Paul: The Right Decision

Paul Goddard says he is fully supportive of the decision to install Trevor Brooking as caretaker manager, and that his thoughts go out to Glenn and his family.

"It is a difficult time to talk about football and the results of matches when someone is in the position Glenn is in," he admits.

"Paramount is Glenn getting well and our love and prayers are with Faith, Glenn, and the children, it is a very taxing time for them."

Paul knows that the stresses and strains of football management must have taken their toll, and he adds: "It has been a tough season for us, without doubt, and Glenn as the manager has taken it all on his shoulders - along with everything else.

"He seemed to be coping but it has been particularly stressful recently. It is difficult to say much but in my eyes no one was working harder at everything to help the club more than Glenn was, and it is very, very sad.

"That is the kind of person he is and there have been many situations this season where he has been tried and tested to the limit, and come out of it with a lot of credit as a person - but that doesn't surprise me because I have known Glenn as a person for a long time."

As for the appointment of Trevor, Paul emphasises: "I think it is a first class move by the club at this very testing time. Trevor has been involved a fair bit during the season anyway, keeping in touch with Glenn and myself and popping in to talk about our problems throughout the season, so he is fully aware of the overall situation at the club.

"And he is also obviously a West Ham person who has got masses of football knowledge as well.

"Over the last few days we have had discussions and I was more than pleased to do anything the board felt was the right step to make - and in my opinion this is the right step, and I am totally behind it."

As for the football, Paul says: "The way to help the situation is for us to try and get a result on Sunday - that would be the best tonic Glenn could possibly have.

"Ever since Monday evening Trevor has been involved so we know exactly where we are at and what we are up to."

Trevor has called on the team not to end the season with a whimper and Paul adds: "We have lost one game in eight so that says we are not ending with a whimper - and we certainly don't want that to happen.

"The lads that have been playing, and especially Monday, have shown fantastic courage.

"At Bolton, without playing fantastically well - we didn't play badly either - we could easily have drawn if we had taken our opportunities as Bolton did with a very special goal, and it could have been so different.

"But we had to recover and Monday was an incredibly hard game for the players. You could see from a lot of our play in the final third there was masses of tension and anxiety in our game.

"But it was great credit that we popped up with the goal, and we thoroughly deserved to win the game, so that is well done to the players.

"They are obviously very saddened by what has happened but they have trained brilliantly and they want to send their best wishes to Glenn.

"But they know, and I know, that the first thing that Glenn would be wanting us to do is to concentrate and get ourselves ready for Sunday - and that is what they intend to do."