Reo-Coker reveals united front

Nigel Reo-Coker has told Sky Sports News that the players are behind Alan Pardew.

Nigel Reo-Coker has told Sky Sports News that the West Ham players are 100 per cent behind manager Alan Pardew, but has admitted that the recent media frenzy has had an affect on performances.

The Hammers made a bright start to the season, but their form has dipped since the transfer window closed - a time when they signed Argentine stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

The club are the subject of takeover interest from a couple of parties, while it has also been suggested a rift has developed in the dressing room following the arrivals of Tevez and Mascherano.

Reo-Coker claims talk of a division is well wide of the mark, but admits the players have felt the pressure from the media coverage which has threatened to envelop the club.

"There is no rift in the West Ham dressing room," Reo-Coker assured Hammers fans in an interview with Sky Sports News. "Everyone is united behind Alan Pardew.

"All we need to do is get together as a team, get a win and from then on we will roll on."

The Hammers have lost five games on the spin in all competitions and Reo-Coker has cited the media coverage in the last month as a reason for their problems.

"You read bits and bobs in the papers and don't really know what is going on with the club," he added. "There has been a lot of media attention and it has been unsettling.

"You also have the press gunning for the two Argentines, so it has been a bit unsettling and unfair to us.

"We are a young squad and it is a whole new experience for us."

Reo-Coker was the subject of adverse press coverage recently when it was claimed he threw the club's armband to the floor after being substituted.

Television replays did not support this and the midfielder admits he was shocked by the story.

"I was hurt that such a story would come out," he declared. "Those who know me on a personal level know that is not me.

"I am a winner, I want to be a winner and I will never ever disrespect West Ham United, the fans or my fellow professional colleagues by throwing the armband to the floor.

"That is something that never happened."