My Kingdom for a clean sheet...

West Ham have not kept a clean sheet all this season and well back into last - more than 20 games now.
Even when Alan Curbishley sent out some of the most cautious West Ham line ups I’ve ever seen and even with magnificent England internationals Robert Green and Matthew Upson in the side West Ham were unable to stop the opposition scoring.
Gianfranco Zola has now arrived and his philosophy is to 'take 'em on' play football and see who scores the most.
The problem is we still haven't worked out how to stop the other team from getting at least one goal every time we step on to the pitch.
This is a MAJOR problem.If you allow home teams - like Middlesbrough on Saturday - a goal it means you will have to score two away goals to win a match.
Two away goals in the Premiership is a tough ask.
And if you give the big sides - like Man U and Arsenal - a one goal head start you are always going to struggle - scoring two goals against either of them is unlikely no matter who you are.
West Ham - Zola - Clarke - whoever- need a clean sheet on Saturday almost as much as they need a win.
A nil-nil draw after a five hour trip to the North East would not normally have me smiling but this weekend I’d bite your hand off for a clean sheet.
Anyone else?

West Ham are going to miss Carlton Cole...honest.

At the start of the season i probably didn't imagine myself writing this but West ham are really going to miss Carlton Cole for the next three games.
The big centre forward is central - in more ways than one to - to the way Gianfranco Zola sets up his team and the role he plays is not easily filled by anyone else.
Ashton is out injured and Sears, Bellamy and Di Michele are all too small in stature to play the holding role up top.
So Zola may turn to recent signing Diego Tristan for a shock start at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The only other option would appear to be a new formation.

Craig Bellamy quotes in tunnel after Arsenal game

Craig Bellamy showing his relief at being back playing - but also (quite worryingly) expressing some concern about the role he is being asked to play.

I wonder how long before this is blown out of all proportion in the nationals.

Craig Bellamy quotes

WAS A 2-0 DEFEAT A BIT HARSH ON WEST HAM?

Maybe we were a bit unfortunate, but they are an outstanding outfit who keep the ball very well.

You have to work very hard against them and sometimes you think you might be over the worst of it and then you look at Adebayor coming on.

It is a different level, you know, it is very difficult for a lot of teams in the Premier League against Arsenal, and we are no different, like I said, a player like Adebayor coming on is not the greatest sight you want to see, but credit to him and credit to Arsenal, they got the three points

TALK US THROUGH YOUR BIG CHANCE

I thought I had done it really, and he stuck out a leg. It was a good save, and sometimes you forget about keeper’s using their legs. He’s done me there, he’s done very well, he left me a gap which I thought I hit.

You never think it is in until it actually hits the net, but I thought I had done enough, but it was a good save in the end.

DOES THIS FORMATION SUIT YOUR GAME?

It is a completely different game and formation to the one I have made a career from basically. On the shoulder of the last man is the way that I play the game, so this is a completely different scenario.

It is a test for me, but at the end of the day I want to work hard for the team and try and be successful that way.

ARE YOU ENJOYING THE WAY IT IS WORKING?

Look mate, I’ve been out for a year. It is my first home game for a year so there is nothing that can upset me at the moment, I’m just happy to be playing.

I’m disappointed that we lost but it is nice to look forward to playing another game on Wednesday, and to keep being involved. I’ll go home, think about this game tonight, and then come in tomorrow and prepare for another game on Wednesday, and that is something that I haven’t been able to do for a long time.

HOW FIT ARE YOU?

I feel all right. Of course you need games. It was great to be involved in this game today, because it was a real high tempo match. They bring a lot of quality to it and you are chasing the ball a lot, you have to do a lot of running, so for me hopefully I will certainly improve a lot from having this sort of game.

WON’T BE EASY GOING TO MANCHESTER UNITED ON WEDNESDAY

No. It is a perfect game to come up next (laughs sarcastically). Look, you’ve got to play these teams, we are not going to go there to just see it out, but we are still trying to get over the Arsenal game at the moment.

It seems the only London team 'Arry Redknapp doesn't support is West Ham!

Hold on. Wait a minute. I was as shocked and disappointed as any West Ham fan when i was awoken in the middle of the night to a text message from a Spurs friend telling me they had sacked Ramos and appointed Ol' 'Arry the 'Ammer.
But nothing could've prepared me for the stomach churning interview West ham legend Redknapp gave this morning.
In which, the former Hammers player and long time manager said: "I followed Tottenham as a boy."
What?
Surely not.
Harry mate, I thought you were claret and blue through and through.
So I thought I'd do some digging and see if Harry had ever declared his allegiance to Spurs before - maybe when he was playing for the Hammers, or managing the Hammers - surely if he was such a die hard Spurs fan he would've told someone before.
So like any good journalist on the hunt for something I started with a Google search "Harry Redknapp supported as a boy".
And do you know what - it turns out Redknapp was not always a Hammer. He did have a different allegiance when he was a child as his Wikipedia listing shows.
Harry, it turns out, was a GUNNER.
"I was a big Arsenal fan as a kid", said Harry in a 2008 interview... I bet he didn't bring that up in his interview for the White Hart Lane job.
Speaking of which - I wonder why Harry didn't bring his number two with him from Portsmouth - a certain Tony Adams?
Any ideas?