Source: Daily_Mail
Avram Grant rubbishes claims he's been handed ultimatum by disappointed West Ham board
Granted an extended stay: West Ham boss Avram Grant denies he's been given an ultimatumAvram Grant denies he has been given an ultimatum by the West Ham board of three games to save his job - and maintains he goes into every match like it could be the last.The Irons are facing a battle for top-flight survival, currently four points adrift of safety, after just one win from the previous 11 in the Barclays Premier League.However, Grant has nevertheless guided his injury-hit side into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, where they will face Birmingham.Whether or not the former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss will still be around for those ties in early 2011 has been the subject of intense media speculation.West Ham start a run of potentially season-defining fixtures against the sides around them in the table at Blackburn tomorrow, with the new owners at Ewood Park having axed Sam Allardyce - in turn linked to any potential vacancy which may crop up at the Boleyn Ground.Reports suggested the board - who only appointed the Israeli during the summer - have demanded at least one victory from the hectic festive schedule, or will be ready to make a change in the dugout, which could cost the debt-laden East End club around £5million to dispense with Grant's services.However, the West Ham manager - who has already had one 'Save our Season' match already - insists those rumours have no foundation.'This is not true. Nobody from the board spoke with me about it,' Grant declared. 'I speak with the owners all the time, but I didn't speak with them about this specifically.' Up against it: West Ham have won just one of their last 11 games, losing most recently to Manchester CityGrant quipped: 'I will make it more simple for you - I approach every game like it's the last game of my job in football. 'When you are in the football business, especially when you are a manager, you never know what is around the corner. The first priority is always the next 90 minutes and that's what we are focusing on, nothing else.'Grant insists he remains fully focused on dragging the Irons off the bottom.'I have a job to do and I never felt differently,' he said. 'I am thinking about how I can succeed with my team. If I thought I didn't believe in this team then maybe I need to think about other things, but I believe in this team.' Patience: David Sullivan and David Gold are notoriously forgiving with managersThe Hammers boss remains convinced his team can pick up the points they need to beat the drop.'They showed good spirit last week against Manchester City and that is what I need to focus on,' he said. 'I don't need to think about what is happening in one week or one month because I need to think about things that I can control and not things I cannot control.'I think we have a good chance to stay in the league, and that we have a good chance of following our vision for the club, being a very good club next year. We know what we want from ourselves, but for the moment, we need to take points to do it.'It's not a good situation, but it is something that is possible. It's hard, but we can do it.' Blackburn v WEST HAM: Valon Behrami and Lars Jacobsen provide slight concernsTottenham plan to redevelop Crystal Palace as part of Olympic Stadium bidTHE FIRING LINE: Final nail to be hammered? Grant tops for chop againHammers target Allardyce as Grant is handed three-game ultimatumWEST HAM UNITED FC