Accentuate The Positives

Gianfranco Zola remained defiantly upbeat despite United's 2-1 defeat to Burnley in the crucial relegation clash at Turf Moor. The Hammers fell behind after a goal from David Nugent and looked down and out when Danny Fox curled in a free-kick to double the lead. Although a late rally saw us pull a goal back through debutant Ilan before fellow new boy Mido struck the post in the dying seconds.

Zola was not happy with the way his side were outplayed in the opening stages but thought their overall performance would not have been undeserving of a draw. "I think nobody would have said anything if we would have got a point today," the Italian declared. "I'm disappointed about the way we started, the first 20 minutes, other than that I was pleased and in the end, as I said, we could have got more that that. We should have been prepared better for them coming that way. The second goal for them was a cracker, you can't do anything about that. But even after that we played until the end; we scored one and should have scored more than that - and that is the story. We deserved more than that. It's an unexpected defeat and I don't like it."

The defeat leaves the Irons with just 21 points from 24 games this season and a point adrift of safety. With little more than a third of the season remaining, and other results going against him this weekend, Zola knows only too well that the time for excuses is fast running out. "This way it's going to be more difficult but we still have a lot of chances - starting on Wednesday [against Birmingham] when we have a game where we need to perform very well," he said. "I think our future is going to be decided at home because we have important matches, matches that we can win. But it will be important also picking up points away - and we are looking forward to that. There's a lot of points to play for but we can't use that as an excuse. We have to start to get points straight away because everybody's doing that so we can't afford to start games the way we started today. That is something we need to work on."

Zola also had words of encouragement for his three new signings, who between them scored one goal, hit the woodwork and saw another effort cleared off the line. "They showed us they have enough quality to help," said Zola. "Benni did okay, he's not at his best yet but he will be soon. Unfortunately he picked up an injury. I thought Mido, when he came on, was excellent - he looked a threat and he held the ball very well, I was pleased with him." Zola reserved special praise for deadline day signing Ilan, who made an immediate impact when he came off the bench to slot home the Hammers' only goal. "I think he's a good player and he came on and he looks alive," he said. "He's got pace and that quality is very important here. He'll be an important player for us."

In related news, West Ham new boy Mido has revealed he will become one of the lowest-paid players in Premier League history, but insists: "My £47,000 -a-week pay cut is fair." The 26-year-old Egyptian international has famously joined the Hammers for wages of just £1,000 a week and insists he turned down three far more lucrative offers and snubbed a whopping £400,000 signing-on fee at another club before making his loan move from Championship side Middlesbrough (via Zamalek) in the January transfer window.

In an exclusive interview with Sport of the World, the striker confessed: "I agreed I would play for a grand a week, which I know will make me one of the poorest-paid players in the League. But, to be honest, I didn't consider the money at all. Sometimes you have to look to the future and I believe I am investing in myself. It's true I am losing a lot because I am on loan from Middlesbrough and I should be on £48,000 a week. It's a massive drop and my mother was very angry with me for agreeing to it. But I've made mistakes in the past and I know it is the right decision for me now. I've earned a lot of money over the past few years and now I've got a point to prove to myself and the West Ham supporters."

Mido's honest admission is in stark contrast to the greed of many of today's overpaid, pampered soccer stars, states the News of the World. The former Tottenham striker has been at 10 clubs in the last 10 years - including Wigan Athletic, Roma and French giants Marseille - and accepts he needs to find a permanent home. His advisors have hammered out a deal where he will get extra payments depending on appearances, although Mido concedes "it's going to be the worst deal ever," if he doesn't perform. Sipping coffee in a favourite restaurant in Knightsbridge, West London, he added: "I have had a bad reputation, but now it's time for me to put things right. I'm here at West Ham and I want people to say Mido is the real deal - even if I don't play a single game. It was important for me to get it right. I needed to come back to the Premier League to a big club and to work very hard. I actually thought it was a fair deal because I've been playing in Egypt and no one has seen me."

Taking a swipe at the money-grabbing image some players have created for themselves he declared: "Some people think footballers are greedy and blow all their money. But some of us are normal people who are decent and who just want to do their best for themselves and their family. Another team from the Championship made me an offer, through my lawyer Liz Ellen, with a £400,000 signing on fee, but I am only looking at the football. Two other Premier League clubs and a foreign team also wanted to sign me on big money. But I chose West Ham it is the best option for me. West Ham are a big club with a great history and I know the passion and the ambition of the supporters. I knew a lot about the manager, Gianfranco Zola, of course. He's a legend and I'm very happy to be working with him now. Another Premier League club told me I would be their No.1 striker, but Zola didn't. He didn't even guarantee me a place in the team at all. But the reason I accepted his challenge was because when I looked him in the eye, I thought he was a very honest man. He told me the truth, said what he really thought. Other managers give you a lot of bullshit to get you in and when you are there it is a totally different story. But after what he told me, I don't think Zola really expected me to join the club."

Mido's wife Yousra and their three sons Ali, 5, Hussein, 2, and little 10-month-old Hashem are based back home in Egypt, in Cairo. He insists his family are backing his decision to get back in the top flight. "I hope the fans will give me a good reception and help me do well for the team," stated Mido. "My wife wants me to do well. I've got a five-month contract here and it's up to me. I've been training every day and the atmosphere has been great. All the players have made me very welcome. Carlton Cole is one of the best strikers in the country and I've played alongside Benni McCarthy before at Celta Vigo. But I'm different from both of them and it is good for the team to have several options. I want to prove a point to people and this is the most important five months of my career. If it works out then I would like to stay for the next three or four years and then I can sign a proper contract!"

Elsewhere, Sunday People claim Matthew Upson will be sold to the highest bidder in the summer as West Ham look to cash in. In May, the 30 year old defender will only have a year left on his contract, and new owners David Sullivan and David Gold would rather sell him then than risk losing him for nothing 12 months down the line. In the article, Sullivan is quoted as saying: "If we can get a substantial sum for him then we've got to take it. It's business sense. He wants to have one last crack at the big time - Champions League football - and you can't begrudge him that. He's in his prime as a centre-half, but he is probably in his last four or five years and it's not awful that he has to be sold."

Arsenal will be in the hunt in the summer, thinks the paper, and will likely be joined by Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham - whose £4m bid last summer was £10m shy of the Hammers' valuation. Upson is the first man England boss Fabio Capello turns to if John Terry or Rio Ferdinand are unavailable and Sullivan and Gold will be hoping he has a good World Cup to boost his potential transfer fee. "You have to bring in younger guys on lower wages, who you hope will be as good or better," said Sullivan. "What we have to do is hang on to the young players, hang on and wait for them to come through, and we'll have a fantastic team in five years." Upson cost West Ham £6million from Birmingham three years ago, having resurrected his career after six stalled years at Arsenal.

Finally, there is news of two players who got away during the last transfer window. In today's Mirror, Eidur Gudjohnsen says he is ready to show West Ham he made the right choice in joining ­Tottenham. The Icelander, 31, was all set for a move to Upton Park after passing a ­medical, but had a late change of heart when Harry ­Redknapp made his move. "I had two options financially and this was the choice I made," Gudjohnsen stated. "I want to show I made the right decision and help us move up the table. This is a very exciting squad. Harry is a big character and the turnaround since he ­arrived is fantastic. I’m very grateful I’m back in the Premier League. In France it was different not having fans at games and not having passion for football. It didn’t fit with me."

The People claim Benjani failed a medical or he would have been a Hammer. The Zimbabwe star, 31, was set to sign for West Ham but the deal was scrapped when X-rays revealed the extent of his knee problems. Then, after the Hammers switched their attention to Blackburn's Benni McCarthy, it seemed Benjani was set for a switch to Rovers. However, the state of the player's knees forced Blackburn to also drop out. Sunderland have agreed to keep Benjani's training to a minimum in the hope he can lift them out of their current slump in form.