Brooking hopes to hang on to young stars

Trevor Brooking, West Ham’s knight in shining armour, has promised fans that the club will do everything in its power to keep its brightest young players should they be relegated this season.

The Hammers have three games in which to save their season – with caretaker manager Brooking believing the maximum nine points will be good enough to keep them up – but if they fail they face losing the likes of Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe.