Gang of Four becomes Famous Five as Boro join fight against West Ham

Backing for the so-called 'Gang of Four' - United, Wigan, Fulham and Charlton - is growing as they look at challenging West Ham's right to play Argentina striker Carlos Tevez and the ruling of the league's independent commission.

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What's the score? Carlos Tevez knows the answer...

The Hammers were fined a record £5.5million for irregularities over the signings of Argentinians Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano when many thought they should have had a points deduction, which would have probably resulted in the Londoners and not Sheffield United being relegated.

Middlesbrough - according to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan -are the latest club reported to be prepared to back the challenge and there are others believed to be waiting in the wings.

McCabe said he would be taking the campaign to the clubs as he felt there was a groundswell of support.

"It needs conversations with respective chairman and directors for them to understand all of the injustices but most of them do know that already," said McCabe, whose club were relegated on the final day of the season after they lost 2-1 at home to Wigan and West Ham won 1-0 at Manchester United.

"I think there is a consensus most clubs support an injustice so I hope we will get the vast majority of clubs in the Premier League supporting our case."

He is certainly being backed by Whelan, who said even though his team had escaped relegation all the clubs originally involved were sticking together and they hoped to be able to move forward fairly quickly.

"Charlton, Sheff United, Wigan, Fulham and Middlesbrough are all determined that we should get justice and West Ham should have been deducted points," he said.

"Legally we are being given strong advice that this can be challenged, whatever the Premier League say, and it can go as far as the House of Lords but the problem with that is it will take too long and next season will be under way.

"It has to be mounted and done very, very quickly because the longer this goes on the less likelihood of the league reviewing it at all.

"We have to get on to that this afternoon. Monday, Tuesday are important days and it has got to be pushed through.

"We are going to fight and support them and we will fight with them to the end."

Whelan said even if the commission's decision was eventually proved to be right, a by-product of the ruling had created an unfair situation.

West Ham were ordered to cancel the illegal third-party agreement which was in place when Tevez joined in August and renegotiate a new deal - basically signing the player properly more than three months after the January transfer window.

"What we have to try to do is establish was this lad registered in time to play for West Ham?" said the Wigan owner.

"Did they create a new window because the window was closed and no-one could sign a player but it (the decision) created a new window to sign this lad."

McCabe also called for the Premier League to investigate the outcome themselves even though it was made by an independent panel appointed by them.

"If I were the board of the FA Premier League I would be saying we must address Sheffield United's plight that has come about through no cause of their own," he told Radio Four's Today programme.

"There is a reason here for the board of the Premier League to call their own internal meetings and decided what to do to solve Sheff United's injustice.

"It is their responsibility just as much as it is ours to do it."

Terry Robinson, chairman of Sheffield United Football Club, is leaving the intricacies of any legal challenge to the company's plc board.

That means he and his colleagues have to get on with dealing with the reality of the impact of Sunday's result.

"As far as the football club's board is concerned we are already looking to see what the implications are of relegation," he told Radio Five Live.

"During this next week we will be looking at the squad etc."