No time

I have a million words I want to say about the Sheffield decision but work is in the way today. Fortunately, there are many others writing very eloquently about it. Go check them out and check back here in a bit.

Zola. Zola. Zola.

Di Michele scored twice and passed up another opportunity to a teammate. The defense held for the most part. Boa Morte missed a sure thing. It was a fun game to watch as the Hammers had many chances and Newcastle never looked as though they had a chance. In hindsight, it was as close to a sure thing as it could be.

Now, the Pirates are trying to h old on to a touchdown lead with 90 seconds to go.

Why am I excited?

The sponsor is bankrupt. Ashton is out for a month. West Brom won the game last week. Nevertheless, I am excited about Saturday. Maybe it's the new manager and my first chance to see the new players. Maybe it' just that I haven't actually been able to watch a match in three weeks. Whatever it is, I'm almost buzzing here.

Bring on Newcastle!

By the bye . . . speaking of beer. What is the appropriate beverage to drink while watching the match? Carlsberg is the official beer of West Ham according the website but I think they are also the primary sponsor of some little team in the league. I have nothing against their beer but I would hate to give the wrong impression by my choice of drink. Maybe I should get it in a plain glass. Suggestions are welcome.

This Post Sponsored by . . .

Once again, Hammered has alerted me to an item of interest. I'm six hours behind most West Ham fans and asleep when most of this stuff comes out. There is a petition circulating to use the Bobby Moore Fund as the primary "Sponsor" for the rest of the season (replacing XL). It sounds like a great idea to me. Here's the link to the petition. I'll commit to buying one now.

Those that weren't happy should now be a little more happy

This should take a little heat of of Zola from the fans who were upset Zola was the choice. It's also nice to see the traffic come the other way once in a while.

From the club official home

West Ham United are delighted to confirm the appointment of Steve Clarke as first-team coach working with new manager Gianfranco Zola.

The highly regarded Clarke, who left his post at Chelsea last week and was able to move to the Boleyn Ground after a compensation package was agreed on Monday, will be part of a strong coaching set-up. It also includes Kevin Keen, who has been promoted to first-team coach, and goalkeeping coach Ludek Miklosko. Clarke has agreed a three-year contract.

Wrong West

You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat. Of course there was a litany of distractions over the last two weeks, but when you are fighting to stay out of the bottom half of the league, you have to be able to put aside everything but the match. Now, I'm talking out of my ass a bit here as I could not see the match and have no real idea how it played out. I am hoping it will be on tape delay at the Cock 'n Bull one night this week. Do I really want to go watch though?

All losses are tough. Losing to one of the last place teams is especially tough. At the end of the season, you don't want to be fighting West Brom for position, especially with them using the points you gave them.

The match is on Fox Soccer this week so I will definitely get to see it. Guinness at 10 a.m. is a fine start to the day. Right after West Ham, the East Carolina Pirates get to play at their biggest rival, North Carolina State. The Pirates came off a huge win against highly ranked ranked West Virginia last week and almost stumbled against Tulane, a perpetual also-ran. They were able to recover and pull it out late in the game to keep an unbeaten season alive. It was a game they had to win, and they found a way to do it.

Is Zola the Man?

From The MailOnline

With thanks to Hammered for alerting me to the article

Former France international Leboeuf said: ‘He (Zola) is a very intelligent person, very smart on the pitch and I’m sure he’s going to do well.

‘My only concern is that he was a Chelsea player and not a West Ham player. I heard a West Ham fan say that they would rather the club went for Paolo Di Canio because he was a Hammers legend and I can understand that.

‘I never wanted to sign for another club because I gave my faith and my love to Chelsea and I think you have to stick to that.
Zola in his time with Chelsea

The old days: Zola in his time with Chelsea

‘Gianfranco is a legend at Chelsea and I don’t see him at West Ham. I’ve nothing against West Ham but Zola belongs to Chelsea.’

When the amount of money the Clubs are willing to pay to attract players and managers there may soon be no such thing as a Chelsea Man or a West Ham Man. They may all be Money Men. In American terms, Tommy Lasorda is a Dodger and will always be a Dodger. Men such as he are few and far between though. Rick Pitino crossed over in one of the biggest rivalries in sports from University of Kentucky basketball to University of Louisville basketball. Will he retire a Cardinal? Not likely, especially if the New York Knicks offer him the right compensation. The introduction of big money into the sports has made it more accessible (in television terms) to those of us who follow from afar. Conversely, it has made it less of an intimate experience as those who are able to pay the money, or willing to take the money, can inject themselves into organizations where their presence would have been unthinkable a generation ago.

Now, I don't think that is completely bad. There have been many instances where a player or manager who is connected with one team has switched allegiances and been able to overcome those prior ties to be an effective asset to his new club. In some cases, those men develop a special grudge against their former club and strive all the harder to defeat them at every opportunity. Hopefully, this will be the situation with Zola. As soon as he steps into office, I will assume he is a West Ham Man and give him all my support. It is the only thing to do.

So, You're saying there's a chance

Well, which job does Mr. Obama want? Judging with my knowledge of fickle sport fans, I think the presidency may be the better option. Barring historic events, it is a guaranteed four year contract.

Well, this certainly doesn't make me feel better.

From The TimesOnline:

He is smart to leave now, though. The table does not show it, but unless they can find a friendly billionaire sheikh, West Ham face a bleak future. Low morale, money tight, perhaps a few more stars out of the door in January: it is a recipe for relegation trouble.

I'm a Gambling Man by Nature

I'll send a bounty to the first one to identify the movie from which the title of this post came.

David Di Michele and Herita Ilunga are on loan. A gambling striker and a needed left back. I can find very little information on Ilunga, but I hope that is due to his age rather than his skill. Di Michele has an extensive history and is know as a creative player. Of course, these are now 32 year-old legs that are trying to be creative.

I think I get Curbishley's reasoning for leaving. The sale of Ferdinand, the row with Neill after the game Saturday, and the general impression of the soft collapse the second half last year all contributed to an untenable situation. It all could have been worked out but it wasn't. So, what do you do? Move on to another spot.

Who is his replacement? The rumors sound good but I don't want to speak of it myself. I am sure the decision has been made. I'll wait with the rest of Hammer Nation for the announcement.

I Hardly Knew You

After all the gossiping in the press it can't come as much of a shock but can someone explain the timing to me? If this was to be done, shouldn't it have been done prior to the season? Good bye Mr. Curbishley and good luck.