Congestion and Coleman leave Grant with festive headache

AVRAM GRANT hit out at the scheduling that forced West Ham to play twice in three days after last night’s 1-1 draw against an Everton side who had an eight-day break before the match.

West Ham took the lead through a Tony Hibbert own goal before a fine back-post finish from Donegal man Seamus Coleman.

The draw wasn’t enough to lift West Ham out of the bottom three in the Premier League and came just two days after winning 3-1 at Fulham.

Everton had also been due to host Birmingham on Sunday but saw their match postponed due to the big freeze.

And Grant seemed to suggest last night’s fixture should have been put back to negate any advantage the visitors may have had.

He said: “It’s not easy to play two games in 48 hours; this is the only country that plays two games in 48 hours.

“They need to think about equal chances.

“Because whoever’s involved in sport – it doesn’t matter if it’s athletics, basketball, anything – to play two games in 48 hours is very difficult.

“It’s okay if both teams have equal chances but if one team needs to play and the other comes fresh, it’s a big disadvantage.

“We needed to change the team. Good, good players that played Sunday needed today to be on the bench or not playing at all.”

Buoyed by their first away win since the opening day of last season, West Ham took the lead when Hibbert diverted Radoslav Kovac’s tame overhead kick into his own net. Coleman drew Everton deservedly level before half-time, while substitute Carlton Cole missed a great chance to score a winner for the home side.

Grant said: “I think in the first half we were on top of them, we scored a goal, we could have scored more, we passed the ball very well.

“In the second half, we had a big chance to win the game from ‘Coley’; we didn’t do it.”

Grant revealed Cole, who scored the first league double of his career on Sunday, was rested following consultation with the club’s medical staff.

“He played fantastic, he gave a lot of effort,” said Grant of a player who was dogged by injury last season. “We knew because of his history, we could cause him damage, so he was on the bench.”

Despite failing to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, West Ham extended their unbeaten run to three games.

Grant plans to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window and is hoping to complete the signing of Steve Sidwell from Aston Villa this week.

He revealed the Hammers’ injury problems meant he was looking to bring in at least three players but warned it would not be easy due to the club’s £100million debt.

“We’re trying the best to find the financial solution for this,” said Grant, who also warned rival clubs off striker Frederic Piquionne.

Strikers were also on the mind of opposite number David Moyes, who controversially left three on the bench last night and played Tim Cahill as a makeshift target man.

“Manager’s prerogative, isn’t it?” said the Everton boss, who felt his side had “all the game” in the second half.

He argued: “I would have needed to leave (Steven) Pienaar, (Jack) Rodwell, (Mikel) Arteta out of the team to accommodate one of those (attacking) players and I didn’t see that was right.”

WEST HAM: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga (Spector 34), Sears, Parker, Kovac, Boa Morte, Obinna (Hines 85), Piquionne (Cole 56).

EVERTON: Howard, Neville, Hibbert, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Rodwell (Yakubu 62), Arteta (Bilyaletdinov 90), Fellaini, Pienaar (Beckford 90), Cahill.

Referee: Howard Webb.