Where does Grant go now?

The natives are getting restless. Two games played, two thumpings, and there are serious calls for Grant's head already. Just wait for the clamour after we have lost to Man Utd and probably to Chelsea too. We all knew the computer had been unkind to us when that fixture list came out, but that will be quickly forgotten. To be fair to Zola, the Wolves game apart, he was not handed the easiest of starts either.

There are some who seem to have forgotten that they support West Ham. So intense was the argument over Zola that a section of our fan base seem to be wearing Zola colours rather than West Ham colours these days. How long before fans arrive at Upton Park wearing Italian national scarves to make a point to Goldfinger and Sullimanja? This body of fans seem delighted to see us losing; I'm getting the feeling that they would happily see West Ham relegated so they can say, "See Zola was better than Grant, he kept us up."

Let's get something straight at this point. We will not be relegated. Blackpool and Wigan are doomed, that means there is just one place up for grabs. We are better than Sunderland, West Brom and Newcastle certainly and at least as good as Stoke, Birmingham, Fulham, Blackburn and, despite yesterday, Bolton.

The trouble is, games are not won on paper and the theoretical strength of your team sheet. What is really worrying about this team is their brittleness, the way they snap and crumble when the going gets tough. We saw it under Zola and we are seeing it now under Grant.

Against Villa, it was panic stations from the first minute as Villa came at us in wave after wave of attack. Grant was watching a different game from me because he said Villa created three chances and scored twice. In the game I saw, Villa scored three and hit the woodwork four times. Grant won't get anywhere by treating us as mugs!

Against Bolton, we were in total control of the match for the bulk of the first half, but as soon as Upson put the Thugs ahead, the team turned into mulch, like a Digestive dunked too long in a cup of tea. There was no leadership on the pitch as players started chasing the game on their own and stopped playing like a team. It was like watching a bunch of kids! Bolton, meanwhile, simply went route one, bypassed our midfield and centre backs, and helped themselves to two more goals.

So what does Grant do? Well that Parker and Keane exchange is being mooted again and that would help but will not sort out our defence. Luke Young is a possibility but Faubert wasn't at fault yesterday, it was the middle and left of the defence that was the problem. Where the hell is Da Costa? I am convinced that he is Upson's best partner but he wasn't even on the bench yesterday! And why wasn't Diamanti there as the natural replacement for Dyer, who we knew wouldn't last 90 minutes? Are Sullimanja and Goldfinger trying to purge the club of Nani players perhaps? To hell with that, get Da Costa in the team now! Or maybe, keep him out for the game in Manchester; there's no point in destroying the kid's confidence is there?

The nonsense of prevarication in the transfer market has to end too. If we are going to sign players, let's sign them now, not next week. Yesterday's game was winnable and the three points sacrificed can never be recovered. One thing is for sure, hating Grant because he is not Zola is not going to help anybody! Grant has had two games and needs longer before we can judge him and assess him against the Italian. Gianfranco is ahead in the Grantazola Index after two games but I am certainly not eating humble pie over Zola yet; anyway, I don't think it would go with pasta!