From the Boardroom - David Gold

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold looks back at the 2-2 draw with Sunderland and is thrilled to see Adrian sign a new contract

It is never easy against a team in the Premier League to go two goals down away from home, especially when they are struggling at the bottom and still get something from the game.


So in that respect it was very satisfying to come away with a point against Sunderland.


Of course we were all disappointed that we could not make the extra man count in the second half and go on to win the game, but I know that Slaven tried everything he could to help the team come away with a victory.


I know he would have been disappointed with the early goals that we conceded and they were both individual mistakes that could have been avoided.


There have been a few of those already this season and surely this will have to stop at some point and once it is sorted out, I am convinced we will win a lot more games.


I was pleased to see Carl Jenkinson get his first goal for the Club and I'm sure all the fans who travelled up to the Stadium of Light would have been impressed once again with the performance by Manuel Lanzini.


I know he is nicknamed 'The Jewell' and to say he is a gem is very appropriate at the moment!


He has incredible skills, but has a lot more to his game as well. He can tackle, pass the ball and has already shown that he can score goals.


We have an option on him at the end of the season and you need to see him over the whole year and see someone perform at this level on a consistent basis.


But if he keeps putting in the displays that we are seeing at the moment, then the manager will keep picking him.


I said before the Sunderland game that we would have a much clearer reflection of how the team has fared when everyone in the league has played eight games – four at home and four away.


We are now sixth in the table and are ahead of other London Clubs like Tottenham so I'm sure the supporters will be extremely happy with how we have started the season.


We have played three of the top teams in the top flight away from home and come away with three victories and our away form has been sensational. We are still unbeaten on our travels.


We obviously need to improve our home form and I'm sure we will get things right at the Boleyn Ground.


I have said it before but these are exciting times for the football Club and when you look at our squad and see we have got the likes of Enner Valencia, Alex Song and Angelo Ogbonna to come back into the side, we are only going to get stronger in the coming weeks.


These are serious players who will challenge for a starting place in the first-team.


I am thrilled that the Club were able to announce that fans favourite Adrian has signed a new contract to stay with us.


We are showing that we want to keep our best players and he is an exceptional goalkeeper.


He has a love for the game and is desperate to win. He shows so much passion and has a good grasp of English. The relationship he has with the Hammers fans is very special.


How can we ever forget his winning penalty against Everton in the FA Cup last season?


He would probably get into any other European national team, but Spain are blessed with quality keepers.


However, if he keeps performing the way he has so far this season, he stands every chance of getting a late call-up for the Euro Finals.


I would like to finish by saying how saddened I was by the tragic airplane crash that took place at the weekend before the Sunderland game.


We knew the pilot and it is very painful. Our hearts go out to their families and friends and we send our condolences to everyone at the LEA.