Dean Ashton Update

Dean Ashton - Photo taken from The Sun Newspaper

Gianfranco Zola has finally broke the silence over Dean Ashton.  He spoke on the subject of the ever absent striker during Fridays press conference.

“I can’t say ‘I’ll give you three months’, I can’t force his progress along. But I do respect his willingness to come back and I am going to be supportive to him, not the one who is pushing him.”

“We have not discussed that (retirement) at all and anyway he knows I trust him and whatever he does I have been trying to help and will keep trying to help him.”

“He is one of the players that I have had a lot of hopes for I have been waiting one year and I have not had him.”

“According to everyone, including myself, he was one of the best players of the team.  He made my job much more difficult.”

“I am very sorry for the boy and I imagine what he is going through and that he is suffering a lot. All my thoughts are with him. I wish that he will find his way forward as soon as possible.”

“I have not interacted with him very much because he has been out, He knows that I want him very much and he is one of the players that if I had him on the pitch our performances would have been better.”

Gianfranco Zola 18-9-09

The day Dean Ashton Held my Daughter

I Met Dean Ashton in 2007 and what struck me was how down to earth he was.  He was just like a normal bloke off the street, openly telling me about his home life and how his wife was expecting his  first  baby.  He even asked to hold my four month old Daughter.  He was very excited about playing for West Ham.  I wish Dean the best of luck for the future, hopefully he can put this nightmare behind him and crack on with his career.  He is, after all, still only 25 years old.

Dean Ashton is now the only noticeable absentee from the first team squad ahead of tonights home tie with Liverpool.  Zola has fit again Valon Behrami, Kieron Dyer and left  back Herita llunga all available.

~ by Talking Hammer on September 19, 2009.