HAMMERS TORN TO SHREDS Pardew ploy backfires as Palermo romp home

From: Daily Mail | Date: September 29, 2006| Author: | Copyright information

PALERMO 3 WEST HAM 0

(Palermo win 4-0 on aggregate)

WEST HAM'S return to European football after a sevenyear absence failed at the first hurdle last night after Alan Pardew's side were outplayed by Palermo against a backdrop of disgraceful behaviour from travelling fans.

Goals either side of the break from Fabio Simplicio and another from David Di Michele were enough to send West Ham packing, and judging by the scenes ahead of last night's UEFA Cup first-round tie it was little more than a fair proportion of those 2,500 who made the trip to Sicily deserved.

Before the kick-off, around 500 ...