West Ham’s draw against EPL leaders Chelsea on Sunday drew similar comment from numerous media pundits after the entertaining pre-Christmas encounter.   “If West Ham play like this for the rest of the season,” said nearly everybody, “they will have no trouble avoiding relegation.”   They will, however, need improved luck with injuries, as they face the Christmas schedule almost entirely bereft of strikers after injury to the increasingly-impressive Franco this week.

Prospects are improved off the pitch with majority shareholders, Icelandic bank Straumur granted the extra time they sought from the Icelandic courts to deal with their creditors and pay off their debts.

This appears to have scuppered the plans of former Birmingham City co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan, who were hoping to buy the Hammers if Straumur needed a quick injection of finance.

The Hammers were unfortunate not to beat Chelsea, in sharp contrast to their capitulation against Manchester United two weeks previously.

And manager Gianfranco Zola was quick to attach significance to his side’s display, saying: “The attitude, the passion, the courage we put out on the pitch today was remarkable. I think it is a really good starting point and it will affect everybody from now on.”

It won’t effect ‘everybody’ yet as Franco joined the list of Hammers’ walking wounded after a non-specified “freak accident” on the training ground.

Zola is already without the injured Carlton Cole and young Zavon Hines. So 18-year-old Frank Nouble may get a first start of the season, as a lone striker, against bottom-of-the-table but improving Portsmouth on Boxing Day – another depressingly early ‘relegation six-pointer.’

West Ham visit London rivals Tottenham Bank Holiday Monday.

Fears remain that West Ham may have to sell players to raise money during the January Transfer Window, although Zola is keen to focus on the Christmas programme, saying: “I don’t know what’s going to happen next month but we have three games before then that are very important and I want to focus on them.”

However, thoughts of a quick sale of the club itself are seemingly on-hold for now.

In response to the news that Straumur, 70% shareholders in West Ham’s parent company CB Holdings, have been given until September 2010 to deal with their debts, a club statement read:

“CB Holdings has made it clear it would like to find new owners for the club in the next three years and that is still the case. In recent months we have had a number of approaches from parties interested in investing in West Ham United.

“The club have held a number of discussions with those parties and talks are still on-going. CB Holdings is not under pressure to conclude an agreement in the immediate future, but the club will keep supporters informed of any developments when appropriate.”

Gold and Sullivan had tabled a bid someway below CB Holdings’ valuation. The statement is being interpreted as a rebuff to them and a sign that CB Holdings will not be forced into such a cut-price sale.