Hammers will not go down without fight, says Brooking

TREVOR BROOKING has promised West Ham will go down fighting, if they are relegated.

The Hammers have three games in which to avoid relegation although they must also rely on the results of the teams above them and Brooking will be at the helm following the minor stroke suffered by manager Glenn Roeder on Monday.

"With Glenn and the players having worked so hard for 35 games and getting 15 points in the last eight games, everyone wants to give it everything in the next two-and-a-half weeks and that is what we are going to do," said Brooking.

"No-one at the club expects anyone to do anything other than give their best in that time, but in that sense it is not difficult to do because everyone is of the same mind.

"It would be a huge anti-climax to go out with a whimper and, although it has been a very difficult few days, we have got to steel ourselves for these two-and-a-half weeks."

Brooking stressed his appointment until the end of the season was not meant as a snub to first team coach Paul Goddard and reserve team boss Roger Cross, who have been working hard behind the scenes since Roeder was rushed into hospital.

Instead, it is meant to relieve the pressure on all concerned at a vital stage in the club's history.

"From the board's point of view we wanted to put something in place that kept the continuity," said Brooking.

"The spirit is good and I know myself how hard Glenn has worked to put a structure in place, with Paul and Roger on the coaching side.

"We wanted to keep that going. If we were mid-table, with two or three games to go, Roger and Paul would have seen out the season.

"We just felt that if they could concentrate on doing what they have been doing with Glenn on the training ground, to handle the difficult situation the club is in with the last three matches and the fluctuations each result will mean it might be helpful to all of them for someone like myself to take over and take the pressure off them.

"That is how it was approached and, having spoken to one or two people at the club, and the senior pros here, I said I was quite happy to fill in for the remainder of the season and move on from there."

Brooking's first task is to lead the team to victory on Sunday at Manchester City.

"We are focusing on Sunday," Brooking told the club's official website, whufc.com.

All the fans will be right behind us in the next three games, and that is important, and we want to give everyone something to smile about and aim for," said the Hammer legend.

"But I don't think everyone is going to need much motivation to help us try and get the results we need."