He is are that Jermain will be like a coiled spring against Sunderland and says:
"It was over-exuberance which got him sent off before so we will certainly have to keep an eye on that."
But he insists that, whatever may or may not have been said about him, or attributed to him, what has really hit him hard has simply been not being able to play competitive football for so long following his harsh sending off against West Brom on November 8th.
"These five games have hurt him more than anything because like any young player he just wants to play and show his talent of which he has got bundles of talent - so he has the opportunity to unleash some of his ability on Saturday," says Alan.
"I have just tried to put some things into him; he offered to coach the kids - which was great of him - and the kids enjoyed that, he has done some scouting with Roger, he has had the incident with the comments at the AGM and he has to grow up very quickly because there is a lot of pressure on him in other ways.
"He handles it very well and it is a shame he gets so much attention; that can be distracting for him - but he is taking it well and I am hoping we will see the best of him.
"We are also looking to welcome back Matthew Etherington which will be a major bonus for us because all the games he has missed, our fans will know, we have really missed his width as we haven't really got anyone else that can play in that role.
"It will be massive for us to have him back; he is a a naturally fit lad and I don't see any problems in him returning without a reserve game.
"It is about time I had selection problems and we have Neil Mellor and Lomy who both came through the reserves fairly well, though Neil had a bit of discomfort in his ankle.
"You have got to look at Lomy and say his character and what he is about are important to us; I am desperate for a voice out there, especially when we have setbacks.
"He will offer us that and I was stressing to some of the boys after the game that you have to dig in and vocally encourage each other - you have got to pick each other up.
"Michael Carrick, by his own admission on Tuesday, had a poor game and he knows that, but there weren't too many rallying around him to lift him and that is important.
"If you are not playing well you need Billy Bonds on your shoulder shouting at you to keep your head up and push on and that is what we could do with.
"I would love to bring Billy back! I am a massive fan of his, he is probably my favourite West Ham player and we could do with a couple of him at the training ground.
"We have some new players in the side who are trying to find their feet and we are trying to get a spirit but it is hard to do that when you are not winning games - that is the bottom line.
"To get the winning culture is how success is bred and Saturday is a massive game against a tough team."
The 10 point gap is not insurmountable says Alan, who adds:
"I don't think there is any doubt that this team could still get promoted; we are still striving to win the division and we have got to keep focusing on that.
"We will get performances like Tuesday, hopefully not quite as bad as that, but we will certainly get beaten between now and the end of May.
"But it is how you bounce back and react to that and it is going to be important for us that after one bad performance and two good ones we are starting to pick up.
"We have to stress the positives rather than the negatives."
Looking at the weekend opposition, Alan adds:
"Sunderland are almost in an identical position as us having gone through the same horrible process of losing their best players.
"They have tried to put together a youngish side, they have had a few iffy results and their record in the league is almost the same as ours.
"The problem is not singular to us, we could both finish in the top three and I am sure Mick McCarthy has as high hopes for his team as I do for West Ham.
"No one can put a gage on what going out of the Premiership brings to a club especially today with the gap being so big; every year it seems to get tough and all the teams that went down last year really struggled apart from Leicester who were kept together by administration - which obviously a lot of us thought was unfair."
The fixture does not see the return of Gary Breen, who of course spent last season at Upton Park, and Alan says:
"Gary is not fit at the moment and I can't comment on what he did at West Ham."
He is looking to restore some faith in the fans but admits:
"It is going to take more than one game to do that but certainly I hope they are sympathetic towards us and try to come with a positive frame of mind.
"Hopefully we can give them something to think about which we certainly didn't on Tuesday; they did their utmost to help us and were terrific in the second half, so let's hope it is the other way round on Saturday and we can actually put something on the pitch to inspire them.
"This is what it is about; I am going to be on the edge of my so-called technical area doing my stuff and you can't hide and the players can't hide.
"You have got to stand up and be counted; I am learning a lot about the players in this particular run and I am hoping they are going to show me the mettle that this club needs.
"We have to put Tuesday to one side and move on; it was a terrible performance and we are the first to admit it.
"We didn't play with any confidence and sometimes it looked passionless when you play like that but believe you me these boys are desperate to do well and they need to prove it on Saturday.
"I will be looking to field a team that is looking to give us a response to Tuesday night.
"It is about the club, all of us, we are all striving for success and ultimately the football side of it boils down to me and I have to make sure I put things into place that are going to start bearing fruit.
"The results haven't been what I have wanted and of course I am unhappy about that but nothing will stop me making sure I get it right here - and I grown to love the club already.
"I am desperate for us to pick up a few results and ironically on Saturday if we win, as bad as our run has been and some of our performances we will be in the top six - which is very fortunate for us in some respects."