Nigel's Team Talk

MIDFIELDER Nigel Reo-Coker described the 0-0 draw at Newcastle United as a tremendous team effort and believes the excellent spirit amongst the Hammers squad will be a huge asset to Alan Pardew's men this season.

The 21-year-old turned in another superb performance at St James' Park after hitting a stunning long-range goal in the 3-1 win over Blackburn on the opening day of the season.

It's certainly been quite a start to Nigel's Premier League career, but in typically modest fashion the England Under-21 star is quick to point out that the importance of team and squad over the individual.

"The draw at Newcastle was a fantastic team effort," enthused Nigel. "We worked really hard as a team, closed Newcastle down, didn't let them settle and always got back into our formation. In the end, Newcastle just didn't have enough to break us down. Our defending was magnificent.

"It was a squad effort and a really disciplined performance, which it had to be when we went down to ten men. It says a lot about the character of this team that Newcastle actually found it harder playing against us with a man down.

"Having a player sent off in those circumstances might have knocked other teams' confidence. But we just became more determined. We went to Newcastle with a game plan, stuck to it and it worked.

"After the game we were a little disappointed that we hadn't come away with even more than a point, because we had some chances of our own and played some really good football.



"The last two performances show how far this team has come in the last few months. We believe that we are more than capable of competing at this level and we've shown it.

"There's still a long way to go of course, but we've taken a lot of positives from our start to the season that I'm sure will benefit us as the season progresses."

Nigel epitomises the all-round confidence and self-belief that is currently flowing through Alan Pardew's squad. As captain of the Play-off Final winning team and skipper of the England Under-21s last week Nigel has become an integral part of West Ham United's Premier League set-up.

After struggling to hold down a regular place in the team at the turn of the year, the former Dons trainee has become a fully-fledged Premiership performer, who has impressed on his two top-flight outings so far. And that confidence is affecting every player in Alan Pardew's squad, as Nigel explains.

"Every game we play this season we will be looking to win," he insisted. "There is no such thing as underdogs in our heads. We have earned the right to play in the Premier League and we believe that we have the ability to compete with the teams at this level.

"Of course, we will come up against some of the world's best teams this season, and we will give them the respect they deserve. But we are not going to be approaching games negatively.

"The squad is looking strong and confident at the moment and that's a really good sign for the Club. The manager strengthened over the summer so we have competition for places in almost every area, and that only helps to keep the squad sharp and focused.

"We've had a really good start to the season, now it's up to us to keep that going. We're really looking forward to getting back to Upton Park to take on Bolton on Saturday and hopefully we can keep our good run going with another strong performance."