Avram Grant chooses to dwell on the positives following a fourth successive league defeat, this time at home to former club Chelsea...
It was always going to be an uphill struggle after the early goal? And the fumble by Green for the second didn't help either?It's not easy when you concede a first goal, the team react very well and then they find a second goal. But we continued well. It's amazing; Chelsea didn't create any chances after the goal in the first half, even the [second] goal wasn't a chance. We created three big chances and dominated the game in the second half, we reacted very well. We could easily have scored [more] but we didn't and unfortunately we lost. But we have a lot of positive things to take and if we continue like this I think we should be okay.
Your view on Obinna's performance?
I think all the new players that came into the squad, into the team - we have Obinna, Barrera - who didn't play - in the attack. It's taken them some time to adjust and they didn't play together because they travelled in the week when most of the players were [away] on internationals. But I'm very happy for the new players. Some of them played for the first time today, like Obinna.
Kieron Dyer's been in good form but you left him on the bench? What was your thinking behind that?
There was a lot of thinking about everything, the bench is not over-important. For the first time this season he came off the bench and helped us, which we needed. But Kieron, after a long injury, sometimes he's not ready to play 90 minutes.
How confident are you that you're not going to be in a relegation battle this season?
If you see the level that we've played at today it's not a level for relegation. We played like a mid-table team. It's a new team; all the time we play together as a team we're improving. The organisation was not so good at Villa but today was much better. Also, after only a few weeks training we're playing at this level against very good teams - and the reaction of the players is good. So there's a lot of things we've improved, but at the end of the day we lost the game - but if we continue like this we will take points, for sure.
You mentioned the organisation of the defence - but you've conceded three goals in every game this season?
You're absolutely right, we need to think about this. I can say that we're not organised so much as a team but we haven't had all the players together until now. I think we can improve in a very short time but today, the first two goals, we cannot say we were organised at set pieces.
Is there any problem with Rob Green's confidence?
I don't want to speak about players as individuals, we're playing as a team so you can write about that.
But is there a problem with Upson and Green's confidence? Especially after that goal?
Every player has good days, every player has bad days - but I don't like to speak about players as individuals.
You spoke of the 'spirit' and 'character' at Portsmouth; are you convinced you'll have that here?
At Portsmouth we created spirit but it was not from one game - we built it from game to game, from month to month. Even last year, every time West Ham conceded a goal they were down but today, from the third minute, we reacted very well. So to build spirit takes time; not a long time, but as long as you see improvement - and I think we saw improvement today.
Do you think the owners are happy it's taken so long to get organised?
I'm not happy but this is the game. I'm not happy that we have zero points especially because from the last two games we've deserved more. We know we're going for a long term project but I'm very confident that we're doing the right thing. We don't have points now but at the end of the day we can have the points when the season is finished. If we were in this position after 25 or 30 games its... but I don't think we will be in this position.
Will you be at the Stoke game?
Ah, I need to speak with the owner but one thing I can assure you is that the team will be ready for the game.
But you're not sure yet? You have to discuss it?
As I said, the team will be 100 per cent ready for the game but I need to speak about this with the owner.
Of Obinna, David Gold said 'a star is born'. Did you see it that way?
'A star' what?
'A star is born', he said...
A star is born? He was born 23 years ago... [laughs] but I think you will see with time the team we will be more and more organised - and also with a little bit more luck. I don't like to speak about luck but we missed it a little bit in the last game. You will see the players perform better and better.
Of the players we bought, Barrera didn't play today because he played two games [in the week] and just came back yesterday. But Obinna and the others have the quality - even the players for whom we paid no money, we bought good players.
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