I was asked if I could see an end to our - West Ham's - present troubles

Straumar’s moratorium (suspension) on the paying out of creditors in ‘full’ (that never usually happens in these cases [paying out in full] I know, but being forced to sell and pay out) comes to an end 11/12. I think that I’m right in saying that they are currently managing a 1.5 billion dollar portfolio, so our ‘little’ club to them is small potatoes, especially if the - ‘Remember, it's not a lie if it makes us money’ - duo of Sullivan and Gold get their way for circa 40 million. But something happening soon after – if not before the moratorium date? I don’t think it will.

Even if we are sold I think Zola will be kept on at least until the ‘new owners’ settle in. How well we’ll be doing in the table by then, I feel, will have a massive influence on whether we survive in the top flight or not. If the settling in period (of the hypothetical new owners) potentially takes us past January there will be no money available in January. Unless of course they are footballing people and really understand what it means to go down, get relegated.


In direct answer to the question:-  if we sell in January I reckon the money earned will go to service the club’s debt and ‘trickle’ pay some of the smaller but most persistent creditors. No funds will be released from sales for new players unless they are very cheap, or loan deals. Prices are over hyped in January, even I know that, so they being money people, must as well..

When Straumar first ‘took over’ C&B Holdings they said they would have a two year plan for the club. It is interesting in a way that the value of WHUFC is a spit in the ocean to Straumar in that 1.5 billion portfolio because how much debt in that mountain can you get rid of with just 40-80/85 million?

The upshot of that for me? – more of the same over the next 18 months or so - OR until a REAL buyer (unlike that American publicity stunt) comes in and starts to do their thing. I don’t believe that's all doom and gloom as far as us Hammers are concerned because Zola is learning a trade with the right attitude – in that he wants to play attractive attacking football. We have two very real & immediate pressing problems at the moment as far as I see it though; they are:

1. Can GFZ learn his trade fast enough to make a difference? If we sink too far in the pit of despair before he gets it right, will we be too close to the drop and not be able to revive ourselves? and

2. Is this team and it’s players really good enough to stay in the top flight, even if only at the scrapping to stay in level, in some ways that is harder to achieve than mid-table mediocrity?

I think he/us Zola/the club will get it right and not just in the nick of time – this is a relatively new side that has not yet had time to cohere. When that happens and we can start to play consistent average to fair football steadily enough we will be able to survive - just.

I feel that this is a real make or break season for us that is inextricably tied to those players on the field – forget all the off-field stuff and Zola’s inexperience – they need to turn up every game and give their all, else we won’t stay up.

It would be nice to have a captain in the vain of Billy Bonds and for Zola to get an assistant who can help inspire the team, a real stalwart with passion (I feel that Zola is lacking in both those area’s, leadership and passion). If we don’t get anyone the job will be all the harder but not impossible.
No good screaming for what we can’t have, we have got to get out of it with what we’ve got. And I think we will – I reckon we’ll finish 15th or 16th