Serge's Pleasing Debut

Alan Pardew says he was satisfied with Sergei Rebrov's debut for West Ham in the 4-4 draw against Anderlecht at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday.

He played most of the game on the right of midfield, and Alan says:

"I think Serge has probably got more attributes to that role than Marlon and he is happy to do it, having played there for Fenerbache in Turkey last season.

"It would obviously be nice to have three of Marlon, Bobby, Teddy, and Serge on the pitch at the same time.

"So I looked at Serge on the right, I looked at him on the left and I just wanted to see where he felt most comfortable. He was very tired at the end but enjoyed himself.

"It was Serge's first 90 minutes and I thought he did well; he worked hard and showed his quality now and again."

Of the game overall, he adds:

"There were parts of that performance that were very encouraging, but I was disappointed in the end period of the game because I made a load of subs and the guys that came on had to recognise that they had a duty to see that game out.

"The two goals we conceded at the end were poor from our point of view and I was disappointed for those players, particularly because they have worked really hard in training to try and affect the first-team. I felt they didn't do themselves justice."

Pards was impressed with the opposition and adds:

"Anderlect, the Belgian Champions, are a top quality side and I marked down five players who could play in the Premiership, no problem.

"The centre-back is obviously going to be a top player and there were some outfield players that gave us a lot of trouble.

"I was pleased with some of our offensive play, but when you are playing opposition like that you tend to play a little bit deep to protect yourself and that causes problems.

"We had a higher line in the second-half and looked a really good team for about 20 minutes, although they were down to 10 men after their goalkeeper had been sent-off just before half-time."