Brooking to stay - for now

Hammers Chairman Terence Brown has revealed that caretaker manager Trevor Brooking will remain in the post until Glenn Roeder has fully recovered from his recent operation.

Brown - speaking on whufc.co.uk this afternoon (Wednesday) - revealed that Brooking will retain a 'central role' at the club until Roeder is ready to return to work.

Quite what that role entails was unconfirmed, but it is likely that Brooking - who had promised to relinquish control after the final game of last season - will be working effectively as the club's general manager in charge of team affairs, training, and hiring and firing.

"I would like to assure all our supporters that Trevor will continue to play a central role during the coming weeks as the planning for next season continues," Brown - talking in a rare public interview - said.

"While of course we all acutely share the disappointment of losing our Premiership status, we hope that Trevor's continued good work until Glenn returns to full fitness gives us the best opportunity of preparing properly for the new campaign."

Brooking and Hammers MD Paul Aldridge met Roeder at the weekend to discuss plans for the coming season. The stricken boss, recovering from an operation to remove a blockage in the brain is still set to return to his old position sometime in the summer, according - officially, at least - to sources at West Ham.

"In the meantime, we wish Glenn a full and speedy recovery after successful surgery on Friday," added Brown. "He is receiving the best possible care and we are told he will be shortly returning home to continue his recuperation.

"We look forward to welcoming Glenn back during the summer and in the meantime repeat the Roeder family's wish that his privacy is respected."

The news will no doubt be welcomed by supporters who voted 8-1 in favour of Brooking retaining the managerial post in a recent KUMB poll, following his short tenure in charge which yielded two wins and a draw. Not quite enough, however, to save the Hammers from relegation.

However cynics will no doubt point to the timing of the announcement - ie. little more than a fortnight before the deadline for season ticket renewals, and just a week or so away from the potentially explosive Extraordinary General Meeting - and suggest that Brown's announcement (which, given current circumstances was effectively the only real option open to him anyway) is little more than a carefully contrived exercise in public relations.