West Ham United striker Victor Obinna has denied his family were racially abused by his own supporters because his relatives were not in the country.

Reports emerged of the Nigeria international and Frederic Piquionne’s families were subjected to vile racist abuse during the 4-2 defeat to Manchester United.

Allegedly a member of the one of the players’ entourage confronted a small group of fans and an altercation broke out.

The club’s co-chairman David Sullivan said he was “appalled” by suggestions the families were racially abused while sitting in a box in the Main Stand.

The club launched an immediate investigation but Obinna has denied the incident had anything to do with him or his family.

“Nothing happened – I do not have any of my family members in England,” he said.

“There is no point asking me to confirm or verify an incident that never happened – I was in total shock when I heard and read about it in the papers.

“I didn’t have any of my relatives at the game and I do not know anyone who complained of any racial incident at the game.”

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

West Ham United are to investigate allegations of racial abuse during Saturday’s match with Manchester United.

The news comes as an embarrassing blow to the club who started a ‘Respect’ campaign that day to improve the social environment at Upton Park.

Co-chairman David Sullivan was disgusted by the claims as families of two West Ham players were targets of racial taunts.

The club were studying CCTV footage and interviewing stewards for more evidence after a small group of fans abused the families of Victor Obinna and Frederic Piquionne.

“If these allegations are found to be true, then it appals me,” Sullivan said today. “I believe all human beings are equal. We are all born with different physical attributes.

“I happen to be small and I’ve been the subject to many years of ‘heightism’ – a word I invented – so I know how people feel when they are subject to this sort of abuse.

“We will be monitoring CCTV, interviewing stewards and taking strong action against offenders if these allegations are proved to be correct.

“It is particularly sad that the families of our players were so treated.”

Apparently at least one friend of the players or a family member left the box to confront a small group of fans and an altercation took place.

It is also understood the families of the two players are considering making an official complaint to West Ham about the alleged abuse

“The club takes such matters seriously and, with the Police, is reviewing CCTV footage and gathering witness information,” a statement on the club website read.

“Anyone found responsible will be dealt with appropriately.

“This is an isolated incident and our supporters, like the club, are proud of the positive relationship with Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card.”

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

West Ham Tickets Available from Telegraph Tickets

http://www.caughtoffside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/PA-9869967-1.jpg“>Robbie Keane Filer" width="511" height="340" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-43525" />

Tottenham will receive a £1 million loan fee for Keane with West Ham prepared to cover his wages of £65,000 a week for the remainder of the season and commit to a three-year contract on the same terms.
West Ham, who face Birmingham City on Wednesday in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final, are waiting for Tottenham’s response. It remains to be seen whether Keane will agree to those terms but his options are limited if he wants to play.
If the 30 year-old fails to sign then West Ham will turn to Stoke City’s Tuncay Sanli, who would cost £4.5 million, and are also expecting to complete the loan signing of Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba before the weekend.

SOURCE: Telegraph

Harry Redknapp would appear to have little to lose by accepting West Ham’s offer for a player who they do not appear to need then of course the next obstacle would involve whether the Irish international is keen on the deal.

The 30 year old is very much surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane and having started just two Premier League matches this season the experienced striker would presumably welcome the chance of getting regular first team football.

Avram Grant may be lining up such a deal due to increasing speculation that Carlton Cole and Frederic Piquionne may be set to leave Upton Park.

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Bet on West Ham with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

West Ham Tickets Available from Telegraph Tickets

Frederic Piquionne’s red card at Goodison Park yesterday has been the subject of much debate with the referee, Peter Walton, heavily criticised for dismissing the West Ham United striker.
The decision has been labelled a ‘nonsense’, a ‘joke’ and one which proves that ‘referees haven’t played the game’. One thing it wasn’t labelled was correct.

Yes, it’s a stupid rule and, yes, it’s time the FA reviewed its stance on this aspect of the game but the one person who should avoid criticism in this episode is Mr Walton.

Week in, week out, fans and pundits bemoan the lack of consistency in decisions made by our referees. Some say this adds to the game and some would argue that standards need to be maintained. Last week, in the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, Rafael da Silva, the United full back, got a booking for a tackle on Wilson Palacios of Spurs. He got the ball, but the manner in which he threw himself into the tackle could, on another occasion, have seen him dismissed.

Whether we like it or not, celebrating a goal by jumping into a section of your supporters is worthy of a yellow card and, perhaps most significantly in this argument, has been for some time. This is one of the few areas of the game that referee’s can maintain the consistency that is so often demanded of them by all of us connected with the game.

Suppose, for argument’s sake, that Piquionne had not been given a second yellow card and remained on the pitch and, in their next Premier League fixture away to Blackpool, he scores the winning goal or has a performance that is decisive in a West Ham victory. Would Blackpool feel aggrieved? Of course they would.
Sometimes, whether it qualifies as common sense or not, you have to just accept the decision and accept that the referee is bound, by the laws of the game, to make them.

Read more from Anthony at his blog by CLICKING HERE

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Arsenal v Chelsea tickets available from Telegraph Tickets

Bet on Arsenal with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

Tomas Rosicky is at the top of Gerard Houllier’s January wish-list.

The Arsenal midfielder, 30, was a target for Houllier at Liverpool and may be set to follow Robert Pires to Villa Park after his agent was spotted at Aston Villa’s training ground this week.

The Czech playmaker is known to be unhappy with the amount of game time he receives at Arsenal.

Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund four years ago, he has struggled with injuries and has only completed 90 minutes 23 times.

Houllier is also interested in West Ham’s Frederic Piquionne. (Daily Mail)

With Stephen Ireland yet to prove himself at Villa Park, Tomas Rosicky would be an excellent signing for Gerard Houllier’s side.

With creativity, guile and a powerful shot, Rosicky would certainly boost the goal-shy Aston Villa side.

At the age of 30, he would be unlikely to cost a fortune either.

However, having signed a new contract at Arsenal in January, he is not approaching the end of his deal and Arsene Wenger is unlikely to want to see him go.

In fact, after Arsenal nursed him through injury for around 20 months, why would they let him leave now?

Join the Best Football Manager game now! It’s Free!

Place any bet your like and get £25 worth of free bets!>

West Ham Tickets Available from Tixdaq.com

Even before Alex Song’s 88th-minute winner condemned West Ham to their sixth defeat in 10 Premier League games, commentators seemed hell-bent on looking for positives from the East London side’s performance.
It didn’t take long for the overused clichés to rear their ugly heads. It was a ‘gutsy’ performance from the West Ham team. Rob Green ‘banished the ghosts’ of Rustenberg. And, of course, the Hammers will stay up if they play like that every week. Well, I’ve got news for Avram Grant. They won’t.

That is not to say their performance was anything but commendable. The centre-back pairing of Manuel da Costa and Danny Gabbidon, playing a league game alongside each other for the first time in the calendar year, did a great job of minimising the threat posed by the Arsenal frontline, while behind them Green reminded fans of his performance at the Emirates in 2007 when West Ham recorded a famous win.

In addition, Mark Noble and Scott Parker put in good shifts and largely matched the Arsenal pairing of Fabregas and Song, while what their team-mates lacked in flair they more than made up for in pure hard work.
However, it is far easier to quantify effort and commitment when most of the running you are doing is towards your own goal, and this is where Grant’s side spent the final third of the game (with few exceptions) after the introduction of Theo Walcott forced them to abandon their Plan A of constant pressing and a high defensive line.

The odd point gained in a surprise draw with one of the top four is not what will keep West Ham in the Premier League: they need not only to match this commitment against the teams around them, but also to add an attacking verve to turn 0-0s into 1-0 wins and 1-1s into 2-1s.

Of course, there is no hiding from the fact that the new-look partnership of Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna may take time to reap rewards, but that is all the more reason for Grant to select players with the potential to break forward from midfield and chip in with the occasional goal.

While the absence of Jack Collison and Thomas Hitzlsperger has hit the club hard, Grant still has plenty of talent at his disposal, yet his seemingly-favoured combination (Behrami-Parker-Noble-Boa Morte) is worryingly-narrow. Both Keiron Dyer and Pablo Barrera have impressed when coming off the bench, but not since the defeat at home to Bolton in August has the pair started together.

Grant has stated already that his preferred formation is 4-3-3, generally seeing Boa Morte make way for Carlton Cole (although Mark Noble’s appendix surgery may now force his manager’s hand somewhat). However this formation – when used – has seemed to lessen the impact of Piquionne as he and Obinna have tended to drop deeper and deeper until the 4-3-3 becomes a rigid 4-5-1.

Last week’s defeat at home to Newcastle took a similar shape to the loss at the Emirates Stadium, suggesting that the presentation of one as positive and the other negative comes down to mere semantics.

In both games West Ham started brightly, with their centre-back pairing nullifying the opposition attack and Piquionne creating chances with the help of Parker and Noble breaking from midfield. Then, after the break, the over-exertions of the first half began to tell. Not only did West Ham struggle in the possession stakes, but they did not manage a shot on target in the second half of either game.

To read more from Tom Victor visit his excellent blog Pele Confidential by CLICKING HERE

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Bet £10 with PaddyPower and get £20 free!

The signings of Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne and Tal Ben-Haim completed an eventful day for West Ham yesterday.

The former Portsmouth defender Ben-Haim, 28, was picked up for free by the Hammers while striker Piquionne, 31, followed, signing for £1m on a three-year deal from Lyon. It is believed that the veteran Frenchman will be receiving £40,000 a week for his services after a successful season on loan with Portsmouth last season.

The third, and most complicated, signing for new manager Avram Grant was the Mexican international Barrera. The club announced on Thursday that the winger would join Upton Park on a four-year contract, pending a work permit, before yesterday securing a £4 m transfer from Mexican Premier League side UNAM Pumas. (Independent)

Pablo Barrera – A promising pint sized speedy winger who can deliver a good cross and has an eye for goal.

Frederic Piquionne – 31 year old somewhat inconsistent performer who had a good season at struggling Portsmouth last term. Will be hoping to have more service at the Hammers than he did at Pompey.

Tal Ben-Haim – Solid, if occasionally flat footed, adaptable defender. Arguably more effective as right back.

Quality CaughtOffside T-Shirts Available

A contentious inclusion in the usual ‘Who Are Ya?’ feature, is new Portsmouth loanee, Frederic Piquionne, 30. The French forward joined the South Coast outfit on loan from French powerhouse, Olympique Lyonnais, days after Peter Crouch left for Tottenham, took his vacated number 9 shirt, and is looking to score the goals that Pompey need for Premier League survival this term.

At the age of 30, Piquionne brings a lot of experience to a depleted Portsmouth squad, and with Champions League and International experience, this can only be a plus for the club. Whilst not being a particularly outstanding goalscorer during his time in France, with Nimes, Rennes, Monaco and Lyon, he is capable of better, and will look to showcase that over the coming season. Piquionne has already endeared himself to the Portsmouth faithful at Fratton Park already, with two debut goals in a pre-season game against Scottish Champions, Rangers in a 2-0 win. With the likes of Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, Sol Campbell, Glen Johnson and Lassana Diarra all leaving Fratton Park recently due to the poor financial state at the club, the board, and fans alike will hope Piquionne can keep up the goalscoring, and stave off relegation to the Championship.

Don’t forget to check out Online Football Manager!