Four years ago, West Ham’s fans and players were licking their wounds after coming so close to winning the clubs first piece of major silverware since 1980′s F.A. Cup win. Cruelly denied by Liverpool, firstly with Steven Gerrard’s incredible last minute equaliser which took the game to extra time and then penalties, it was tough to take. Overall though, the 2005-2006 season had been an impressive return to the top flight for the Hammers with 9th place achieved. Under Alan Pardew, the club had cemented a mid table position and things looked positive.

Today,  the club is saddled with debts of over £100 million, a playing squad that needs a major overhaul and is searching for its 4th permanent manager since returning to the Premiership in 2005. The club flirted with relegation all season as injuries to key players, a lack of goals from a hastily assembled strike force and a trawling of the loan market to bolster a thread bare squad. Gianfranco Zola paid the price for a season of nervous worry as the good work of last season unraveled before the Upton Park faithful

It strikes me as odd that a club that had a reputation as being so patient with managers has suddenly started going through them with gusto. When Harry Redknapp took over in 1994, he was actually West Ham’s 8th full time manager. In fact up to 1989, when Hammers legend John Lyall was sacked, the shortest period a manager had been in charge of the Hammers was an incredible 11 years, when Ted Fenton held the role from 1950 to 1961. The managers job was a byword for stability at Upton Park but it certainly isn’t the case now.

With those two wall flowers, David Gold and David Sullivan riding to the rescue in February, the club at least has two people in charge who know about football. No more biscuit millionaires from Iceland almost destroying the club, now regardless of how you feel towards them, the two Davids do know about running a football club.  They may not make popular decisions, but they saved Birmingham City. They’ve also announced a ten point vision to drag the club back on an even footing which makes interesting reading.

Most of it would seem to be common sense but any West Ham fan would do well to discuss Sullivan and Gold with Birmingham City fans. Many of the points mentioned in the new vision for West Ham were rolled out in various guises during their 17 year tenure at the Blues and regardless of the fact they left the club in a far healthier situation than the one they found it in, they are not loved at St. Andrews. I did notice that two weeks ago, David Gold said no player was unsellable, but in the new vision, they don’t want to be a selling club? Well which is it gents?

The signing hungry players also echoes the same statement made by David Sullivan in 2004  who stated word for word what is now masquerading as point 2. Are we beginning to see a pattern yet? As is the point about reconnecting with the local fan base, which is fine, until you begin to raise the prices to the points were the local fan base can’t afford to go anymore and I’m sure they often went on about leaving St Andrews numerous times throughout the nineties too.

Suffice to say West Ham are in a financial situation that means they have no option to listen to offers for players. If any offer comes in, it’s highly likely that the club will sell most of their assets. It’s a sad state of affairs, but with the playing squad they have, regardless of who comes in as manager, it’s going to be another long season.

The team needs fresh blood and a removal of the high earning injury prone failures that came in during the Icelandic years. It could take two or three years before real progress is being seen on the pitch. The nucleus of the young players breaking through need protecting rather than thrown to the lions of a relegation battle.

Despite Gold and Sullivan’s obsession with publicity, they do have a good record when it comes to supporting managers. Despite the very public and rather distasteful undermining of Gianfranco Zola, their record at Birmingham showed should the right man be available, they will support him until it becomes an untenable situation. The right man just needs to get used to seeing the owners in the press every other day.

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For those not emotionally invested, the sale of a prominent Premier League club is chum in the water.  We want easily caricatured nutballs in charge, huge transfer budgets, grandiose schemes destined to fail and decimations of the club’s staff.  We want entertainment.

Given that context and the club’s unique penchant for disaster, West Ham’s sale was abominable, substandard and lamentable.  Given one word, it was boring.  Profoundly boring.

CB Holding, the original Icelandic creditors of Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, took control of West Ham to keep it from going bankrupt and protect it’s investment.  The ownership stays Icelandic.  The only difference is the Straumur Burdaras bank rather than Landsbanki.

West Ham’s financial situation was perilous.  There was the bank crisis, debt and the Tevez settlement.  They easily could have entered into administration.  There would have been furor over a points deduction, possibly one that could have effected the relegation battle next year.  The club would have been offloading players, possibly replacing Zola with a manager who would accept it.  It would have been messy.  It would have been exciting.

Instead, the new Hammers’ ownership wants to protect and enhance its investment.  There will be no sales of the clubs best players, though sensible sales such as Dean Ashton and Matthew Upson are possible.

The reasonably successful managerial partnership of Zola and Clarke will remain intact.  The club will even have a sensible transfer budget, all with a sound financial backing.

CB Holding’s takeover is great for West Ham and their supporters.  It’s great for the Premier League, who benefit from a large, successfully run club in London.  It’s awful for those who have to write about it.

Is there anything Tim Cahill can’t do?

Tim Cahill’s week defines the word jet lag. From Liverpool to Japan for a World Cup Qualifier. His performance for Australia wasn’t exactly great, then again neither was Australia’s. Cahill had to be thankful Everton’s FA Cup tie against Aston Villa was on Sunday, I don’t think he would have played had the game been Saturday.

Despite the fatigue Cahill obviously had, he willed Everton into the Quarterfinals with a 3-1 thrashing of Aston Villa. It wasn’t his best day, but it was a day we are all too use to from Cahill. He set up the first goal with a header that Stiliyan Petrov should have been sent off for, only for Jack Rodwell to finish. You could almost not blame Cahill for the yellow he received in the first half, knowing there is a UEFA Cup game midweek, he could use the rest against Newcastle United. However with Steve Bennett’s allegations last week, one could wonder if he intended to get booked on purpose.

Everton’s third goal was a typical Cahill goal, right place at the right time. You would think teams would know to find him at the far post. But the way he ghosts onto said far post, he’s easily forgotten. His finishing though isn’t.

Manchester United finished off Derby County by halftime, enough said.

So that leads us into the quarterfinal draw. With a fourth round replay to be had, and a fifth round tie still to be played along with four replays, fourteen teams are still alive for those four spots at Wembley. Not one tie is set in stone either, which adds to the uncertainty of this draw. I can only go with draws I hope for. I think Chris Coleman’s Coventry City hosting Chelsea would make an interesting tie. What would Roberto Martinez’s Swansea City do at home against Manchester United? Could Burnley’s wait for the fifth round pay off with a home tie against Sheffield United, or could we see Hull City back at the Emirates? Does Everton really mind which Premier League side they get?

And now the rest of the news.
In something I said last week, Luiz Felipe Scolri has come out and hinted that John Terry did not have full support in the dressing room at Chelsea. Color me shocked.

In further Scolari post Chelsea backstabbing, Nicolas Anelka has attacked Scolari for not trying to forge the ‘dream’ partnership between Anelka and Drogba up front. That goes to show Scolari didn’t have a plan b, but I also wonder if had Scolari partnered the two up front if it would have worked out…I don’t think it would have because the two had already tuned Scolari out.

And in one last bit of Scolari news, could Manchester City be his next employer? I guess they really are that desparate for Kaka.

I wonder how much Jose Mourinho is enjoying what is going on at Chelsea?

Avram Grant is eying up the Portsmouth job. It just seems the only way he’ll get it is if Portsmouth can’t come to terms in order to get Sven.

Speaking of Portsmouth, executive chairman Peter Storrie has been rearrested with regards to the bung scandal. I guess that would leave massive tax issues.

Add Gary Neville to the list of those who have signed another year contract at Old Trafford.

And finally, Dean Ashton admits his season is over.

Tonight West Ham United plays the Major League Soccer All-Star Team in Toronto, Canada. The match will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN360.com beginning at 7pm ET.

I’m intrigued by this match but it’s hard to get excited. West Ham is one of the most vanilla football clubs in the Premier League. The club has few players that spark a lot of emotion other than Dean Ashton. Then there’s boring old manager Alan Curbishley. And lastly, you have to wonder how different everything may have been if the original choice for the opposition was selected instead of West Ham: Liverpool.

Still, the passionate Toronto fans should make the atmosphere better than previous MLS All-Star games. And it’ll be fun to see the increased police presence surrounding the Hammers fans.

Let’s hope that both teams come out with a commitment to win this one. Keeping my fingers crossed, I’m hoping this will be an entertaining game to watch. We’ll see.

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