Avram on Friday

Avram Grant has conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League meeting with Fulham at the Boleyn Ground.

Avram on the prospect of another London derby...

It was a good week for us and a good win because we know how much it means to the fans and everybody. This was the most important derby for West Ham, but now we have another derby. How many derbies are there in London? Four or five? We won the most important one, but now we want to continue winning.

The feeling around the training ground is good because, first, we won against a very good team and second because we continued the progress we showed before. It didn't come by surprise. We played good in the week before and good two weeks before.

Now we have won with points in the league so you can imagine the feeling is good, but it is a long, long season and we want to continue with this. Tomorrow, we have a game against Fulham, who didn't lose even one game.

Avram on the Olympic Stadium bid being delivered...

I have so many things to deal with on the football side that I cannot deal with the stadium also! It will be good for the community and good for everybody, so I hope we get it.

Avram on facing the improved atmosphere at the training ground...

I think, except the first game, I am always seeing progress. Of course, it was not so easy until the transfer window closed on the 31 August because there were a lot of question marks on players going and coming or not. Since then, except the first week which was international week, we have been training together and we can see progress.

You can see it also in the games and we want to continue with this. I believe if you progress this is more important than being good in one game and not good in the next.

I think pressure is part of our game. I don't see a game without pressure. Tomorrow we have a game against a team that didn't lose, so it's another pressure. There is always pressure.

Avram on Kieron Dyer's illness...

He's not feeling so good for the moment, so we will see later if he is OK for tomorrow. He is doing everything to be fit.

Our relationship has always been good. Look, sometimes you like to create stories when there is no story - most of the time you do not do it but there was not even one per cent was true about that. We have a good relationship like a manager should have a relationship with his player.

He is trying his best for the team. It is not easy for him. We have to manage him because he was injured for a long time, but if you saw his performance this season, he didn't play all the games, but when he did play he was good.

He has some diarrhoea and didn't feel good. He gave his best but if a player has to be subbed in the 40th minute, especially a player like Dyer who likes to play all the time, it's not so good. We will see, because today he was better.

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Avram on his confidence in Robert Green...

There are not many times I agree with the FA after last year in Portsmouth, so now I agree with them [not charging Robert Green for his gesture following the victory over Tottenham]. I didn't see anything - I just saw that his performance was good and I know that Rob Green is a very good player and a very good professional. I didn't see anything. I was busy. We were so happy after the game.

I don't want to make judgements after one game, two games or three games. I said last week and I say it again, we are only in the beginning of the season and if you want to put a judgement on a player, we all need to wait a few games more at least. Then, we will see. I tell you last week and I tell you again, I have a feeling that come the end of the season, we will see that it was a good season for Rob Green.

In sport, like in life but more in sport because you are in the spotlight all of the time, you need to show good character. You cannot be good all the time and you cannot be not good all the time. The reaction is the most important thing.

He's one of the best goalkeepers in England - nothing has changed. He was good last year and he was very good in training this week. For my opinion, he is one of the best goalkeepers in England and he deserves to be in the squad, but I am not Capello.

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Avram on Matthew Upson's international future...

I didn't speak with him about this. As far as I know he's available and he wants to play for England, but I didn't speak with him about this. I think he is a good player and could be in the England squad.

I don't think much changed from three months ago. It can't be that he was very good and now he is very bad. You cannot put another judgement on players - any player - in just three months. I don't believe in this.

Capello didn't tell me who to pick with West Ham so I don't tell him who to pick with England.

I know that he was proud to be in the England squad. I think any player that comes to the squad and isn't in the 18 is not happy about this. I don't need to speak with him about this. I can imagine that all the players who came but were not in the 18 were not happy, but this is the life of a sportsman - sometimes you are in the XI and sometimes you are not in the squad. You need to show character in both situations.

I think he needs to be in the squad. He is one of the best defenders in England. He was like this six months ago and nothing has changed.

Avram on Fulham's poor recent away record...

It is hard but it's not so much harder [to win away from home]. Of course, every player wants to play at home. You feel better in your home than my home - actually, maybe you would feel better in my home! It's reasonable and is the same in every sport - you want to perform in front of your own supporters.