Didier Drogba received more flak for his strong commitment to cheating this weekend, but one of the best dives of the 2008/09 Premier League campaign happened at Upton Park on Saturday.
After a rookie defensive error from Jamie Carragher, West Ham’s David di Michele was clean through on goal. At the point where he should have unleashed a shot and made it 2-1, the Italian appeared to trip himself up. Rather than try to find his footing, he then jumped in the air in the style of a Hollywood movie star leaping away from a huge explosion.
Unsurprisingly, di Michele was booked for his laughable attempt at deception.
The fact that a website exists where users simply submit pictures of stuff on top of their cats pays testament to the fact that anyone can set up a blog for absolutely any cause. In the spirit of sharing valuable information on the internets, one man, presumable a West Ham fan, has dedicated an entire blog to potential Premier League investors, claiming their money would be better used at Upton Park than any other football club in the country. Their mission statement is as follows:
An analysis of why West Ham United offers the best investment opportunity in English football; reviewing: talent production, Olympic Stadium prospects, proximity to London’s financial districts, large and passionate fanbase, high media profile, strong tradition & brand, consolidated private ownership, catchment size and growth potential.
Persuasive post highlights include ‘Bigger online than Chelsea‘ (based solely on the official sites), ‘West Ham can become bigger than Chelsea‘ (based solely on comments by Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian) and ‘Fanbase bigger than Chelsea’s‘ (based solely on attendances from 1981 to 1994). If any Sheikhs have great big piles of money burning a hole in their palaces, they’d be foolish not to take heed of these compelling arguments.
Top flight grounds will soon be emptier than Kerry Katona’s head
According to a poll in this morning’s Sun newspaper, an incredible 43 per cent of West Ham fans are planning to boycott their beloved club in 2008/09, with many arguing that they didn’t receive very good value for money last year. Upton Park has yet to sell out any of its three home games this season, and away tickets for this weekend are still available, something that would have been unheard of last season.
The reason for this lack of support isn’t so much a protest at the club (although in some cases it is), but a reflection of the hard times brought on by the credit crunch. According to a Virgin Money poll, the average cost of watching a game is now £106.21 when tickets, transport and food are taken into account. To put that in perspective for our American readers, that’s about $63,000, and for those in Middlesbrough, that’s a four bed semi.
On average, Premier League clubs have increased their prices by fourteen per cent this season, a necessary move when you consider Frank Lampard is paid approximately £1.04 per second (based on a 40 hour week). Such an increase
Upton Park is about to get a much-needed injection of glamour
According to the rumour vine, West Ham last night agreed terms with Lazio’s Swiss right-back Valon Behrami. This is great news for WAG fans, as the neutral one will almost certainly bring his long term girlfriend Elena Bonzanni with him. She is a 25-year-old model, and the fourth Italian beauty named ‘Elena’ to feature on WOTD (see Elenas Barolo, Santarelli and Grimadli). And don’t let the perspective of the picture above fool you: she doesn’t have unfeasibly large feet.
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