There is a report in today’s Sports Mail alleging that the specialists treating Dean Ashton will shortly confirm to the club that his ankle injury is likely to prevent him continuing his career as a professional footballer. As a consequence, it is further alleged that the player is to submit a claim with the FA’s insurers for compensation for the career ending injury sustained whilst on England duty.
The report states medical opinion is likely to agree that the ankle injury picked up in training, while on England duty in 2006 is responsible for the premature ending of his promising career. It would also mean that West Ham would be able to claim the £7.5m for which the club have him insured.
I have no idea if this story is true, but if it is then West Ham and English football have lost a real footballing talent. He is probably the most technically gifted English Centre Forward since Teddy Sheringham and a player who should have achieved great things for both club and country.
As a West Ham fan, schooled on strikers of the ability of Hurst, Goddard and Di Canio, I admire the player’s technical skills and prowess in front of goal. My fondest memories of Ashton are probably from the 2006 FA Cup run, including his goals against Man City in the quarter-final, his knock down for Harewood’s winner against Boro in the Semi and his goal against Liverpool in that classic Final. Other Ashton goals that stick in the memory are his fantastic bicycle kick against Man Utd at Old Trafford and his sharp turn and drive to equalise against Aston Villa in the final home match of the 2007-08 season.
If the report is correct, then I know that my fellow fans on WHID will set aside their frequently aired fustrations and lament the premature loss of a highly talented Hammers striker.
However, by way of a caveat, it should be noted that at present it is only one isolated report. As such, it can only be considered speculative until such time as the player’s retirement is officially confirmed by the football club.
SJ Chandos.
I hope it's not true, but suspect it might be. We haven't been the same team without Deano, and I for one hoped he would be able to come back.
If it's true, SJ, then my heart goes out to the bloke. The loss to the team, and ultimately us fans, has been massive. Times that by a hundred and I guess you might come somewhere close to Deano's loss if his career has ended.
I really hope this isn't true.
Football, like any other sport, is a fantastic career for the talented and dedicated athlete. Hard work and commitment can gain huge rewards, not just financially, but in terms of respect and adolation from supporters and follows. To see what the human body can achieve is amazing, but in equal measure it can be cruel and unforgiving for those who suffer career threatening injuries. As fans we are all frustrated by Deano's lack of recovery, but I am sure we will all join in hoping that he will be able to gain some of the form that has entertained us in previous years. If he is unable to continue his career, that it will be a great loss to West Ham, but a massive blow to Deano himself. I pray he returns and hope this story is another one to add to the growing list of rubbish written about West Ham and its players.
Hope it's not true – he could have been England's next Shearer, and a legend for us. He's had a tough time and I still hope he makes it back.
Well If true the writing has been on the wall for a long time for the past 3 seasons
even when he tried last year for a comeback it was not meant to be.
A major loss for West Ham & England and I wish him well for his future
I can't believe those who doubt Ashton's ability. It is clear he is a naturally gifted striker, who for a big man had great movement (when fit of course), vision, and an unerring eye for goal. He has a powerful shot and is formidable in the air. As he got older (as we have seen with Cole) he would have only improved and it's true to say with him in our team we would be in Europe now and a far far better team. To be struggling for your fitness for so long, to get very close and start running, to think you have turned the corner after hundreds of hours in rehab only for the ankle to flare up again must be absolutely demoralising. If he had been playing last year and presently he would be one of the first picked in Capello's team. Capello loves a big talented striker to play around and with no direspect to Cole who I think is great, Ashton would have been that man. If this report is true and he does retire hopefully the club isn't finacially damaged any further and he wins compensation, but either way Ashton will have to spend the rest of his life watching other players doing what he was so cruelly deprived of and that is very sad.
Sad news but i guess we all knew it was comin ? Good luck to Deano .Hopefully the club and player will get full compensation.
COYI !!
must admit its been so long i forget that hes in the squad!
real bed shame if its true but as we all know the pony that is printed these days about west ham is mostly rubbish !! it must be getting close for him to be interviewed by someone and then we can all know the facts ! ian,shimmey shimmey !
WHUFC.COM should give us a good update about what the hell is going on with him.
Having spent the early part of my life in Norwich and watching them (despite always being an 'Iron' at heart) a lot over the years I was delighted when we signed Deano from them as he had always impressed me. He could have been a true West Ham great but sadly we only saw the best of him in fleeting patches. I know everyone will join me in wishing him well if indeed this report is true. To be honest its news many of us have been expecting since the summer but that doesn't make it any less tragic.
As we have been on the receiving end of some dubious compensation claims what chances of us getting the FA to cough up for our failure to qualify for Europe last season because Deano was injured on England duty?
I think we have been waiting for this announcement for the last year – it certainly confirms what I had heard many many months ago.
Deano is a fine footballer who, in truth, never managed to fulfill his potential. I wish him well for the future and thank him for his contribution for West Ham, however limited it may have been due to injuries.
Dean Ashton is my favourite player at west ham, he is like sheringham and shearer, he is brilliant and hopefully he wont retire,
Ashton and Cole, what a partnership that would be, forget anelka+drogba, keane +defoe
Well it is the Daily Mail so there's still hope.
I think this (if true) would certainly explain Deano's apparent lack of progress in recovery and why GZ rarely mentions him. It feels like the whole club have effectively given up and accepted the facts. The club has done it's mourning and it's time to move on.
My heart goes out to the guy – an amazingly talented footballer who would almost certainly have gone on to play at a higher level (big 4) had he had a season to show what he was truly capable of.
As for us – well we move on too. With the passing of every old hero comes the emergance of a new one – Zavon Hines, Carlton Cole and Alessandro Diamanti are our new heroes now – and there's still Ginger Dixon to come……..
The ONLY positive to come out of this will be the money – that should make redundant the need to sell in January,
If true, this is very sad news, but not entirely unexpected. I feel nothing but sadness for Deano and trust he will receive proper and generous compensation from the FA and any Insurers involved.
For West Ham, on the playing side it is a massive loss, although the impact is really now only hypothetical given the time we have been without him, but perhaps it will give us some timely financial help at least. Undoubtedly we would all prefer a fully fit Deano though.
he should hang up his boots because he will never be fully fit and he does not train with the team or show his support by going to the games.
do you think jim,Diamanti and franko have even meet Ashton.
a great shame but maybe he is fighting a loosing battle.
Are you absolutely certain that he never goes to games? I've just read an article written a while ago by Russell Brand in which he talks about meeting Deano at a game whilst he was off injured.
Even if it is true, I'm afraid your post comes across as very unsympathetic to someone who has just lost his livelihood, and potentially could be crippled for life. In the words of Al Murray, shame on you!
Russell Brand does go to games. He used to sit not far away from me, but I think he now sits in a box as he was fed up being hassled.
If all his partners dress up like Katie Brand this week it's no wonder he was hassled. Lucky devil.
A real tragedy for the guy but I have long wondered why he never attended any WH matches during his time out injured. It was the same with Julian Dicks who never turned up when he was out hurt.
I guess not all players are team men!
Can anyone remind me, how many WH matches did Deano play when he made his first comeback after the injury on England duty? Just wondered whether the England insurance policy would cover him if he actually made a comeback and then got injured again.
According to the mail today they say he came back in the 2007/8 season for 31 games scoring 10 goals. Hopefully that is correct and the mail have done their homework correctly if so give them a gold star.Lol!!
Thanks Chris. Sounds a lot to me, but hey ho.
If that's the case, though, I can't see Ashton claiming off England'd insurance policy. It will have to be ours. Let's hope we remembered to pay the premiums.
Well as I read it Ashton is hoping to claim from the FA insurers in 2006__and not the current but it will be complicated as he will have to prove that the current reason to retire stemmed from the 2006 injury whilst on England duty despite trying to return after surgery 07/8. He has been under 2 high profile surgery teams and we now wait to see what the outcome is once it is officially confirmed by WH
There is also the additional complication that the injury was sustained whilst the FA were insured by a different company to the one currently insuring them!
Shame about Deano,This is really old news,alot of us new this anyway.
I still remember the great shape Dean was on in the Summer after the FA Cup final. He was lean and about to become one of the best strikers in England. Then disaster struck and the rest is history. It will always be a case of what might have been. I wish Dean all the best.
If we receive compensation from the FA for his injury then would that not go directly to Ashton as a payout for the four remaining years of his contract? I wouldn't think the club would gain any financial advantage apart from this.
Other than Dean Ashton our list still has quite a bit of dead wood or players I do not think have a long term future at our club for a variety of different reasons..
Ashton – injury
Boa Morte – age/form/going back to portugal
Davenport – injury/form/character
Quashie – form
Dyer – injury
Faubert – form/attitude
Kovac – form
Kurucz – form (not a good enough reserve and untried for some reason)
Sears – form
In a small squad it is quite a list who are not providing much. What are other people's thoughts?
I often find myself agreeing with you, broganq and aside from LBM, I mostly agree again. In fact, it could be argued that Faubert has improved his form and attitude, but probably still lacks that bit of class to really make him a fans' favourite.
The keeper situation is very worrrying. No experienced back up whatsoever. Criminal in the Premiership.
Knowing our luck with the FA we may not win a payout. Feel bad for the guy, was always holding out hope for a return.
Sad, if true, but not unexpected.
It would be nice to be given a chance to pay a tribute to the guy, but if he doesn't even turn up to watch the games and support his team mates, then I guess we probably won't be seeing him set foot inside Upton Park again.
Just on that note, I remember all to well players like Ray Stewart and Martin Allen sitting amongst the fans when injured or suspended, even joining in the singing at a Derby away game, which was much appreciated by all the Hammers fans.
Extremely sad news, if true.
Personally, I held Ashton at his best 3 years ago to have held the potential – still only 22 at the time I believe – to have been an England regular. Certainly, he would have been in the team now hands down. Of course, we would have struggled to hold on to him and he may well have been snapped up by one of the Big 4 by now.
But, really, really sad news. A great loss to WH and England. I wish him all the very best for the future.
Great shame this, if it's true, West Ham will struggle to replace him – but we will.
I really feel for Dean Ashton and wish him all the best – thanks for the memories.
aj