Despite the Hammers being saddled with more than £100million of debt, Gold is ready to open the chequebook this weekend to help manager Avram Grant make them only the second club to avoid the drop after being bottom of the Barclays Premier League at Christmas. Victory at Fulham on Boxing Day was the perfect way to begin - and also spared Grant from the axe according to some reports - while last night's 1-1 draw with Everton continued West Ham's unbeaten run over the festive period. But injuries are threatening to undo all their good work and Gold is aware of the importance of bolstering the squad when the January transfer window opens on Saturday. "We've got 15 irons in the fire, and I mean that literally," he said. "We're just concentrating on incomings, and if you get three, you've done good." The first of those will be Steve Sidwell from Aston Villa but Gold would not name other targets. "There's a lot of secret stuff going on; we're trying to outwit our competitors," he said. "We're after a player who is the same type of player one of our competitors is looking for, and we want to keep that as quiet as we can and complete the deal." The January window is also likely to lead to renewed speculation over the futures of the Hammers' best players, most notably star midfielder Scott Parker, who the club have repeatedly insisted is going nowhere. Striker Frederic Piquionne was quoted this week saying he would be interested in a move to Villa but Gold said: "He's not for sale. "This club is fighting for its life. "It's got to change what it's been doing. For 30 years, it's been selling its best players. That's got to stop." Grant was last night hoping to complete a deal for Sidwell in time for Saturday's relegation six-pointer against Wolves. With the Hammers having played at least a game more than all of their rivals, it looks a must-win match. But Gold refused to bill it as such. "If we don't beat Wolves then we start all over again," said the former Birmingham supremo, who was keen to point out this would not entail a change of manager. "I mean you brush yourself down and you come again. But we're not even thinking that way." He added: "I am pleased with what we've done over Christmas. "I would say the bookies will have to redo their sums if we beat Wolves. "If we win against Wolves you've got to say that's not the performance of a relegation side." Keeping their best players fit during the second half of the season will be crucial, according to Gold. "Every time I go into the dressing room, the first guy I go to is the physio," he said. "I want to know if there are any serious injuries. "And all the time you're terrified. If Scotty Parker goes down, you think: 'God!"' Everton missed the chance to climb into the top half of the table yesterday after recording their 10th draw of the season. That is as many as any club in the top flight and is largely down to their problems finding the net. Their strikers have scored just three league goals between them this term and manager David Moyes sent them a message last night by deploying Tim Cahill as a makeshift target man. Ayegbeni Yakubu, who eventually came off the bench, accepted he and his fellow forwards needed to improve. "We are the strikers and we are really, really struggling to score goals at the moment," said Yakubu, who made his first appearance for a month yesterday. "It's really frustrating sitting on the bench. "But what can I do? Just keep working hard in training and hopefully I'll get my chance."
