Roeder will get it right, insists Cole

Although the back of the club's No10 shirt confirms that Joe Cole is now Chelsea by name, he remains West Ham by nature.

Too much of the 21-year-old's life has been spent at the Academy for him to forget his East End upbringing - and he will take a keen interest in proceedings at Upton Park tonight.

Cole, who is in Slovakia with his new team-mates, completed his £6.6million move last week but still refers to West Ham as "we" and would, given the chance, sit down with every Hammers fan and explain the reasons behind his departure.

His loyalty extends to manager Glenn Roeder and his former team-mates, who he is backing to return to the Premiership.

Tonight they face Rushden & Diamonds in the Carling Cup before what could be a hostile Upton Park crowd - still bristling at the firesales of Cole, Trevor Sinclair, Freddie Kanoute and Glen Johnson. But Cole believes West Ham will silence the doubters.

He said: "There's a good fighting spirit at West Ham. The lads can't wait for the next game and I'm sure they will have a good season. I'd back Glenn Roeder any day of the week because I know him as a person. It's no secret he's up against it, but I know he will get it right.

"We finished seventh in the Premiership two years ago and then certain things happened that were out of his control last season. But we'll be back, sorry, they'll be back."

Cole spent eight years at West Ham and his passionate play made him a natural choice to captain the side last season when no other player tried harder to stave off relegation.

At the same time, however, the midfielder was becoming increasingly aware that his longterm future lay elsewhere. Cole's contract had only a year to run and he gave no indication he was ready to sign a new one.

Faced with the loss of their prized asset for a nominal fee next summer, the West Ham board accepted Chelsea's offer. For Cole, the lure of Champions League football and furthering his England ambitions proved overwhelming.

He said: "It was a hard decision. If I could, I would speak to every West Ham fan and try to explain to them that I couldn't turn this down. As a footballer, this is a chance to achieve my dreams. It was a wrench leaving. I told the club I felt it was time for me to move on, they obviously didn't want to sell me."

But the board, led by chairman Terry Brown, have received a less sympathetic hearing from a section of West Ham fans.

Supporters of the "Brown Out" campaign plan to boycott tonight's game and will stage a protest outside the ground calling for Brown to resign, blaming him for "the total and utter mismanagement of the club".