Forgive me this indulgence, but anyone who reads this blog will know what I have been going through for the last 90 minutes. I can still hardly believe West Ham did it. I went to Old Trafford the last time we won in 2001 when Defoe scored the winner and vowed never to go back as I couldn''t imagine a day better than that. I was wrong. Today defied logic.Today West Ham became the first team to do the double over Arsenal and Manchester United in the same season for thirty years. We had a team of heroes. James Collins, you were fantastic. Carlos Tevez, please stay. Mark Noble, you'll play for England soon. I shall be writing my full views over at my West Ham blog. It's such a pity I don't drink. I'd be getting bladdered right now if I did.
I really feel for Sheffield United fans. Much as I despise their manager their team deserved better than they got today. Congratulations to Manchester United on their championshp. They really deserved it.
Today could mark the start of something special for West Ham. They have a chairman who will back the manager and the team. I'd be very surprised if West Ham found themselves in this positiona gain next season. 1-0 to the Cockney Boys!!!
66 comments:
Cheats never prosper - but the exception proves the rule.
Count yourself lucky Ronaldo didn't perform his usual dive in the 45th minute of a tough game.
Congratulations West Ham.
The idiots on Radio 5 are already saying there is to be a court challenge...
Just the legal action to worry about now then.
Aren't you celebrating prematurely given that the High Court may well mandate a points deduction ???
Absolute disgrace. I have never been so angry watching a game before. EVen England don't get me this mad. West Ham are lying, conniving cheats and should have been relegated.
Oddball, let me say one thing to you. Just Fuck off.
Congratulations. Supporting any team in any sport can induce a heart attack.
A very sad case of cheats prospering. I feel very sorry for Sheffield United who have been cheated out of a place in the Premier League.
I think West ham may well still be relegated yet. I have yet to meet a genuine football fan with no axe to grind who doesn't think they have cheated.
Surely they will have to have the points deducted. What is the point of football continuing if such blatant cheating is condoned?
foopball, hem-hem, really, I say, poo ur gosh.
it seme yor atenshun needs dragging to the stuning F1 result....
whizz for atoms, indede
If West Ham do have to get points deducted, it should be from next season's tally, not this one. The last thing the Premiership, and football as a whole needs is endless court battles deciding the fate of clubs rather than their performance on the pitch. They did a silly thing, and a £5.5 million fine isn't exactly a slap on the wrist. Let's just move on.
Cant wait to see Tevez wear the number 9 at Anfield next season!
West Ham probably won't be in the same position next year. They'll finish in the relegation zone. Apart from Tevez you have no real leaders on the pitch and let's face it, you'll have one less next season!
Let's hope that when the Hammers buy somebody to replace him your team does it legitimately.
Lucas Neill? Mark Noble? You obviously know nothing about West Ham if you don't see them as leaders.
As patrick Barclay writes in today's Sunday Telegraph:
"Even if we take the League's word, West Ham have been allowed to legitimise a document retrospectively. It is a ridiculous form of justice. You might as well allow embezzlers to pay back their gains with impunity, or pardon drunk drivers when they sober up."
I hope that sense will now prevail and that either all the other premier League Clubs support Sheffield United in their court case or Richard Caborn intervenes.
Tevez scoring leaves a bitter taste and I think west ham fans should keep as quiet as possible rather than crowing as they may yet provoke quite a backlash!
djm, West Ham broke the rules and got a benefit this season, not next season. A £5.5m fine is pifflingly inadequate, given that the player in question undoubtedly kept West Ham up, and thus guaranteed about £30million more in income next year. It stinks to high heaven that they are staying up. Then again, I suppose it's easier to stay up when the other 19 clubs are playing to rules that don't seem to apply to you.
Unfortunately a court challenge will almost certainly fail, unless there's evidence that the independent tribunal wasn't acting independently. But let's make no mistake. West Ham do not deserve to be in the Premiership next season.
Indulge yourself at length Iain, given the final table, any team that does the double over Arsenal and Man Utd doesnt deserve to go down. Any court case will fail, as even if 3 pts were deducted, my reading of the table is that the Hammers would be safe.
.. and I still haven't forgiven Hammers fans for smashing up Bishops Park in the 60's (adjacent to Fulham FC)
Well done. After a performance like this The Hammers deserve to stay up.
But it does force you to ask one akward question. What were the team doing for for the rest of the season?
Maggie Thatcher Fan - if West Ham were now deducted three points they would be relegated
Hmm..But my question, Iain, is this.
If West Ham think their behaviour was defensible, why are they willing to pay a £ 5 million + fine ??
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/article1782357.ece
Watched the match in Carrickfergus Cricket Club (what,no cricket?)There was this Hammers fan who danced the whole match. His wife and son also yelled the place down at every important momment. Incredibly all the Man U fans cheered him and his kin as well. Who says there is no Harmony in Northern Ireland.
Ken, Tevez was inarguably a great asset in the latter part of the season, but his arrival, along with that of Maschereno, was cited as a major factor in West Ham's early season difficulties, and indeed in the departure of Alan Pardew. The disruption they caused while fitting into the squad's ethos and style of play outweighed Tevez's contribution towards the end of the season.
I don't think any West Ham fan would reflect on 2006-07 and call it a success. They expected to do a lot better, and with the players they had they certainly should have done. If the players were not eligible for registration when they signed for the club, surely the FA and the Premier League share some of the blame for not applying their strictures much earlier and for failing to adhere to the correct protocols at the time of the event?
It is a mess, and there is no outcome that will not leave a significant faction feeling aggrieved and hard done by. Hopefully this situation will not arise again, and the authorities will act with greater speed and equanimity in future.
Wooo-hooo. I still don't adam and eve it.
This is one subject we can both agree on (and then you not do the opposite to comply with the party line)
A great day for Hammers fans.
West Ham
Bloody crooks
Rejoice Iain
Funny how principles float down the gutter in the beautiful game
Crooked top to bottom
West Ham staying up is a perfect example of how 10 years of Bliar has changed the country. Cheats have prospered, documents tampered with and honest football fans cheated.
And nobody seems to care........
thanks Tony
I have to say, it's fucking hilarious the idiots in this thread who think that West Ham cheated other teams into relegation.
Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United were shit this season. West Ham have been pretty shit too frankly and didn't find any form until the end.
Iain, you owe me a tenner.
"Oddball, let me say one thing to you. Just Fuck off."
Iain, congratulations to the Hammers, two wins against the champions nothing to be sneezed at. Also, is that a rare and collectible example of Dale spleen?
Without seeming sanctimonious, I seem to recall an earlier post scourging the rogues who use such language in their comments.
Football? zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Clothilde Simon
I'm pleased the Hammers stayed up as one who appreciates West Ham's traditional values - The Lyall style etc - but on the other hand, however shit that Wigan, the blades etc were (and indeed my beloved Manchester City), West Ham cheated. Tevez and Mascherano were illegals and the fact that Tevez kept you up is a disgrace. This isnt over I'm sure.
Shergar is quite right, some double standards from our esteemed host methinks. Perhaps the canute word will become permissible next.
Not being a football fan - what's West Ham? Is it like Wiltshire Ham?
Iain - is that you effing? West Ham have clearly cheated and clearly lied about that. There will clearly be some legal action now. If only United had got in three or four of their 11 shots on goal in the first half. Nice touch having the subject of all the lying and cheating scoring the goal that put Sheffield down. Points deduction is the only sensible remedy for what was done. The amount of money was/is pitiful.
Oddball is fucking off ...to somewhere that appreciates an honest, true and correct opinion.
I love you Dave.
You too Iain, sorry I hit a raw nerve. Not.
xx
Congratulations West Ham! and congratulations Iain! LoL. Does mean the end of Teddy? I will really miss him.
So your cheating cockneys get fined £5.5 million but make over £40 million through avoiding relegation.
Let's hope Sheff Utd and Wigan's legal challenge succeeds and the cheats of West Ham have points deducted and get the relegation they so richly deserve.
However in the spivs paradise created by New Labour it's most unlikely is it not!
£5.5M fine is something like a quarter of what they'd lose in one year with a five point deduction. If it's next year it should be massive ... and why should Sheffield United go down as a result? Largely from Tevez goals in the last 10 games ...
The game is a mess. The FA are being way to slow in doing the necessary.
What's that stuck on your head in the inset, a writ from Sheffield United !
Interesting point. If this went to court and West Ham were docked points, what would happen then.
A few years ago a dispute arose in
Italy between Catania and Napoli
over who should be relegated from Serie B in similar cirumstances. After court cases etc they league extended the size of Serie B and both stayed up.
Could a similar solution happen here, after all the old Division One used to be 22 teams.
More importantly the end of the Premiership season brings with it the end of the Fantasy Premier League season. Something about £100 worth of goodies?
Without Tevez, West Ham will go down next season anyway and good riddance to them and their violent, racist, scumbag so-called supporters.
You are on to a loser with this one Iain.
West Ham are all over the BBC news as cheats , £5m fine , inquiry etc, etc . And no doubt the saga will run in the press for some time.
Be Honest Iain you are not being honest on this one and your trust to your blogging mates is much tarnished today by not admitting your wrong in your support on this one.
Potential MPs need to be trusted by their track record.
SYDNEY, West Ham went before an independent commission and were punished with the largest fine ever given out in football. They accepted the punishment. That should be the end of the story.
Your other remarks are stupid in the extreme.
West Ham are my team and you can hardly blame me for being happy they have avoided relegation.
Iain says: "West Ham are my team and you can hardly blame me for being happy they have avoided relegation."
Of course you should be happy West Ham are staying up! Alan Curbishley is a great manager and West Ham should do really well next season. Perhaps not as well as Arsenal. :)
Ignore the boneheads - sour grapes.
..and stayed up with one point less than we went down with last time!
Kick racism out of football (
I'm all for free speech but I don't see why anyone should allow comments like this on their blog. Free speech has nothing to do with a person's right to maintain standards on their own publications. Everyone's free to say what they want, just get your own blog to spout you hate speech is my feelings on the matter.
Congrats on staying up, the fans and players had nothing to do with the off-field doings. Their record over the past ten games speaks for itself.
As a football fan, I'm glad West Ham are still in the Premiership; I think it's better for it.
Iain, they were fined £5m and it was worth paying it as it was ultimately worth £50m to stay in the premier League.
The conservative Party is your team too so, obviously you will still support them if they fall with Sleaze etc etc.
I think some people here are getting too fixated on their personal likes and dislikes - the sad thing is that the Premiership is becoming dominated by big money and it is spoliing the game. West Ham survived because of a large injection of money from Egghead, which came from god knows where after mixing with another set of big money investors - the soul of the club (and yes it was a very decent soul). In the meantime community based clubs like Sheffield United and Charlton (the only premiership football club to ever be nominated for a business in the community award - when they should all be trying to be nominated) get relegated to join other such clubs in the lower divisions because they cannot compete with clubs backed by large investors. Surely we need to start placing some restriction son what clubs are allowed to spend - if only to make the game competitive (even the US tries to even out the best players through draft picks etc.). Rampant capitalism has a tendency towards monopoly/oligopoly and I don't think that is what most people want in British football.
In the meantime i look forward to another whitewash from the Steven's/Quest enquiry - which has already indicated that 5(?) unnamed premiershipo clubs have committed signifcant rules breaches.
How long before CAmeron begins to think there are votes in football politics anyone?
Iain, old chap,
You've attracted some pretty nasty comments today, but the end of the season relegation battle is bound to bring out the worst in already over-charged emotions amongst fans whose teams are facing the drop.
Forget the quasi-legalities for a moment...I'm delighted that Bobby Moore is finally going to receive some of the recognition at the new Wembley Stadium that he didn't receive when he was alive.
With this in mind, I would like to pay tribute to a fellow blogger "True Blue", who, as an Everton supporter has not exactly had to worry about the rise in price of "Silvo" silver polish over the past 20 or so years.
Bless 'er.
Tory Boys: Interesting comment...I think of football as an artform.
You say "Rampant capitalism has a tendency towards monopoly/oligopoly"
Well, the same could be said of commercialisation in the film industry, the music business, the fine art world...
Money does change everything - but that is the way the world works.
EM Forster poses the question, who would you choose your friend or your country.
Who would you choose Iain, West Ham or the Conservative Party.
So Iain, sleaze and cheating are OK when they benefit you or your football team eh?
Thanks for clearing that one up.
ps have your crocodile tears for Sheffield Utd dried up yet?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6652931.stm
I thought you had a separate blog for this rubbish? Or did no one read it there, so you've posted it here?
Perhaps you should take the hint, and stick to what you're good at.
"SYDNEY, West Ham went before an independent commission and were punished with the largest fine ever given out in football. They accepted the punishment. That should be the end of the story.
Your other remarks are stupid in the extreme.
West Ham are my team and you can hardly blame me for being happy they have avoided relegation".
But Iain ,this will not be the end of the matter. The footballing authorities need to get their act together. This season AFC Wimbledon were deducted 3 points for fielding an inellegible player. So why not West Ham? Why should one rule "apply" to the Premiership and onne for the Ryman or any other league.
The Tevez issue apart, from the matches I saw (quite a few this sseason) the Hammers have to thank the outstanding heroics of their goalkeeper. Without his brilliant performances - and the several bucketfuls of sheer luck he enjoyed - WHU would have undoubtedly finished at least 15 points worse off.
Iain, as a Man United season ticket holder who was there yesterday, all I have to say is....
Bloody Party Poopers!
Seriously - well done.
You're a lucky, lucky bastard Dale! Remember that!
http://conservativemindblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/iain-dale-youre-lucky-lucky-bastard.html
I don't see any real problem with a court challenge - it is part of due process for organisations operating under English Law.
I hope that it goes through quickly.
The one result I do want to see is a drop in the compexity of corporate machinations in football.
Matt
Interesting to hear all these comments about "cheats" and how the FA must dock points from cheats who break the rules.
If you consider all the diving, play acting, shirt tugging and the intimidation of referees - all of which are "cheating" and against the rules of the FA then I guess we should be seeing Chelsea, Arsenal and Manure being deducted around 60 points a season.
And I guess we'll be seeing Argentina stripped of their 1986 World Cup win for "cheating" agaist England.
No?
It's been decided where it should be - on the pitch. The FA have made their decision and the ret of the clubs should just shut up and stop behaving like a bunch of spoilt brats. The FA should respond by telling each and every one of them - any more complaints and you'll be the club deducted points. End of.
I've changed my mind about this. Originally I thought there was no way this decision could be overturned.
But reading between the lines Whelan thinks he has a water tight case. That's why he is still pushing it even though Wigan are safe.
Seems to me that West Ham think they got around the regulations by saying they ripped the contract up. but Whelan and the others think in reality the Premier League have to prove that West ham resolved the issue. So if they can't produce proof of a new contract the ruling can be legally overturned.
That is why Whelan no longer even bothers to make the case that the verdict was flawed. He obviously is pretty certain no new contract has been produced and is concentrating on the killer issue rather than the bigger picture ie natural justice.
Added to a much bigger media and supporter backlash than I expected and you have a powerful cocktail.
It will have to be resolved quickly but I should think Scudamore is an extremely worried man at the moment.
My team is Aston Villa and there is a supporters poll on the fans site at the moment asking if the Villa should back the other clubs legal action against West Ham. 100% are in favour at the moment. says it all!
djm took the words out of my mouth.
The Argentinian pair were a liability when they joined the club.
They (innocently) disrupted the team spirit and cost West Ham quite a few points. They weren't even used effectively at first, particularly Maschereno.
Re Sheffield United: you can't help laughing. Warnock is a born loser; a provincial twat with ideas above his station.
I think every fair-minded observer concludes, with me, that WHam should have had a points deduction. At least 3, probably more.
But I don't think this thing should have to go to court, with all the concomitant expenses. If the PL clubs were to call for an EGM and overturn the decision that would be enough, justice would be done and it would be nice to see people in football putting their own house in order rather than having justice imposed from outside.
This appeal is going to win and, Iain, you and the other middle class cockney wannabes will be laughing on the other side of your faces when you're playing Scunny next season.
Never mind, you're only part time supporters anyway. You should never have read that crap book by that ponce Hornby
Sidebottom, I can understand your animosity towards Nick Hornby for his allegiance to The Arse, but he wrote High Fidelity as well, and, speaking from experience, he was right on the nose with that one.
Everyone, think back to August and reflect on the fact that absolutely no-one was tipping West Ham for relegation. The Argentinean deal did them a lot more harm than good, and the relegation places have panned out more or less as expected. As I said before, let's move on.
Oh, in case anyone's wondering. I'm an Aberdeen fan, so I'm as neutral as you're going to get in this case.
That last comment was me, btw.
The INDEPENDENT tribunal decided the punishment, so that really should be that. As for Sheffield, all they (and Wigan) had to do was bag a few more points in the 3 months that West Ham decided they could play after all. They didn't and reap the consequences of complacency/ poor form.
By the way it makes a pleasant change to find Tories who aren't totally mad.
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