Everything hangs on trip to old trafford

By Simon Hayes on May 10, 2007 12:00 AM |

CARLOS TEVEZ picked up the Hammer of the Year award and then hammered out a warning to West Ham's relegation rivals that his team mean business.
Tevez's superb double strike in the 3-1 win over an insipid Bolton on Saturday (May 5) edged the Hammers closer to safety, with their survival hopes further boosted by Charlton's relegation on Monday.
The Irons now face their last game of the season against Manchester United this Sunday (May 13) knowing a draw will guarantee them

Premiership football for another year. But defeat at Old Trafford coupled with a Wigan win over Sheffield United would condemn the Upton Park men to the drop.
Alan Curbishley has timed his side's first prolonged run of form just right after a season of turmoil.
"I've been saying for the past five or six weeks that we need to win the majority of our games," he said. "We'll go to Old Trafford and it's in our hands for the first time for some time. I couldn't wish for a tougher game but at least we'll go there with lots of confidence."
Curbishley, who started his Upton Park reign with a 1-0 win over the Reds in December, was not underestimating the importance of Sunday's game against the newly-crowned champions.
He said: "When you look at the fixture list and see you've got Man Utd in the last game of the season you tend to hope there'll not be too much on it for either side. It's quite ironic really. I think it's the third time in the last five years I've been there on the last day of the season. I've drawn one and lost one, like most people, but we go there with a chance. The players are full of confidence."
That confidence has coincided with Tevez finally looking like the player West Ham thought they were getting last August. His inspirational form over recent weeks has sparked the survival fight and cemented his position as the darling of the Upton Park faithful.
The Argentinian is now at the heart of everything good about his team's performance, evidenced when he supplied a perfect cross for Mark Noble to crash home the Hammers' decisive third goal against Bolton.
The Irons will need Tevez at his best in Manchester. Curbishley knows it will be a difficult day.
He said: "There's going to be twists and turns as we go along, as there is every year. No-one can quite work out how it's going to fall but you've got to do your own bit. If we go to Old Trafford and take anything then we've done our bit." 
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