Manager Avram Grant to stay at West Ham United
Even as managers are being fired left, right and centre in English football, West Ham manager Avram Grant has been granted assurance by the board that he will be retaining his job.
West Ham beat Birmingham 2-1 in the first leg of the Carling Cup semifinal, and the win seems to have gone some distance in saving Grant’s job for now. However, the Hammers continue to linger on the bottom of the Premier League
table and are most likely candidates to go down come May. Grant, though, insists that he has not been dealt with fairly. Grant said that his team, even though on the bottom of the table, are still just a point below Wigan and Fulham and a few good results
can change things dramatically. The Israeli said that he was not at all worried about the rumours that have been making the rounds about his job, and said that he only wants to concentrate on his team and keeping them in the top division this season.
West Ham have not played in a League Cup final since 1981, and after the 2-1 win in the first leg against Birmingham, the Hammers are now just 90 minutes away from playing in a big final and that may possibly be against city rivals
Arsenal. After the win, Grant was determined to divert attention away from his job, and wanted to focus more on the performance of his team.
Grant said: "Don't worry about me - I will be fine in any case, I really, really appreciate that you are worried about me and you like me and you want me to be near you!
"I like you also, by the way. Why do you need to ask me about something that is not in my control?"
Alex McLeish, the manager of Birmingham, was also keen to add his two cents to the job situation of Avram Grant. Alex said that it is never easy for a manager to keep his focus on the job when every day there are new rumours about
his job in the tabloids. He went on to say that it is no secret how things work in the world of football, and every result goes some distance in determining the future of a manager.
West Ham won the game in the end with 10 men, and Mark Noble, who got the first goal, said that the win showed how determined his team is to win and winning with a player less also highlights their grit and determination. He added
that the team does not care about the rumours going around about Grant, and the whole squad is behind the boss and back him totally, which also reflected in their performance.
Noble went on to say that so many things have been said in the papers over the last few weeks, but when one looks at the way the team played, there should be no question about the manager’s commitment to the club.
Noble went on to say that if the players were not in support of a manager, they would never play with so much heart for him.
Avram Grant was also manager of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 2 seasons ago and in his first season took the Blues to the final of UEFA Champions League and also ran United close for the title - losing out on the final day. Therefore, he
does have the pedigree to take West Ham places... it’s just that he might just be running out of time.
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