Avram Grant 'vindicated' by West Ham win over Man Utd
Advertisement
Grant delighted with semi-final place
Avram Grant insisted West Ham's shock 4-0 thrashing of Carling Cup holders Manchester United came as a result of ignoring calls to change his approach.
The Hammers sit bottom of the Premier League having struggled for results this season, yet manager Grant claims a breakthrough victory had been coming.
"We continued to do what we did when we lost games and everybody said we needed to change something," he said.
"We didn't change anything. I'm very proud, and very happy."
But Grant, who has come under pressure in his first few months with the club, believes his team have been playing well for most of the season - and that he had been vindicated after choosing not to make any significant adjustments despite their difficulties.
"We've been playing well for two months, apart from our defeat at Liverpool," said Grant, who took Portsmouth to the FA Cup final last year in the same season they got relegated from the top flight.
"I was sure if we continued to do that we would be fine, though I didn't expect the nature of this win.
"We always play the same, but just created a few more chances and were more clinical. We want to be in the final, of course.
"It's a very important season for West Ham. We have bought new players and are trying a different formation of football. You have to do things step-by-step."
He added: "I thought we could win but this is still an unbelievable result. We continue our progress.
"The gap at the bottom of the Premier League was five points and is now three points. We have many games left and I'm sure that this shows we can be good in the future."
You can watch highlights of this match on the Football League showon Wednesday at 2325 GMT online and on BBC One. The programme will then be on iPlayer and highlights will be on this website.
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?