Trevor: We Battle On

Trevor Brooking insists that, while his thoughts are with Glenn Roeder and his family, he will not be letting West Ham's battle against relegation end "with a whimper."

Trevor, who took over as caretaker manager on Thursday morning, says: "It has been a difficult few days for everyone. Glenn, Faith and the children are the main priority and they are in very good hands at the Royal London Hospital so we are confident that, with that expertise at hand, Glenn will gradually progress as we want him to do.

"I think it was Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when the initial checks suggested it was going to be difficult for Glenn to be back before the end of the season, and that is only two and a half weeks away.

"From the board's point of view we wanted to put something in place that kept the continuity, to be honest.

"With 15 points in eight games the spirit is good and I know myself how hard Glenn has worked to put a structure in place, with Paul and Roger on the coaching side.

"We wanted to keep that going. If we were mid-table, with two or three games to go, Roger and Paul would have seen out the season.

"We just felt that if they could concentrate on doing what they have been doing with Glenn on the training ground, to handle the difficult situation the club is in with the last three matches - and the fluctuations each result will mean - it might be helpful to all of them for someone like myself to take over and take the pressure off them.

"That is how it was approached, and, having spoken to one or two people at the club, and the senior pros here, I said I was quite happy to fill in for the remainder of the season and move on from there.

"The key is, we know how hard Glenn has worked and he would want us, in the situation we are in, to get a win on Sunday - and that keeps us moving on for the remaining two games."

Trevor discussed the situation with the players at Chadwell Heath on Thursday morning, and he adds: "Paul and Roger have been heavily involved and I know Glenn very well, and as a director I have been here regularly so I know the players and the format of how it works and everything else.

"You don't want to tamper with that, but also there are going to be huge distractions with other issues and it would be unfair to put pressure on them in that situation.

"So I was happy, they were, we had a good session this morning, and there has been a good reaction from the lads.

"We are focusing on Sunday - but what is in the back of everyone's mind is that although the club moves on in what is a massive two and a half weeks, it is important that everyone allows Glenn to make his recovery.

"Part of the reason of this in-house appointment was to keep the continuity and of course I have a long association with the club.

"All the fans will be right behind us in the next three games, and that is important, and we want to give everyone something to smile about and aim for.

"But I don't think everyone is going to need much motivation to help us try and get the results we need.

"The reaction has been terrific in wishing Glenn and the family all the best with the recovery, and the players are very conscious of Glenn's situation.

"We are keeping them updated, and that is important, because that is the spirit engendered within the club.

"They know as well, though, that he would want us to do what we are trying to do.

"It has been a difficult few days and you could say 'well, it is not going to happen' - and you could use it as a weak way of going out with a whimper.

"But with Glenn and the players having worked so hard for 35 games and getting the 15 points in the last eight games, everyone wants to give it everything in the next two and a half weeks - and that is what we are going to do.

"No one at the club expects anyone to do anything other than give their best in that time, but in that sense it is not difficult to do because everyone is of the same mind anyway.

"It would be a huge anti-climax to go out with a whimper, and, although it has been a very difficult few days, we have got to steel ourselves for these two and a half weeks."