It's a tale of two ankles for Alan Pardew as he
prepares for Saturday's FA Cup final against Liverpool at the
Millennium Stadium.
For with Dean Ashton rated at an improved 60/40 chance to overcome
the hamstring injury sustained in the victory over West Bromwich
Albion on May 1, all eyes are now on Matthew Etherington.
And while the Hammers winger races against time to recover from
last Friday's training ground sprain, up on Merseyside, Spanish
midfielder Xabi Alonso is also battling to recover from the ankle
ligament damage suffered in the Reds' weekend win at
Portsmouth.
"We've still got a fair bit of time left and Matthew
Etherington seems to have given himself more of a chance,"
reveals a hopeful Pards. "The swelling that could restrict his
movement has gone down and, apart from Deano and Matty, everyone
else is now fit.
"I'll be working on my team on Wednesday and Thursday and
I can still use players of a similar ilk to Deano and Matty if I
think that those two can be fit in time for the final. Although
I'll obviously need some indication from them by then, it does
look like I'll have it.
[QUOTE]"We've been very fortunate with injuries this season and a lot of credit goes to my staff. We've had an injury prevention policy here that - win, lose or draw - we haven't changed."[/QUOTE]
"After all, this is FA Cup Final week and we expect
everyone to put their lives on the line for the club. Whenever I
was injured at Crystal Palace, my manager Steve Coppell used to
say: 'Is it just pain? If it's only pain then you can
play!' That's exactly what I've told my boys this
week."
With eight outfield players having made 30 or more Premiership
starts this term, Pards retains every faith in his backroom team
going into that crucial, last match of the campaign.
"We've been very fortunate with injuries this season and a
lot of credit goes to my staff," he says. "We've had
an injury prevention policy here that - win, lose or draw - we
haven't changed. The same preparation and post-match recovery
routines have also been adopted throughout and that all helps. The
club has also recruited players with good injury records, too, but
you'll always get impact injuries and knocks that you cannot
legislate for."
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And while the Hammers boss will be a constant visitor to the
Chadwell Heath medical centre in these vital days ahead, he will
also have one eye on the Anfield treatment room, too.
"Alonso's condition will affect our preparation and
we'll be looking closely at the scan results and the noises
coming out of Liverpool," insisted Pards. "He is a key
player for them but his situation is a bit different to Matty's
because he's got a World Cup to think about, too.
"We've studied Liverpool closely, we know them pretty well
and we'll get that knowledge into the players early. I find it
incredible that Rafael Benitez is, apparently, saying that
we're the favourites to win the cup, because we're up
against a technical team who are better than us.
[QUOTE]"I can tell you right now that I'll be playing a 4-4-2 formation - not 4-5-1 - and we're going to be concentrating upon what we're about on Friday and Saturday."[/QUOTE]
"Liverpool have got more experience and more international
players, too. But everyone also knows that we attack teams and that
we've got a big punch.
"This is a big trophy and I've got to make sure that I
don't over-motivate my team because I can still remember when
Paul Gascoigne got over zealous and picked up that horrendous knee
injury against Nottingham Forest in 1991.
"Of course, this West Ham team has got to be motivated but not
to a level where they're going to make errors and not play at
their best.
"Liverpool have had a great run of 11 straight victories but,
remember, we've hit form, too, and we're going to Cardiff
to win the cup.
"We're well aware of their strengths but we're not
going to change much. I can tell you right now that I'll be
playing a 4-4-2 formation - not 4-5-1 - and having already spoken
to my team about Liverpool earlier in the week, we're going to
be concentrating upon what we're about on Friday and Saturday.
"We know that we won't get a standing ovation for
finishing second because our fans are demanding and they'll
want to win. And it's victory or nothing for me, too."