Peacock brings news from the training ground

With just over a week to go until the Hammers' next Premiership encounter, the squad are at the training ground working hard to prepare for the trip to Blackburn.

Assistant manager Keith Peacock said: "The players have been working very hard for a long period of time. After Sunday they had a few days to recover and get their minds right. It's always a difficult week when you haven't got a game but the players are in training preparing for the next game.

"We're also working to get people fit in the background. We've got players like Danny Gabbidon working hard to get fit and James Collins has got a reserve game under his belt. Those things are going on to increase the strength of the squad at this moment in time.

"Unfortunately we've picked up one or two injuries, to Calum Davenport and Nigel Quashie, and they will need that bit of time to recover. From their point of view they'll be very grateful for this free weekend because it gives them a bit of time in which to get fit."

Reflecting on last week's game against Tottenham, Keith said: "It was a terrific game for the neutral but such a terrible ending for us. It had looked as though it would be the perfect ending with a few minutes to go and it was taken away from us.

"I think we bravely went for the winner feeling that one point was not going to do us enough good. In our bravery we conceded the last goal. You could tell by all the players faces at the end how much it hurt, but at least there was a lot of respectability in the defeat and a lot of encouragement for the future games coming up.

"The spirit we showed and the football ability that we showed was there for all to see. There were a number of bonuses, particularly young Mark Noble. He's had two games this year and he's scored in both, two cracking goals, and that was terrific for him. He's one for the future. And Carlos Tevez scored his first goal. In our disappointment, deep down inside there's a feeling that we' re starting to get something going."

And after Sunday's performance, Keith is confident the Hammers can push forward and kick-start a run of good results.

"With that type of tigerish attitude and bravery on the field we've got a chance," he said. "We made mistakes against Tottenham, obviously, because we conceded four goals. But there were a lot of encouraging signs. We have to go into each game now treating it as a one-off. If we can win it we live to fight another day."