Alan's Support Team

ALAN Pardew goes into Sunday's Championship clash with Derby County at Upton Park, hoping the present can be as bright as the future for his West Ham United team.

Having witnessed the emergence of Academy graduates Chris Cohen and Mark Noble to compliment an impressive array of young talent acquired from elsewhere, Pards believes the Club can look forward to promising years ahead.

But, it is the present which concerns the Hammers manager most, and he insists his team still have faith that their promotion challenge can end in success this season.

"There is great belief amongst the team that we can still win promotion this season," he assured, "and it's important we stick to that.

"We aren't in the position we hoped to be at come this stage of the season, but the squad are working hard to correct that and we have the ability to do it.

"There have been some major injury problems to our senior players this season, which has meant relying on the younger lads who have done a terrific job.

"Watching our youths win in the FA Youth Cup midweek underlined the potential of the Club and I think West Ham United is a lot better set up than people give us credit for.

"But in the short-term our main priority is the next game against Derby. The form has been inconsistent this season, which we're working very hard to overcome, but all we can do is face up to the next game and aim to get the best result possible."

Derby will certainly be a stern test for Alan Pardew's men on Sunday. George Burley's Rams are on a strong run of form and will be heartened by the 0-0 draw they earned at Upton Park last season.

"Derby are a very tough side to beat," agreed Pards. "George Burley is exceptionally experienced at this level and has brought in some foreign players who have added some real quality to their team.

"They've got a nice blend of players and I'm sure they'll be in the promotion shake-up come the end of the season.

"But we can take a lot of positives from our last home game, which was an excellent win against Norwich City in the Cup. We proved then that we have the ability to beat Premiership quality teams and if we give a similar performance on Sunday then we'll have a great chance of taking all three points."

Yet again, Alan Pardew, has faced down speculation concerning his job this week and the Hammers boss remains unmoved in the face of criticism, insisting the pressure comes with the responsibility of managing West Ham United.

"Managing a Club like West Ham United brings with it a unique and intense pressure," he explained. "I've had to deal with that ever since I arrived .

"When you lose a couple of League games then immediately the pressure is on. I accept that, but I don't pay too much attention to the speculation.

"I just focus on trying to win the next game. I want to be West Ham United manager and I want success for this Club, that is all that matters to me right now.

"Most importantly I feel that I've got the support of the players. They want to do well for me and that's crucial for any manager.

"I've brought a lot of young players to the Club and I'd love to see them mature and help West Ham United achieve the success that everyone wants."