Maple Lions

Alan Curbishley prepares to feast on Upton Park’s new Icelandic riches… with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Some have claimed that he was a bargain since he wasn’t tied to another club. To lightly paraphrase Dennis Miller, five lime-green leisure suits for the price of one is neither a bargain nor wise.

In due course Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy may have a new mate with whom to swap tales of the Premiership.

Paul Canniff 

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The hills around Upton Park are alive with the sound of a thud as Alan Pardew’s career with the Hammer crashes, in no small part due to his acquisition of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano:

Hammers legend Frank Lampard Snr believes the arrival of the Argentine duo at the end of August was central to the club’s demise.

“It was only six months ago that everyone was saying how well Alan was doing,” Lampard told BBC Five Live.

“It seems since he brought in Tevez and Mascherano it’s all gone wrong.

“It’s a shame that he’s gone but football is like that. You get your chance and as soon as you start losing games, the pressure’s on.”

The Beeb also reports the disturbing possibility that Curbs is the early favourite as the new gaffer. But will Curbs have time to break away from his yachting lessons with the former captain of the Exxon Valdez?

Paul Canniff

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No MP3 of that mashup to download, I’m afraid, but there is word that Upton Park’s new Norse overlords are giving Alan Pardew loads of cash for the January transfer window:

Alan Pardew has more than £10m to spend this January after the completion of Eggert Magnusson’s takeover of West Ham yesterday. Magnusson, a member of Uefa’s executive committee, takes over as chairman following his purchase yesterday of 83% of the club’s shares in a bid that values the club at £107.5m. His first act was to hold an extended meeting with Pardew to discuss what direction the club will now take.

Paul Canniff 

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The Telly provides some valuable background on the purchase of West Ham United FC by Icelandic tycoon Eggert Magnusson.

Will their new chant be, “I’m Forever Throwing Snowballs”?

Paul Canniff

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So the Beeb tells us the blunt facts:

• The Blues and the Reds face off in the Octagon
• West Ham takes on whoever straggles out of the Boros/Addicks slapfest on April 12

But give credit to the Telly to show us what it all really means in the bigger picture.

Paul Canniff

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After round 26 of the EPL, there are some stories overlooked by the pundits. Among them are the amazing performances of newly promoted sides West Ham United and Wigan Athletic.

The Hammers have returned to historic form and are firmly esconced in a dramatically transforming London footie scene, marked by Spurs on the cusp of returning to Europe and Millwall sliding from an FA Cup final to crashing out of the Championship. BTW try to catch “Green Street” if you can. Yes, it’s about the Hammers’ hoolies but it’s still remarkable entertainment.

But the Cinderella story of English football has to be the Latics. Has anyone seriously analyzed how Dave Whelan pulled off a decade-long plan to take a side into the Premiership? Wigan only entered the Football League in 1978. In this season they have held their own admirably against all comers, only losing to the top four in hotly contested matches with narrow margins. Now they look forward to battling Man U for the League Cup and may have a UEFA Cup slot slide their way. This saga needs to be sung!

Paul Canniff

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You’ve gotta figure that Dean Ashton is pleased to be back in the Premiership, having moved from Norwich to West Ham late in the January transfer window. The Toffees, and I’m sure others, had reportedly been after him.  Ashton notched the winner against Sunderland on the weekend. It was a bit sad to compare the two promoted sides — you’d probably think that, at the outset of the season, Sunderland would have expected their positions to be reversed. Anyway, a great move for the Hammers.

Mike Campbell

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