jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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Anyone else currently beeing sued by
Someone that almost bought the club (Kia)
Ex-Chairman (Egg)
another Ex-Chairman (Brown)
Ex-Manager (Curbs)
Another Club (SU)
All within about 6 month
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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and also a great post and really really worth reading
speaking as a novelist (the paperback edition of my latest, The Survivor, is in all good bookstores and supermarkets, NOW! 8-) ) I beg to disagree ...
The Leeds story has a classic hubris/nemesis pattern in which the protagonist, like Icarus, flies to high, is burned and then crashes to earth. But in narrative terms it suffers from a lack of variation. Having been great, they have just got worse and worse - from sh*t to shitter as someone said. That's actually quite dull.
What's special about West Ham's story is the astonishing number of switchbacks, from triumph to disaster and back, it has had; plus the amazing and unrelenting variety of crises; plus the incredible cast of characters.
We start the decade with a fantastic group of youngsters, at least the equals of the legendary ManU crop of the early 90s. They had Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt, etc. We had Rio, Lampard, Cole, Carrick, Defoe (OK, he'd been Charlton, but still), Johnson, etc ... We have an England legend in Stuart Pearce, a future World Cup star in Trevor Sinclair, a mercurial Italian superstar in Paolo Di Canio, another top import in Freddie Kanoute and will, within a couple of years acquire an England goalie in David James. Oh, and we have the legend that is Christian Dailly! Our manager is the much-loved cheeky-chappie, and astute businessperson (ahem!), genial Harry Redknapp. All is set fair for long-term success.
Yet by June 2003, Redknapp has gone, as have almost all our stars (those that have not departed will soon do so), the club has been relegated, and there is genuine danger of total financial meltdown.
And we didn't just have any relegation. We had a West Ham relegation ... that's the kind where you go down with 42 points, after the new manager Glenn Roeder (who has been bonkers all season) collapses with a previously undiagnosed brain tumour, and the team takes 22 points from the last 11 games of the season, a rate that puts it in the top 3 in the Premier League, on form, at the point when it goes down. The last three games are bossed by Trevor Brooking - soon to become Sir Trevor Brooking - a legend for both club and country.
So then the whole club goes utterly tits-up. Roeder goes, Brooking briefly returns. In comes a new man Alan Pardew. He begins a relentless programme of team rebuilding which will see the side totally transformed amidst a massive turnover of players, bought and loaned. After an epic play-off against Ipswich, featuring a tumultuous night at Upton Park whose highlight is a goal scored by Dailly with his testicles (I don't think I'm making that up, but it's hard to tell fact from fiction with this club), we go to Cardiff as firm play-off final favourites ... and f*ck up.
Pardew starts again. By now, his team and style are beginning to emerge: Zamora, harewood and Sheringham up-front; Reo-Coker driving midfield alongside an emerging Mark Noble and the flying Matty Etherington; Anton Ferdinand and Elliot Ward making their names at the heart of the defence; Chrissy Powell and Tommy Repka bringing very different personalities to the full-back positions. But it is a desperately frustrating season. Somehow, we scrape into the play-offs, see of Ipswich again, and cling on to a 1-0 win against Preston after seven minutes of injury time in Cardiff - the longest seven minutes of my life. But even as we're driving home there are STILL people on 606 saying Pardew should be sacked.
We're back in the Premiership! People love us! West Ham is everyone's second team as their bold attacking play wins massive praise. We pick up Yossi Benayoun for £2.5m and Danny Gabbidon as one half of a cheap deal with Cardiff for him and James Collins. Paul Knonchesky comes in and strikes up a fantastic partnership with Ethers. We beat Arsenal at Highbury. We finish 9th. Dean Ashton comes in and helps us on a fantastic FA Cup run ... for the third year in a row, we're off to Cardiff. We lose to Liverpool in one of the greatest finals of all time (and because we're West Ham, we go out on penalties, reduced to 10 men, having led the game at 90 minutes). It's heartbreaking, but we can bear it. Because we're in Europe. The club is solvent. Everything looks great. Pardew has finally proven himself. Hooray!!
And then, well, we all know what happens ... Offstage there are sex-scandals, massive egos, a previously united squad riven by factions. New characters emerge ... Kia, Tevez, Mascherano, BG and Eggy, Curbishley. We survive relegation, and it's not just any survival, it's the Greatest Escape, an insanely improbable run of 7 wins in 9 games culminating in victory at Old Trafford ... But it's only happened after a court case ... which leads to another court case ... and an arbitration ... and the threat of a massive compensation bill ... And we're now the most hated team in the league, despised for cheating, and our football's sh*t, and for two whole seasons we have what must be the longest injury list in the history of football. Tens of millions of pounds are p*ssed away on overpaid players who spend their lives on the treatment table. There's a global economic crisis. The owner goes from billionaire to bankrupt. We get another new manager - a wee Sardinian wit bags of charm but b*gger-all experience ... We're threatened with a fire-sale of players ... administration ... a massive points deduction ...
... and on it goes.
All of which is a ridiculously long-winded way of saying, no, there hasn't been a club in the last 10 years that even comes close to the eventfulness, drama and sheer lunacy of life at West Ham United.
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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Our last few years has been eventful...
Won CL with a great comeback
Won FA Cup with a great comeback
Fan tried to buy the club - didnt happen
Thaksin Shinawatra tried to buy the club - didnt happen
Fan tried to buy the club again - didnt happen
New stadium was given planning permission
DIC tried to buy the club, deal agreed - didnt happen at the last minute
Yanks buy the club in a big PR spin
Get to CL final and get beat
Another new stadium gets planning permission
Rafa threatens to quit
Hicks threatens to sack Rafa
Klinsmann gets linked to his job
Gillett wants to sack Rafa, Hicks now wants him to stay
New stadium still not built
Continual links with being sold again but yet to happen
The End
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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quote:
Originally posted by MatthewR
Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
Well...WHU are on borrowed time tbh.
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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quote:
Originally posted by Cosmo
quote:
Originally posted by MatthewR
Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
Well...WHU are on borrowed time tbh.
 thanks...............
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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quote:
Originally posted by MatthewR
Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
The Leeds story has a classic hubris/nemesis pattern in which the protagonist, like Icarus, flies to high, is burned and then crashes to earth. But in narrative terms it suffers from a lack of variation. Having been great, they have just got worse and worse - from sh*t to shitter as someone said. That's actually quite dull.
What's special about West Ham's story is the astonishing number of switchbacks, from triumph to disaster and back, it has had; plus the amazing and unrelenting variety of crises
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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quote:
Originally posted by jr
quote:
Originally posted by Cosmo
quote:
Originally posted by MatthewR
Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
Well...WHU are on borrowed time tbh.
thanks...............
If SU have their way with you anyway!
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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shit to shitter? I think leeds have won more then WHU???
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Danny P
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Registered: 20th Nov 02
Location: Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by MatthewR
Erm i think we might win this LEEDS??? leats you guys r still in the prem!!!
Greatest story of the 21st century. Couldn't have happened to a nice club  
We've had our fair share of up's & downs in the last 10 years. In 2000 we nearly made the Premier League, then 4 years later we started off in League 2 with only 8 players to our name  Loads of shit gone on, including 8 managers (I think) in 10 years, 3 owners, lost our ground due our c*nt of a chairman, had to sell all our best players amungst other stuff.
Things looking up now though  2009 will be a good year for us I reckon.
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Jodi_the_g
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Registered: 7th Aug 01
Location: Washington D.C
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Do you not own your Ground any more, I remember going years back about 1995, and being impressed
[Edited on 08-01-2009 by Jodi_the_g]
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Danny P
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Registered: 20th Nov 02
Location: Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
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No mate, we rent it now. Well, in saying that we never really 100% owned it. 40% was us, 40% the Council, and then 20% by the Giants.
Very long story, but the bones of it our current chairman owned the Rugby club we share the ground with. When we went into administration a few years back, if we'd have gone bust then the Rugby club wouldn't have been able to sustain the payments on the ground, so he bought us for a very low price. So he owned both Huddersfield Town, and Huddersfield Giants.
He then set up a 3rd company called KDSL & transfered all the Huddersfield Town shares into that company, so effectivly the football club have no shares what so ever in the ground. He now he charges Huddersfield Town rent to play in the ground, which goes to KDSL, he then in turn passes this money onto Huddersfield Giants to.
It was all dont in private and behind closed doors so the fans were none the wiser until it came out into the press. I dont really know the ins & outs of it all, but i've seen some of the financial records and were deffinaltly being screwed.
Lot of people turned a blind eye to it as they him as the saviour, as he kept the club from going bust, but there were other bids which would have gone through if his hadn't have won. Apparently its all been investigated and set to come out in the press (national so im told) within the next few months when he steps down. Should be an interesting time when it does.
[Edited on 08-01-2009 by Danny P]
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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Luton Town FC
1999-2009
In 2001, Joe Kinnear took over and built a new squad including Kevin Nicholls, Chris Coyne and Steve Howard that won promotion at the first attempt, second only to Plymouth Argyle.
In May 2003, the club was taken over by a mysterious consortium. Days afterwards, manager Kinnear and his assistant Mick Harford were both sacked. This sparked a protest by Luton fans, who demanded their instant re-appointment. The protest was fierce and led to the resignations of new chairman Roger Terrell and vice-chairman Lee Power. This forced the leader behind the consortium, John Gurney, to reveal himself. Trust in Luton was set up, and TiL managed to oust Gurney. It was Gurney, however, who appointed Mike Newell as manager, following a bizarre phone-vote. Newell would take Luton into the Football League Championship in 2005, after being crowned champions of League One, and then to 10th place the next season.
However, Luton then fell again. The nucleus of the side who had taken Luton up was ripped apart, with players such as Nicholls, Howard, Carlos Edwards and Rowan Vine sold. Luton were relegated the next season, only kept off the bottom by Leeds.
Kevin Blackwell arrived as manager in the second half of the 2006-07 campaign, and he overhauled the squad during the summer. However the team he built finished bottom of League One, albeit with a ten point deduction for entering administration. Blackwell was sacked during January, and playing hero Mick Harford was brought in as his replacement.
The financial chaos culminated in Luton Town Football Club 2020 taking over the club in 2008, and facing the brunt of what the former owners, Jayten, had done. Due to financial irregularites, Luton were docked 10 points for the 2008-09 season - and then 20 points by the Football League for exiting administration without a Company Voluntary Arrangement. Luton Town therefore started the 2008-09 campaign on -30 points.
Summary:
3 x Relegation
2 x Promotion
1 x League Winner
3 x Administration
3 x Points deduction
6 x Manager
2 x Assest stripped
1 x 92nd in the table
 Happy Days
[Edited on 08-01-2009 by Nath]
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richard_cooper
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Registered: 31st Jan 07
Location: Mansfield, Nottingamshire
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Forest aint too good.
Prem down
Champ playoffs
Champ down
L1 just outside playoffs
L1 playoffs
L1 UP
And now Champ- near bottom
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Conway563
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Registered: 7th Jun 06
Location: Yate, Bristol
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quote:
Originally posted by jr
for two whole seasons we have what must be the longest injury list in the history of football. Tens of millions of pounds are p*ssed away on overpaid players who spend their lives on the treatment table.
Welcome to Newcastle's world!
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Hammer
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Registered: 11th Feb 04
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We've had a good last ten, if it were the ten before that where we were literally hours away from the door being shut on Celtic Park forever
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Jodi_the_g
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Registered: 7th Aug 01
Location: Washington D.C
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quote:
Originally posted by Hammer
We've had a good last ten, if it were the ten before that where we were literally hours away from the door being shut on Celtic Park forever
I would of donated money to keep you trading the SPL needs Rangers and Celtic, otherwise I be sick of watching hibs 10 times a season
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corsa - gus
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Registered: 8th Jan 07
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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quote:
Originally posted by Hammer
We've had a good last ten, if it were the ten before that where we were literally hours away from the door being shut on Celtic Park forever
Aye, Celtic park would have been Scotlands most profitable super market, and it would have been full of huns!!
The last 10 have been probably the most barron years of my lifetime for Rangers, haven't won an SPL title since I got my season ticket Think I may be bad luck
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Jodi_the_g
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Registered: 7th Aug 01
Location: Washington D.C
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I want an asbo for you atr Ibrox then gus
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corsa - gus
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Registered: 8th Jan 07
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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quote:
Originally posted by Jodi_the_g
I want an asbo for you atr Ibrox then gus
You're not the only one I may ban myself!!
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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What do I win?
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Hammer
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Registered: 11th Feb 04
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Is there no Gretna fans on here?
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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Hopefully not or I'll come 2nd.
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corsa - gus
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Registered: 8th Jan 07
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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quote:
Originally posted by Hammer
Is there no Gretna fans on here?
I hate Gretna 
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Robbo
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Registered: 6th Aug 02
Location: London
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Leeds, by far
CL QF to div 3
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