There may have been am element of luck involved but Carlton Cole’s 78th minute winner must have given manager Avram Grant some much needed breathing space as rumours continue to circulate concerning the future of the Israeli and his job as West Ham manager. A hard working display from The Hammers who played out the last 30 minutes with ten men after Victor Obinna red card saw them pick up a 2-1 victory over another team flirting with relegation, Birmingham City, whilst giving them the advantage going into the second leg of The Carling Cup and a potential trip to Wembley on February 27th.
Is last night’s (Tuesday) win good enough to save Grant from the axe however? Meetings are said to be held today (Wednesday) to discuss the Israeli’s position and the current plight West Ham are in. Currently sitting at the foot of the table, The David’s must be concerned by the form of their team and whether a new man at the helm will bring better fortunes to the club.
Yet the form of West Ham isn’t all that bad. The last six Premiership games has brought about two wins and two draws whilst The Hammers are good enough to get out of the relegation zone – one victory could see them climb the table to 14th should results go their way. The question is; are The David’s patient enough to give Grant the chance to make their way out of the bottom three? My answer would be a no. In today’s cut throat football world, I can see Grant becoming the fourth Premiership managerial casualty of the season before the month is out and in my opinion; it would be a foolish move to sack the Israeli.
As I previously mentioned, West Ham may be propping up the Premiership table but are only two points off Fulham in 14th and are 90 minutes away from a trip to Wembley. Last night’s victory would have certainly enhanced Grant’s position. The David’s also have to take into account the fact that they would need a ready-made replacement from the off should they give Grant the boot and for a club in debt, the pay-off to Grant would surely cause more harm than good. Then again, with the club languishing at the foot of the table, a new manager may provide a lease of life especially with the likes of Martin O’Neill, Martin Jol and former club manager Alan Curbishley all available as we speak.
Either way, Gold and Sullivan need to make up their mind on the future of Grant sooner rather than later. If they stick with him, he needs to public backing of the two and the finance to bring in players that will aid his cause. If they sack him, they need a replacement from the off and a manager who has the knowledge and the motivation to drag the team out of the relegation zone. Personally, I would stick with Grant and back him in the window. The players have the ability to pull out of the bottom three and with four wins from the last seven games, in all competitions, confidence must be high going into Saturday’s encounter with London rivals Arsenal.
