Kevin's Keen

Former Hammer Kevin Keen will be the most nervous man on the field when he plays for Macclesfield against Shrewsbury on Friday night - a booking would rule him out of the FA Cup tie against his former club.

Says Kevin: "We play this Friday at Shrewsbury and my big problem is that if I get booked I am suspended, so I am going to have to keep my mouth shut and not make a tackle - some people at West Ham would say I never did.

"But I have been booked four times already this season so I must have done something wrong.

"As I have got older I've got a little bit more angry and the bookings have increased; if I get one more yellow card tomorrow it would be a disaster of immense proportions."

It is many a long year since Kevin, fleet of foot, graced the Upton Park turf, and he says:

"I went to Wolves, then on to Stoke for six years, and just over a year ago I ended up at Macclesfield where I have gone on to be player coach since the summer; you could say I'm in the twilight of my career.

"I had a stint as caretaker manager when Gil Prescott stepped down as manager a couple of months into the season and the board just said to me 'you get on with it until we decide what we are going to do'.

"Being caretaker for five games was quite eye opening; there were lots of things to do that you don't realise are in a manager's job, like dealing with the press, injuries, organisation and things like that.

"It was enjoyable and something that hopefully will come again one day."

And his reaction to the draw?

"I was shocked; I was watching it live and I don't think I spoke for about a minute, and then I called my wife and said 'we've drawn West Ham' and we couldn't believe it - and I don't think I can believe it now.

"I'm quite happy it is at home but either way I'd have been pleased.

"It will be the first time I'll have seen the ground full; it only holds about 6,000 but that will be nice.

"We have got maybe a one in ten chance of getting a result and I'm hoping for a draw, because then I'll be able to go back down there."

He is hoping to help produce the kind of cup shock he was on the receiving end of when he was in the Hammers side that lost 1-0 to Torquay at the same stage of the competition.

He recalls:

"I played at Torquay the week before Lou Macari resigned and I think that was the only shock I've been involved in.

"We played Farnborough and Wrexham, but managed to win after replays.

"It's not good; I can remember the Torquay one was a big disaster because a club like West Ham is expected to go well in the FA Cup, and get near the final, as we did in 1990.

"But, saying that, in the first round this year we had Forest Green and Macclesfield were the big team in that game and it turned out into a good one; it went to penalties and breaking records and all sorts of things.

"It's not impossible for us but I'd say it's possibly unlikely; if you look at West Ham they have got super talent running throughout the team with continental flair and the traditional West Ham way of playing.

"We have only got myself and Lee Glover who have played in the top divisions; the rest have played in the second and third divisions and the Conference."

He admits that coaching in the lower echelons of football is an interesting experience, and says:

"There is more to coach; Premiership players have a wealth of experience and are good, good players.

"I'm not saying the players at Macclesfield aren't but, especially with the younger ones, they have not got as much understanding and knowledge of the game.

"But they can be taught a few things and hopefully I am there to give them a little reminder about how things should be done."

Kevin still keeps contact with one or two people from his West Ham days, and he says:

"I keep in touch with Paul Goddard and Steve Potts as well; when I spoke to Sarge he said 'I suppose the pitch is muddy' and I said 'well, no actually!'

"At the moment I would say it is one of the best pitches in the division; we do have two matches at home over Christmas, Halifax and Mansfield on Boxing day and the Saturday, but as long as we don't get a downpour and it cuts up then they may be surprised at how the surface is.

"We are not a big hit it and lump it team as you can guess with me in the side; we try and pass and do the best we can.

"Hopefully our effort and enthusiasm might stand up against their skill a little bit; even though the pitch is super the actual ground could be a bit of a culture shock for the West Ham lads."

The game, which of course is being televised live, is worth a reported £250,000 to the Silkmen, whose chairman Eddie Furlong says he has taken the necessary steps to ensure the game is not frozen out by the weather, even promising to sleep on the pitch himself!

Whether Kevin will join him remains to be seen, but the game really will revive happy memories for the midfielder, who adds:

"I speak to Paul Goddard and Steve Potts a couple of times a year to see how they are going, and I'm still in contact with George Parris and Martin Allen.

"I'd like to see Pottsy come up; that would be good, but we'll have to wait and see.

"In my first two or three years as a professional I used to travel in with Sarge and Alan Devonshire, and it was a great experience for me listening to their stories.

"They are two of the best players I have seen training and playing, along with Bonzo.

"I loved my time at West Ham; I went there from school and I was there for nine years; there were a couple of years where we got relegated, so you look back and think they weren't so good.

"But there were a couple of years where we got promotions which were great times that I enjoyed thoroughly; I played with good players and was coached by good coaches."

Kevin took great note of events at Upton Park during the summer, and he says:

"I always look for West Ham, Wolves, and Stoke results so I was watching all that with interest, and they have got someone who is a good coach, a good motivator, someone who has been in management before and is probably now at a stage of his life where he can appreciate putting all the work in he can to do the best for West Ham.

"I think they have picked the right manager and assistant manager who can do well once they get a few things sorted and the players that they want in.

"He wants to play the West Ham way and I think 4-4-2 is the way West Ham should play.

"I have seen them on the telly and I think they are going in the right direction; I just hope they give him the time to bring in the players that he wants and to do things his way."

And a last word on his biggest worry for the big day?

"I'm a bit concerned about Paolo Di Canio," says Kevin.

"I'm not sure how he will find the changing room at the Moss Rose; we've not installed the heated floor and the gold plated taps yet, so it might be a shock for him..."