On the game...
"West Ham tried to lift the ball and go for the
direct way. We were a little bit cautious. We had a little
apprehension because we lost last year. At the start we played with
the handbrake a little bit. Then we scored the goal and in the
second half we put the ball down.
"We did not make the mistake we made at Blackburn. We continued to play and try to go forward. We tried to score the second goal. Unfortunately it never came."
On going for the title...
"There's room for improvement but I am very
proud of what the team is achieving at the moment. I believe we can
challenge. We are very young, but we play."
On the challenge West Ham posed...
"We had a lot to deal with in the air with the
long ball and with the second ball, so it was important for us to
keep the pace of the game high. It is natural to slow the game down
when the ball goes in the air. At half time we had to say 'OK
let's up the pace and play more than we did in the first
half'. I think that shows the team is maturing
tactically."
On Robert Green's performance...
"He did very well on Van Persie and Adebayor.
But we knew that he is a very good goalkeeper."
On the injury to Alex Hleb...
"If it was an accident, it is a very bad
accident, because if you see his leg it is unbelievable. It is red
and bruised from the knee down to the toes. We are quite optimistic
because, for me, Noble is usually a fair player. I don't know
if it was an accident or not, but he caught him very
well."
On Hleb playing against Steaua Bucharest...
"I don't think Hleb will play on Tuesday
because he cannot walk properly at the moment."
On the injury to Emmanuel Adebayor...
"He had a kick on the thigh, and he looks like
he has a good chance to play on Tuesday night."
On the continuing growth of his side...
"Everywhere we go we try and grow and improve -
today we dealt with a different problem because West Ham made it
hard for us to do that. We are young so it is normal that in
October 2007 we are better than in September 2006."
