Source: PA
Parker absence is Hammers blow
West Ham manager Avram Grant admits his side are feeling the absence of Scott Parker in the battle to retain their Barclays Premier League status.
The Hammers remain at the foot of the table and three points from safety following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Blackburn, and have just two games left to escape the drop.
Parker sat out the clash with the Achilles injury which has troubled him in recent weeks, and Grant is desperate to have the influential midfielder back in the line-up as soon as possible.
"Every week we say `next week' with Scott," Grant said. "No one more than me wants him to play, but if he cannot, he cannot.
"I didn't think it was such a bad injury, but we've missed him since Manchester United. We want him to play. There is no one more than me who wants him to play. He's more than a player for me."
