Americans declare interest in stricken Hammers

IT is often said of West Ham that they turn more corners in a season than the average Formula One driver, but Gianfranco Zola is adamant that the club is now on an upward curve, despite their worst start to a Premier League campaign.

On the face of it, such optimism appears horribly misplaced. This defeat kept the Hammers second-bottom of the table with just five points from eight matches, having not won since the opening day of the season.

Off the field, things are no prettier, with the club nursing debts of £100 million (€110m) and facing the prospect of having to sell players in January. Yet, for all that Zola remains perky in his outlook. This performance deserved more than James Beattie’s late winner for Stoke, and there was even some good news on the financial front, with a Wall Street-backed consortium, the Intermarket group, declaring an interest in buying the club.

“My colleagues and I have been approached by the consortium with the aim of buying West Ham in its entirety,” Jim Bowe, the former director of the New York Board of Trade and chief executive of Intermarket, said.

“We are not interested in just taking on the debt, or securing a percentage. We want to get West Ham back on track for the upper echelons of the Premier League.’’

That is a positive step, although whether the group would be willing to meet the Hammers’ current asking price if their slump down the league continues is another matter.

Zola’s side had recovered from Beattie’s 11th-minute penalty – awarded for Julien Faubert’s trip on Matthew Etherington – to equalise through Matthew Upson’s header in the 34th minute.

Had referee Martin Atkinson seen Robert Huth’s swinging arm connect with Upson’s face defending a free-kick with the score at 2-1 Stoke would have been down to 10 men with a long time to keep West Ham at bay; as it was, he missed it and Beattie scrambled in a late winner.

“We didn’t deserve to lose the game,” Zola said. “The team performance was very encouraging and I’m looking at that.

“It is frustrating for us to come out of it with no points. Up to when they scored the second goal it looked like we were going to win the game.

“It is tough for me to have a go at the players because I thought they gave everything and that is encouraging because if we keep playing like that it is going to be a different story soon.

“It is very much similar to the situation we had last year. We are playing well but we are paying a high price for every mistake we make.

“Obviously it is not going our way but the team is determined to improve and the way they played it makes me think (turning]) the corner is very close.”

REFEREE: Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire) 6: Failed to spot Robert Huth’s haymaker on Matthew Upson, but that was understandable in a crowded penalty area.

MATCH RATING: ** Not a classic, with both sides labouring for form, but Stoke showed typical grit in eking out three points.