Christian Defiant

Christian Dailly says he won't let the boo-boys get to him - and he is ready to accept more of the same if it takes the pressure off his colleagues.

Christian had some 'stick' from a certain amount of vociferous spectators before and during some of the previous home games, against Gillingham - a result, no doubt, of the previous week's 4-1 loss at Millwall.

"It was a very small number but at the end of the day I really don't care about it; it takes the pressure off other people," says Christian.

"I know how much I put into that game and how consistently I have played this season and if some people, because I have scored an o.g. against Millwall want to have a go then fine - just keep it coming.

"At the end of the day it takes it away from other people and lets them get on with their game.

"As for me - it doesn't bother me one bit and I will just get on with playing.

"Most of the people at West Ham know what they are talking about when they go to watch their football.

"You get a small number doing that but I don't think people with any sense were taking any notice, and the real fans kept clapping and cheering so it was fine.

"I am not 100% sure what it was about but at the end of the day all you can do is keep playing consistently every week - and that is what I will keep trying to do."

Looking at the weekend's action, he says:

"Derby are fighting for their lives in the league and Palace have still got a sniff of these play-off places so it is a couple of tough games.

"The Easter period is always tough with two games in three days but hopefully we can pick ourselves up from last week and get a couple of results."

Derby is, of course, one of Christian's old sides, and he adds:

"Derby is a great club and I had a good time there but there are not many faces there from my time.

"It is a really good place to play football, with a great set of fans."

Their plight since being relegated from the Premiership is a warning sign, and Christian adds:

"It can happen to anyone and it shows the financial problems that a lot of clubs have hit - it is a sign of the way things have gone with mismanagement in places, and Derby had to sell off a lot of players.

"And, with building new stadiums, a lot of teams have ended up a little bit strapped for money, which is a real shame.

"But hopefully after this weekend's game they can find their feet again and get themselves back up there."

Christian admits there has to be an improvement in form after three away defeats on the trot, and adds:

"You have to earn the right in every way to be up that league, and it is not an easy thing to do.

"We are striving to try and get that consistency that can get us up the table, and we start again on Saturday.

"We haven't kicked a ball in the last three away games, there is no doubt about it, as a team.

"We have hardly passed the ball at all and hardly had a shot at goal so that is not good enough.

"It doesn't matter who you are, even if you were bottom of the league - never mind a team like West Ham with some of the quality we have got."

There have been lengthy talks at the training ground about how to put things right, and Christian says:

"There have been a few things discussed this week - we have got to improve ourselves as a team when the other team has got the ball because we are one of the poor teams in the league when it comes to that.

"We can certainly play the football but I am not very sure that we are good at doing the other bit - it has always been the case here, certainly since I came, and it is certainly something we have got to work on."

Christian acknowledges that the vast travelling army have not got what they deserved of late and adds:

"It was great support at Reading and the support we have at away games is fantastic; all I can say is that we need that to keep coming.

"There has been no lack of effort on the players' part, it is just sometimes the way we approach the games that is not 100% right.

"We have got a lot of young lads in the team and you are going to get inconsistencies from time to time.

"But it is important now we try and step it up because if we don't now we will find ourselves out of the play-offs."

Looking at the race for a play-off position, he says:

"The overall situation is that there are teams with games in hand over us and if they were to win every game we would be sitting sixth.

"There are four or even six teams that can get in the play-offs below that - it is really, really tight.

"If we don't earn the right we will not get to play our football; in the last three away games we have had, the other team has totally stopped us from playing, and we haven't played one bit.

"And we haven't stopped them from playing, so maybe we have to show other teams a bit more respect.

"At the end of the day they are all professional football players and they have some good players in their teams, and if we just think we can turn up and play our football we have got no chance - we have to do the horrible bit as well."

The mood, despite the loss at Reading, has been good in the week, and Christian reveals:

"It is always positive; we know the quality we have got, it is just a matter of producing it week in, week out.

"We have never had a real sustained run of wins this season; we have had a couple of good results and then ended up drawing or maybe losing a game - and that has been one of the most frustrating things this season.

"We know if we can step it up just that little bit we have a chance because teams we play against raise their games so much.

"So we have to do that even more to win the games, go in there with the right attitude - and we need everyone behind us.

"It is quite a young side but the future will be bright here.

"We want to get into the Premiership as quickly as we can - no one wants to hang about in the first division.

"We have to get up there and we need to give it everything."

As captain, does Christian feel more of a burden?

"I always feel extra responsibility; I tend to feel like that anyway and I think that is why I have been made captain," he says.

"People like myself, experienced ones who have played in international games, do have that - and it's fine.

"But I think everybody in the whole team needs to take responsibility - it is important that all the players are giving it everything to get West Ham into the Premiership."