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Premier League to answer for great escape
If there has been anything gleaned from recent events in the Premiership, it is that nobody is quite sure what is going on anymore.
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The controversial Argentinean may have played his last game for West Ham.
West Ham, thanks inevitably to their controversial Argentinean import Carlos Tevez, stayed up on the final day of the season after collecting a win against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Wigan, who were odds on to go down at the start of the weekend, also managed their great escape, at the expense of Sheffield United.
But is that the end of it? It would seem not. Tevez's goal against United will be talked about for months to come, not only by the Hammers' fans, but also by the club's lawyers. While Wigan and Fulham may now be less keen to start legal action against West Ham over the eligibility of Tevez and his compatriot Javier Mascherano, having secured their Premiership survival, Championship bound Charlton and Sheffield United will almost certainly be bringing the issue to court.
Two weeks ago the Premier League decided to punish the millionaire-backed Hammers for their indiscretion over the contracts of their Argentine duo with a paltry £5.5million fine. And in a move that will shock nobody, the club decided last week to avoid an appeal against it.
Quite simply they know they got away with murder, so there's no use in dragging up the corpse for everyone to see, especially now that Premiership football has been assured for next season.
Looking back, it has been a quite remarkable fightback for a side who looked likely to finish below Watford a few months ago and if there has been one player who has typified West Ham's spirit in recent weeks it has been Tevez. The combative striker has been in majestic form and has enhanced his reputation as a truly world-class player, even amidst the speculation over his future and the in-fighting that made up the majority of West Ham's season.
A great player he may be but, as West Ham have found to their cost, he comes with baggage and there have been many questions asked about his arrival in the English game - not least by those associated with the club's relegation rivals. Initially it seemed as if he, and fellow countryman Javier Mascherano, were being used as sweeteners in a takeover deal by Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment company. Once nothing came of that, one naturally assumed that Tevez and friend would depart along with Joorabchian.
Not so. Joorabchian himself claimed he would have liked to see the pair back with Brazilian side Corinthians, but Tevez chose to stay at Upton Park and Mascherano made a name for himself with new club Liverpool. Mascherano may even get to play in a Champions League final, which seems an incredible stroke of good fortune for a player who was 'unable to settle' in England with West Ham not six months ago.
It also seems a little unfair. Not just to the Hammers, who had to watch their ugly duckling turn into a swan under Rafa Benitez, but also to (dare I say) Chelsea, as he was instrumental in knocking the Blues out of the Champions League. Third time lucky it seems, after Corinthians and West Ham, but Mascherano should never have been allowed to make the switch if the Premier League and FIFA had followed the rules about players playing competitively for more than two clubs in one year.
While the League did act over the contract irregularities with a fine that dwarfed the £1.5million Tottenham Hotspur were fined for financial irregularities in 1994, many thought it was not enough. Namely Wigan manager Paul Jewell, who made it clear that he believed the Premier League 'bottled it' by not giving the Hammers a points deduction that would have virtually assured them of relegation this season.
West Ham pleaded guilty at the last moment and that may have been what granted leniency, although that doesn't make the Premier League's decision any easier for Sheffield United fans to take.
The fact is that a points deduction was the only punishment worthy of the crime. A fine was never going to cut it, and word from insiders at the Premier League was that they were worried about possible repercussions if the Hammers did stay up. And now they have. The irony is that no-one would have batted an eyelid if they had gone down, along with the £30million loss of revenue that goes with it. £5.5million of pocket-change was certainly never going to bother Eggert Magnusson or his financial friends.
West Ham may actually end up gaining £30million if Tevez decides that another season at the club is beyond him and, with plenty of interested parties, that is a distinct possibility. A £50million payday for staying up and suddenly the season doesn't look so bad - they even finished in 15th place.
Tevez's form and goals may have kept the Hammers in the Premiership for now, but while his long-term future may not be clear, one thing is for certain. We haven't heard the last of this one.
In a week where the Premier League will have to answer questions over their involvement in the relegation battle, it has also been revealed that things at the other end of the table haven't gone smoothly either, with Manchester United accused of breaking the rules over Tim Howard's loan-move-made-permanent to Everton, by requesting that he did not play in their crucial fixture a few weeks back.
GettyImages
The American goalkeeper had a 'gentleman's agreement' with his former club.
When loan moves were first introduced between clubs in the same division it was obvious to many, myself included, that there would be problems in the actual working of the laws. The most conspicuous being a player who made a significant impact on the game while playing against his own club, as Francis Jeffers did against Arsenal while on loan at Everton in 2003/04.
Clubs are forced by law now, to excuse the player from having to deal with that situation and they are now banned from a game which would unquestionably present a conflict of interest. The trouble comes when there is no replacement. As an example, if Birmingham (who had three players on loan from Arsenal this season) had been in the Premiership, then they would have had major problems trying to fill out their team-sheet for a trip to the Emirates.
On such small issues, titles can be won and lost. And while Manchester United certainly deserved the Premiership title for their form over the course of the season, Everton's young 'keeper Iain Turner will live long in the memory for handing it on a plate to them. His error contributed to United's remarkable comeback from 2-0 down at Goodison, which they eventually won 4-2, but it was a game he should never have played in.
The questions remain. Why anybody in the Premier League allowed such a state of affairs to occur is beyond me? A team like United who have loaned out England international Ben Foster to Watford this season, seem to get the best of both worlds. Good experience for their goalkeeper, while safe in the knowledge they will be facing an out of sorts reserve when they come to play the game themselves.
While the Premier League have insisted that no clause existed in Howard's contract, as it is against the rules to have one in a permanent deal, the scope for trouble in these kinds of transfers has always been there. In Howard's case a 'gentleman's agreement' was at the root of it so, in a sense, Everton have no-one to blame but themselves; although that will come as no comfort to Chelsea, who essentially conceded the title that weekend by failing to beat Bolton.
If there has been anything gleaned from recent events in the Premiership, it is that nobody is quite sure what is going on anymore.
GettyImages
The controversial Argentinean may have played his last game for West Ham.
West Ham, thanks inevitably to their controversial Argentinean import Carlos Tevez, stayed up on the final day of the season after collecting a win against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Wigan, who were odds on to go down at the start of the weekend, also managed their great escape, at the expense of Sheffield United.
But is that the end of it? It would seem not. Tevez's goal against United will be talked about for months to come, not only by the Hammers' fans, but also by the club's lawyers. While Wigan and Fulham may now be less keen to start legal action against West Ham over the eligibility of Tevez and his compatriot Javier Mascherano, having secured their Premiership survival, Championship bound Charlton and Sheffield United will almost certainly be bringing the issue to court.
Two weeks ago the Premier League decided to punish the millionaire-backed Hammers for their indiscretion over the contracts of their Argentine duo with a paltry £5.5million fine. And in a move that will shock nobody, the club decided last week to avoid an appeal against it.
Quite simply they know they got away with murder, so there's no use in dragging up the corpse for everyone to see, especially now that Premiership football has been assured for next season.
Looking back, it has been a quite remarkable fightback for a side who looked likely to finish below Watford a few months ago and if there has been one player who has typified West Ham's spirit in recent weeks it has been Tevez. The combative striker has been in majestic form and has enhanced his reputation as a truly world-class player, even amidst the speculation over his future and the in-fighting that made up the majority of West Ham's season.
A great player he may be but, as West Ham have found to their cost, he comes with baggage and there have been many questions asked about his arrival in the English game - not least by those associated with the club's relegation rivals. Initially it seemed as if he, and fellow countryman Javier Mascherano, were being used as sweeteners in a takeover deal by Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment company. Once nothing came of that, one naturally assumed that Tevez and friend would depart along with Joorabchian.
Not so. Joorabchian himself claimed he would have liked to see the pair back with Brazilian side Corinthians, but Tevez chose to stay at Upton Park and Mascherano made a name for himself with new club Liverpool. Mascherano may even get to play in a Champions League final, which seems an incredible stroke of good fortune for a player who was 'unable to settle' in England with West Ham not six months ago.
It also seems a little unfair. Not just to the Hammers, who had to watch their ugly duckling turn into a swan under Rafa Benitez, but also to (dare I say) Chelsea, as he was instrumental in knocking the Blues out of the Champions League. Third time lucky it seems, after Corinthians and West Ham, but Mascherano should never have been allowed to make the switch if the Premier League and FIFA had followed the rules about players playing competitively for more than two clubs in one year.
While the League did act over the contract irregularities with a fine that dwarfed the £1.5million Tottenham Hotspur were fined for financial irregularities in 1994, many thought it was not enough. Namely Wigan manager Paul Jewell, who made it clear that he believed the Premier League 'bottled it' by not giving the Hammers a points deduction that would have virtually assured them of relegation this season.
West Ham pleaded guilty at the last moment and that may have been what granted leniency, although that doesn't make the Premier League's decision any easier for Sheffield United fans to take.
The fact is that a points deduction was the only punishment worthy of the crime. A fine was never going to cut it, and word from insiders at the Premier League was that they were worried about possible repercussions if the Hammers did stay up. And now they have. The irony is that no-one would have batted an eyelid if they had gone down, along with the £30million loss of revenue that goes with it. £5.5million of pocket-change was certainly never going to bother Eggert Magnusson or his financial friends.
West Ham may actually end up gaining £30million if Tevez decides that another season at the club is beyond him and, with plenty of interested parties, that is a distinct possibility. A £50million payday for staying up and suddenly the season doesn't look so bad - they even finished in 15th place.
Tevez's form and goals may have kept the Hammers in the Premiership for now, but while his long-term future may not be clear, one thing is for certain. We haven't heard the last of this one.
In a week where the Premier League will have to answer questions over their involvement in the relegation battle, it has also been revealed that things at the other end of the table haven't gone smoothly either, with Manchester United accused of breaking the rules over Tim Howard's loan-move-made-permanent to Everton, by requesting that he did not play in their crucial fixture a few weeks back.
GettyImages
The American goalkeeper had a 'gentleman's agreement' with his former club.
When loan moves were first introduced between clubs in the same division it was obvious to many, myself included, that there would be problems in the actual working of the laws. The most conspicuous being a player who made a significant impact on the game while playing against his own club, as Francis Jeffers did against Arsenal while on loan at Everton in 2003/04.
Clubs are forced by law now, to excuse the player from having to deal with that situation and they are now banned from a game which would unquestionably present a conflict of interest. The trouble comes when there is no replacement. As an example, if Birmingham (who had three players on loan from Arsenal this season) had been in the Premiership, then they would have had major problems trying to fill out their team-sheet for a trip to the Emirates.
On such small issues, titles can be won and lost. And while Manchester United certainly deserved the Premiership title for their form over the course of the season, Everton's young 'keeper Iain Turner will live long in the memory for handing it on a plate to them. His error contributed to United's remarkable comeback from 2-0 down at Goodison, which they eventually won 4-2, but it was a game he should never have played in.
The questions remain. Why anybody in the Premier League allowed such a state of affairs to occur is beyond me? A team like United who have loaned out England international Ben Foster to Watford this season, seem to get the best of both worlds. Good experience for their goalkeeper, while safe in the knowledge they will be facing an out of sorts reserve when they come to play the game themselves.
While the Premier League have insisted that no clause existed in Howard's contract, as it is against the rules to have one in a permanent deal, the scope for trouble in these kinds of transfers has always been there. In Howard's case a 'gentleman's agreement' was at the root of it so, in a sense, Everton have no-one to blame but themselves; although that will come as no comfort to Chelsea, who essentially conceded the title that weekend by failing to beat Bolton.
