at the club). (more…)

West Ham moved closer to safety and piled the pressure on Wigan Athletic with a convincing 3-0 victory at The JJB Stadium.

Alan Curbishley’s side are now level on points with Wigan Athletic, and only goal difference separates them from a place outside the bottom three.

Luis Boa Morte with the opening goal after 30 minutes and West Ham rammed home their advantage in the second half with two fine goals from Yossi Benayoun and Marlon Harewood.

The first Goal came on the half hour mark as Luis Boa Morte latched onto Lucas Neill’s pass, shrugged off the attentions of Boyce and chipped over Filan, who had suffered a rush of blood to the head and ran out of his area in an attempt to clear the danger. (more…)

Alan Curbishley says that his plans for tomorrow’s vital fixture at Wigan are unaffected by the Premier League’s investigation into the transfers of Javi Mascherano and Carlos Tevez.

“At the moment, whatever comes out of the inquiry is irrelevant,” he said. “It’s secondary to what we’ve got to do this weekend, and will only be a distraction once they make their decision and we know where we all stand.

“The timing of the inquiry is not ideal but perhaps it’s been done for the benefit of all the clubs around us, not just for West Ham.

“Who knows what thinking has gone into it. But they’ve been determined to have this inquiry and there is obviously something there they want to investigate.

“I’ve not thought about the possibility of a points deduction. I’m not going to be distracted by that.

“The most important thing is to get the points we need, then worry later about whatever decision is made.”

West Ham expect to be fined in the region of £300,000 by the Premier League inquiry into the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

They have been advised by lawyers that a large financial penalty is most likely and, in any case, will appeal if found guilty.

West Ham have been accused of breaking rules over third-party ownership of Tevez and Mascherano, who is now at Liverpool, and showing bad faith towards the league in waiting until January to file loan agreement paperwork. (more…)

JAMES Collins has no intention of leaving West Ham in the summer.

James Collins is adamant that he will not be on the departure list. The centre-back’s return to the first team after months out with a groin injury heralded a run of three wins in three, and the Welsh international still believes he has more to prove to West Ham fans. (more…)

Carlos Tevez is set to make a sensational move across London to join Chelsea if West Ham are relegated from the Premiership.

The Argentina international banged in a stunning goal in last night’s derby at Upton Park to register the remarkable achievement of uniting Blues owner Roman Abramovich and manager Jose Mourinho in their admiration.

They were also both full of praise for his hard work ethic as he refused to give up his side’s cause in the 4-1 defeat which all but condemns the Hammers to the Championship.

Chelsea were interested in Carlos Tevez before the capital clash but his five-star display has only heightened the desire to land him.

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson is determined to keep Carlos Tevez and other top stars at Upton Park but is fighting a losing battle with the South American, among others.

Chelsea are also checking out Heerenveen’s Brazilian striker Afonso Alves, who has scored 29 goals in 29 games this season.

Alan Curbishley today paid tribute to the unsung heroes in the Hammers side after seeing his charges earn a 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Performance of  the day going to Robert Green with a string of fantastic saves.

After they kept a second consecutive clean sheet, Alan Curbishley said: “We don’t praise our defenders enough. Rob Green produced a fantastic display and the back four got a foot on everything else. (more…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rbk3ZUcY9w

With the Hammers set to take on Arsenal at the Emirates stadium today, Alan Curbishley admitted he won’t be ringing the changes after the last two results.

“We’ll be taking roughly the same squad as we had last week,”Yossi Benayoun needed to be rested after playing two games in four days for Israel, but the team have done alright. Yossi’s trained all this week so we’ll see what happens.” (more…)

After Saturday’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, George McCartney insisted the Hammers are looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“Our confidence is up again,” George said. “The past is over with. You have to look to the games ahead. It’s a massive game next week away against Arsenal but we beat them at home a few months ago and I can’t see any reason why we can’t put in another good performance with our confidence high and look to get something”. (more…)

West Ham United took a small step on the road to recovery with the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday, but it will take a giant leap for the team to avoid relegation. Eggert Magnússon, has set the team a target of taking a further 12 points to reach 38 and possible safety this season.

Closing the five-point gap to Sheffield United, whom West Ham play on Saturday week, appears to be a big challenge with three of the top four teams still to play, starting with Arsenal on Saturday. (more…)

Alan Curbishley has Praised Argentinian ace Carlos Tevez but admits West Ham must stay in the Premiership to keep him at Upton Park.

Following a slow start when Carlos arrived at West Ham United,Carlos Tevez is becoming a key factor in the club’s recent upturn in fortunes.Which has seen them win two games on the bounce and move to within five points of Premiership safety with seven games remaining. (more…)

Eggert Magnusson: Part Two
Copyright © Graeme Howlett
www.kumb.com

Welcome to the second part of our recent interview with Hammers Chairman Eggert Magnusson.

KUMB: I’d like to ask you about the threat of relegation. Four years ago Terry Brown infamously said ‘there will be no fire-sale at this club’, and that players wouldn’t be leaving. Are we likely to have a wholesale clearout this time should we be relegated? How committed are you to holding on to our better players?

EM: First of all, let me say that we have Middlesbrough on Saturday - and I still think we can survive. We have said this for some time [laughs] and the more games we have lost, the chances are less. But I still think our side is far too good, there are too many good players to go down. So if we can win on Saturday, the confidence will come back. It’s all down to us, we have to win some games. I’m very happy to see Charlton doing well because I think the more teams that go into this group fighting for survival, the greater our chances are. (more…)