Glenn: Schemmel Will Be Back

Glenn Roeder is confident that Sebastien Schemmel will be back in time to join in with the preparations for next season.

The Hammers News Magazine Player of the Season went off early at Highbury on Wednesday and left the ground on crutches, but Glenn says: "It was a complete freak, no one's fault - he has got quite severe damage to ligaments in his foot with a very slight flake of bone that has come away at the junction of the ligament and bone.

"It is still a nasty injury and it would keep him out for eight weeks, but the important thing is that on July 4th he will be ready to train flat out with no problems, which is good news for us and good news for him.

"He has been a big success this year for us. He is very pro the club and wants us to do well so much.

"He has taken the club to heart and I think the supporters have recognised that and are with him all the way; he plays with such energy and desire and that is the first thing supporters look for in a player.

"His play this year has improved like a lot of players - there is no doubt about it that a lot of players have had a much better season this year than last.

"All the young players one season on are better and hopefully this time next season they will be better again.

"Sebastien has improved an awful lot - and I wish you could always spend £500,000 and get a player of his ability and desire."

Talking of the performance at Arsenal, he says: "It was a decent performance against the champions elect and I think those three points have probably won them the title.

"We had a particular game plan which we worked on at Chadwell Heath and we nearly pulled it off because, apart from the first couple of minutes, generally speaking we nullified them and it was us that had some counter attack play and created a few chances.

"Fredi had a couple of headers then another chance where he lifted the ball above Seaman but unfortunately over the crossbar as well, and of course we had the incident close to half time when he left one of the centre backs for dead, drew Seaman and left him on his backside, and we were just waiting for the ball to hit the back of the net.

"But, as the whole country now knows, Ashley Cole cleared the ball when it was over the line, and you are relying on the linesman there, and it is a major job that he has to do to see if the ball has gone over the goalline.

"He didn't see that, which was a major disappointment, and had we gone in 1-0 up it puts a different complexion on the second half and if we could have held out those first 15 or 20 minutes they would certainly have become nervous.

"Championships are won and lost on decisions like that and it was very fortunate in their favour - but it wasn't to be and they broke us down twice very late on.

"It was a good performance and our dressing room was very disappointed afterwards as we felt we had done enough to take a point, but it is probably a measure of how well we have done recently that the players feel they can go to Highbury, play like that, and be very disappointed when they don't get a result.

"All of us in football, assistant referees, linesmen, call them what you want, are all accountable, and I'd like them to just come out and say it was an honest error. I'll put my hands in the air and apologise - but they don't.

"They scurried off into the night after the game, getting away Scot free."

The linesman, Paul Canadine, has been quoted as saying he stands by his decision, but Glenn says: "If he has said that after the game and it is true, it is even more disgraceful because if he doesn't believe it crossed the line by the width of a ball, he shouldn't be holding the flag, he should be doing another job.

"Arsene Wenger said that if we had gone in 1-0 down he felt they would have turned the game round, and possibly they would have done, but it is an actual statistic that the team that scores first doesn't lose the game 80% of the time.

"If you end up drawing the game after being in front that would have been a marvellous point for us, but it wasn't to be and I'm not going to say anything more on it.

"I thought Fredi played really well, and he gave Adams and Keown an awful lot to think about, and I know them well from working with England - and I know they were rattled by Fredi's power, pace, strength, and he put an awful lot into those 70 minutes he was on, especially after having been laid up in bed on Saturday.

"We always knew he wouldn't last the 90 minutes and that Jermain would be coming on, but I was delighted with what Fredi did.

"I would have thought the two of them would be paired together at Newcastle and hopefully that can be productive.

"Fredi Kanoute is the only big strong physical striker we have got, but he is not just about that, he is technically gifted and he has an excellent goalscoring record.

"I'm sure that first French cap is not too far away for him."