New West ham manager...

[Wanderlust]

...is apparently going to be Gianfranco Zola, according to this report http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/footbal ... 605386.stm

How do the legions of Chelsea fans on this site feel about this? And what about any Hammers on here (and anyone else- Spurs fans - for that matter)?
I have been quite impressed with the calibre of the candidates interviewed or reported to be interested, and would have been happy with almost any of them except for John Collins. Zola's experience of the PL seems to have swung it though, and although he doesn't have any club management experience I feel this will be a good appointment if it happens, as far as the likely style of play and desire for success goes. I just hope he gets the necessary finance/players to achieve both.

[Bamboo Grove]

With managers geting less and less say whom they can buy and sell, it´s becoming less and less important who the manager is. Hopefully whoever gets the Hamster job will have enough power over the owners on these matters.

[caller]

It will be good for him to get some experience elsewhere before he comes home!

I think he still owns a place not far from me? Its where he lived when at Chelsea. I'll try and find out.

[Guess]

I think he still owns a place not far from me? Its where he lived when at Chelsea. I'll try and find out.

I'm not sure I would want to commute from NM to UP every day. You could drive to Exeter quicker.

Anyway West Ham didn't get him on a whim. They, apparently made a very careful evaluation of the (4??) candidates.

WL, I don't remember Joan Collins being one of them. Are you sure it wasn't Leonard Rossiter.

As for a Chelsea Fans opinion. I say good luck to him. He has been, for me, one of the greatest strikers and greatest entertainers ever. To see him back is a bonus. I am glad he stayed in London and I am sure that if he succeeds he will be offered a very large tasty carrot to return to the Hallowed ground. Can you imagine West Ham, in the EUFA cup final. Middlesboro did it a couple of years ago.

BTW, I believe he had some management experience as player manager in his last couple of years at Cagliari. They seem to have suffered since he left.

PS. I have just changed my IKTS from a draw to an away win for West Ham on the strength of this.

[redzonerocker]

new manager & now they need a new sponsor with xl.com going down the pan

personally i think they lost a good man with curbs leaving/forced out. in the long term i think he would have done a good job.
zola's not a bad choice though

[Wanderlust]

And just to rub salt into the Chelsea wound, it looks like Steve Clarke is going to be the new assistant manager!
Should make for a lively encounter when the teams meet (between the fans more than the players of course!)

[caller]

I think everyone at CFC will wish SC well. Great player and clubman and an important part of our recent success, but has not been given the promotion merited. Scolari now understands that.

Sounds like a dream team in the making - destination? Stamford Bridge. Look forward to it!

[Guess]

And just to rub salt into the Chelsea wound, it looks like Steve Clarke is going to be the new assistant manager!

I wasn't aware that Chelsea had a wound. I don't know the story behind Steve Clarke's move but I'm sure that if they had wanted to keep him they would have done.

Zola's departure from Chelsea had been on the cards for two seasons. He stated that he wanted to pay at least one season with Cagliari before he hung up his boots for the last time. There were no hard feelings at Chelsea that I remember.

This bizarre Chelsea West Ham link that has been going on for nearly a decade seems to be a little one sided.

Most Chelsea fans are very thankful for West Ham's overlooking of John Terry and then the handing over of Frank Lampard and Joe Cole.

We're a bit pissed off about you allowing Tevez to train for Manure though. The little bugger slipped one in the net yesterday while the scousers were still in the tunnel.

Apparently Liverpool's twelfth player then got the match back in order.

I see that the post was made before yesterday's game. I will not remind you of the West Ham or Chelsea results.

[Zidane]

[quote="Guess"]

We're a bit pissed off about you allowing Tevez to train for Manure though. The little bugger slipped one in the net yesterday while the scousers were still in the tunnel.

Apparently Liverpool's twelfth player then got the match back in order.

{quote]

Thats a bit harsh on Wes Brown

Zidane

[Wanderlust]

And just to rub salt into the Chelsea wound, it looks like Steve Clarke is going to be the new assistant manager!

I wasn't aware that Chelsea had a wound.

That would be the wound from having a trophy-less season last season, followed by Man City grabbing Robinho from under their noses, and then the player voted their best ever by the Chelsea fans becoming the manager of a fierce rival, although he wasn't in charge yesterday, the woeful Kevin Keen was, so the result was not entirely unexpected.

Incidentally Chelsea apparently do want to keep Steve Clarke, and are being pretty nasty towards a guy who has given them such service over the last twenty years - they have rejected his resignation, and are asking for an amount 4 times the value of his remaining contract as compensation to let him go, as well as allegedly reporting West Ham for a breach of some Premier League (or FA) rule for comments made by Kia Joorabchian (contracted to the club as a 'transfer advisor apparently) on the radio about Steve Clarke - talk about hypocrisy! They should do the decent thing and allow a loyal servant of the club to leave without all the acrimony. Spoilt brats springs to mind...

[chelsea]

After last night I think Robihino will be having second thoughts about his decision to sign for Man City. Apart from a deflected free kick we never really saw much of him in the match.

As for Zola signing as manager for West Ham, I hope that he does well. I have been listening to UK radio since he has been appointed and it is not the Chelsea fans, but your own West Ham fans that are not happy about his appointment, just because he has played for Chelsea.

The childish abuse etc that is given to the likes of Paul Ince, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard every time they play against West Ham, is disgusting in my mind.
The fact those people cannot get their heads around is that those players and others left to further their own carrers because it could not be achieved at West Ham.

If you look in the Premier League at present you could make a team up of ex Hammers that would possibly challenge for the premiership. The fact that it could not be achieved because of the restraints at their own club is not the players fault and should not be held against them.

As for Steve Clarke, I to think that he has given Chelsea great service, and yes Scolari does not want him to go as he has been and still is an important link between the manager and the players.

I saw an interview with Scoilari on Friday who said he had a meeting with him and he was offered more responsibilities within their team, but he had decided that he wanted to still go.

The great thing was that Scolari said that although he did not want Clarke to leave, that he also understood what he wanted to do and basically wished him all the best if that is what he had decided.

The fact that the board has not accepted his resignation I would imagine is a matter of organizing a compensation package from West Ham to Chelsea for him leaving before the end of his contract. This has happened before when managers have changed clubs.

Lastly if West Ham's Chariman has broken the leagues rules, then he should be punished within the rules. That is not the clubs doing, that will be carried out by the FA.

[Super Joe]

Chelsea should let SC go for free and wish him well. Seen him play loads of times, great player.
A tribute to Steve Clarke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-QwCM6JZKs

If Zola does well at WHU then the bookies will not be offering odds on Chelsea's next manager when Scolari nears the end of his spell

SJ

[Wanderlust]

After last night I think Robihino will be having second thoughts about his decision to sign for Man City. Apart from a deflected free kick we never really saw much of him in the match.

Spoken like a true bitter blue!

As for Zola signing as manager for West Ham, I hope that he does well. I have been listening to UK radio since he has been appointed and it is not the Chelsea fans, but your own West Ham fans that are not happy about his appointment, just because he has played for Chelsea.

Most of the reaction I have read on the forums has been positive (I obviously don't listen to UK radio here in Thailand) and the only concern voiced is Zola's lack of club management experience; otherwise most welcome him and feel he is one of the few great players that can transfer that ability into management; however this is something that no one can know so we have to wait and see. Only a tiny minority object to his appointment because of the Chelsea link, and I feel this will be proved next weekend by the crowd's reaction.

The childish abuse etc that is given to the likes of Paul Ince, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard every time they play against West Ham, is disgusting in my mind.
The fact those people cannot get their heads around is that those players and others left to further their own carrers because it could not be achieved at West Ham.

Paul Ince and Frank Lampard deserve all the abuse they have had over the years, as both insulted the fans and the club with the way they behaved when they left, in Ince's case before he left, by posing in a Manchester United shirt while he was still a West Ham player and by putting in disinterested performances at the end, while Lampard has taken every opportunity to slag off the club and the fans. Joe Cole, as far as I am aware does not get any of the treatment that these two get. If you care to look at some other players who have left to further their careers you will notice a distinctly different reaction from the Hammers fans - Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, David James, Carlos Tevez to name just four, all get great receptions.

If you look in the Premier League at present you could make a team up of ex Hammers that would possibly challenge for the premiership. The fact that it could not be achieved because of the restraints at their own club is not the players fault and should not be held against them.

The players that West Ham have brought through their Academy are amongst the core of the England squad and it is painful for any Hammers fan to think what might have been, but Lampard, Ince and Defoe should remember that they wouldn't be where they are without West Ham; the other players I mention above respect that and get respect in return, and the fans hold nothing against them.

As for Steve Clarke, I to think that he has given Chelsea great service, and yes Scolari does not want him to go as he has been and still is an important link between the manager and the players.

I saw an interview with Scoilari on Friday who said he had a meeting with him and he was offered more responsibilities within their team, but he had decided that he wanted to still go.

The great thing was that Scolari said that although he did not want Clarke to leave, that he also understood what he wanted to do and basically wished him all the best if that is what he had decided.

The fact that the board has not accepted his resignation I would imagine is a matter of organizing a compensation package from West Ham to Chelsea for him leaving before the end of his contract. This has happened before when managers have changed clubs.

Firstly, Steve Clarke is not a manager - he is a coach. Secondly, I have already said that compensation should be paid, and that is normally equivalent to the remaining time on the contract; Chelsea are apparently asking for £5 million. I have never heard of a coach being refused permission to leave before, or for such an exorbitant amount of money being asked in compensation, and in some ways I hope Clarke stays there and is a disruptive influence because he must be pretty pissed off! I would imagine the club's stance would also piss off a number of the players.

Lastly if West Ham's Chariman has broken the leagues rules, then he should be punished within the rules. That is not the clubs doing, that will be carried out by the FA.

Chelsea have gone bleating to the FA/Premier League saying that West Ham have broken a rule, and as I said are saying that it was Kia Joorabchian (who is not even close to being our Chairman) in a radio interview that is the problem; the hypocrisy is that Chelsea talk openly about which players they want (Robinho for example) to unsettle them (Manure and the other 'big' clubs do it too) but as soon as it happens to them (and not even a player, this is a coach we are talking about) they go whining to teacher. It is typical of the attitude of Chelsea, a bunch of cry babies and moaners who haven't even got the decency to let a long serving member of staff leave with the thanks and ease that should be the case. No cheers from me as it seems that the fans are as bad as their board. I really hope Roman pulls the plug soon and see where that leaves you.

[caller]

Jesus WL, bitterness eats into every word you utter about Chelsea and some of the ex-West Ham players!

Lets just wish Clarkey well eh? The fuss is his recognised importance to Chelsea - it will be a big loss. Look how quickly he was welcomed back into the fold after previously decamping with the Ruud boy at the home of madness & nutters in the North-East.

In defence of Ince, its long been recorded that his agent set up the Manc shirt thing and as for Lamps, he was regarded as being fat and next to useless at WH. He got more stick from his own 'fans' than any away supporters. It's well documented. Mates of mine who for some unfathonable reason support the 'Appy Ammers' laughed at what a good deal they had got when getting rid of him / Chelsea buying him.

Now just read the review from this mornings Times about how he has turned out under a club that believed in him. Oh okay, I'll leave you with one word from that report - 'brilliant.' And he is.

[Wanderlust]

caller,
I believe that you are mistaking my irritation at Chelsea's antics with bitterness; while I would have loved all the players mentioned to stay at West Ham, I, along with thousands of other Hammers fans recognise the desire for a person to move on for whatever reason. The only thing Lampard, Ince and Defoe get slated for is the disrespect they showed by their actions or words before/after leaving. Lampard was a good player for us, but he did have (and still has) a problem with his weight and at that time he struggled to make the overall contribution to the team that he does now, and many fans felt that he was getting favourable treatment because of his father, and the reason he left was not because of seeking success and riches, but because his Dad left when 'Arry did, and hasn't had a good word to say about the club since - consequently the fans have turned on him. Contrast that with Tevez who got a standing ovation on his return to the Boleyn last season, to the point that he raised his arms in a crossed Hammers salute (which i am sure irked the Man. Utd fans). and a number of former players have had equally good receptions. Ince made a big mistake and was badly advised, as well as being promised that the photo would not appear until after the move, but surprise, surprise, the press lied to him. He has been forgiven by the majority of fans now who actually see him as a potential future manager, and Ince himself has recently said that he now understands the situation.

As far as Clarke goes I just hope that Chelsea do the right thing and drop the excessive compensation claim and rescind their complaint about rules being broken; it leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth. One final point about Lampard - as I have already said he is a good player, but he is made to look much better now by the players around him, particularly Essien and before that Makalele; this is proven by his inept displays for England - a 'brilliant' player is able to perform on any stage almost regardless of the players around them, and the term should only be used sparingly. Pele, Moore, Cruyff and Maradona are 4 that spring to mind as deserving the term, but Lampard is not even close to them.