Source: Team_Talk
Gold eyes Hammers promotion
David Gold has revealed he would be 'devastated' if Sam Allardyce does not lead West Ham back to the Premier League this season.[LNB] Allardyce replaced Avram Grant over the summer after the Israeli failed to keep the London outfit in the top flight.[LNB]Joint chairman Gold has backed the former Bolton man in the transfer market, allowing him to bring the likes of Kevin Nolan, Matthew Taylor and John Carew to Upton Park.[LNB]Under the 56-year-old the Hammers have made a solid start to life back in the Championship, currently sitting in fourth place with 18 points from their opening 10 games.[LNB]Gold, who bought the club along with David Sullivan in January 2010, admits he expects Allardyce to lead West Ham to promotion at the first attempt.[LNB]"I'd be devastated if this doesn't work, but also surprised," the 75-year-old told The Independent.[LNB]"We all knew Sam from the TV, we all knew the remarkable job he did at Bolton. Actually I was expecting a tough, uncompromising 7ft 6in northerner, but in fact he's got charm and humility, which I never saw on TV. [LNB]"I know I can trust this man because I've seen all four corners."[LNB]Gold also revealed his shock at the state of the Hammers' finances when he took over the club last year, while also denying using the proposed move to the Olympic Stadium to make money.[LNB]The club beat Spurs to win the right to move into the stadium in Stratford after the 2012 games - though Tottenham are currently challenging the decision.[LNB]"When I saw the figures, the mess they [the former owners] had got themselves into...they had bad luck, with the banking crash, but they were living well above their means," added Gold.[LNB]"They were giving out incredible, crazy contracts, pursuing a dream with no plan B, no contingency for relegation.[LNB]"I swear to you that it wasn't until we got into the club that we realised the potential [of a move to the Olympic Stadium].[LNB]"At the time it looked like being a pure athletics stadium. Then it emerged that the OPLC (Olympic Park Legacy Company) would consider a football club if it could find a way to retain the running track."
