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Hammers fire Henry

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West Ham have tonight fired Tony Henry following the racism storm that has engulfed the club over the last 48 hours.

Whether that is the end of the affair remains to be seen as the Football Association are demanding they see the e mails in which he made claims that “we so not want anymore African players at the club.”

A statement on the official website it said: ” West Ham United have today terminated the contract of Director of Player Recruitment, Tony Henry, with immediate effect following his unacceptable comments that were widely reported in the press.

Our action follows a full and thorough investigation. West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination.
The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included.”

It now remains to be seen whether Henry’s use of the word “we” in his e mail comments draws further investigation.

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • mooro66uk says:

    Ruffellite, you seem very fond of saying: “most likely”. This simply means no proof, just guessing. Your statement: “The anticipated ….e hitting the fan MOST LIKELY explains Mr. Moyes sudden explosion of comments on the signing of African players” is most misleading.It was not sudden it was the morning after the revelations became public. It wasn’t an explosion of comments, it was one brief and to the point statement. You go on to say “What makes it whiffier is that Mr. Moyes appears to have become immediately defensive”. You seem to think that this makes him in some way implicated or complicit, when he is simply disassociating himself from any form of racist behaviour and citing examples to substantiate his position. You say nobody is alleging Mr. Moyes is racist but you couch your words in a way that insinuates he is ,in some way, blameworthy. We know, by your own admission, that you dislike Mr. Moyes but please spare us your not so subtle suggestions that he is responsible for this situation. You use the fact that we signed no African players in this window as an indicator of racism. How many other clubs failed to sign one? Are they also racist? We did however sign two players of African origin. How many other clubs did this? You are obviously very clever with words just not so good on neutrality and balance when using them. COYI.

  • Ruffellite says:

    Agreed Crewe. The ‘we’ is crucial. ‘We’ raises the spectre of institutional racism. That’s why the FA are onto it, and Lord Ousely has swiftly gone on record. The anticipated ****e hitting the fan most likely explains Mr Moyes’ sudden explosion of comments on the subject of signing ‘African’ players.

    Sleepswith – I suspect your comment about private/public talk is totally on point. What is said, and the feelings held and shared among white managers/coaches and owners ‘in private’, is most likely different to the bull they put out for public consumption. Ex-players have told me as much. And that’s the measure of the problem here.

    Where I differ is clear. Any comments/remarks that generalise ALL ‘African players’ being lazy or trouble-makers is racist. Holding stereotypes about the race that occupies the many different countries, with different ethnic groups, cultures and languages as if they are the bleedin’ same is racist. Bit like ‘Taffy is a Welshman, Taffy is a thief’. Utter bollix.

    A statement from a club’s director of recruitment purporting to place an embargo on recruiting African players ‘because blah blah’ is irrational, stereotypical, inaccurate and patently racist because it maligns a race of people from the entire continent of Africa as if people from different African nations are all the same because of their place of origin. Have people not heard of the Cup of African Nations?

    What makes matters whiffier is that Mr Moyes appears to have become immediately defensive, harking back to his signing of Yobo and Pienaar at the Toffees. So what? No one is alleging that Mr Moyes is racist.

    We are talking here about serious concerns that a senior West Ham employee is alleged to have said the club has an embargo on signing African players. Mr Moyes and Mr Henry are old colleagues from Everton days. When the reported/alleged words are associated with a director of player recruitment, subject to being true – and the club’s investigation/termination suggest the comments have been found to have ‘some’ substance – then these comments would be tantamount to club policy. Mr Moyes’ reported defence of Mr Henry might be what mates do for each other, but it thickens the plot here. Not very prudent.

    One and another, the club may now be investigated for institutional racism. And Sakho’s reported comments may add fuel to the gathering fire. Crewe is onto that.

    Maybe club officials were frustrated with Sakho’s behaviour. But to use the behaviour of one African person to tar all African players with the same brush is nonsense. None of us would accept that if one English player has a reputation for being lazy, or a ‘diver’, or a barrack-room lawyer its okay to label or characterise ALL English players as lazy or trouble makers. Holding and voicing that view would be a crock of ****e. I’d be equally disgusted by that as well. Common sense. That’s the measure of racism.

    So, how many African players did we sign in the window? Ah, none.

    So, how many African players did we sell during the window. Ah, two.

    So, how many players did we actually and not nearly sign during the window: one Portugese plus one from Preston = two Europeans

    Thin ice in the face of this malarkey. Bill Shakespeare could be right about Denmark and something rotten in that state. Mind you, that’s not to say all citizens of the state of Denmark are rotten.

    Let’s hope any African players turning out for us at Brighton today can put this behind them.
    I won’t. COYI

    • sleepswithdafishes says:

      Very impressive post Ruff, and I actually agree with most of it.
      Your point about lumping several different countries into one word ‘Africa’ is the real problem with what he said, but also shows it is not racism, because Africa is not one race or even one country. There are several races in Africa so he was not specific on any race.
      It was generalization.
      As I said before it is totally true that people from different backgrounds behave very different and thats what he was talking about.
      I worked in 3 different countries in 5 international companies and I know of several countries which produce certain traits among their populations. Usually those traits can be absorbed and merged into the team of workers. Sometimes they can’t and that can cause a lot of damage inside the group.
      I can name one european country from whom I would try not to hire from because every company I worked in they caused conflict between the work force ( every time ). So would I be a racist for that, or is it only when dealing with Africa?

  • mooro66uk says:

    Direct quote from Mr. Moyes: ” The comments are wrong”. He went on to say he was trying to sign 2 African players on deadline day. He has spoken to some of the African players and they were fine. They trained well and morale is high.It would seem that some outside our club are more upset than our players. he also said: “We sign good, quality players and it doesn’t matter where they are from”. These statements were issued yesterday so it would appear that Mr. Moyes has done and said all that you demand from him Ruffellite.

  • sleepswithdafishes says:

    His crime was to say out loud what most people in football management say in private. It was obviously absolutely not racism, but it was discriminating against people from Africa. It has to be said that he was in his position instrumental in bringing in 2 black players in this last window.
    The club had no choice but to protect themselves from a witch-hunt and for that acted correctly.

  • crewehammer says:

    I think they’re bailing….. this racism thing is going to get much worse when the FA discover exactly who the “we” are – which is why I think the timing of the current poll is very telling.

  • Ruffellite says:

    Mooro66 – So you’ve noticed then. 

    No, I’m not a ‘fan’ of Mr Moyes’ track record as a coach. His speed in publicly condemning Masuaku’s behaviour as ‘despicable’ has not been matched by a public condemnation of alleged/claimed racism within the club, whether individual or institutional, conscious or unconscious.

    Mr Moyes could have shown his leadership and respect for his African and African heritage players by moving as swiftly to condemn the alleged/claimed comments as he did over Masuaku’s behaviour, as a matter of principle and he could have avoided naming anyone. What is there to like about this lack of parity, this lack of an automatic response of fairness? That’s where I stand on Mr Moyes – his leadership and coaching record is what I don’t like.

    My preference would be for a coach with those human and coaching qualities/values of Arsene Wenger. This is the quality of person we need to have associated with the club my ancestor played for, and we’re all passionate about.

    Sid and Roman – definitely don’t agree with you fellow Irons on this. These reported remarks set the anti-racism struggle in football back 50 years. Whoever said the words, whether ‘we or he’, the reality is that Mr Henry – according to the Club’a investigation and not my judgment by the way – is allegedly associated with those remarks. If the remarks are as stated in multiple sources, then they are clearly stereotyped and cliched, and applied to all African players they are racist. Similarly, Arnautovic at Stoke was often accused of being inconsistent in work rate or lazy. So, does this mean all European players are lazy, or bad apples in the dressing room? Or to describe European players in this way would be acceptable. Give me a break. The racist leaning folk would be up in arms about the besmirching of the white race…we know this.

    This incident has nothing to do with ‘political correctness’. This is all about a public outcry, openly speaking out, and holding perpetrators accountable for decency in the Club we love. The association with the club of offensive descriptions about the ‘African race’ is an institutional disgrace. Who said the alleged/claimed words – notwithstanding the findings of the club’a investigation – is of marginal interest to me.
    Institutional racism is the issue here; and by not challenging such matters , or saying that its a blow to free speech, is what racists everywhere want to hear because it normalises speaking in despicable ways about non-white people in this society. That is despicable.

    Mr Moyes and others in football could give us leadership in such matters. That I would like.

  • sidthehammer says:

    Scapegoat, this is a genuinely good bloke trying to do his best for WHU, its a smoke screen, political correctness my arse, the owners have hung him out to dry.
    I am west ham through and through, pathetic leadership, they are idiots and deserve to take us down, which sadly we are in real danger of going.

    • Roman says:

      I think you are correct sid. Political correctness gone mad.Is Moyes a racist then for openly stating he preferred English players?To me that says he doesn’t want any one other than home grown players.It has become a sad state of affairs when you can’t openly express an opinion without being accused of being racist.

  • mooro66uk says:

    You really don’t like “Mr. Moyes”,do you?

  • Ruffellite says:

    Respect 32. Agree on all fronts. Interesting how language is used though. Tony Henry’s racist comments has drawn a reasonable and reasoned procedural response. Henry has got what he thoroughly deserves: P45.

    Whereas Mr Moyes was immediate in his absolutely damning indictment of Masuaku’s spitting as ‘despicable’, what is noticeable in its absence is an equivalent, immediate and public condemnation of Henry’s words and views as ‘despicable’, perhaps? Not my word, Mr Moyes’ word.

    Henry has, figuratively speaking, ‘flobbed’ in the face of African players at the club, and beyond, by implication. Surely this is also despicable, but not it seems to Mr Moyes. If I were an African player at our club I’d have no faith in Mr Moyes protecting my interests.

    Mr Moyes’ silence is ‘despicable’ and it is down to him, morally and ethically, to provide inspiration in the face of Henry’s morale damaging behaviour. Thankfully actions speak louder than words, and as 32 rightly says, the Board has acted with ethical leadership in this instance. Shame about the lack of recruitment strategy though….oh, Mr Henry what shall we do…,!

    • bashammer11 says:

      Well he has spoke about it in the article “we tryed to sign african players on deadline day”

  • Lazurus. rises like a salmon says:

    Don’t you think you should wait and see the official outcome of the internal report and the FA report before making a judgement 32 ! I’ve never heard of a self investigative report condemning themselves !! What we need is a in depth report with them outlining why and who said what , we , he, management ?? Until I hear and see the statement ( don’t hold you’re breath ) I think this could be a pay off and remove blame ? For it to be that simple is taking us all for fools , we need a statement with facts not just a dismissal ! 😤

  • West Ham Fan No 32 says:

    He left them with no choice, whether there is more to come we will wait and see, hopefully not though, the tone of the dismissal statement was damning for Henry but it is the only thing the board could do to prove we are an inclusive club which imho we are, you only have to look at the ethnic and diverse background of the crowd these days to see that which is great to be a part of. Its not often the board get much credit but I think they deserve it for the way they have handled this so far.

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