It was the worse kept secret in the Premier League. West Ham finally named Avram Grant as their new manager yesterday on a four-year deal. It is the Israeli's reward for a 2009/10 season in which he took financially-crippled Portsmouth to the FA Cup final.
The return to London gives him a chance to go another step towards restoring his reputation in England, after being sacked by Chelsea in the summer of 2008.
Grant, who left Pompey by mutual consent two weeks ago, took Chelsea to within one missed penalty kick of the Champions League trophy in 2008, before making way for Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Grant, 55, appears to have swapped one struggling side for another. Grant replaced Paul Hart at Portsmouth in November 2009 as they became the first top-flight club to go into administration.
They were eventually docked nine points which sealed their inevitable relegation, but their performances, especially in reaching the FA Cup final, which they lost 1-0 to Chelsea, were testament to Grant's ability to work in adversity.
West Ham did not fare much better last season. They avoided relegation by one place, resulting in the sacking of Gianfranco Zola, the Italian, after two years in charge.
The club have also had financial problems in recent seasons - partly due to an inflated wage-bill and partly because of the collapse of Landsbanki, the Icelandic bank of which Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, their former owner, was a major shareholder,
David Gold and David Sullivan, the former owners of Birmingham City, completed their purchase of the club in January and have signalled their intent to get the team back among English football's elite.
"We needed experience and stability. He's a footballing man and his reputation speaks for itself," said Gold on West Ham's website. "Having met Avram and spent some time with him, we have got our man. He is a perfect fit."
* Agencies
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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