Source: PA
Grant vows not to resort to `ugly' football
Avram Grant maintains West Ham's clash against Wigan at Upton Park will not define their season - and maintained the Irons would not adopt "ugly" football to get off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.
The Hammers are entrenched in a relegation battle, having collected just one win from 14 matches, going down 3-0 at Liverpool last weekend.
Striker Carlton Cole labelled the Anfield defeat as "diabolical" and suggested Grant's men should now try "ugly football" in an attempt to get themselves out of trouble.
Extra pressure for a positive result had been added by the West Ham board have designating the clash against fellow strugglers Wigan as the 'save our season game' - with reduced admission prices to help ensure a bumper crowd.
Grant appears, for now at least, to have the support of the owners with David Gold having followed vice-chairman Karen Brady in a visit to the training ground this week. The Israeli maintains nothing will be decided on Saturday alone, but intends to stay true to the "tradition of West Ham".
"I don't know what is ugly, that we will not shave before? Or that we put the ball in the stand?," Grant said. "We cannot do it, this is not the tradition of West Ham. It is not something I believe in. However, when the game is not going so well, we need to do some different things, especially when we are winning."
