Well, S&G made it through the first round, bravely lumping the majority of the money on Zola and Clarke, whilst risking a smaller reserve on McCarthy and a relative pittance on Mido and Ilan. Given the Championship Play Off game was supposed to be worth £83m to the winners, S&G have already come close to covering the reduced debt just by staying up. But now it gets interesting.
The Zola answer is no longer an option, and the choice seems to be between Avram Grant and...well the only dark horse is Curbishley and I think he queered his pitch when he tried to climb into the Hull City saddle. The remaining £86m staked on Avram? If he was a horse in the National, your heart would be in your mouth as he approached the Chair; and with the Davids in charge, he will certainly be quaking in fear at any mention of the Elbow!
But where do we go from there? I have a feeling that all £86m has been lumped on the Stadium move, not because it is best for the club but because it will go a long way towards giving S&G back their initial investment. A redeveloped Upton Park must be worth between £40m and £50m. So, once that deal is done, West Ham already looks like a tasty money making venture, providing the Davids do enough to keep us in the Prem.
How do they now divvy up the pot? £8m on Henry's wages? That's a non runner in my book, that chute will open up and the money would disappear down the tubes. £7m on feeding up Yakubu? We have already bought one fatted calf, McCarthy, so surely we won't buy another. £3m on Piquionne? You might as well buy a bloody Pekingese!
What is odd is the way none of the money is being staked on a defender. Sure we need strikers but the goals against column was a disaster last season. If we leave all the money lumped on Da Costa, Tomkins, Gabbidon, Spector, Ilunga, Faubert and Upson, then the relegation reprieve will be for one season only. Then there is the problem of that imbalanced midfield. It seems we are committed to keeping both Parker and Behrami and I don't think the pair compliment each other because both are so goal shy and both lack any real vision creatively. Is Beckham the answer? Do we really want to stake all on a player who is recovering from an injury that destroys the careers of players half his age?
My money would be going on Fletcher and Eagles to start with but it is beginning to look as if Fletcher will be allowed to move to Wolves instead. If you're not black and fat, you're not on the S&G radar as a striker it seems. Who knows, maybe Karren Brady now has a thing for big black men?
Watching the contestants on the Million Pound Drop get excited when they get through the first round is a warning to all us Hammers fans. With Hull, Burnley and Pompey in the division, that first big question was really a gimme, even with Zola in charge. But now, the pressure builds for everybody except Sullivan and Gold. With the move to the Olympic Stadium looking more and more likely, they are already close to recouping their initial investment; it's the rest of us sweating on the future. And the summer may just be the commercial break before everything goes tits up after the adverts!
3 comments:
And for me the penny has finally dropped
"You´ll be needing a new house, owl", said Eeyore. "It might take a day or two but I´ll find one."
Reading the Daily Mail article this morning, looks like we are gonna do a supermarket sweep with a list of 50 transfer targets and see everyone decline our offers then we got lumbered with the crap like no one else wants.
Prepared to be dissapointed: Joe Cole, Henry and now Becks have been mentioned but we end up with crap from Portsmouth and other Championship teams.
IF we had not survived and stayed in the Prem HF, you'd have possibly had to rethink the title of your 'analogy', and renamed it 'multi-multi-million pound oblivion plunge' rather than simply '£106m drop'!!
So far, I am definitely no fan of Mr Sullivan! I have reservations on Mr Gold...and Ms Brady, well, she's not worth wasting expletives on! Sure, they're the owners (for the main part) of West Ham, and we are reliably told that if it were not for their 11th hour intervention, we would be in administration now or worse?!
In my opinion, they saw a classic investment opportunity, and bought in on the cheap! We don't know what went on behind the scenes, but did the Icelandics really make the right choice in jumping into bed with these wheeler-dealers? Were they really the only option?! I'm sceptical of that! I detest the contrite smugness of Brady in referring to the club as 'the Business'! I detest the odious way Sullivan airs his arrogant views in public!
Their '10 Point Pledge' is nothing original. They hatched the same 'original' plan on the Birmingham website back in 2008 with similar promises, albeit in a different format! They bailed out less than 12 months later! Anyone hear alarm bells yet??
We already appear to have jumped straight to No.4 on the 'pledge' list?! 'Continue to clear the debt'...by 'investing' a further £8million! Everyone shouted 'good on ya Davids', until it transpires that the £8m was essential in 'bridging the gap in the finances'...or more to the point, covering the overdue Tevez installment to S***f U*d and paying the players wages out of season! Basically, the Ferryman had to be paid again..or else!
No.6 on 'the Pledge' concerns 'building the status and image' of the club. Is Sullivan serious on this one?! I think he's 'avvin' a giraffe! His ignominious treatment of Zola, coupled with his insistent collaboration with the press, who gladly lap up his negativity, have surprisingly yielded 2 positive outcomes.....on the one gloved hand, they make Prince Phillip look diplomatic and articulate by comparison...and on the other, Oxo have shown interest in a partnership investment to create a new savoury seasoning....Laughing Stock!! But be warned...there will be side effects!
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