One week in the life of West Ham United football club, and so much happens. We have gone from managerless to sponserless in the matter of days. Oh the joys.

Alan Curbishley

Just a quick couple of thoughts on Alan and what he has said to the press recently. To keep you updated he has pretty much come out with what the media call a ’scathing’ attack on the West Ham board. Transfer deadline day, I remember it well. I remember staying up late just to see us sell George McCartney and bring in a couple of of unknowns; the words paper and cracks sprang to mind.

Curbishley has now come out to say that he had absolutely no say in the signings of Di Michele and Illunga and definitely did not want to sell Linda:

“On the Sunday I told them we must keep McCartney and if that meant no players coming in then I was happy to stick with the squad I had. But when I arrived at 1pm I discovered that George was already at Sunderland having a medical. I told them that we needed to get a defender in because having sold half of my first choice back four — Anton and McCartney — we needed cover”

As for Di Michele and Illunga, he says that the board suggested those players, he didn’t want them and then the board “went and signed them”.

As for Walter Lopez, well after this comment I really am not expecting much from him at all:

Walter Lopez — who was also signed on loan — had been on trial with us for nine days but, along with the coaching staff, we opted not to take him and he was sent back. Then, mysteriously, he’s been signed for a year as well

No matter what you thought of Curbishley’s tactics (more like tic-tacs) at times, it is clearer now than it ever was that the board did not respect him as a person, let alone as a manager. The treatment of him who is at the end of the day a professional, was a disgrace. I fully expect Scott Terrence-Duxburry-Brown to be releasing a clubb statement very soon, refuting these ‘outrageous claims’ by Curbs. Liar.

Let’s just hope that now they have a man in charge who they actually want at the club, that they give him their full, honest, support.

Gianfranco Zola, West Ham Manager

I for one however am exceptionally excited at the potential I see in Zola as a coach. Forget the fact that he used to play for Chelsea, “Chelsea who” I can already hear him asking. I hope that we can look back in a few years time and consider the capture of Zola as pure genius, and a simple ‘repayment’ of losing Joe Cole and Glenn Johnson to them. If anything, the fact that he used to play for them has simply made them our feeder club now….especially with Clarke potentially following suit. It’s really quite harmonious.

I wrote an article titled Di Canio Latest, One Egg and Several Biscuits after Curbs left and in that article I described (amongst other things) what I personally would like to see in the new West Ham manager:

A manager who has ambition and passion. Someone who will get the very best out of a depleted squad. And a manager who adopts a zero tolerance policy towards the board. Someone who’s first priority is West Ham Football Club.

I think it is very clear from what Zola has been saying so far since his appointment that he most certainly is a manager with ambition. He has passion. I think he has the character and personality to get the best out of our talented squad (and it is a very talented squad, contrary to popular belief). My only issue maybe however is that he may have been appointed over other candidates for being a “Yes” man. We don’t know that yet and we won’t know it for a while…so let’s not assume.

Most importantly, it was made quite clear by Zola in the unveiling press conference that West Ham are his first priority. Yes, he played for a small team in Fulham once upon a time. So what. He has called West Ham a new adventure in his career, and I am all for that.

His endearing character is clear for all to see but neither will he take any rubbish off the players. And I don’t think they will give any, Zola is a footballing legend after all. His PR abilities have so far knocked the socks off anything we ever saw from Curbishley, the press love him and I am sure that we will too.

Let’s see what qualities he brings to the team, let’s see how he changes it from what Curbs got them doing. I very much doubt we will see much long ball from now on….very good news. He has already brought in a fitness coach. He hadn’t even met up with the players and assessed their fitness before deciding to do that, so he is clearly going to be setting the bar high in that area.

I see this as very positive movement from West Ham and I think we just need to now fully get behind Zola and the team of players and staff that he brings in. Maybe one day, and unlike Curbishley, he will get his own song.

And to all the season ticket holders in Centenary Lower with me, maybe when we sing “Zola, Zola give us a wave”, he will…unlike Curbs. On the subject of songs, I’ve been having a think about what could possibly work…anyone got any ideas?

The football will be different, and I expect it to be exciting…perhaps I will still get my money’s worth on my season ticket after all?!

Come on You Irons!!

Sam

(As for the XL situation, well it’s just typical West Ham isn’t it?!)

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