Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
The arrival of David Gold and David Sullivan at Upton Park is the best news that West Ham United fans could have asked for this year. Their team may be locked into a relegation battle, their money long since squandered on shoddy goods, but finally they have people in the boardroom who know what they're doing. In their 16 years in the Midlands, Gold and Sullivan transformed Birmingham City from second flight pretenders to Premier League scrappers, forging a club so solid and sensibly-run that they survived two relegations, bouncing straight back on both occasions.
Sullivan's suggestion that he and his partner can bring Champions League football to Upton Park inside seven years might betray a touch of over-excitement, but there's no doubt that things are finally looking up for the Hammers. Stability is everything in the hysterical world of top flight football and, for all of the criticism that the pair incurred at Birmingham, they were never impatient with their managers. Steve Bruce and Alex McLeish were both given the opportunity to bring the Blues back up after relegation and Trevor Francis was given every chance of success in his five and a half year tenure prior to that. Compare and contrast with West Ham who sacked Alan Pardew six months after finishing ninth and narrowly missing out on the FA Cup. Or Alan Curbishley, undermined and constructively dismissed after somehow dragging an injury-ravaged side to 10th. West Ham need to settle down.
Some fans have already begun the bombardment of the internet messageboards, complaining that Sullivan and Gold lack the finances to make West Ham genuine contenders. Well, here's the news, so does everyone else on the planet. Even Manchester City are finding that they can't buy success with just a flash of their chequebook. Football has changed since Roman Abramovic smashed Arsenal and Manchester United's dominance with heavy investment. When everyone has money to waste, medium sized clubs miss out on the big names and are forced to gamble their future on expensive, but flawed talents. West Ham fans should have learned that lesson better than anyone. Some Birmingham fans complained that Sullivan and Gold were reticent to spend heavily on their team, but they are oblivious of the fact that that sensible management prevented the club from imploding the second that something went wrong. Look at Leeds and Newcastle, who spent money before they'd earned it. Both bigger clubs than Birmingham, both left in a far worse state when they splashed down in the second division.
Unless there is some kind of seismic shift in the balance of power in football, West Ham are not going to challenge for the title for a long, long time, but they can at least survive in the top flight now. Under the lunatic management of the previous two regimes, not to mention the phenomenally unpopular reign of Terence Brown, that much was never certain. Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke are an excellent management team. They believe that football should be played properly, they are willing to give young English players a chance to shine and, with their calm demeanour and class, they are an excellent example to others. If they are backed and if they are supported, there's just a chance that West Ham can return to their former position as the Academy of Football. Sullivan and Gold have a lot of work to do, but history suggests that they'll have a better chance than most of salvaging this famous old club.
Sullivan's suggestion that he and his partner can bring Champions League football to Upton Park inside seven years might betray a touch of over-excitement, but there's no doubt that things are finally looking up for the Hammers. Stability is everything in the hysterical world of top flight football and, for all of the criticism that the pair incurred at Birmingham, they were never impatient with their managers. Steve Bruce and Alex McLeish were both given the opportunity to bring the Blues back up after relegation and Trevor Francis was given every chance of success in his five and a half year tenure prior to that. Compare and contrast with West Ham who sacked Alan Pardew six months after finishing ninth and narrowly missing out on the FA Cup. Or Alan Curbishley, undermined and constructively dismissed after somehow dragging an injury-ravaged side to 10th. West Ham need to settle down.
Some fans have already begun the bombardment of the internet messageboards, complaining that Sullivan and Gold lack the finances to make West Ham genuine contenders. Well, here's the news, so does everyone else on the planet. Even Manchester City are finding that they can't buy success with just a flash of their chequebook. Football has changed since Roman Abramovic smashed Arsenal and Manchester United's dominance with heavy investment. When everyone has money to waste, medium sized clubs miss out on the big names and are forced to gamble their future on expensive, but flawed talents. West Ham fans should have learned that lesson better than anyone. Some Birmingham fans complained that Sullivan and Gold were reticent to spend heavily on their team, but they are oblivious of the fact that that sensible management prevented the club from imploding the second that something went wrong. Look at Leeds and Newcastle, who spent money before they'd earned it. Both bigger clubs than Birmingham, both left in a far worse state when they splashed down in the second division.
Unless there is some kind of seismic shift in the balance of power in football, West Ham are not going to challenge for the title for a long, long time, but they can at least survive in the top flight now. Under the lunatic management of the previous two regimes, not to mention the phenomenally unpopular reign of Terence Brown, that much was never certain. Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke are an excellent management team. They believe that football should be played properly, they are willing to give young English players a chance to shine and, with their calm demeanour and class, they are an excellent example to others. If they are backed and if they are supported, there's just a chance that West Ham can return to their former position as the Academy of Football. Sullivan and Gold have a lot of work to do, but history suggests that they'll have a better chance than most of salvaging this famous old club.
