Source: Daily_Mail
Mido: I turned down £45k a week to prove myself at West Ham
Now you see me: New West Ham striker Mido is keen to tackle a perceived image problem[LNB]Mido's international exile was up for discussion as the Egyptian media hung around waiting to see Fabio Capello this week and one experienced reporter cut through the complexities with a simple comparison. [LNB]'Craig Bellamy,' he said, finger raised. 'He is just like Craig Bellamy.' A short nod confirmed his satisfaction that the point had been made and elaboration was unnecessary. [LNB]Although Craig Bellamy is playing very well, this was not meant as a compliment. Awkward, opinionated, argumentative, restless. That's what he was getting at. Talented yes, but also trouble with a capital T. [LNB]Mido is aware of this image problem and has set about tackling it, not least by agreeing to play for a basic £1,000 a week at West Ham, where some team-mates earn 80 times that amount. [LNB]'I didn't want it to come out about the money,' says the 27-year-old Egyptian. 'I didn't want people to think I was showing off about it but it's out. I will sacrifice the money for the chance to prove I am a quality player who can help West Ham stay in the Premier League.[LNB] 'If I do that and we can reach an agreement with Middlesbrough, I'm sure we will sit down and talk about a proper contract. I came here for the football. I had an offer of £45,000 a week from another Premier League club on the day I signed but I wanted to be at West Ham, not somewhere else.' [LNB]Mido will have another year on his Boro contract when his loan expires. He spent the first six months of this season on loan at Zamalek, the Cairo club where his career began, in an effort to regain his place in the national team but it was a losing battle. [LNB]His relationship with Egypt coach Hassan Shehata has deteriorated beyond repair. 'The guy just doesn't like me,' said Mido. So he moved to Upton Park in January, under no illusions. [LNB]Settling down: Mido is relishing the challenge at Upton Park and wants to stay beyond this season[LNB]'I met Gianfranco Zola before I signed and he said, "We have four strikers and you'll be No 5". I liked that. I love challenges and thought it would be good for me. The time is short but I'll do my best to make it longer. I hope to stay.' [LNB]It is the 10th club of his career. Having left Egypt as a teenager tipped for the very top in 2000, he roamed Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy and France before arriving at Tottenham and spending five years in the Barclays Premier League. [LNB]'Some of the moves I've had were natural development,' said Mido. 'When you're at Gent and you get an opportunity to go to Ajax, you go. When you're at Marseille and you can go to Roma, you go. [LNB]'But it makes you look like you've changed clubs because there have been troubles. That's not true. I've had troubles some places but not every place. It just works that way for some players.[LNB] 'Look at Robbie Keane. He's a top man, a great guy, and everywhere he's been they love him but look how many clubs he's had. Keano's a guy like me, he's not going to just sit there and not play. So he says, "I'm going to move again." [LNB]'I've had situations where I've been on big money with years on my contract but I chose to go somewhere else for regular football.[LNB] 'Sometimes a player has to be patient but some things are just obvious. My first year at Tottenham, I was playing every game. It was me and Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane and I was scoring goals. Then they bought Berbatov for £11million. The guy started well and it was obvious I wasn't going to get in the team. [LNB]'For me it was obvious I had to go somewhere else. I went to Middlesbrough, I got injured, they bought Afonso Alves for a lot of money and so I had to go to Wigan to play. [LNB]'Maybe sometimes it puts people off. But it's my job to prove I want to stay longer in one place. I hope to stay at West Ham for a long time. I'm happy with the way I've started and I hope everyone is happy with me.' [LNB] Kindred spirits: Mido sees similarities between him and City's Bellamy and Tevez[LNB]Egypt boss Shehata and Ronald Koeman, who has also clashed publicly with Mido during their time together at Ajax, may chuckle but the West Ham striker, who will hope to be involved in today's vital relegation clash with Bolton has an eye on management when he stops playing.[LNB] 'I would love to be a manager,' said Mido. 'It's a difficult job. I feel sorry for them to be honest. It's a lot of pressure, a lot of ups and downs. As a coach you take full responsibility for everything. You need to have a big character.[LNB] 'The first thing I would do is be honest to players. I would say exactly what I think. I won't cheat players. I won't tell them things just to get them to join my team. I would have the guts to talk to a player if he came to my office and tell him why he's not playing. [LNB]'I've worked with managers who didn't have enough character to do this.'[LNB] [LNB] Mido credits his three boys - aged six, two and one - with helping to mellow him but he will never be afraid of his own opinion.[LNB] 'I will always be who I am,' he said. 'If something is wrong, I'll say it. I love my football and I'll give everything for my team. Sometimes this issue has caused me problems but I won't change. [LNB]'You need players with character. There's nothing bad when a player wants to give his opinion. Character doesn't mean you're unprofessional. You can't have 20 of them - that would be suicide - but players with big characters change games at difficult times.[LNB] 'If you have a team with no characters, players who never say their opinions, they will be the same on the pitch. I watched Manchester City's win at Chelsea and the two players who made the difference in an emotional game were Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy. [LNB]'I know Carlos, big character. Bellamy, I don't know the guy, but I'm sure he's a big character too.' [LNB]Craig Bellamy. And this time it is as a compliment. [LNB] Rift widens at West Ham as Zola and Sullivan clash over Behrami contractWEST HAM v Bolton: Mark Noble out but skipper Scott Parker in line for returnAshley Young, Luka Modric, Adam Johnson... why Premier League bosses are going crazy for the inside-out wingersWEST HAM UNITED FC
