[moondog]

5 October 2006
UPTON NARK
WEST HAM IN CRISIS: IT'S GOING APPLES AND PEAR-SHAPED DOWN THE EAST END Board split over £70M takeover, dressing room in disarray, Pardew sick of the interference.. and now another rival bidder ready to talk
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer

WEST HAM were plunged into chaos last night with the board split on whether to pull the plug on the planned £70million takeover package that has brought Alan Pardew's future into doubt.

A board meeting saw two different deadlines for - Iranian-born Kia Joorabchian and his colleagues to put up or shut up - made and broken as the Upton Park rupture grew wider.

While some board members were pressing for Joorabchian to be given until after the October 14 game at Portsmouth to come up with the money, others said the clock should stop within the next 24 hours.

The dispute became inflamed, with opponents of granting an extension increasingly convinced Joorabchian does not have the money he claims.

And as it emerged a second and serious consortium is in the process of being formed to buy out the club and its estimated £24m debts to prevent Joorabchian getting his hands on the Hammers, the destabilisation that has left Pardew frustrated was growing.

Mirror Sport's revelation of the problems that brought boss Pardew to the brink of resignation left the club in turmoil yesterday as the board met to discuss the season and the future.

While Pardew and the club were denying things had gone to the edge, the manager had to explain the slump.

Club insiders said Pardew had been demotivated and exasperated recently by the offfield uncertainty which has disrupted team morale since the arrivals of Argentinians Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

Pardew feels the integration of Tevez and Mascherano are major factors, as well as too many players failing to reach last term's standards.

Since the South American pair, who are registered by West Ham but owned by Joorabchian's MSI investment company arrived, Pardew's side have gone into free fall as the manager has chopped and changed his team.

Five straight defeats which have seen them fail to score have left the Hammers above the relegation zone only on goal difference and out of Europe.

But the problems were exacerbated when the Takeover Panel, the organisation which regulates Stock Market and company rules, stepped in to issue a warning over the constant speculation appearing in the media.

That allowed the club to keep silent on the next step last night, as it appeared Joorabchian's hopes of being given an extension to come up with the goods remain in the balance.

More importantly for the long-term future of the club, it emerged other serious parties are circling the club and attempting to put together a consortium which would have the cash and keep West Ham out of Joorabchian's clutches.

The money-men behind that group are understood to be keen to ensure Pardew stays at the helm, believing the problems he has encountered in the past month must be set in context with the remarkable success of the last three years.

Despite claims from Joorabchian's camp he has respect and faith in Pardew, the manager's future appears bleak if the Iranian - who hopes to raise the majority of money from Israeli hotels magnate Eli Papouchado - does complete his deal.

Since he brought Tevez and Mascherano to the club on transfer deadline day, Joorabchian had enjoyed five-star hospitality from the Hammers as he claims to be trying to put together a viable consortium.

Sources close to the businessman blamed the fact he had been in mourning for 40 days following the death of a close family member for his failure to make any substantial inroads.

Joorabchian is still pleading for extra time, admitting he has been unable to persuade any would-be investors to pledge the money required up front to turn the take-over into something tangible.

The former Kent car dealer accepts it is difficult to persuade backers to join him because of the lack of profit-making opportunities unless the club is able to move to the site of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, which would allow the chance of selling off the Upton Park site and the Chadwell Heath training ground.

That is despite enlisting the help of Israeli super-agent Pini Zahavi, whom the FA want to be investigated by FIFA over his part in Chelsea's tapping-up of Ashley Cole, to try and drum up a viable list of money-men ready to back his business plan.

But that did not prevent Joorabchian from confronting Pardew last month after his public vow to "preserve the integrity and history of this club", which he viewed as a personal attack by the manager.

At one point, Pardew was so frustrated by the interference from a man who has not invested a penny he told Joorabchian to stop phoning him.

Chairman Terry Brown, who stands to make around £30m from the proposed deal, has been keen to keep on talking, although he is understood to have begun to harbour more doubts in recent days.

But other board members have been less charitable, with one privately describing the way Joorabchian has been allowed to behave and take advantage of the club as "a scandal".

[Webster]

Cant help thinking this is what its all about

>The former Kent car dealer accepts it is difficult to persuade backers to join him because of the lack of profit-making opportunities unless the club is able to move to the site of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, which would allow the chance of selling off the Upton Park site and the Chadwell Heath training ground.

[Mr.Spireite]

Webster, on Oct 5 2006, 09:05 AM, said:

Cant help thinking this is what its all about

>The former Kent car dealer accepts it is difficult to persuade backers to join him because of the lack of profit-making opportunities unless the club is able to move to the site of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, which would allow the chance of selling off the Upton Park site and the Chadwell Heath training ground.

You don't have to be a genius, but didn't they expand Upton Park only the other season by about 10,000 ???

[frearsghost]

Mr.Spireite, on Oct 5 2006, 10:07 AM, said:

You don't have to be a genius, but didn't they expand Upton Park only the other season by about 10,000 ???

Ken Livingstone has said, categorically, that West ham will NOT be allowed to move into the Olympic Stadium because it would be a massive subsidy from the tax payer and that cannt be allowed.

[Mr.Spireite]

frearsghost, on Oct 5 2006, 05:08 PM, said:

Ken Livingstone has said, categorically, that West ham will NOT be allowed to move into the Olympic Stadium because it would be a massive subsidy from the tax payer and that cannt be allowed.

It worked for Man City........

SO they will have a massive stadium built that will be hardly used, yeah right. That makes sense....

[moondog]

Mr.Spireite, on Oct 5 2006, 05:14 PM, said:

It worked for Man City........

SO they will have a massive stadium built that will be hardly used, yeah right. That makes sense....

I think the difference with Man City is that the plan for them to move from Maine Road formed part of the decision for Manchester to bid for the games, whereas London didn't apparently seem to care if they'd be left with a White Elephant.

[BOBBY]

moondog, on Oct 5 2006, 05:33 PM, said:

I think the difference with Man City is that the plan for them to move from Maine Road formed part of the decision for Manchester to bid for the games, whereas London didn't apparently seem to care if they'd be left with a White Elephant.

YET ANOTHER white elephant in london

never mind, the tax payers will sort it

[Wooden Spoon]

Webster, on Oct 5 2006, 09:05 AM, said:

Cant help thinking this is what its all about

>The former Kent car dealer accepts it is difficult to persuade backers to join him because of the lack of profit-making opportunities unless the club is able to move to the site of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, which would allow the chance of selling off the Upton Park site and the Chadwell Heath training ground.

are you refering to mr brown??

i know several west ham season ticket and bond holders very very well.strangly, thier opinion is this..."you will need to use a crow bar to get him out of upton park, he makes a good living out of it....." similar to our little yellow friends down the road with mr haslam.

[Wooden Spoon]

SOMERSALL BLUE, on Oct 5 2006, 07:03 PM, said:

YET ANOTHER white elephant in london

never mind, the tax payers will sort it

as part of a much needed east end development, its welcomed all round in the capital.

in places in the east end there has been a chronic lack of public spending,and in terms of overall infrastructure, this is long overdue.

[spirette]

Just read that the Argentinians have been told to leave West Ham too.

[Mr.Spireite]

spirette, on Oct 6 2006, 12:25 PM, said:

Just read that the Argentinians have been told to leave West Ham too.

By the Argentina coach....

He's not the one probably earinf £50,000 per week !!!

Makes me laugh when people come out with stuff like that.