Hammers lay down law on star

By Paul Holland
March 17 2003

West Ham United Football Club have pulled the plug on the rumours that midfield dynamo Paulo Di Canio was about to make a move to Reading on loan.

However in a strange U-turn, the Biscuit Men boss Alan Pardew was forced to make a public apologies to Glenn Roeder after revealing interests in the former Sheffield Wednesday player on the Reading website.

He said: "I enquired to West Ham about Paolo and they are not interested.

"He's very much a West Ham player and the interest is dead as far as we are concerned.

"I shouldn't have spoken to the press about di Canio, but it was a genuine mistake.

"Glenn Roeder is very upset and has made his feelings clear to me, and I apologise to both Glenn and West Ham."