Green admits Hammers could face firing line

ROBERT GREEN admits the West Ham players “deserve to be shot” if they slide out of the Barclays Premiership without a fight.

West Ham produced a rare display of character and determination against Tottenham on Sunday before eventually going down 4-3.

Mark Noble, born just two miles from Upton Park and starting his first Premiership game of the campaign, played with a genuine passion for the badge.

And Carlos Tevez deserved his first goal for the club after battling away for West Ham all season with very little reward.

While the overall display against Tottenham pleased Curbishley it also left him posing a harsh question to West Ham’s other big-name players – why only now?

Had they played with the same desire and purpose in the crucial relegation clashes with Charlton and Watford then West Ham may not find themselves in such dire straits.

As it is, relegation is now a racing certainty. The Hammers sit 10 points from safety with nine games remaining — four of which are against Arsenal, Chelsea, Blackburn and Manchester United.

Curbishley said: “I am very disappointed with the result. I am more disappointed that they have shown what they can do but we haven’t seen enough of it.

Green led the way for West Ham against Tottenham, producing a string of excellent first-half saves from Dimitar Berbatov which kept the Hammers in the game.

And the England goalkeeper has demanded repeat performances for the remainder of the season.

“We are fighting for our lives. If we don’t put that effort in for every game we need to be shot,” he said.

“We have shown what we can do and if we approached every game like that one we wouldn’t be in the position we are in. Unfortunately I don’t think we have done.”

Curbishley will address all the issues during the summer and West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson says he will stand by his man.