We Can Still Do It! 

Cemented into 10th place for the foreseeable future, Alan Curbishley still has hopes of a European finish.

After only claiming only 1 point from 6 in our last 2 fairly easy games, and Spurs slowly but surely catching up, West Ham may find it a bit of a struggle to get much higher in the league than what we already are.

“We all think it is in our grasp,” the manager said. “The players are really
disappointed. We have got to pick ourselves up when we go to Fulham which
will be a really tough game again. Last week, the results went for us and
perhaps this week they didn’t. We have got to start winning our games.

“We have got a little bit of a break now and it will do a few of them some
good - especially [England's Matthew] Upson. I am hoping that after a couple
of days rest, they can come back recharged and get going again. The players
that have been playing have done fantastically well. I know everyone is
disappointed but we have got 37 points. What they have achieved so far with
the problems we have had shouldn’t go unnoticed and perhaps it has a little
bit.”

I believe the 4-5-1 system is working for us and is the way forward, and Ashton is still nowhere near fit, so how on earth does he hope to get a place in England is beyond me, but he will improve as time goes on, maybe a few more reserve games will help him.

If we do not win the game against Fulham, then we may have to kiss the European places goodbye until next season.

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Curbs stated on Sky that the new site was in Canning Town near the Olympic Stadium, most of us already know its the old ParcelForce land.

Whats Curbs said on Sky:-

“I didn’t realise how big West Ham was until I got inside it. I obviously played there and managed against them but until I actually got to the club I didn’t realise how big it was,” Curbishley said on Sky Sports.
It’s a big club and we feel we can become bigger. There’s plans for a new stadium and for us to push on but obviously we’ve got to lay the foundations for that to happen. As I understand it we can’t develop Upton Park.

“We have 35,000 capacity and we’ve got 8,000 waiting list for season tickets, we know we can attract more fans and if we move a couple of miles into Canning Town near the Olympic stadium in Stratford.
“Then once the infrastructure goes in we can attract 60,000. That’s the plan and if we can do that then we might be able to push on and become a bigger club.”

The London development Agency have given WHUFC the full blessing to start negotiations for the site, The Stadium plans are due to be handed in to the LDA early 2008.

There will be a new entrance to West Ham Underground for easy access to the site & a large car park which will be used during non games for the Olympics to use.

The site will be around 5.5 times bigger than Upton Park Stadium Picture Below, as you can see, i have superimposed Upton park on the site to give you an idea on the size.

Click the pic to enlarge

It will cost around £250 Million to build the Stadium and be funded by Our West Ham owners bank Landsbanki.

Revenues at the moment at Upton park are around £900,000 a week which will rise at the New stadium to about £2.5 - £3 million with a full stadium, which is in-line with Arsenal and the Emirates Stadium which also hold 60,000 capacity, which has now made Arsenal the richest club in the EPL.

Hopefully the site and Stadium will be finished before the opening of the Olympic Games in 2012.

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THE Socceroos’ overseas superstars are preparing for a whirlwind week, with all of the big names booked on Melbourne-bound flights for Wednesday’s opening World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell are scheduled on the earliest possible Qantas flights after their Premiership fixtures tomorrow morning, as is Italian-based Mark Bresciano.

Injury permitting, the English trio, along with Brett Emerton, will fly out of London on Sunday morning UK time and arrive in Melbourne late Monday evening.

Football Federation Australia is taking precautions to ensure the players arrive fit, and return to their clubs in tip-top shape.

Most will be upgraded to first class, and FFA’s head of medical services Dr Jeff Steinweg is flying to London, where he will examine all players before flying with the group that includes Neill, Cahill, Kewell and Emerton.

Socceroos physio Phil Coles will accompany them on their return flights to Europe.

Neill will captain West Ham away to Wigan tonight before returning for the Qatar clash, then return to London just over 24 hours before the Hammers play Birmingham City.

“It is probably tougher than what everyone expected when we moved into Asia. Now as a player you’ve just get on with it,” Neill told ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“For years now Australians who have been plying their trade in Europe have been used to long-haul travel and playing games with short notice, so it’s no different now I’ve been doing it for 10 years.”

Meanwhile, it is understood Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek would prefer the Telstra Dome roof to be open on Wednesday night.

Qatar would prefer it closed, particularly if it rains.

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The Asian Football Federation match commissioner will have the final say.

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Architect plans for West Ham’s new Stadium will be handed over to the LDA early 2008, hopefully we will see some idea what the stadium will look like, amongst all the other developed area of Newham around the time of the opening of the London Olympics.

LDA quoted

The Hammers have been given extra time to work on proposals for a new stadium next to West Ham Tube station. The club were initially given until the end of 2007 by the London Development Agency (LDA) to come up with a feasible design for a 60,000-capacity ground on the former Parcel Force site.

The LDA confirmed it has granted the unspecified amount of time,

increasing speculation that a deal could be announced early in the new year.

Now nearly the end of January, but no plans have been submitted yet.

It would be interesting to know what name is going to be given to the new stadium.

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