Football: Redknapp denies part in Storrie exit

HARRY REDKNAPP has insisted he is not responsible for the West Ham board's decision to terminate the contract of their director of football, Peter Storrie.

Storrie will leave Upton Park at the end of this season and be replaced by the Sheffield Wednesday secretary, Graham Mackrell, who will assume the role of company secretary.

There have been suggestions that Storrie's exit is the result of differences between himself and Redknapp. The pair had a public row after the Hammers won at Derby earlier this season because Andy Impey was being sold to balance the books against the manager's wishes.

However, Redknapp said today: "Peter and I get on absolutely fantastically and to suggest otherwise is absolute nonsense. We have had one argument in six years working together, and I am very disappointed that he will be leaving the club.

"I was shocked when Peter told me the news yesterday. It is the chairman's decision because he wants to change the structure of the club, and this has got nothing to do with the Andy Impey business. We were going back out socially with our wives two days after that all blew up.

"Peter has been great for West Ham, and I am sorry to see him go. He played a major role in establishing our youth academy and he has backed me and my staff all the way."

Hammers striker Paolo Di Canio has been fined pounds 900 after a row with an Italian traffic policeman. The case dated back to June 1997 when Di Canio was visiting Terni, his wife's home town, and tried to drive into an area restricted to permit-holders.

Today, the Hammers travel across London to White Hart Lane where talks between Tottenham Hotspur and Sol Campbell about a new contract have hit a snag, according to the club captain. However, he stressed that he is keen to stay with Spurs, where he started his career, if the manager, George Graham, receives funding to strengthen the squad.

The 24-year-old England defender, coveted by some of Europe's leading clubs, began negotiations recently about extending his contract, which has two years to run.

However, it is thought Campbell is waiting to see whether the club's ambitions match his own before signing a new deal, and he is keen to see Tottenham build on their success after winning the League Cup this season. "There are a few problems on the table which we've got to sort out," he said.

"It's all about the right package and everything to do with football. This has been the best season I've had at the club since I broke into the side six years ago. We had a great team the first time Jurgen Klinsmann was here, but that side broke up at the end of the season, which was not good.

"Hopefully this time it won't be the same. You've got to keep your core side and add to it, as all the best teams do. You've got to keep the ball rolling, not take pieces away.

"I've got two years left on my contract so a lot of things can happen. We're moving in the right direction and if we keep doing that, we'll see how it goes. I'm from London, I enjoy it here and I don't need to move."