Tevez on West Ham

Today's Mail carries an interesting interview with Carlos Tevez in which he discusses life at West Ham,

"This is a beautiful league. Sure, it was difficult when I first came, but I am very happy to be here, in England.

It’s true, I struggled at first. You must be in supreme physical condition. If your body isn’t right, you cannot play in the Premier League. I could not find my rhythm, playing right midfield, left midfield. I was told to mark opponents! This is not my game. I am a striker, a goalscorer. That is my art.

I can see the league table, I can see we are in trouble, but I will not accept relegation. In the last twenty days, my condition is great. I want to score the goals to keep West Ham in the Premier League. I will do all that I can. It will be hard, but I need to repay the supporters for their love.

I cannot allow the thought to enter my head. What I want is that we can pull together and save the season. So I can’t answer your questions about playing in the Second Division (Championship).

I have no regrets. This has not been a bad transfer for me. I came here, to a progressive club, to join forces with the young, home players. I thought we could go to the next level. But we have not. Yes, I was frustrated when I wasn’t being selected, when I was being asked to play in different positions.

Alan Curbishley, the coach, has spoken often with me. He is very good. It has been difficult for him, with all the injuries, but I have a respect for him, because he has given me confidence. Pardew was here before me and he too helped me, he tried to get me to adapt, he wasn’t bad to me.

My team-mates have been supportive, they are with me. We are not a dressing room at war, we are a group of players who haven’t had very much luck. I haven’t seen anything bad inside the club, but we have not functioned well.

I am very grateful to the fans. This is another experience for me and one that I will learn from. I have not been used to such adversity.

I say here to you that I want to repay the fans. I will do whatever I can to keep the club in the Premier League. For them, for the people. When I scored against Tottenham, I went to the people and celebrated with them. They have supported me, the goal was for them, the emotion was for them.

But I have also been used to playing for clubs where the supporters come from the ground, like me (local support). This is why I like to be at West Ham. I understand the needs and demands of the people and they understand me. I hope I can give them special moments.

I can say this. If I can play at West Ham in such a difficult position, then it’s easier to play for a bigger club, with players such as Rooney, Ronaldo or Drogba. I would be capable of playing at any English team, because the English game is no longer a problem for me."

Let's hope we see a few more goals before he departs in the summer.