Source: Team_Talk
Walters: No respite for Hammers
Stoke forward Jon Walters has warned West Ham there will be no end to their difficult start to the season at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.[LNB] The Hammers are the only Premier League team not to register a point from their opening four matches and are bottom of the table.[LNB]They will travel to Stoke without manager Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben-Haim, who are observing the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur which involves fasting and prayer over the course of Friday night and Saturday.[LNB]And despite their recent good record at the Britannia Stadium, where they had won four successive matches until last season's 2-1 defeat, Walters is confident West Ham's difficulties will continue.[LNB]"West Ham haven't had a win yet and are struggling and Stoke is a very difficult place to come to," said the £2.75million summer signing from Ipswich.[LNB]"They struggled last year and haven't started well so it hasn't surprised anyone.[LNB]"I'm not surprised to see them struggling because anyone can and I'm sure their heads are down at the moment and it won't get any better against us I don't think.[LNB]"They will be scrapping for everything they can but I'm not sure how they will be with their manager not being there and being away from home - it's not a good place to come to, the Britannia.[LNB]"We have to make the stadium like a fortress, giving it everything in our home games and trying to pick up what we can away and the fans play a major part in that."[LNB]The Potters recorded their first win of the season with a home victory over Aston Villa on Monday.[LNB]Walters believes they will now be able to build on the confidence gained from that result after a testing start to the season which pitted them against two of last season's top four in champions Chelsea and Tottenham.[LNB]"It is important to go in to Saturday's game with that belief," he said.[LNB]"No-one likes to be on no points and so the more we can get now will create a gap and a little cushion (to the bottom of the table).[LNB]"You always want to get the first win of the season early doors and now we want to push on.[LNB]"The start we had was not the best but Chelsea away was always going to be difficult to pick up points.[LNB]"We've got to start picking up more points now and we have some good games coming up against West Ham, Fulham, Newcastle, Blackburn and Bolton.[LNB]"We're not just playing the stronger teams like Chelsea away so those are games we will be looking to get something from."[LNB]Stoke assistant manager Dave Kemp has urged the players to use their dramatic injury-time victory over Villa to put a run of results together.[LNB]"Confidence is a big thing in football and wins are what help that," he said.[LNB]"We have to get away from the bottom half of the table before we start looking at the top half.[LNB]"As we have done since we have been in the Premier League we have to edge ourselves forward step-by-step."
