Share

Grant positive after WBA draw

London - Avram Grant insists West Ham are on the verge of finding the form that will lift them to Premiership survival despite a disappointing 2-2 draw against West Brom.

Grant's team are stuck at the bottom of the table as they continue to search for a first league win since September 25.

Peter Odemwingie had put the Baggies in front from the penalty spot on 28 minutes, but West Ham fought back level before the break when Scott Parker smashed in a 25-yard effort.

Frederic Piquionne put West Ham ahead from the spot at the start of the second half and then missed a great chance to make it 3-1 before Pablo Ibanez headed in an equaliser to earn the visitors a share of the spoils on Wednesday.

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan recently claimed West Ham needed to collect at least seven points from the run of games against Birmingham, West Brom, Blackpool and Liverpool - or "we know we have a real problem and that we have to shuffle the pack".

Despite the potential threat to Grant's position, West Ham threw away a two-goal lead at Birmingham on Saturday and this was another poor result, yet the former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss remains positive.

"We are very close to it - when the first win comes, we will win more and we are playing football to win games. We have had a lot of injuries and it is not easy," Grant said.

"We keep our style of football, it is not going like we want, but we are playing well and that is what frustrates us more than anything.

"The fans understand, they want more points, but no one more than myself and the players and staff want them.

"Everybody can see we play good games of football, from my experience if we continue like this, then the points will come.

"We are not a team who can go back and defend with eight or nine, we continue to play.

"But we will of course analyse the game and see what we can do better. The way we have conceded goals is something we need to think about."

Baggies boss Roberto Di Matteo has no such problems as his promoted side continue to impress on their return to the top-flight.

"We controlled the game quite well, although we gave them an early Christmas present just before half-time which put them back into the game," Di Matteo said.

"The second half almost turned in their favour, but we managed to get a deserved equaliser and were a bit disappointed as we thought we could have got more out of the game, but we would take a point away from home."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE