West Ham skipper Nigel Reo-Coker is confident The Hammers will
extricate themselves from the Premiership's bottom three and avoid
relegation.
The East Londoners have endured a hugely turbulent and
disappointing campaign to date, especially when considering their
exploits last term.
They currently find themselves in the relegation places, two points
adrift of closest rivals Wigan.
Their plight is all the more worrying given that they have managed
just one victory in their last 11 league outings, but Reo-Coker
remains adamant they will turn around their form and retain their
top-flight status.
"We're very confident we can stay up," he told skysports.com.
"We're going to try obviously and get some more points on the
board, but we've got some good fixtures coming up against teams
that are in and around us and we have to make sure we do well in
those games.
"But everyone at the club is confident we can get the points we
need to stay up."
While it has been a difficult season for all concerned at Upton
Park, the skipper has suffered more than most with many fans
singling out the 22-year-old for particularly stern
treatment.
The former MK Dons midfielder admits the criticism has affected him
both on and off the pitch, but is adamant he will come through it a
stronger person and better player.
"It's just been a difficult period at West Ham," he continued.
"Obviously a lot has gone on behind the scenes that people don't
know about.
"You can see that a lot has changed because I think only three
players that figured in last year's FA Cup final with Liverpool
played in the game on Tuesday and that just shows how drastically
football can change in such a short space of time.
"It's been a very difficult time for me and it (the criticism) does
put you off your game.
"But who can I turn to for advice because there's not many people
who have been through what I've been through at the age of just 22
at such a big club of the stature of West Ham? But I've managed to
get through it and just concentrate on my football and that's all I
want to do.
"At the end of the day it's the situation I'm in. I'm captain of
West Ham and if people see it as my fault I've got to live with
that whether it's fair or not. That's the pressure of being a
captain and I'd like to think I've dealt with it okay so far.
"I've not really spoken to my team-mates about it, but I have
spoken to people I've trusted and they've looked after me and help
put me on the right track and make sure I concentrate on my
game.
"I have been happy with my own form, it's just been a hard
season.
"I don't understand how we have gone from last season when we were
always West Ham the great team and now this season the main focus
has always been on individuals and some individuals have been made
scapegoats and pointed out more than other players, but it's always
been a team effort for me."