West Ham manager Glenn Roeder is not expected to return for the club's final three matches in their battle against relegation as he continues to recuperate in hospital. Roeder took ill following the Hammers' vital win against Middlesbrough on Monday and was brought to hospital with chest pains. However, tests revealed the Premiership boss was not suffering from a heart condition but from a blocked blood vessel in his brain, generally regarded as a stroke.
Two of his backroom staff, Paul Goddard and Roger Cross, have taken over coaching duties in a caretaker capacity but with just three games remaining, it looks increasingly unlikely that Roeder will be back before the end of the season.
It has been a traumatic few days for Roeder and his family as hours before the Easter Monday game at Upton Park vandals attacked their home in Shenfield, Essex, throwing a bottle through a window, and during the game he was booed by fans.
However, messages of support from many people involved in the game have been flooding in for the West Ham manager, including one message from Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, who himself underwent a life-saving heart operation 18 months ago after falling ill during a match at Anfield against Leeds.
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, whose side inflicted a crucial defeat on West Ham last Saturday, has also expressed his sympathy for his colleague. "Glenn is a relatively young manager who always looks healthy and seems to keep himself fit. We were so happy on Saturday but now my thoughts are with Glenn and his family and I hope and pray he makes a full recovery," he said.
"All managers are under extreme pressure, whether they are at the top or the bottom, but I would think Glenn has been under greater stress than most. It makes you wonder what football is doing to people. Sometimes we forget this is just a game and everyone - players, managers, fans and the media needs to remember that," Allardyce told The Sun newspaper.
West Ham reserve goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw, when asked what his reaction would be if Goddard and Cross took over for the remaining fixtures, said: "It wouldn't be a problem for the players. But I don't know what will happen - we'll have to wait and see. I'm not even thinking about football at the moment, just hoping everything goes well with the manager."
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
