West Ham United have not been serving up bad performances all season but just one win in thirteen matches is always going to spell trouble. The team’s failure to beat Blackpool on Saturday means that they are now five points adrift of safety and that will always lead to speculation regarding the manager’s future.

Avram Grant continues to insist that he will not walk away from the Hammers and it appears that the board are certainly prepared to give him more time to turn things around at Upton Park. With a little more fortune, the east London club could certainly be a lot higher in the table.

Karren Brady, the club’s vice-chairman, insists that now is not the time to panic and that the powers-that-be will continue to support Grant.

“When you make a very big and important decision to replace a manager you have to take a lot of things into account. We thought very carefully when we appointed Avram and I can assure you there is no finger on the button,” Brady told Sky Sports News. “We are not getting results and the table does not lie but we will do everything in our power to support him.

“We just all have to hold our nerve. We have to believe in the people at the top – we put them there. We have to give him space and time.”