At last West Ham succeeded in winning one of their "must-win" games, and the relief for manager Glenn Roeder was obvious.

At the end of a week which his seen his squad accused of bickering among themselves and lacking the will to get out of their predicament, he saw them produce a performance which was full of the required commitment.

A 2-1 win away to fellow-strugglers West Brom will not end their problems, but there was no doubting the difference it made to Roeder.

"People said a lot of things to me after the game, and the word 'massive' didn't seem like a bad description of this result," he said.

"It is a massive three points for us and it gives us great encouragement to go home to Upton Park to a very attractive fixture next week.

"Hopefully that will give us the lift in confidence that we need."

There were a few signs of strain -- Paolo Di Canio stalking off angrily after being substituted and an on-field row between goalkeeper David James and defender Tomas Repka.

But Roeder played down both incidents and preferred to highlight the will to win which has returned to the squad after an alarming absence in recent games.

"Paolo assured me he was 100 per cent fit at half time, but in my opinion he wasn't moving as freely as we know he can," he added. "It's a team game and it was about the team getting the three points today.

"Jermain Defoe was fit and full of running, and as a manager you have to make these decisions."

Published Monday, February 24, 2003

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