Clarke carries the can

Hammes assistant keen to take some of the pressure off Zola

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 16th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Clarke carries the can

Clarke: Tough times

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Steve Clarke has urged West Ham supporters to blame him for the club's troubles, not Gianfranco Zola.

The Hammers are currently second from bottom in the Premier League table after suffering three consecutive defeats.

The latest of those setbacks came at fellow strugglers Bolton on Tuesday, with the Trotters running out 3-1 victors on home soil.

In the wake of the Reebok Stadium nightmare, Clarke has sought to divert attention away from under-pressure boss Zola by claiming that he should be held responsible for the ongoing failings.

Able to boast considerably more coaching experience than Zola, after spending four years as an assistant at Chelsea, the Scot feels it would be unfair to place too much pressure on the Italian tactician's shoulders.

"If there are any faults, if anyone's looking to blame, they'll have to blame me," Clarke said in the Evening Standard.

"I'm the guy they brought in to help Gianfranco. He's the novice manager, just in the game but if anyone wants to points fingers, point them at me.

"It's been another disappointing night for us. It's been a difficult time recently and tonight sort of summed it up."

Boardroom

Events off the field have hardly helped West Ham's cause over recent months, with the club's financial health still giving cause for concern.

Former Birmingham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are believed to be readying a bid for the club, but reports suggest their approach will be knocked back.

That would come as a further blow to Zola, with the January transfer window approaching, but Clarke insists those charged with generating results on the field cannot afford to concern themselves with matters in the boardroom.

"Obviously we're aware it's going on but there's nothing we can do about it," he said on the takeover turmoil.

"Inside the dressing room it's not spoken about."

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