Thursday 20 September 2007

Time To Breathe

Here is a translated version of Eggert Magnusson's first interview since the board room reshuffle two days ago. It is taken from Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið

I needed time to breathe- Eggert Magnusson quits as managing director but remains chairman.

"I just needed time to breath. A lot has been going on and taking up my time but now I can focus on bringing West Ham into the future," said Eggert Magnusson yesterday.

He reveals Scott Duxbury will now deal with the day-to-day running of the club. "There is no drama in this. We are strengthening the foundation of the club," Magnuson told Morgunblaðið, reiterating that the changes are a natural step for the club and that he will continue as the chairman. Magnusson admits he has been under alot of pressure doing two jobs at the same time. "I never intended to run the club this way, by being a managing director and chairman," he said. "But things turned out this way when I took over from Terry Brown. I had to respond to a surprising situation when Paul Aldridge left. He had been managing director for 10 years. A lot has been going on this year but we decided this was the right time for a change. We have been sailing in troubled water of late. It took time to conclude the Tevez saga. Now that is finished but I must admit it really took its toll on me."

West Ham currently lie in 6th place in the Premiership and seem to be moving in the right direction after fighting relegation for the whole of last season. "I'm first and foremost a football fan and I will follow the team wherever it goes despite these changes. Our next game is against Newcastle and I will, of course, be there with the supporters. It's a massive game for us because not many teams come away with a good result from that ground."

Magnusson says the future vision of West Ham is still in the process of being moulded. "We are set to relocate to a new ground," he stated. "It's clear that the Olympic Stadium is not for us but we have several other options. After having had discussions with Ken Livingston, the Mayor of London, we are now focussing on an area nearby the proposed Olympic Stadium. I think the new West Ham Stadium will fair well there and would be part of a commercial and housing area. There is a lot to do and there is a real optimism in the air at the club."

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