Nigel knockers niggle us, say Hammers

West Ham's players have defended Nigel Reo-Coker against accusations that he performed some role in the dismissal of Alan Pardew.

The Upton Park skipper was booed by supporters even after scoring the winning goal against Manchester United on Sunday, and so giving new manager Alan Curbishley the perfect start.

But Reo-Coker's team-mates sent a message back to the supporters when they stood by him and dismissed the idea that he was responsible for Pardew's demise.

Defender Anton Ferdinand said: "Nigel is my mate on and off the pitch and I am there for him 100 per cent I have seen the s**t that he has taken and I think it is unfair.

"People forget how old he is. Football is not an age game. But he is only 22 and captain of a massive club. For people to put the sacking of the manager on his shoulders is very unfair. But his performance shows that he lets his feet do the talking. I thought he was magnificent. "It shows his character. He had been getting stick all week and for him to come out on top like that, not many people can do that. It shows how big a player he is and how much he has come along. "He doesn't let the booing worry him. He is a professional and he showed it against United. He was the same as he always is in the dressing room afterwards, calm and collected. He doesn't get above his station."

Goalkeeper Robert Green added: "Some players have been unfairly singled out for criticism and blamed for the manager's departure. But to blame it on one player when there are 11 players out on the pitch is incredibly harsh. We take responsibility as a whole for the games and for the performances."