In a further confirmation of his sudden status at Chelsea, Didier Drogba said that his match-winning goal here last night was a moment that was two years in the making. Gudjohnsen's own return to Stamford Bridge last night, after leaving in the summer having grown tired of playing a walk-on part on an ever-expanding stage, was not quite so hackneyed even if it, ultimately, ended in disappointment with his substitution on the hour.. But if Hollywood had ever got its hands on it, then it would undoubtedly been The Iceman Returns or maybe Cometh (Again). Eugene O'Neill never did do that sequel to his play The Iceman Cometh (and frankly Eidur Gudjohnsen has probably seen his fill of newspaper headlines using that particular title and playing on his nationality). Albion's chairman, Jeremy Peace, said the change was made early to give the new regime time to escape the second tier.. With the ex-Wolves defender Mark Venus as his No 2, Mowbray will work on a 12-month rolling contract. His philosophy, honed in spells as a centre-back with Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich, was that football is "about entertainment as well as results"."When I looked at the squad list here, I saw talent right the way through," Mowbray enthused, mindful that the caretaker manager, Nigel Pearson, had bequeathed a positive position.
The former Hibernian manager, 42, whose unveiling at The Hawthorns yesterday came four weeks after Bryan Robson's demise, admitted he tried to inspire his young side in Scotland by pinning quotations by the American trio on the dressing-room wall. "Ali's one was about how he won his fights not by 'dancing under the lights' but by how he prepared for them," said Mowbray, whose first game in charge of an Albion team lying third in the Championship will be Sunday's home derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers.Mowbray pledged to play "fast, attacking football". Muhammad Ali, Vince Lombardi and Abraham Lincoln may soon be enlisted to help West Bromwich Albion's push for a rapid return to the Premiership after the arrival of Tony Mowbray as manager. They will not let the issue drag for too much longer.The consortium, which will fund its offer with a mix of cash and debt and have the backing of a wealthy Icelandic banker, is also fully behind the manager, Alan Pardew, and does not have any plans to replace him.. He is hoping that he will be granted access to the club's books so the process of due diligence can begin.Magnusson remains sanguine about West Ham's recent run of poor form - with six straight defeats - although some of his advisers believe that it is critical a deal is agreed quickly, otherwise it will prove too risky to acquire a club in relegation trouble.
But there were suggestions last night that NM Rothschild, the bank which has been asked to help to finance the bid by the Israeli property magnate Eli Papoushado, had decided not to proceed.If true, that would leave the way clear for Magnusson, who has now finalised, following further discussions with his advisers, how he will finance the deal and exactly what he is prepared to pay for West Ham. The Icelandic businessman remains confident that a deal will be agreed in the next few days. Magnusson flew into London yesterday and last night attended the Champions' League game at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Barcelona. As well as being the chairman of the Icelandic Football Association, the 57-year-old is also a well-respected Uefa committee member. There is also the possibility that Brown, who controls 40 per cent of the club's shares, will meet Kia Joorabchian, another potential bidder for the club and the man who brought Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to Upton Park. Eggert Magnusson will today meet the West Ham United chairman, Terry Brown to begin the process of tabling his £75m offer for the Premiership club.
