‘I’m responsible for everything’ – West Ham United manager Avram Grant shifts blame on to himself ahead of Wigan game

EPL – West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur, Avram Grant (Getty Images)

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West Ham, manager Avram Grant has boldly taken full responsibility for the position the Hammers find themselves in, as they face the possibility of relegation this weekend – should they lose away to fellow strugglers Wigan.

Sat at the foot of the table, four points from safety and with two games to play, the east London outfit look to be all but resigned to falling into England’s second-tier of football and Grant has placed pressure on himself by stating that any blame should come his way.

“I’m always responsible.” Grant told reporters. “I’m the manager; I make the decisions on the pitch, on the squad. So I’m responsible for everything.”

However, the Israeli boss refuses to sit back and watch his side succumb to relegation and claims nothing is certain as of yet.

“It’s not over until it’s over.” He added. “Let’s speak when we’ve seen what’s happened.”

“It’s not easy, this season was not easy, but I don’t think this is a very good time to talk about the season because it’s not over.”

As former manager of Portsmouth, Grant knows what it’s like losing a relegation battle, but insists the situation is different at Upton Park, as his reign at Fratton Park was marred by a points reduction after going into administration.

Grant said: “It’s certainly different, because here everything is on the pitch. Portsmouth didn’t have any chance – we knew that from January – as a result we concentrated on the cup.

“Here we concentrate only on the league because this was our main target. We wanted to stay in the league because we know it could be a first-step for a very good future.”

On the fitness of captain Scott Parker, Grant was unsure on whether the England international would make an appearance this weekend in the vital clash against Wigan on Sunday.

On Parker’s fitness, Grant said: “He’s better, he trained for the first training that he trained.

“It’s not easy for a player that didn’t train for so many weeks.

“I want to congratulate him again about getting Player of the Year, I think he’s deserved it, better than anyone else this season. Scott is very important for us, this is also the situation when a player becomes very important in a good season, when you miss him it’s a problem.

“There is a chance he will play against Wigan, I’m not sure 100 per cent. I will decide if he’s fit tomorrow after training.”