Grant bemoans bad calls

Avram Grant believes West Ham would have already secured Premier League survival were it not for bad decisions.

The Hammers boss feels his side have suffered at the hands of match officials more than any other this season.

Whatever the reasons behind their troubles this term, the club currently sit 17th in the table, with only goal difference keeping them out of the drop zone.

They have picked up 32 points from 30 games, leaving them with work to do if they are to preserve their top flight status.

Grant believes 40 points will be enough to beat the drop, and thinks the Hammers could already have broken through that barrier had they had better luck with referees.

“I think we have suffered more than any other team because in the very deciding moments, as everyone has seen on the television, the decision was against us too many times,” he said.

“If the decision was right, we would have had at least 10 points more.

“But this is part of the game, sometimes there are decisions against you. You can accept one decision that was for us, but most of the decisions were against us.”

Quicker

Grant – who is set to go head-to-head with Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson on Saturday, another man who feels he has been wronged this season – believes the pace of the modern game is largely responsible for the wrong decisions, not slipping standards in officiating.

“I think if you look at games even five years ago and now – and I suggest to everybody that they look – the game is much quicker, more players are athletes,” he said.

“Even if you look 10 years ago half of the players were athletes and half were technical.

“So the game has become more physical and more quick, and it is more difficult for the referees to take decisions.”

He added: “I have a few ideas but I don’t want to speak about this now because sometimes when I say what I think, people think I am criticising the referee, which I don’t have any intention to do.”

Grant is facing an FA charge over comments he made about match official Mike Jones following his side’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Stoke.

He is, however, not prepared to name and shame those he feels have let the Hammers down the most this season.

Asked what was the worst decision against his side this season, he responded: “The last time I answered very honestly and the FA charged me so let’s say that all the decisions were great.”