WHUFC.com
A tricky trip to Portsmouth holds no fears for Matthew Upson who is looking to cash in on the feelgood factor
26.01.2010
Matthew Upson will lead West Ham United into tonight's Barclays Premier League match at Portsmouth with nothing but victory in mind. The club captain said the team were looking forward to getting back on the pitch after a week spent working hard on the training pitch. With the squad already down on the south coast and preparing for the evening encounter, Upson was in determined mood as he looked ahead. He said: "We are coming here with the focus on getting three points, nothing else and we don't want to settle for anything less than that. We will turn up at Fratton Park with a real positive attitude and will be trying to attack Portsmouth and win the game."
The Hammers have taken heart from a goalless draw from a strong display at Aston Villa in their last outing ten days ago. Upson, who was just edged out for man of the match duties that day by defensive partner James Tomkins, said there was plenty in that game up at Villa Park to build on. "We performed well up at Villa. I felt we could have scored a goal and were just a little bit away from being more of a threat, but we can definitely take positives all over from that result. "Villa are a top team at the moment and to come off the pitch with a point away from home against them, was good for us, we had a clean sheet as well. So we come to Portsmouth with a mind to really attack them."
The England defender said the feelgood factor had also been boosted by the arrival of West Ham's new co-owners and chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, who he played under during his time at Birmingham City. "The stability this has brought is very good and it is a very positive thing for the football club. We needed some financial help and also we have found people who want to invest and want to do right by the football club which is important. It is good news for everyone. "In the short term it is the help we needed now but also on a long-term basis, the new owners are looking to do things properly and stabilise the club, build proper foundations and build up slowly. "I don't think there are ever quick fixes in this game, it's got to be the long haul and they are obviously in this for the long term. "It is a positive thing that they are supporters of the club as well. It has been a big passion of theirs to own West Ham one day and they have succeeded. "Whenever a club has been taken over by people who like now, feel this passionately about a football club, you get the sense they are going to do the right thing by the club and the supporters. "It is very important. They know the club inside out and that is a very positive thing."
Upson said the resilience shown at Villa Park last time out and also in recent displays like the 2-0 home win against tonight's opponents on Boxing Day showed that there was always a good spirit. However, he felt the events of the past week had given an extra impetus to everyone. "As players you really do have to just focus on the next game and the thinking is as long as we get three points it will be all right - it will help to make things better. That is the top and bottom of it as a player "You are obviously aware of all the things happening on the outside, but it has gone now. It has now happened and we can stop thinking about it and just concentrate on moving onwards and upwards on the pitch."
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'These are big games'
WHUFC.com
Robert Green and Mark Noble are looking for wins from West Ham United's next three fixtures
26.01.2010
Robert Green and Mark Noble have both stressed the importance of picking up positive results from the next three Barclays Premier League fixtures. West Ham United visit Portsmouth on Tuesday, then play host to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday before travelling to Burnley a week later, with goalkeeper Green and midfielder Noble targeting victories. A nine-point haul would undoubtedly lift the Hammers into mid-table, while also denying vital points to three clubs in and around them in the standings. "These are big games," said Green, who celebrated his 30th birthday with a fine performance in the goalless draw at Aston Villa last time out. "Since the Chelsea game [a 1-1 draw on 20 December], besides the Spurs match, we've improved. The commitment and drive that all the lads have shown and the freedom they have played with has been ood. We need to continue that improvement."
Noble also played a full part in the gutsy defensive display at Villa Park, filling in as a holding midfielder when Scott Parker and Radoslav Kovac were both withdrawn by manager Gianfranco Zola. The 22-year-old is the Hammers' longest-serving player, and is desperate to help his club to climb away from the relegation zone. "At the end of the day, we need to win these games," said Noble, with trademark determination. "We've got three games and we need to win them. If we do, then I'm sure we'll be fine."
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Up for the fight
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola wants to repay the faith of the supporters by scoring an important victory
26.01.2010
Gianfranco Zola has vowed to 'fight like a crazy man' to help West Ham United to climb the Barclays Premier League table. The Hammers will be cheered on by 2,000 travelling fans at Portsmouth on Tuesday evening, and the manager is desperate to repay their unwavering support by scoring an important victory at Fratton Park. Tonight's match is West Ham's first since joint chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold took commercial and operational control, ending the uncertainty that has surrounded the Boleyn Ground since Zola was appointed in September 2008. With the club's financial future now stable, the manager said he, his coaching staff and his players were free to focus all their energies on winning Premier League points. "For this team, I will do everything," he confirmed. "I have a great commitment to the players and the supporters and I won't let them down. "Obviously when you do this job and have responsibilities, you have ups and downs and I've had them, no doubt about it. But it is my fighting spirit that is there. I don't like to give up on things, and I don't like to step back on difficulties, and that's why I'm here and I'm still alive and still fighting like a crazy man."
West Ham sit 16th in the table ahead of their trip to the south coast but, with home games against Blackburn Rovers, Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers and a visit to Burnley to look forward to over the coming weeks, Zola believes now is the perfect time to start a rapid ascent of the standings. "Considering the fixtures we have in front of us, tonight's game is going to be massive because it could start another run of games where we can pick up vital points," he said. "I think the fixtures are suitable for us. We're going to play teams, even though there are no easy games in the Premier League, they are suitable for us. We have an opportunity and we have to take that opportunity."
Central to taking that opportunity will be the form of the club's senior professionals, including fit-again striker Carlton Cole. The 26-year-old is due to return at Portsmouth after two months out with a knee injury, but Zola insisted the burden will be shared by the whole squad. "This is a team and it is not only him," the manager confirmed. "It can be spread out by others. We have the likes of Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Valon Behrami who are massive personalities and they will help to share the responsibilities. Carlton Cole is much more mature than he was. He started slow the first few games and then he started scoring and scoring. When we have him and everyone back, this team has enough to play in a different position."
Zola continued by insisting that, with the new owners in place, there was no need for any of the club's big names to be sold to balance the books. "I believe that the players want to stay here and are committed to here. We are not selling anybody. That is my position and that is the club's position, so I think this is not going to happen. I'm not surprised because they are good players who are interesting for big clubs."
Zola, who revealed that he holds daily conversations with Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold over possible transfer targets, said he was happy to have received the backing of the new joint-chairmen. With them behind him, the manager spoke of his ambition to repay their faith over the coming months. "It's very important and it's OK. I know in my position that I have to always produce good results. The new owners will be very demanding on the team and on me, but I like it. That's the way it has to be. It's a challenge and I take it. It's been good that they say they have faith in me to do this job and in my staff. That's a very good start and now it's down to me to make that trust stronger. "It's been a difficult situation because I came here [in September 2008] and one week later all the trouble started, and despite all the trouble, we came through. We thought we were through, then you have seen there were so many other problems. "To find out now that you can really focus on your work and get on with it on the pitch is a massive release. Believe it or not, my main qualities are on the pitch and I want to use them. If I can get everything sorted, I can focus on that and put across all my 20 years of experience in football and that's what I'm looking for."
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West Ham aiming to snatch Gudjohnsen on loan
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
ESPN
January 26, 2010
West Ham have made a bid to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen from under the noses of Blackburn, with the Hammers hopeful of prising the Icelandic forward from the grasp of Sam Allardyce. Blackburn confirmed yesterday that the Hammers have bid for striker Benni McCarthy but, with deal still in the balance, West Ham have approached Gudjohnsen, who has already made contact with Rovers to replace their want-away South African striker. Sam Allardyce spoke to Monaco at the start of the week to ask about Icelandic forward Gudjohnsen, who was under his wing at Bolton a decade ago, and West Ham have followed suit, preparing to bid if they fail to sign McCarthy. The Hammers have bid £2 million for McCarthy and await a deal with Blackburn, who are thought to be seeking more money for the AWOL South Africa striker, while a €1.25 million offer has been made to take Gudjohnsen on loan, according to the Hammers' new joint owner David Sullivan. "I can confirm we have bid for McCarthy and I can also confirm we have been in contact with Monaco regarding a loan for Gudjohnsen," Sullivan told Soccernet. "Everybody tells me not to go for Gudjohnsen as he missed pre-season, but our manager, Franco Zola, rates him highly, and clearly so does Big Sam as it appears they have gone for him as well."
Sullivan conceded that they are anxious to land a big-name striker before the transfer deadline expires. "We are not experiencing normal circumstances," he said. "We have just taken over the club, time is running out on the January transfer window - we really only have five days to go - and we need a striker. We need to stay up, that is imperative, so we will do our best. "In the long term, we will build up the team with young players but, if you recall, Harry Redknapp needed strikers and went for Hartson and Kitson, and we are looking at the very short term - staying up."
Benjani is another player linked with West Ham, but while Manchester City may have been prepared to sell their reserve centre-forward a month ago, he appears to have worked his way into Roberto Mancini's plans and they are now reluctant to let him go. That leaves Gudjohnsen as a realistic target for West Ham, as the forward wants to return to the Premier League, where he starred for Chelsea, after failing to settle in France following his move from Barcelona. The striker is on £80,000-a-week at Monaco and Rovers want to pay half of his wages for the rest of the season, while the Hammers are aiming to make a more tempting offer to Monaco.
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Matthew Upson: We're in safe hands now under new owners
Ken Dyer
26.01.10
Evening Standard
West Ham captain Matthew Upson has backed the club's new owners to bring stability to Upton Park after years of uncertainty. The England international, who played under the stewardship of David Sullivan and David Gold at Birmingham City, believes the pair are right for the Hammers. "The new owners are looking to do things properly and stabilise the club, lay proper foundations and build up slowly," said Upson. "It is a positive thing that they are supporters of the club as well. It has been a big passion of theirs to own West Ham one day and they have succeeded. "Whenever a club has been taken over by people who, like now, feel passionately about what they are doing, you get the sense they are going to do the right thing. They know the club inside out and it's very important."
Manager Gianfranco Zola also admitted today that the uncertainty surrounding West Ham's future had affected his squad. "The main concern for the players was that some people would be leaving and the team would become weaker," he said. "That was a big distraction. There were so many rumours and the players were getting influenced by that. The big thing is that we will work hard on the pitch from now on and won't be affected by outside problems any more. "I knew that if I let my mind be affected by those things, then I could not do this job properly. It has been very hard for me but I know I have to maintain that attitude otherwise I would be no good for the players."
West Ham were today closing in on the signing of Benni McCarthy from Blackburn. Co-owner Sullivan has made an official bid for the 32-year-old South Africa striker and McCarthy, who has expressed his desire to play for the Upton Park club, was thought to be in London last night for more talks. Should the deal go through, McCarthy could be the first of two strikers signed by West Ham before the transfer window closes. In a radio interview, co-owner Gold admitted: "We are going for about five in the hope of getting two. That's the way you have to operate in January."
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Gianfranco Zola enjoys being in the spotlight
Evening Standard
26.01.10
Gianfranco Zola accepts he will be under scrutiny from the new owners as West Ham begin a new era against Portsmouth. The relegation-haunted Hammers face the bottom club in the Barclays Premier League at Fratton Park tonight knowing victory is vital if they are to improve their own chances of staying in the top flight. A win will also help coach Zola's task of pleasing the club's new owners David Sullivan and David Gold, the former Birmingham supremos having already pledged to give Zola cash for new players, particularly a striker, before the end of the January transfer window. The takeover was music to Zola's ears after the Italian had struggled to keep the side out of the relegation zone under CB Holdings - their previous cash-strapped Icelandic owners. But he is well aware all eyes will be on him as the Sullivan and Gold era kicks off on the south coast.
"I know that, in my position, I have to produce good results," said Zola. "The new owners are going to be very demanding on the team and on me, but I like that. It's a challenge and I accept it. It's been good that they said they have faith in my job and my staff. That's a very good start. Now it's down to me to make that first trust a strong one. I like it. "It's important that you have an owner, somebody you can report to in good and bad situations. They will make everyone aware that we have to perform for this club.
"Everybody is really committed here to work for West Ham. The fact that there's an owner behind us, looking after us all, is a massive thing. The players are all very positive about it - I've heard their comments. "It's been a difficult situation. I came here last year and, after a week, all the trouble started. We came through that - we thought we were through it - then there were more problems this year. "I focused on my work on the pitch but, for me, it's a massive relief. My main qualities are on the pitch and I want to use them on the pitch. If I can get everything else sorted, I can focus on that and I can put across my 20 years in football and focus on that. That's what I'm looking for. "At the beginning of the season we had some problems because, every window, we had to sell someone because of the financial problems. To know everyone is staying is massive. It would have been a big, big thing for us to lose players - not only because of the loss itself, but because of the message you send to the other players. We're trying to build something here."
Blackburn last night announced that West Ham have made a written offer for striker Benni McCarthy although Zola was cagey about any transfer targets as the end of the January transfer window approaches.
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Gold in Hammers admission
New Hammers chief slams club's finances
Last updated: 26th January 2010
SSN
David Gold believes he and fellow West Ham co-owner David Sullivan overpaid in buying their stake in the club. The former Birmingham co-owners have bought a controlling stake in the club for £50million as the cash-strapped Upton Park outfit looked for new investors. Gold, who admitted the chance to take control at his boyhood club was too good to turn down, believes the club's financial problems are like a "car crash". Gold admits he and Sullivan were "mad" to pay what they had and only did it because of their emotional attachment to the club. "It's madness what we have paid," Gold told the Daily Telegraph. "The place was a car crash. "Every page we turned in every document revealed yet another problem. "It was the worst set of figures I have seen."
Gold, who along with Sullivan was the former co-owner of Birmingham, believes in general terms the men running the finances of Premier League clubs have "lost the plot".
"You have to say I'm certifiable, potty. There's no other business like this. In fact that's a misnomer, it's not a business. We've lost the plot," added Gold. "The Premier League is pulling in more money than any other league the world has ever known, yet show me a club making a profit. It's insane."
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Zola: I must prove to new West Ham owners that I can deliver results
Gianfranco Zola has admitted that it was up to him to prove he should remain as West Ham United's manager after the club gained the much-needed "stability" he craved following last week's takeover.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt
Published: 7:15AM GMT 26 Jan 2010
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is confident that he can turn his team into a winning machine . "I know that, in my position, I have to produce good results," the West Ham manager said. "The new owners are going to be very demanding on the team and on me, but I like that. It's a challenge and I accept it. It's been good that they said they have faith in my job and my staff. That's a very good start. Now it's down to me to make that first trust a strong one."
Zola, whose side face Portsmouth away on Tuesday evening in a Premier League relegation battle, was speaking for the first time since David Sullivan and David Gold gained control of West Ham, hopefully ending the uncertainty which followed the failed Icelandic ownership.
A lesson in camouflage Zola added that it was "massive" that he had been assured that none of his players would be sold in this transfer window – Manchester City have bid £15 million for Valon Behrami – while there are hopes that an experienced striker will be brought in this week. "We're not selling anybody. That's my position and the club's position," Zola said.
Discussions have taken place over signing Benjani Mwaruwaru, Benni McCarthy, James Beattie or Eidur Gudjohnsen. West Ham lost out on Ruud Van Nistelrooy – as did Tottenham Hotspur – despite claiming they were prepared to offer him £100,000 a week on a short-term deal until the end of the season. "At the beginning of the season we had some problems because, every window, we had to sell someone because of the financial problems," Zola said. "To know everyone is staying is massive. It would have been a big, big thing for us to lose players: not only because of the loss itself, but because of the message you send to the other players. We're trying to build something here."
Zola admitted that West Ham's off-field problems had taken their toll – "the trouble we had certainly affected our performances" – and not least on him. "That year and a half is maybe worth five years of experience in any other job," he said. "I'm also the first one to put my hand up: I made some mistakes. If I went back in time, maybe I could have done things differently. "It's been a difficult situation. I came here last season and, after a week, all the trouble started. We came through that – we thought we were through it – then there were more problems this year. I focused on my work on the pitch but, for me, it's a massive relief. "My main qualities are on the pitch and I want to use them on the pitch. If I can get everything else sorted, I can focus on that and I can put across my 20 years in football I'm still alive and still fighting like a crazy man."
West Ham should have striker Carlton Cole back on the bench for Tuesday night's game.
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West Ham's new owner David Gold insists he wouldn't have done a deal for any other club
David Gold says the club was like a 'car crash' when he took over but he has big plans for West Ham.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jim White
Published: 7:10AM GMT 26 Jan 2010
A couple of days after he has effected a takeover of West Ham United and David Gold's phone won't stop ringing. His mobile is spinning across his desk as he attempts to talk, rattling the trophies adorning the study of his Surrey mansion with its noisy buzz. "Sorry about this, but I can't seem to turn the vibrate function off," he says, picking up the busily humming device. "You'd think in my business one thing I'd have learnt is how to turn off a vibrator." Sport on television Gold is rarely mentioned without reference to his business. He prefers the euphemism 'adult products' to the harsher pejorative often cast in his direction, but whatever it is he sells beneath its brown paper packaging it has enabled him to finance quite a lifestyle. Here, at its epicentre in the Surrey hills, Gold enjoys its trappings: the helicopter on the lawn; the grand piano in the hall gently playing to itself; the lavish portraits on the walls of family members depicted, Marie Antoinette-like, gambolling in imagined sylvan idylls. Not to mention sitting proudly on the sideboard, the original FA Cup, the trophy which he bought for more than £450,000 in 2005. "It goes up to 1913, who won it that year?" he says, addressing the engraving on the front of the silverware with a magnifying glass. "Oh no, please don't tell me it was Aston Villa."
But for West Ham followers it is not the fruitier aspects of Gold's business portfolio that interests them. They are more concerned about his stewardship of football clubs. In particular, after the failed Icelandic intervention at Boleyn Road, they would like him to repeat the trick he carried off in the Midlands, where, over 16 years until last August, he presided over the stabilisation of Birmingham City. "Actually, I'll pull you up on that," he says. "What we did was a bit more than stabilise Birmingham. Without us you can safely say that club would not be in existence. It would now be a supermarket. It came really, really close to going into extinction."
With his brother Ralph and partner David Sullivan, Gold bought Birmingham in 1993 for a pound. Last summer the threesome sold it to Carson Yeung, realising a profit of £20 million each. It was a result Gold could hardly anticipate when he first stepped off his chopper at St Andrew's. "When I saw the stadium, I thought: 'I wonder if I can get my pound back' " he says. "Clearly I'd overpaid."
So has he overpaid again for West Ham? This time it has cost him and Sullivan in excess of 50 million times that Birmingham investment. "Yes, yes, of course we have, it's madness what we paid," he says. "The place was a car crash. Every page we turned in every document revealed yet another problem. It was the worst set of figures I have seen."
In which case: why on earth has he done it? He is now 73, his business empire is stout and profitable. What, then, propelled him back into football's self-inflicted financial mire?
"You have to say I'm certifiable, potty," he says. "There's no other business like this. In fact that's a misnomer, it's not a business. We've lost the plot. The Premier League is pulling in more money than any other league the world has ever known, yet show me a club making a profit. It's insane. "I would not have done the deal if it had been any other club. I've only done this because it's West Ham, my roots. I can see my mum looking down, she was mad for the club. I remember her at Birmingham, she must have been 90, we were playing West Ham and she turned up in the directors' box wearing both a West Ham and a Birmingham scarf. I said, 'mum, it doesn't work like that'. She said, 'I don't want anyone to lose'. Only my mum."
So this is just about sentiment? "It's in my blood," he says. "I could have played for the club. I was offered an apprenticeship when I was a kid by the legend that was Ted Fenton. But my father refused to sign the forms. You had to get parental consent, so that was it. "My father was very belligerent. I didn't speak to him for 30 years. Not because of that. It was many things. I never had a good relationship with him. Would I be where I am today had I taken up that apprenticeship? Who knows. But I'd have loved to try."
In fact, such is his affection for the club, this latest represents the third time Gold has sought a long-term relationship with West Ham. Before engaging with Birmingham, the Gold brothers and Sullivan owned 27 per cent of the Upton Park action. But it was not a happy courtship. "They didn't embrace us," he recalls. "I'm not talking the fans, I mean the principals of the football club. They didn't give us a seat on the board, they were reluctant even to let us into the directors' box. Eventually, we were allowed into the directors' guest lounge, but never into the inner sanctum."
If the West Ham bigwigs worried that encouraging men of their business ilk on to the board might tarnish the image of the club, things have changed. Twenty years on, Gold's business nous is more than just welcome, it is a lifeline. And it will be stretched to its limits to sort things out. "I hate debt," he says. "Personally, I would avoid it at all costs. Interest is a burden on a football club that puts you at competitive disadvantage. If Man United are paying £50 million a year in interest, if they didn't have that debt, then they could use that £50 million to reduce ticket prices or improve their squad. That seems self-evident to me. West Ham have borrowed against future income. That's absurd."
But it is also a fact of history. The question now is: what will he and Sullivan do to sort things out? "We'll bring in leadership," he says. "It was quite clear there was none. Any question you asked, it all boiled down to: well we weren't given any direction. It had become a rudderless ship. We will bring openness. "The manager was saying to us, 'I've never seen a director at the training ground'. That will change. You will see passion from us. We will bring 16 years of experience. We are people who have overseen success, but also we have overseen failure, the test is how you can recover from that."
One of the things Gold particularly wants to do is take over the Olympic Stadium after 2012. That would give West Ham access to much greater revenue streams. There is just one drawback to the plan: Sebastian Coe has long made it clear it is unlikely to happen. "We are not in the business of building Premier League football grounds," he once said.
"Yes, and I remember Harold Wilson saying, 'We will never devalue the pound'," says Gold. "Look, the best way to secure the legacy of the stadium is for a football club to take it on. Seb's a politician, but you've got to be realistic. "How embarrassing to have one event there a year, with 4,000 people watching a weekend of athletics. No, football is its best hope. Maybe it's too late to affect the design of the building. Maybe it is about us taking it on and converting it afterwards. But believe me, it is in their best interests as much as ours."
But if that doesn't happen, what else can Gold offer? A future of belt-tightening and austerity might be the vogue manifesto for the forthcoming general election, but don't fans wish for something rather more from their chairman? "Come on chairman, gamble with your money. Show some ambition. Bring me success. I want to go to a cup final," he says. "Yeah, that is the traditional way of regarding your chairman. Now, I might be wrong, but I think that's changing. Now I think fans are saying, do whatever you can, but I will not tolerate you taking my club into administration. I think if you treat the fans right they very rarely turn on you. "Yes, on that bad day [in May 2008] when we got relegated [Birmingham] there was such despair it spilt over into uncontrolled red mist. For a few weeks they were mortified and it manifested itself in anger towards us. "I've learnt, fans need two things: they need heroes and they need scapegoats."
And which is he going to provide? "Come on, the chairman is very, very rarely the hero," he says. "You have to face up to that fact, it goes with the territory. If you're not up for it, you shouldn't be involved."
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West Ham takeover puts spotlight back on Gianfranco Zola and his players
Zola hoping to repay trust of new owners with results
Benni McCarthy and Benjani Mwaruwari expected to sign
Dominic Fifield guardian.co.uk, Monday 25 January 2010 22.30 GMT
Gianfranco Zola has admitted the completion of the protracted takeover of West Ham United by David Sullivan and David Gold came as "a massive relief", though the Italian acknowledged that the onus is now on him to steer the club away from the threat of relegation if he is to retain his position at Upton Park.
The new owners stated publicly last week that they retain complete faith in Zola, a relative managerial novice in his first club appointment, despite suggestions that they had considered recruiting Mark Hughes with a short-term brief of staving off relegation. They have since spoken with the Italian on a daily basis as West Ham seek to reinforce their squad, with the Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy and Manchester City's Benjani Mwaruwari expected to complete moves to Upton Park ahead of the weekend. Blackburn announced they have received a written offer from West Ham for McCarthy.
While strengthening the forward ranks was considered a priority, just as significant has been confirmation that none of West Ham's key players will need to be sold. "Every window we've had to sell someone because of the financial problems, so to know everyone is staying is massive," said Zola, who had feared losing the likes of Scott Parker and Matthew Upson had the takeover not been completed.
"To lose players would have had big implications for us, not only because of the loss itself but because of the message you're sending out to the other players. We're trying to build something here, so this will serve to refocus everybody.
"The new owners already achieved the main things that were needed: to bring stability and keep all the players we have. As for my own future, it wasn't necessary to talk to them about that. I know that, in my position, I have to produce results. The new owners are going to be very demanding on the team and on me, but I like that. It's a challenge and I accept it. It's been good that they said they have faith in me and my staff. That's a very good start. Now it's down to me to make sure that first show of trust stays strong."
West Ham have won only once in eight games in all competitions but tomorrow's game at Portsmouth, four points adrift at the bottom of the table, marks the start of a run of fixtures Zola described as "an opportunity" to hoist the team away from the cut-off, with Birmingham City's visit the toughest on paper of the Londoners' next six league fixtures. The manager will recognise the significance of prospering in this period, and thereby maintaining the feel-good factor generated by the change in ownership, with demotion to the Championship unthinkable. Yet, already, the benefits of the regime change are being felt.
"It's important that you have an owner to whom you can report, whether in good or bad situations," said Zola, with the implications of life under the previous ownership very clear. "The fact that there is an owner behind us, and looking after us all, is a massive thing. The players are all feeling positive about that, too. The trouble we had was certainly affecting our performances – the players were feeling the uncertainty around the club – though I'll put my hands up and say I've also made some mistakes.
"Maybe, if I could go back, I'd have done some things differently. But it's been a difficult situation. I came here last season and, after a week, all the [financial] trouble started. We thought we'd come through that, then there were more problems. I tried to stay focused on my work on the pitch but, for me, it's a massive relief now. I've been here one-and-a-half years, but that time is maybe worth five years of experience in any other [managerial] job.
"I am stronger for it, absolutely. The fighting spirit is there. I don't like to give up on things or step back from difficulties. I'm still alive and still fighting like a crazy man. I have less hair now than when I came here but, for this team, I will do anything."
Zola, who will welcome Carlton Cole back to the bench at Fratton Park, personally earmarked the pursuit of McCarthy and Benjani, whom West Ham hope to secure for £2.5m and £3m respectively, in dialogue with Gold and Sullivan with the club's sporting director, Gianluca Nani, increasingly isolated at Upton Park.
"The players that come in have to be my choice, but the new owners have been very co-operative," added Zola. "Strikers were a priority, and the owners know that. I trust them. We have kept in close contact and speaking every day, exchanging information. They're working to make the team stronger."
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Crisis club Portsmouth face new low by naming just three substitutes for visit of West Ham
By Laura Williamson
Last updated at 1:24 AM on 26th January 2010
Daily Mail
Portsmouth's player crisis has plunged to new depths with the club facing the prospect of only being able to name three substitutes for Tuesday's vital Premier League clash with West Ham. The cash-strapped side fielded only five of the seven subs allowed in their FA Cup win over Sunderland on Saturday and injuries to Michael Brown and Papa Bouba Diop have added manager Avram Grant's woes. Grant named 17-year-old Lennard Sowah among the subs in the 2-1 win but will not call on other youth teamers simply to fill the bench. Pompey cannot bring in emergency loans due to a transfer embargo and they have four players who have been on duty in the Africa Cup of Nations. Tommy Smith may be back but Jamie O'Hara has returned to Spurs after his loan deal expired and Mike Williamson will not feature because he is in talks with Newcastle.
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West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola relieved the club now have stability following takeover
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 1:29 AM on 26th January 2010
Daily Mail
Gianfranco Zola insists West Ham have the stability they crave under new owners David Sullivan and David Gold. The pair took control of the club last week in a deal which valued the club at around £105million. The former Birmingham supremos have already pledged to give Zola cash for new players, particularly a striker, before the end of the January transfer window. The takeover was music to Zola's ears after the Italian had struggled to keep the side out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone under CB Holdings - their previous cash-strapped Icelandic owners. 'I think it's positive for the club,' declared Zola. 'We are going to have the stability we've been talking about for such a long time. I think it's a positive thing for everybody. We'll see what happens, but it's looking good. 'The main thing they've already done is to bring stability and keep all the players we have in the team. We are not selling anybody. 'That's a big thing for everybody. Now they're trying to strengthen the team and they're working very hard on that. They want to bring someone in and they're working hard on that.' West Ham have been linked with numerous strikers since Gold and Sullivan took charge including Ruud van Nistelrooy although the Dutchman eventually chose to join Hamburg from Real Madrid. The West ham boss refused to elaborate on any of their alleged targets. 'I won't talk very much on that because it's work in progress,' added Zola. 'The club is dealing with that. We had a chat and we think everything is clear. 'Now we need to keep working on that. I really can't say too much because we're straight into the middle of a battle. 'We've been linked with too many strikers. There are so many. It's pointless for me talking about it. We're talking about good players, certainly. 'For me, though, it's only talk. I don't want to get too involved in that. My focus has to be on tomorrow's game against Portsmouth. Many, many, many names. But I rely on the club. They're working to make this team stronger. 'I don't know where Ruud van Nistelrooy came from really. We knew we were looking for strikers and I knew it would be difficult. I didn't put too much faith in that move. That's it, really.' Zola was also boosted by the return to fitness of striker Carlton Cole ahead of Tuesday's clash with struggling Pompey after the England forward recovered from his knee injury. 'Tomorrow he might be on the bench," said Zola. ' He's been training with me today and he looks okay.'That's very positive news. It's a big lift for everybody having him back. It's like a new signing, a massive thing for us. He's an important player. But the whole team look very good for me at the moment. 'All the players in this club are very much committed to what we're doing. 'They were feeling the uncertainty with the speculation around the club. But we're now owned by people who want to keep everybody at the club and are trying to strengthen it. 'It is very good for the morale of everybody. I knew there were some problems but I was confident that everything was going to be all right. I'm a positive man.'
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Hammer time for training-dodger Benni McCarthy after West Ham-bound striker is blasted by Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce
By Laura Williamson
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 26th January 2010
The Daily Mail
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has slammed striker Benni McCarthy, a West Ham transfer target, for going AWOL. The South African forward, whom the club believe is in Spain, missed training sessions on Monday and last Friday and is keen to quit Ewood Park after falling out with Allardyce over his fitness. Now West Ham plan to take advantage by tabling a reduced offer of £1.5million for the 32-year-old, with the move expected to be completed this week. Allardyce feels he has little option but to agree a deal and plans to use the cash to sign Stoke's James Beattie. He said: 'We are very disappointed with Benni's non-appearance for training and will deal with it separately should he remain here after the transfer window has closed. 'We have said all along that we will listen to offers, but only agree to sell if both the commercial and football reasons satisfy Blackburn. That remains unchanged.' The bust-up with Allardyce centred on McCarthy's weight and the player was angry at being ordered by him to do extra sessions. West Ham are also anxious to sign Manchester City striker Benjani but will have to wait until after their Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United tomorrow before attempting to complete the deal.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola spoke about his relief that the new owners David Sullivan and David Gold have brought stability to the club. Reflecting on his baptism of fire, the 43-year-old said: 'It's been a difficult situation. 'I came here last year and, after a week, all the trouble started. We came through that, then there were more problems this year.
'The new owners are going to be very demanding of the team and of me, but I like that. It's a challenge and I accept it. It's been good that they said they have faith in me and my staff. That's a very good start. 'I have had a lot in one-and-a-half years of my first experience as a manager. But that year and a half is maybe worth five years of experience in any other job. 'Now I've got even more responsibility — and less hair. But this is the job.'
It is no wonder Zola can empathise with the dire situation at Portsmouth, West Ham's opponents on Tuesday night. Four points adrift at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League, Avram Grant's side are lurching from one crisis to another and face the very real possibility of being the first top-flight club to go into administration. Zola said: 'I know how hard it is to work in those kind of conditions. It's very difficult and, yes, I have some sympathy, although I want to win the game.' 'It'll be a massive game. For Portsmouth it's certainly a very important match. That's why we have to be extra-careful and put together a good performance.' West Ham, hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference, could be given a boost by Carlton Cole's return to the squad on Tuesday. The England striker, who has been absent since injuring a hamstring in West Ham's 5-3 win over Burnley on November 28, trained with the squad ion Monday and could be named as a substitute at Fratton Park. Zola said: 'It's very positive news. It's a big lift for everybody having him back. It's like a new signing, a massive thing for us. He's an important player.
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West Ham move to Olympic stadium 'could wreck chances of hosting 2015 World Championship'
West Ham United's rekindled interest in relocating to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games could wreck the country's chances of hosting its first World Championships, the chairman of UK Athletics, Ed Warner, has warned.
Daily Mail
By Simon Hart
Published: 7:15AM GMT 26 Jan 2010
West Ham are again considering a move to the Olympic Stadium, which is under construction for the 2012 London Olympics. The governing body has been considering a bid to stage the 2015 championships in London but fears the new uncertainty over the stadium's future could make it impossible to meet the tight selection timetable for candidate cities. The deadline for letters of intent is the end of March, with formal bids due to be submitted in the summer. The final decision will be taken by the International Association of Athletics Federations in November.
Sport on television Warner said he had been given an upbeat assessment of London's chances by Sebastian Coe, an IAAF vice-president, but the prospect of protracted haggling between West Ham and the new Olympic Park Legacy Company meant the capital was now in danger of missing out on the championships. He said: "West Ham made a clear decision two or three years ago that the stadium wasn't going to work for Premier League football and for them to come back to the table and to put a spanner in the works regarding the timetable is just very frustrating for us because we're trying very hard to plan the legacy future of this stadium."
Warner added that unless there was a prompt decision about the stadium, he would have no choice but to pull the plug on London's bid. "We're very clear that after the farrago surrounding the 2005 World Championships and the whole Pickett's Lock saga [when the site was scrapped due to a lack of government funding], there is no way we are going to open ourselves up to the potential embarrassment of any U-turns, changes of mind or any inability to deliver promise we might make to the IAAF. "For us to launch a letter of intent, which we have to do in March, is one thing, but for us to put forward a fully fledged bid to be considered in November requires some pretty urgent decision-making."
West Ham's new co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, want to rent the £537 million Olympic Stadium, which is just three miles from Upton Park, but first it would have to be converted into a 55,000-seat Premier League standard ground, albeit one with a running track around the pitch or overlaid by movable seats, since the promise of an athletics legacy is said to be non-negotiable.
The original plan was to reduce its capacity from 80,000 to 28,000 after the Games. Hosting the 2015 World Championships would require the addition of an upper ring of 12,000 temporary seats, which the stadium's flexible design allows. The stadium has also been put forward as a potential venue for the 2018 football World Cup, though that could also be as a 40,000-seater if used just for group qualifiers. Warner said that whatever was decided, the legacy company must act urgently. "Prevarication reduces the chances of
getting the 2015 World Championships," he said.
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Mokoena insists they are not down and out yet
Published 22:58 25/01/10 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Aaron Mokoena cut through the paranoia engulfing Portsmouth last night with a reminder they are not adrift in the relegation battle - yet. Beset by fans' protests, late wages, a transfer embargo and owners who are seen in public less than Lord Lucan, Pompey will be only two points from safety's dotted line if they beat fellow strugglers West Ham tonight. Although manager Avram Grant has such a skeletal squad that he my not have enough senior players to fill the bench, Mokoena sounded the clarion call for Pompey's long march to salvation by comparing the Hammers'visit to Fratton Park with the Cup final. The South African international began the skint south coast club's mini-revival - two wins on the bounce - with a last gasp winner at Coventry earlier this month. And Mokoena said: "It's a massive game against West Ham, no arguments. But winning those two games in a row is a compliment to the boys' spirit, and now it's a question of taking that form into the Premier League. "Everyone talks about these games being cup finals, but every game is going to be important for us from now until the end of the season. Against Sunderland in the Cup on Saturday we showed up under difficult circumstances, and we need to take that same character into the West Ham game. "I would imagine the takeover at West Ham has given them a boost, so they are going to come down here and make it difficult for us. We have a great respect for West Ham, but we need three points as well. "We are in this together, and that pre-match huddle is to show each other and to remind the fans that we know what we're fighting for. "It is still tight down there at the bottom. We have been written off time and again this season, but if we beat West Ham, we will be only two points from safety. It's going to be very difficult, and we've got a mountain to climb, but my belief has never wavered because the fans, players and management staff all want the same thing - we're in this together and we'll get out of it together."
Skipper Michael Brown (back) and midfielder Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) both limped out of Saturday's win against Sunderland and look certain to miss out tonight along with the doubtful Tommy Smith and Steve Finnan. Also missing will be £6million flop David Nugent - even though the one-cap wonder trained with Pompey's first team squad yesterday along with England goalkeeper David James, whose prospective loan move to Stoke has hit more snags than barbed wire. Nugent, who has scored just six goals in 45 games for Portsmouth, was initially in contention to play up front tonight with John Utaka, whose two goals sank Sunderland in the Cup. But Nugent's loan spell with Burnley, where he has scored three goals in 16 appearances since September, does not end until midnight tonight and, much to Grant's dismay, he would have been ineligible to face the Hammers. Clarets boss Brian Laws keen is keen to re-sign Nugent, 24, and has taken him back on loan.
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Gianfranco Zola: Hammers have aged me
Published 23:00 25/01/10 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Gianfranco Zola launches West Ham's brave new world tonight admitting his 16 months in charge have aged him five years. Under new ownership, the Hammers welcome back England striker Carlton Cole from a two-month lay-off with knee trouble for the relegation battle at Portsmouth. West Ham's new paymasters David Sullivan and David Gold, doyens of adult entertainment, have already made good their promise to back Zola in the transfer market by registering a £2million bid for Blackburn forward Benni McCarthy last night. And Zola is already relieved to see the club back in the hands of true supporters after the financial nightmare of puppeteers from Iceland, or Bejams as it used to be known. He said: "We are going to have the stability we have been talking about for such a long time, and that's a positive thing for everybody at the club. "It's been a difficult situation. I came here 16 months ago and after a week the trouble started. We thought we had come through it, and then there were more problems which meant we had to sell somebody in every transfer window. "It would have been a big loss if we had been forced to sell our best players, not only because of the loss but because of the message it sends out to everyone else. "There are worse things in the world than this job, but from a managerial point of view I've had one-and-a-half years here and that experience is probably worth five years' experience in any other job. "I don't like to make excuses, but the problems we had off the pitch affected our performances. And I'm the first one to put my hand up and admit I've made mistakes, but that's part of the learning process. "Obviously there have been ups and downs, but I don't like to give up on anything or step back from a difficult challenge - and I'm still alive and fighting like a crazy man. "When I took this job, all the people I spoke to told me only good things about being a manager. When those people are allowed out of hospital, I might have to put them straight because I've got more responsibilities and less hair! "But I know that, in my position, I have to produce good results. The new owners are going to be very demanding of the team and of me, but I like that - it's a challenge and I accept it. "Obviously it's good that they have come out and said they have faith in my job and my staff. That's a good start, and now it's down to me to make our bond of trust a strong one . "The new owners have already brought stability by keeping all the players we have in the team and not selling anybody. That's a big thing for everybody at the club. "We didn't speak about money, but they said they would be looking for reinforcements and I trust them. They are going to try to strengthen the team."
Having acknowledged the Sullivan-Gold takeover as a "massive relief," now comes the tricky bit for Zola: transmitting the renewed sense of optimism on to the pitch, starting at Fratton Park - where West Ham's dramatic revival last season began with a 4-1 win on Boxing Day. Cole's return, and the prospect of short-term investment in the team instead of fighting fires every time there was a run on Icelandic banks, has brightened the little Sardinian's mood. He added: "It's like having a new signing, and it's a massive thing for us. It's a big lift for everybody to have him back because he's an important player."
With Tottenham sniffing around Cole, and Manchester City making overtures in the direction of £15m-rated Valon Behrami, Zola - for the first time in his Upton Park reign - can repel predatory window shoppers with confidence. "Those players are staying here," he said. "We are not selling anyone - that is my position and that is the club's position. I'm not surprised big clubs are interested in them because they are good players, but we are not selling them."
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FA face Ash suit
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
WEST HAM are primed for a bitter £15million legal battle with the FA over Dean Ashton. The striker, 26, quit last month following two years of injury hell after getting crocked on England duty. The Hammers face paying Ashton £3.7m in wages and believe they deserve compensation on his £7m transfer fee and salary during his recovery programme. An insider said: "The new owners are fed up of West Ham being sued so have decided to have a go themselves."
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Franco feels five years Zolda
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: Today
GIANFRANCO ZOLA says 18 months as West Ham boss has aged him five years. The Italian, 43, arrived as a rookie manager with a full head of hair and ideas. But, since then, he has enjoyed a rollercoaster ride with the Hammers. He takes his fifth-bottom side to Portsmouth tonight - the first game since David Sullivan and David Gold took over the club. Zola admitted: "That year and a half I've been here is maybe worth five years of experience in any other job. "I've certainly got even more responsibility now... and yes, less hair. Thanks for pointing that out. But this is the job I'm ready to do anything for. "For this team, for this club, I will do anything. I have great commitment to the players and the supporters. It's been a difficult situation. "I came here and, after a week, all the trouble started. "We came through that. Well, we thought we were through it. Then there were more problems this year. There are worse things in the world than this but, from a managerial point of view, it has been difficult."
Zola received a sack-load of good-will messages from fans when he was appointed. But he joked: "No one warned me of anything to come. Actually they told me good things!
"Seriously, in every transfer window I have had to sell players because of some financial problem or other. "But the new owners have told me no player is leaving in January. To know everyone is staying is massive." Zola, who will have fit-again Carlton Cole on the bench tonight, added: "I don't like to give up on things. I'm still fighting like a crazy man."
Gold last night warned the club would look "at all areas" as the Hammers start a major cost-cutting operation to reduce £110million debts. The co-owner said: "At our first board meeting we agreed every area of the club would have to be looked into. "West Ham United is not a charity! The time has come for some drastic cutbacks." The Hammers are continuing their search for strikers with Blackburn's Benni McCarthy, Stoke ace James Beattie, Manchester City's Benjani and AC Milan star Klaas Jan Huntelaar all in the frame.
LIKELY LINE-UP: Green, Spector, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Noble, Parker, Kovac, Collison, Nouble.
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Allardyce fury at Benni
The Sun
By MARTIN BLACKBURN
Published: Today
BLACKBURN will not be forced into selling Benni McCarthy on the cheap despite him going AWOL. Boss Sam Allardyce is furious with the striker, 32, after he missed training on Friday and then again yesterday. The South African star has told Rovers he wants to join West Ham this week but the Hammers are £500,000 shy of his £2.5million price tag.
McCarthy is desperate for first-team football so he can nail down a spot in the host nation's World Cup squad. Big Sam said: "We're very disappointed with Benni's non-appearance and will deal with it should he be here after the transfer window. "We'll listen to offers but only sell if the commercial and football reasons satisfy us."
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Stay-away Benni McCarthy closes in on West Ham United move
The Times
Window watch: Gary Jacob
Benni McCarthy has edged closer to a move from Blackburn Rovers to West Ham United, but the forward may not play when the teams meet at Upton Park on Saturday.
Blackburn want £2.5 million for the forward, more than twice what West Ham are willing to offer as an initial sum, but they are unhappy that McCarthy has missed training this week. "We will deal with it separately should he remain here after the transfer window has closed," Sam Allardyce, the manager, said
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