EXCLUSIVE: TEVEZ: I'M NO FLASH HARRY EXCLUSIVE HAMMERS IN CRISIS SHOULD THEY STAY OR SHOULD THEY GO? Scott Piecha HAMMERS misfit Carlos Tevez last night hit back at his critics and insisted that he's no Champagne Charlie. The Argentine is fed up being labelled 'flash' and furiously denied reports that he has complained about his hotel penthouse suite being too small for his entourage. Now Tevez claims he wants to prove he's a fighter by staying at West Ham and battling for his place in Alan Pardew's side. Last week Tevez's national team chief Alfio Basile told him to quit Upton Park, along with his fellow countryman Javier Mascherano. But striker Tevez wants to prove his East End doubters wrong by becoming the idol he once was at his former club Corinthians. "Things aren't turning out as we had hoped. It's a sad situation because the whole team is giving everything in every game but we are just not getting the results," said Tevez. "Neither me or Javier have come to West Ham to be saviours or to just make ourselves look good as individuals. This is football, not tennis. "People have claimed that I have made big demands over where I live. I admit I like big spacious houses and I am still looking for something that suits me. "And because of that I am staying in a hotel - but not with the massive demands some people have claimed." Since the Argentine duo arrived at Upton Park on transfer deadline day, West Ham's form has nose-dived. But Tevez claims that this is just a coincidence and nothing to do with either player demanding a place in the starting line-up. He added: "I have come to Europe for a lot of things. The first is to prove I can play here, having shown what I am capable of in South America. "I am convinced things will work out for me here - it is just a matter of time. "I'm here for the long-term. I want to be a success in the Premiership and I am not one of those players who throws in the towel easily. "I am very stubborn and that's why it hurts so much when I read that I can go in the January transfer window. That is nonsense. "Me and Javier are receiving the support of all our team-mates at West Ham and if I hadn't believed in this West Ham project, I would not have come here. "I don't care who wins the League. I just want West Ham to triumph - the rest doesn't matter to me." |