Roeder: An iron under fire

Roeder remains confident in his ability

By BBC Sport Online's Andrew Warshaw

From the moment he took over from Harry Redknapp as West Ham manager, Glenn Roeder knew he could be living on borrowed time.

Along with Southampton's Stuart Gray, the bookies made Roeder a strong contender to be among the early Premiership casualties.

Those odds now look ominously short.

After a steady if unspectacular start to the season, the new Hammers boss was hoping for a first victory of the season in Tuesday night's Worthington Cup tie at Reading.

Instead, his team went out of the competition at the first hurdle, beaten by the lottery of penalties. Within hours, the hawks were circling round the Hammers' 45-year-old manager.

West Ham have now scored just one outfield goal in four matches, hardly the style on which the side built their reputation over the years.

Much more of the same and Hammers diehards will start calling for the head of only the ninth manager in the club's history.

Yet Roeder is nothing if not confident of his own ability and isn't afraid to tinker with a system he felt let the club down last season.

Indeed, far from selling his best players, squad-building his been his by-word with Tomas Repka the latest high-profile international to move to Upton Park.

Special defender

The cultured Czech defender underwent a medical on Tuesday and looks set to complete a £5.5m move from Fiorentina.

"If he plays like I've seen him play for Fiorentina, he will be a special defender for us," Roeder said.

Hardly the sort of business that smacks of someone about to lose his job.

Roeder may not have been first choice when Redknapp left - in fact he was not even second - but he took his chance with open arms.

Our goal is to pull out of the dive we went through last season

West Ham boss Glenn Roeder

Whatever happens, he believes he will be the better for it, having moved up from the coaching staff.

"It's still better to have got the job than never to have had the chance," he said.

"Everyone needs a slice of luck at some point and our goal is to pull out of the dive we went through last season."

Roeder intends to do that through shrewd transfer activity, holding on to his best players while buying quality.

"I'm not going to buy players just to make up the numbers. Besides, players can smell whether you can do the job or not by the way you work with them on the training ground.

Learning curve

"I can stand up there in the dressing room and talk to them because of the knowledge I feel I have.

"No-one enjoys attacking play more than me. But Brian Clough used to say all decent sides were built on clean sheets."

So far, despite only two points and a Worthington Cup defeat, West Ham look far more solid defensively than last season.

Roeder knows it's a learning curve but if he's still there at the end of the season, he'll be satisfied.

"It would be nice for me to be able, in a coarse way, to stick two fingers up at all the detractors."