Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesSam Allardyce, with trophy, celebrated with David Gold and his family after West Ham won the Championship League final last May

It goes without saying that this blog wishes all the best, a return to good health and a speedy recovery to West Ham Club Chairman David Gold, who is in hospital with pneumonia and reported as being 'very poorly'.

The fact that the 76-year-old Gold attended Saturday's game against Manchester United despite suffering from bronchitis is a dedication to the cause that has to be admired and one, frankly, I'm not sure I could match.

Gold has had serious health problems before and his daughter Jacqueline was obviously extremely perturbed that her father insisted on attending the third-round FA Cup tie.

I'll freely admit that I wasn't particularly impressed when Davids Gold and Sullivan took over at Upton Park, and the eventual sacking of Gianfranco Zola and initial blanket media press coverage as Sullivan, in particular, seemed to pontificate on anything vaguely football related at the drop of a proverbial, only seemed to confirm initial misgivings.

Following the disastrous decision to appoint Avram Grant as manager, things worsened when the pair appeared to want to appoint Martin O'Neill to replace Grant in December 2010 with the Hammers rooted to the bottom of the table, only to back-pedal and stick with the doomed Grant when O'Neill seemingly backed out after feeling the matter was being badly mishandled.

However, after the appointment of Sam Allardyce in the summer of 2011, Gold and Sullivan showed their commitment to getting West Ham back to the top flight at the first attempt by sanctioning the signing of important players - luring Kevin Nolan to a relegated side was a masterstroke - and ensuring those senior players already at the club stayed. It became squeaky at times towards the end of last season but, once in the playoffs, West Ham's extra experience told and the ploy was seen to work.

Rather, like Allardyce himself, the 2011-12-13 period has rather changed the fans' opinions of the pair, while Gold himself has particularly warmed himself to the supporters with touching stories of his humble beginnings in the East End and, in particular, his obvious love for the Boleyn Ground and all matters claret and blue.

Meanwhile, while Gold fights his illness in hospital, Allardyce has announced that it's 'business as usual in January' and is attempting to sign Blackburn left-back Martin Olsson. Allardyce is a long-time admirer of Olsson, although I suspect the £2m offer to Blackburn was probably made a little more cheekily than seriously, and it's likely a tad more cash may need to be forthcoming before Blackburn relent and allow Olsson to leave.

Still, with Sam reputedly now £200,000 better off thanks to the out-of-court settlement with his old club following remarks made by Blackburn's former boss Steve Kean, Allardyce may well feel his bid should form part of the settlement package, and I'm sure he'll be only too happy to send a crate of champagne up North to show there are no hard feelings.

Big Sam - obviously on a flyer following his settlement payment, and with Mrs. Allardyce expecting a new pair of shoes and a decent holiday in the summer - has now taken to baiting Arsene Wenger by suggesting the Arsenal boss has 'missed a trick' by not playing to loan-signing Marouane Chamakh's strengths. "We'll give him the right platform by feeding him the right type of balls" said Sam, obviously suggesting that Arsenal had failed to do just that.

It looks likely that Chamakh will make his debut at Sunderland on Saturday and, with Andy Carroll possibly in contention for selection in the Cup replay next Wednesday, West Ham seem to have lurched from an injury crisis to a surfeit of choices. This could be an interesting week.

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