Gloves are off at Upton Park

FIGHTING spirit has never been in short supply in London’s east end, and West Ham now appear to be maintaining that proud tradition.

No sooner had Alan Curbishley delivered a half-time dressing-down to Anton Ferdinand — promptly rewarded with a crucial winning goal — than his fellow centre-back James Collins had vowed to oust him from the Upton Park first team.

The battle to start at centre-half is indicative of a West Ham side growing in confidence as the injury crisis which dogged the first half of their season starts to ease and competition for places increases.

“We started sloppily and very slowly. The manager had a go at me and Matthew Upson at half-time and it was deserved,” said Ferdinand.

“If you are not doing something right, you need to be told. He gave us a little bit and it definitely sharpened us up.

“The so-called fringe players have shown this squad has got a lot of depth. Everyone in the team knows that if they don’t play well, their shirt is up for grabs.

“James Collins said he wants to take my shirt — it is up to me not to give it up.”

Scott Parker will be out for six weeks with a knee problem and Kieron Dyer remains a long-term absentee after breaking his leg — but the outlook on the injury front is brighter with Craig Bellamy now back in full training.

Collins is putting the pressure on Ferdinand having returned from a groin problem and it was no coincidence that Freddie Ljungberg enjoyed his best game for West Ham.

France international Julien Faubert has played just 45 minutes of reserve team football since August, after suffering a ruptured achilles, and he is not ready for full first team action yet — but if his inclusion on the bench was a message to Ljungberg, the Swede responded.

Once Dean Ashton had levelled Simon Davies’ opener, West Ham settled into a familiar style of attacking, passing football and Ljungberg was a constant threat.

It was his pin-point delivery which found Ashton for the equaliser and his constant probing in the second-half laid the platform for Ferdinand to drive home the winner from Mark Noble’s cut-back.

The day had started brightly for Fulham with Davies’ wicked free-kick evading everyone in the West Ham box to creep in at the far post.

Ashton headed the Hammers level but was then twice denied by acrobatic saves from Antti Niemi, who brilliantly deflected one close-range strike onto the bar and then dived to palm away another.

But there was nothing the Finnish keeper could do to stop Ferdinand’s first-time shot into the roof of the net which sealed a win for West Ham and a painful defeat for the Cottagers.

Fulham are now five points from safety and are desperately looking to do business in the January transfer window and have already had a €6million bid for striker Marlon King turned down by Watford.

“We are nearly at the bottom. We need new players and we need the right players,” said Hodgson.

WEST HAM (4-4-2): Green 5, Spector 5, Ferdinand 7, Upson 7, McCartney 6, Ljungberg 6 (Faubert 89, 5), Mullins 6, Noble 7, Etherington 7 (Bowyer 83, 6), Ashton 8, Cole 6 (Boa Morte 65, 6).

Subs Not Used: Wright, Collins.

FULHAM (4-4-2): Niemi 8, Baird 6, Stefanovic 6, Bocanegra 5 (Hughes 14, 6), Konchesky 6, Volz 6 (Bullard 77, 5), Davis 5, Murphy 6, Davies 6, Healy 6 (Smertin 78, 5), Dempsey 6.

Subs Not Used: Warner, Ki-Hyeon.

REFEREE: Mike Riley (West Yorkshire) 6: A sound performance - nothing controversial here.

MATCH RATING: ** West Ham needed this to steady their nerves at home, and Fulham were always likely to be obliging guests.