Sam Allardyce addressed the media ahead of Wednesday night's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Big Sam and his side travel to Old Trafford looking to bounce back from Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of another big game at home to Chelsea on Saturday.
Firstly, do you have any comment on the reports of unacceptable behaviour from a small section of West Ham fans during Sunday's match at White Hart Lane?
SA: "Since the game it is very disappointing to have read about what has been said by and what has been done by a small minority of fans. Nobody condones that sort of behaviour and there is a zero tolerance attitude within the club. I am sure Tottenham and the authorities will deal with it accordingly. Now I know what has gone on like everybody else I do not condone it or wish to hear any of that kind of chanting in football especially in this country."
Now onto the football, Wednesday is obviously a very difficult game to try and bounce back to winning ways after Sunday's defeat at White Hart Lane?
SA: "Yes it is a very difficult week and we knew it was going to be tough playing three very good teams in just six days. It was especially disappointing because we underperformed on the day but we have to give Tottenham some credit however because they have some very good players and deserved to win the game. We have got to try and bounce back and we have been very good at doing that this season.
"We are very short on players at the moment, Mark Noble is missing through suspension and George McCartney will have a late fitness test so our squad is being pushed to the limit. I think that when you are going into a week like this you always want everybody available but we have to go with what we have got and give a good account of ourselves. We need to play the best we can and see where that takes us but like I have said before about Old Trafford you can play your best and still come away on the losing side."
You chart your season on points from each individual game so in a way is anything at Old Trafford a bonus for you?
SA: "This is a game for the lads to enjoy because there is no real pressure on them other than the pressure they put on themselves to perform well on one of the biggest stages in world football. It is important for players to go out on that stage and produce what they know they can because even if we lose you can still return home satisfied you have done your absolute best. We will still be disappointed of course but hopefully our best will see us pick up a positive result. Manchester United have leaked more goals than usual this season and their defence has not shown the quality it has in the past. The trouble is that at the other end they cannot stop scoring goals. We need to get our defensive unit on song and play as a team in and out of possession and if we do that you never know."
After an excellent start to the season will you not worry if you fail to pick up any points from this tough run of games?
SA: "I always worry, it does not matter where I am in the league I always wake up in the morning and worry. Certainly on a matchday I worry about what kind of performance the team will deliver and on a constant basis I worry about what is round the corner. If we are in a run of fixtures like this you do have to accept that even if you play your best you may not pick up any points. I say that to the players who have done brilliantly against Manchester City and Newcastle United so let's see if we can pick up some points in the next four games. It does not matter where those points come from if we pick them up we will be happy and we will be in a reasonably good position in the league."
It must have been a long time since you looked at the fixture list and saw West Bromwich Albion as a tougher game than Liverpool?
SA: "Yes I think that the form they are in at the moment is particularly good and I think that Steve has probably surprised himself with what they have achieved already. Two points a game after 13 games is Champions League and top three form so it is a brilliant start to his first managerial job. Our focus currently lies with Manchester United and Chelsea on Saturday. These are the games that all the players want to be playing in, every game in the Barclays Premier League is special but playing in the Theatre of Dreams in front of 75,000 people is what you dream of as a kid."
Andy Carroll ended his goal scoring drought on Sunday which must be a massive positive for you; do you hope he can now push on find the net on a regular basis?
SA: "Well I hope so. We have got to continue to provide the service for our players in the final third and give them the chance to score. I think that one of the things we have been really good at is providing the service and providing opportunities for our players to score. What our problem has been is failing to convert the chances we have created but I do not think we created as much against Tottenham as we have in previous games. I hope we continue to create a lot of chances like we did against Stoke City when we could have had six or seven goals. That is a slight concern for me because we obviously only scored one goal but hopefully we get better and more clinical in front of goal."
