Sam Allardyce is waiting on the fitness of Diafra Sakho as West Ham United prepare for Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Stoke City.
The manager explained in his pre-match press conference that they will give the Senegal striker every possible chance of recovering in time as the Hammers go for a fourth straight win.
Good morning Sam. Do you have any team news? An update on Diafra Sakho?
SA: "It's touch and go, we'll make a decision on Friday to see how his shoulder is. There's no dislocation or fracture but he's still in a bit of pain. We'll assess it tomorrow, maybe on Saturday morning if needs be."
Is it possible he could start on Saturday?
SA: "It's possible, at the moment it's about 50/50. There's still 48 hours to go before the match so that's a lot of recovery time."
You've been in the top four for the last couple of weeks, has it been hard keeping the players' feet on the ground?
SA: "Not particularly. I've sensed the joy and the goodwill feeling around the camp. There's a buzz around training which is always good to see. But the players now need to maintain and build on their performances. We need to make sure we are mentally prepared for the game against Stoke City. It's very easy to lose after a big result like the one against Manchester City so I need to make sure the players are guarded against that."
Do you think the players are surprised where they are at this stage?
SA: "I think the new players will be surprised at how well they've done so far. But that's been down to their own application and determination. I think we're all surprised at how consistently good our performances have been so far this season that has been very pleasing.
"We've had quite a number of injuries to deal with, but only one-and-a-half performances so far have been below my expectations in nine matches, so that shows fantastic consistency."
What do you make of Stoke City?
SA: "They've had a mixed start to the season. But they've used a very effective and organised counter attack system to good effect. It's harder to implement that when you're at home, but it will certainly be a tough game on Saturday and we're certainly not underestimating the task in hand. Sparky has been rotating quite a lot in an effort to get some consistency."
Did you expect to be sitting in fourth given it's almost November?
SA: "No it's been a surprise to us all. I never take too much notice of our results in pre-season but it does create a bit of doubt ahead of the season. And of course you never quite know how the signings are going to settle in. Thankfully all those anxieties have been put to rest pretty quickly."
Are you looking forward to having Andy Carroll back in the side?
SA: "Of course, he's been out for a long time. As a manager you want as many players to be fit as possible and Andy can make a very important contribution. Competition for places is always a good thing because it drives standards up."
Are you going to have to slowly introduce him back?
SA: "Yes it'll take a while. This is his pre-season now really because he missed out. We'll take it game by game and see how he feels. Hopefully by game three or four of his recovery he'll be able to play a full 90 minutes."
How high can West Ham finish this season?
SA: "There's no point trying to make an accurate prediction on where we'll finish. November and December are notoriously difficult months. So I'm waiting until after that period to make a proper judgement. I think this period coming up is the hardest of the season so if we do better this season than in previous ones we'll know roughly where we could finish."