Injured foursome add to Avram Grant's problems

The club's next match, in six days, is against fellow strugglers West Brom, who yesterday parted company with their manager Roberto Di Matteo.

Avram Grant was today assessing injuries to four of his first-team players - defenders James Tomkins and Matthew Upson, new signing Robbie Keane and midfield general Scott Parker.

Keane, who joined on loan from Tottenham on transfer deadline day, is out of the Republic of Ireland team for tomorrow's Carling Nations Cup match against Wales after going off in the 74th minute of the match against Birmingham with a calf problem.

Parker was being assessed by the England medical staff today ahead of the friendly against Denmark after injuring a groin, while Tomkins is out of the England Under-21 squad who play Italy tomorrow after pulling a calf muscle in the warm-up before yesterday's match at Upton Park. He was replaced by club captain Upson, himself carrying a sore Achilles tendon.

The only good news for Grant is that midfield star Thomas Hitzlsperger, who badly injured a thigh playing for Germany in August and who has yet to play a competitive match for West Ham, could make his comeback in a reserve team outing on Wednesday night.

This was a pivotal defeat for West Ham and a birthday to forget for Grant.The Israeli said he had cancelled his 56th birthday celebrations following the match but was later pictured coming out of a London casino in the early hours of this morning.

A 3-1 midweek victory at Blackpool had given their long-suffering supporters fresh optimism.

Their team's anaemic performance against a team who had also beaten them to a Carling Cup Final place, though, meant the mood of optimism was replaced by one of dark despair as West Ham, so vibrant at Blackpool, just reverted to their bad old ways.

Grant said: "Time is not running out because we have 12 games left and there are not many points between a lot of teams. We have time to do it."

West Ham, as far too often this season, were instrumental in their own downfall. A needless push in the back by Mark Noble on David Bentley in the 65th minute led to the free-kick, expertly delivered with pace by substitute Sebastian Larsson, headed in by 6ft 8in Serbian striker Nikola Zigic.

"I am disappointed," added Grant. "This is the first time we have lost to a team near us in the League. It was a very important game. Birmingham use set-pieces well and we have not dealt with this in our matches with them.

"They scored from two corners in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg and in the first leg they scored one. I am not happy with this. The Birmingham delivery is very good but we need to deal better with this.

"We gave them easy free-kicks when we know this is their strength and the referee gave them free-kicks where there wasn't a foul.

"We lost to a team near us and this was a six-points match. We need to look forward now because it will be a battle to the end."