Jermain: No Thoughts Of Failure

Jermain Defoe insists that the players have not even contemplated losing their Premiership status.

J, West Ham's runner up Hammer of the year, reveals:

"All the players don't even speak about it and don't really think about it; you just have to play and see what happens.

"I haven't even thought about the club going down - no one knows what is going to happen."

Soon enough he will know, dependent on the outcome of Sunday's games, and he adds:

"I think Middlesbrough could do something because they are one of the hardest sides to break down - and it will be tough for Bolton, I think, as we found it.

"Hopefully they will be on form, Bolton will slip up, and we will get the win.

"I know Jonathan Greening from the U21s and I have played against Maccarone, and they have got a couple of new signings as well such as Malcolm Christie, so hopefully he will be trying to impress his new manager."

Whoever goes down of the two remaining clubs will do so with a record number of points and J reflects:

"Other clubs got sucked into it, but it is just two clubs now; we will have to concentrate on our game then think about the other game afterwards, and it would be great if the team was still in the Premiership at the end of it.

"If we stay up, Glenn will be jumping about, I am sure!

"All we can do is go there, try and win, and hope Bolton slip up."

He would like to end the season with a net bursting bang, and adds:

"I am due a goal and it would be great to get one or a couple on the last day - it is an important game and we have to put it all in.

"We have done well in the last three games, especially against Chelsea, and I think a lot of people expected us to lose that.

"When you know you just have to win everyone is on the front foot and just has to go for it."

He has no complaints about the 4-3-3 system that is again likely to be employed, and adds:

"It is good, I can just play off them and get the ball, though it is hard on the midfield who are outnumbered; but one of the forwards just has to help out."

Paolo is again likely to feature from the bench, and J adds:

"Last Saturday it was a great feeling when Paolo scored - it felt like we all had, really.

"It was such an important goal and good for him to score after missing two months; he was very emotional, especially as we know he is not going to be around.

"He is such a great player and I have learnt a lot from him.

"People always try and twist things about him but at the end of the day if you are doing it on the pitch nothing else matters."

Jermain is certainly not feeling the pressure - even though he hasn't got round to planning a summer holiday yet - and he adds:

"You just have to play it like a normal game, and the after the game you think about it; but if we do that I think we will win even though it is going to be really hard against a team that get really tight, especially at home.

"They get stuck in but we have got players that can do that and if the game gets stretched hopefully we can get a goal, even in the last minute, to win the game.

"It will be one of those games that is a little bit scrappy at first but we will have to be patient as we have been lately - at the end of the day, they all count."

But on Sunday, more than most...