Schemmel On Shame

Sebastien Schemmel insists West Ham have the players to rise up from the current predicament.

But he admits he cannot understand, with the quality in the squad, how West Ham have suffered such heavy defeats in the last two games.

"We're all disappointed and I can't understand what happened on the day," he says.

"We were really well motivated, we had worked well in training, and we'd concentrated on the objective of winning.

"It is the first time in my life that I have been in a side conceding seven goals.

"But I've always been taught, and I've learned for myself, that when something like this happens you have to fight back, and I think this will teach us a lesson.

"That we didn't play together as a team is, to me, something incomprehensible.

"On paper we are one of the best teams in the championship - so how can we concede seven against an average side?

"I have confidence in this team and I have confidence in the manager. It is up to us to play now; we proved how well we can do it against Newcastle and how bad it can be at Blackburn.

"It was exactly the same thing at at Everton; one error there broke the 'dynamic' and after the first goal it was finished.

"We must get up to our level and, knowing the quality of players we have got, we can get up there.

"We have played five games away from home and only got one point, which is not enough for a team of our ambition; but I think we are going through a bad phase.

"Now we have two home games and we need to win them.

"We have players of character, we have a team full of internationals, and yet you'd have said we were kids.

"Before when I've lost it was because I was in a bad team, and we didn't have the quality; here we do, but have still lost.

"All the players, from the internationals to the less well known ones like me, must put it right.

"It is not one player who can do it, it is eleven, or sixteen with the subs."

He does point out, however, that the script on Sunday could have been re-written, and says: "If Trevor and Paolo had scored the headers it might have gone to 3-3 and we might have had the chance to go on and win.

"Then Tomas was sent off, and there was only one pure defender left in Hayden Foxe, and after that we couldn't do any more.

"We have to work really hard and do it for the fans; they came in numbers again and were behind us and at the end of the day I am disappointed for them.

"I'm also disappointed for my family, knowing that I have been involved in a 7-1 defeat.

"Now we have two home games in a few days and we have to relaunch our season and I think these games are going to be decisive. If we win them it will change the outlook."