West Ham fell victim to some bizarre officiating in losing by the only goal at Wigan’s evocatively re-named DW Stadium on Saturday.   Referee Alan Wiley blew the half-time whistle just as striker Carlton Cole was about to roll the ball into an empty net, a decision which would have grabbed major headlines but for events at Manchester City.   There was better news for manager Gianfranco Zola, with the return from injury of Swiss international midfielder Valon Behrami.   Behrami was out for six months with knee ligament damage suffered in West Ham’s Upton Park win over Manchester City on March 1.

The Hammers have completed the signing of 32-year-old Mexican international striker Guillermo Franco on a free transfer.

Franco had been a free agent since his contract with La Liga side Villareal expired in the summer. And his move comes after a proposed transfer to South American club champions Estudiantes, in his native Argentina, fell through.

He is believed to have penned a one-year deal and said: “It was a dream to come to the Premier League and I am proud to play for a club with so much history.

“This is a very important stage in my career and I hope to score lots of goals this season and then play at the World Cup.”

Hammers chief executive Scott Duxbury added: “I was determined to deliver the extra attacking options that Gianfranco wanted for this season and (Franco’s) high level of European and international experience will be invaluable.”   The extent of West Ham’s financial troubles was partly revealed by the recent publication of their accounts for 2007/08, under previous owner Icelandic businessman Bjorgolfur Gudmunsson.

The club have since made drastic wagebill cuts, through offloading players such as Craig Bellamy.

But their income was hit by the collapse last October of sponsors XL, and will continue to be hit to the tune of £5m-per-year in compensation payments to Sheffield United as a fallout from the ‘Carlos Tevez affair.’

There has been reported interest in an Upton Park takeover from Birmingham chairman and former Hammers shareholder and youth team player David Gold, Clark Hunt, the owner of two Major League Soccer teams in America, and Ali Al-Faraj, the Saudi property investor who failed in a recent bid for cash-strapped Portsmouth.

It has been confirmed, however, that Gold intends to remain Birmingham chairman after Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung’s takeover.

Meanwhile, the club have been active in their search for a number of their fans who invaded the Upton Park pitch during the recent Carling Cup tie against Millwall which was marred by crowd trouble in and around the ground.

They have posted twelve pictures of pitch invaders on their web-site this week and “intend to publish as many as possible” over the coming weeks. Fans have been given a number to ring if they can identify anyone in the images.