Sam Allardyce spoke of his joy at bringing new loan signing Danny Collins to the Boleyn Ground and at his determination to beat Doncaster Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
Allardyce was speaking ahead of Saturday's npower Championship game at home to Doncaster and is very happy to have Stoke City defender Collins on loan until the end of the season. Big Sam is hoping Collins' experience will help the team to gain automatic promotion..
What was the reason behind signing Danny Collins on loan from Stoke?
SA - We need somebody with the experience of Danny who has not only got Premier League experience with Stoke City but has promotion experience with Sunderland. Winston Reid's unfortunate injury has caused us great concern in terms of central defenders because we have only got James Tomkins and Abdoulaye Faye as our out and out central defenders. George McCartney has played there a few times, but I don't want to rely on that alone. Danny is an experienced player who is a fantastic capture for us. My thanks go to Tony Pulis and Stoke City for allowing us to do the deal. It makes our squad capable in terms of strength and depth of achieving what we want to.
The run in to the end of the season is about to begin. It is crunch time, isn't it?
SA - Yes and that's why Danny's experience is so crucial. Along with Danny, Kevin Nolan has had the same promotion experience with Newcastle United very recently so they are key to our success. Collins has played a few games recently, one against Valencia in the Europa League, so I expect that if needed he will be capable of jumping straight into the team. He is in the squad for the game against Doncaster Rovers tomorrow so he has an outside chance of making his debut.
How frustrating was Wednesday night's draw against Watford after two great away wins?
SA - We have been frustrated at Upton Park two home games in a row now. The two home games previous to that we put in a tremendous effort to beat Millwall and draw with Southampton both with ten men which makes it all the more disappointing that we drew against both Crystal Palace and Watford. I think we have to overcome any anxieties we have and deliver what we know we can do. There aren't any excuses apart from our own deficiency in front of goal at home - to dry up against Palace and Watford was very frustrating for us all. Our frustration is as big as the fans' is. We all want to do better at home, starting with Doncaster on Saturday.
Is there a problem with expectation among the fans with promotion being so close?
SA - Every club feels that but us more than most because we are expected to gain promotion. Fans at West Ham have a greater expectancy because of the size of the club. We are the biggest club in the Championship, no disrespect to any other club, but with the history of West Ham we should be in the Premier League. As professionals we should accept and thrive under pressure we should deliver the right results. Pressure should be a good experience for us and not a bad one.
