1. ZAMORA: MYZAMORA: MY
LEGBREAKHELLLEGBREAKHELL
GIRLGIRL
POWERPOWERTwindaughtersgotmeTwindaughtersgotme
throughleg-breakhellthroughleg-breakhell
By GREG GOBERE
B
OBBY ZAMORA didn't
even have to glimpse
the train wreck that
used to be his right
leg to know it was time to
start again.
Zamora had not only
suffered a low break, but also
dislocated his ankle and
ripped his ligaments away
from the bone in the process.
Yet he insists shocking pictures
of his face contorted in agony
after the challenge, by Wolves’
Karl Henry last September, were
because he knew he had gone
from his peak back to square
one in the blink of an eye.
“I remember every bit of what
happened,” recalls the Fulham
striker. “People still talk to me
about watching me screaming
and pounding the ground.
“They all say: ‘you looked like
you were in real agony’.
“But the strange thing is I
didn’t feel any pain. That didn’t
come for at least an hour.
“The only sensation I could
feel was heat in that area. But
the reason why I reacted that
way was sheer frustration.
“Everything was going so well.
“My two little girls Giselle and
Sienna were born the week
before I played for England in
August. To represent my country
just after then made it one of my
proudest moments in my life.
Starting
“Then I signed a new deal with
Fulham, but the day after that I
broke my leg.
“I knew straight away I would
be out for ages and it would
mean starting all over again.”
Just months before, Zamora
played a key role in taking
Fulham to the Europa League
final. Now he couldn’t even pick
up his baby daughters.
He adds: “It was another
hurdle to tackle but I was
determined to come back
stronger.
“I’ve had hurdles from the
beginning. I’ve played in every
division from the Dr Martens
League with Bath all the way to
the Premier League, and proba-
bly been to nearly every ground.
I’m used to building myself up.”
Indeed, as he relaxes at
Fulham’s Algarve training camp,
it doesn’t take long to see that
the former Brighton man enjoys
the hard slog just as much as the
end product.
He added: “I’ve worked hard
to get my England cap at the age
of 29. And I definitely did it the
long way round.
“My heart is with my old teams
Brighton and Bristol Rovers. I
still speak to old team-mates
and the kit men at those clubs.
“I can’t believe youth players
today don’t clean boots because
I loved it. At Bristol Rovers I did
it for Barry Hayles, who also
played at Fulham.
“One of the first things I did
when I was on crutches was to
go and see Brighton and catch
up with the guys.
“Brighton is massive to me
and I’m over the moon with
what Gus Poyet is doing there.”
But there are two other reasons
why Zamora, 30, remained so up-
beat throughout the five-month
recovery — his daughters.
He admits: “Not going to games
and spending six months with my
girls has been priceless. In a
strange
way it was
a bit of a
blessing what
happened.
“I spent some
great time with
them that most
footballers never
get to enjoy.
“Now I’m away
again and missing
the crying my
missus tells me: ‘I
bet you’re glad
you’re back
playing now’!
“I don’t feel
afraid of any-
thing hap-
pening like
that again. Being in training
every day lets you know you can
take it.
“Brede Hangeland let me know
a couple of times that I was up
to it with a few of his challenges.
“But I’ve got a metal rod in my
leg now so I’d like to think that
would be the last part of my
body that would ever go again.”
As Zamora fiddles with his
‘Under Armour Recharge’ suit —
designed to aid recovery by pre-
venting fluids in his body from
inducing swelling — his mind
turns to what is left to achieve.
He made his return in last
week’s FA Cup defeat by Bolton
and claims he has rejoined a
team much stronger than back
in September.
He added: “Mark Hughes was
under a bit of pressure here
early on. It was always going to
be hard after what Roy Hodgson
did. But everyone’s behind Mark.
“It’s a bit more attacking and
adventurous and we’ve got some
great attacking players.
“I’m thinking I’ve got to go
flat out just to get on the bench.
And England? All I can do is
work hard and hopefully Mr
Capello will be watching me.”
n The Under Armour Recharge suit uses
strategic compression to fix damage
helping an athlete get back to full
strength faster after
experiencing mus-
cle distress.
By CHRIS BASCOMBE
By GREG GOBERE
EXCLUSIVE
EXCLUSIVE
EXCLUSIVE
n BROKEN DREAM — Zamora knew the injury meant a long lay-off
SULLI-FAN’S
LIFEPLEDGE
DIRK KUYT has accepted a one-year contract extension
worth £50,000 a week, keeping him at Liverpool until 2013.
The club’s new owners are happy to extend the Dutch
star’s deal, which runs out in 2012, but are reluctant to
hand out massive pay-rises to players over 30.
That won’t be a stumbling block for Kuyt, 30 (below), who
believes the formalities will be ironed out soon.
“I’m desperate to play in the Champions
League again but everything is so positive
here now I’m confident that will be with
Liverpool,” he said.
Liverpool are also set to offer
24-year-old Brazilian midfielder Lucas a
more long-term contract.
But they face a £10m summer headache
with Philip Degen, Emiliano Insua, Nabil
El Zhar and Alberto Aquilani all set to
return after being on loan, swell-
ing the Kop wage bill.
DAVID SULLIVAN insists
he has committed himself
to West Ham for LIFE.
And the Hammers’
co-owner is already plan-
ning his legacy, with sons
David and Jack lined up
to take over his shares
when he steps aside.
Despite West Ham’s
perilous situation,
Sullivan and co-owner
David Gold remain
unwavering in their
commitment to the cause.
Defiant Sullivan said:
“We will be there until
the day we die, which we
hope is beyond 2014
when the stadium opens!
“Birmingham was never
our club really and we
were there for 17 years.
Hunt
“We’ve come to OUR
club now. . . and hope-
fully our children will
take over from us.”
Gold intends to follow
his partner’s lead and
hand over his shares to
daughters Jacqueline and
Vanessa.
And they may have one
more party on board if
the present owners’ hunt
for further investment is
successful.
The two men aim to
sell a 35 per cent stake in
the club for £35million
well ahead of their move
to the Olympic stadium
after the Games in 2012.
Meanwhile Sullivan
has waved away Leyton
Orient chairman Barry
Hearn’s plans to use his
FA Cup windfall to
oppose West Ham’s
proposed move.
He added: “You would
have to speak to the
lawyers but, in all proba-
bility, it is all done.
“Any appeal launched
would be directed at the
Olympic Park Legacy
Company anyway.
“They’ve done a very
thorough job.
“The level of diligence
has been enormous.
“There is absolutely no
reason why we shouldn’t
have been preferred.”
The Hammers sit rock
bottom in the league, two
points adrift, and face a
visit to Kenny Dalglish’s
resurgent Liverpool side
this afternoon.
There are just 11 games
remaining and seven of
those are against teams
well established in the
top half of the league.
But defiant Sullivan
says they have made the
RIGHT decision sticking
with manager Avram
Grant, despite having
made a failed approach
for Martin O’Neill.
“If you study changing
manager mid-season it
usually doesn’t work,” he
said. “Avram is very
optimistic we’ll stay up
and we hope over the
next few games things
will improve.”
KUYTSTAYING
n SAFETY FIRST — Sullivan is confident of Premier survival
BOBBYZAMORAONHISHORRIFICINJURY
WESTHAMvWESTHAMv
LIVERPOOLLIVERPOOL
Today,1.30pm, Sky Sports 1TTT
82 February 27, 2011