Cole could be in hot-water

The England midfielder has been one of the stars for West Ham despite a miserable campaign - and reacted furiously after defeat in the crucial relegation battle.

Cole reportedly clashed with Mendy in the tunnel after the game, and could be in trouble if he incident is mentioned in the referee's report.

Similarly if the police decide to investigate the incident, Cole could face assault charges.

Manager Glenn Roeder insisted that he had seen nothing of the incident after the game, but understood how young passionate players could over-react to defeat.

"It is natural,"said Roeder. "There is a huge commitment to survive in the Premiership.

"We are losing 1-0 and are doing everything we can to get back into the game.

"The players are very disappointed not to get something out of the game.

"Joe carried the game to Bolton as much as he could.

"He is very passionate about West Ham and did everything he could on the day.

"I was down the tunnel very quickly into the dressing room and we haven't spoken about it."