It seems like Avram Grant’s time as West Ham manager may well be up. It was reported in The Guardian yesterday that Grant has two games against Barnsley in the FA Cup and Birmingham in the Carling Cup to save his job and time is most certainly ticking on his West Ham tenure. This comes after Wednesday’s 5-0 hammering at the hands of Newcastle and former West Ham manager Alan Pardew at St James’ Park, an embarrassing result that brought an abrupt end to the Hammers’ improved form in the Premier League. West Ham are now rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and the chairmen aren’t happy. Here’s West Ham chairman David Gold looking at his watch, but what is he thinking?

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This week you can win a copy of FIFA 11!

FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity – on and off the ball – for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player.

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Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: Paul McConnell – click here to see all entries

It was fascinating to watch Theo Walcott’s interview after Arsenal’s FA Cup 3rd Round tie at the Emirates versus Leeds a few weeks ago. Having won his side a penalty in the 88th minute that Fabregas converted – saving Arsenal’s blushes and earning a replay – he admitted he had dived to win a penalty earlier on in the game.

On one side, it’s refreshing to hear a professional footballer be so honest in front of the camera. With the increase in media coverage in the last decade, players often have lessons in how to deal with the media and what to say and not to say in interviews. But in this interview with Walcott, he admitted he took a dive and apologised for doing so. Although I appreciate his apology, many professionals would avoid the subject altogether – he commented  about having a “laugh” with the referee after the game saying it was “his first dive, could you tell?” It makes you question how often this goes on within the game.

However, Walcott also mentioned the common saying in the game “if you feel a slight touch then go down” which has often caused debate over the whole diving issue. It is often seen as ‘smart’ when a player goes into a committed challenge to win a penalty or free-kick – it’s not seen as form of cheating but more like wise trickery. However, going down without being touched is as dishonest as you can get from a professional, not only are they conning the referee but they are cheating the opposition and the fans in order for their own team’s gain.

It reminds me of a story from earlier on in the season when Blackpool’s Ian Evatt claimed that referee, Howard Webb, told him and his fellow Blackpool players to “go to ground” if they want more chance of winning a free-kick. Webb’s point was that it is easier for referees to make a decision when they have a clear indication the player has been fouled.

The story came about when Webb was at Bloomfield Road as part of an FA Scheme to ease relationships between players and referees. Evatt had asked Webb why he hadn’t been given a free-kick during their game against Manchester City in a build-up to one of their goals. Webb had told him he was “too honest” by staying on his feet.

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So if referees are telling players to go to ground, what does it mean for Theo Walcott in his admission to diving? He could still face an FA charge over the incident but at least now he has a strong case to back it up.

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David Moyes wants Everton to catch the teams chasing European qualification spots and has a score to settle against Bolton Wanderers.

When he was Preston manager, Moyes was beaten in a play-off game by Bolton in 2001 – an afternoon he has not forgotten.

“When I was manager at Preston they beat me in the end of season Championship play-offs around 10 years ago and they have been in the Premier League ever since,” Moyes said.

“It has always been hard to travel to Bolton because they have always had good managers – especially Sam Allardyce.”

“Bolton have done very well this year and Owen Coyle has got them playing good football. I hope our players will be up for the challenge and we know it is going to be a hard game.”

“We have been trying to catch up with teams like Bolton and hopefully if we can go on a run of three or four wins then we can be on the tails of the teams outside of the European places.”

“We’re only in February and we’ve got to hope the best is yet to come. In the past few seasons that’s been how it’s worked out so we are hoping it will be that way again.”

“A lot of teams at the lower end of the Premier League are playing really well and it can be quite unpredictable. There are lots of good games but also some that are very tight.”

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“It’s very close and I don’t think there is a lot between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom. Last week the team at the bottom [Wolves] beat the team at the top [Manchester United] so it is very close.”

Jack Rodwell (groin) and Louis Saha (hamstring) will play no part in the game.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has slammed the surface of the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium after his side drew 0-0 with Aris Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

Mancini’s side were frustrated in their goalless outing in Greece and although City now just need a home victory to progress through to the Europa League’s Round of 16, the Italian was still annoyed with the state of the pitch.

“I think that we had control of the game but on this pitch it was very difficult to play football,” Mancini told ITV.

“I think that if we scored a goal in the first half when we had a chance with (Edin) Dzeko, everything would change but after they defended with nine or 10 players behind the ball it was very difficult.”

City’s big-money January signing Dzeko made his first European start for the club and, although he had chances, inevitably failed to get on the scoresheet.

The 27 million-pound arrival from Wolfsburg played up front with Argentine Carlos Tevez, and Mancini believes the duo need time to get the best out of their relationship.

“I think that it’s the second or third time they’ve played together, I think they need to gel. They need to play more games,” he said.

“It would be better if we won this game, we tried but it was difficult because they defended very well but we’ve got another game and I think that was a good result.”

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Mancini also believes the City of Manchester Stadium pitch will help his players in the second leg, on February 24.

“We’ll have a good pitch (in the second leg) and we can play better football because we can play with the ball on the floor, it was impossible. I think it will be another game,” he said.

Last Sunday lunchtime, Liverpool Football Club burst back onto the English footballing scene in a massive way. In no uncertain terms, Liverpool gave Manchester United a good hiding. Liverpool were up for it, they hassled Manchester United, and when in possession, the movement of Dirk Kuyt, Luis Suarez and Raul Meireles was too much for a Manchester United side who lacked so much, but most of all, passion. Liverpool were simply awesome. Even Steven Gerrard was allowed a poor game, that was how good Liverpool were.

Under Roy Hodgson Liverpool lacked passion. From Hicks and Gillett, to Roy Hodgson himself and down to the players – Liverpool where going nowhere, fast. Since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish, there is a positive energy coming out of Anfield. January signalled both the managers and the clubs intent. Liverpool spent big, and spent well in the transfer window. Kenny Dalglish has motivated his side, they are playing an expansive, attractive style of football and the fans are loving every minute of the ride. Sunday’s result was much more than a win over Manchester United. It was a statement of intent for next season.

When Kenny Dalglish took over from Roy Hodgson, many believed, myself included, that he had nothing to lose. He had inherited a side that wasn’t strong enough and his reputation was never going to be tainted if Liverpool had continued to struggle in the bottom half of the Premier League. However, he has been a breath of fresh air, and most of all he has a footballing vision. Every footballing pundit who said he had been out of the game too long has had to eat their words. He understands how Liverpool need to play both home and away. Liverpool’s triumph’s away to Chelsea and at home to Manchester United, were tactically very different, but still highly impressive. Dalglish taught Carlo Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson a lesson on both occasions – his tactics were spot on.

Even though this season will be seen as a bitter disappointment for Liverpool, the errors of the first half of the season may in fact make Liverpool stronger. In recent memory, Liverpool have never been written off by so many. The club has had to fight negativity at every corner, but they have come out of it the other side. That is the spirit of Liverpool FC, and without a shadow of a doubt it has united the club. Now they are ready to push on. This season doesn’t have to end with a bitter taste. If Liverpool play to the standards they set against Manchester United, they could have a real push for the Champions League, or at least fifth position. Liverpool, under Kenny Dalglish are clearly building something special for the future. We have already seen a few glimpses of what they can do together. First step, Dalglish must be given a long term contract. With that in place, next season could be very special indeed for a club starved of domestic success.

Read more of Tom’s articles at the excellent This Is Futbol

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Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has survived a knife attack in a Spanish airport that left his bodyguard with a 4cm stab wound.Former Chelsea manager Mourinho was moving through the La Coruna airport and signing autographs for Real fans when a man armed with a knife approached. One of Mourinho’s minders thought he had been punched by the attacker as they moved through the crowd before discovering a wound near his armpit when they boarded the team bus. Mourinho was only told about the full extent of the incident on Friday, a week after it happened. Police are investigating the attack using security camera footage from the airport. El Periodico reported: “Mourinho stopped to sign autographs in arrivals, where a large number of Madrid fans were waiting for the team.””The bodyguard was near the manager and noticed he had been stabbed in the armpit. Mourinho was very worried by the incident.” The club said it suspects the attack was intended for Mourinho. It will arrange increased security around its coach while police investigate.

There is a common opinion that footballers are lazy, greedy and arrogant. This is a cheap and easy band wagon to jump on and I want to stress that not all footballers are like this. I understand that footballers are paid to play football and you might think they should be judged on that alone. But, whether they want to be or not, footballers are heroes to kids all across the world and that makes them role models too.

While some footballers are lovely, highly respectable professionals, some are far from that. The worst role models are those who are high profile players, likely to be idolised by thousands of kids. From cheating to being arrested, the ways some players represent themselves is shameful. Here are the top ten footballers who are the worst role models.

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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri has denied that the club would back away from signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic permanently.The Swede’s successful reintroduction to the Serie A, following a poor first season in La Liga with Barcelona, has been soured by on-field disciplinary issues.

Ibrahimovic is serving a three-match suspension for abusing a match official during the side’s win over Fiorentina which resulted in a straight red card.

It was also his second red card in consecutive matches which prompted Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi to publicly express his disappointment with the former Blaugrana player’s behaviour.

But the Rosseneri coach dismissed comments that it could lead to the striker’s departure in the summer.

“I believe that Ibra will stay at Milan and that he has been exemplary this season aside from this month in which he has paid dearly for inappropriate behaviour,” Allegri said.

“He has done extraordinary things above all in the first five months and he’ll get back on track after his suspension.”

“I believe that Ibra wanted to repay us after his initial two-match ban so it’s a great disappointment for him to be suspended again.”

When looking into the history of the illustrious, handsome, and most stimulating club in British football, you would find many a hero. The double-winning side are all heroes, but success does not create cult heroes.

Today I want to look at cult heroes. A cult hero is a maverick, one who is often idolised by little pockets of fans. These players are revered for their oddities and their individuality and not so much for their greatness or success on the pitch.

I am going more along the lines of Ramon Vega, Andy Sinton, Gary Doherty (the ginger Pele) and David Ginola, rather than legends such as Greaves, Lineker, Blanchflower, Perryman, Mackay, Bobby Smith, Cliff Jones, Glenn Hoddle and Gary Mabutt.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident midfielder Darren Fletcher can help clinch the title at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.The Scotland captain has been missing with a virus but made his comeback in the 4-1 Champions League semi-final second-leg win over Schalke and should play a part at Ewood Park.

Ferguson needs him fully fit for the Champions League final against Barcelona at the end of the month.

“We have to give Darren a chance and he is back training every day. It is just a matter of getting back that strength and speed into his game,” Ferguson said.

“As I said we have some games to do that. He will go very close and has the application and desire to do it. Hopefully we can get him there.”

Edwin van der Sar could be given a watching brief as Ferguson wants him rested for the Wembley showdown against arguably the best team in world football.

The 40-year-old has made some crucial saves to keep the club on course for a league and Champions League double but Ferguson does not want him to burn out.

“I may rest Edwin van der Sar on Saturday given the program he has been through in the last couple of weeks,” he said.

“We have an opportunity to give him a bit of a break. He has played every game and of course these are all very important ones.”

“What has helped us in the last few games has been the freshness of the players coming back.”

“We have needed that added impetus at such an important time.”

“Antonio Valencia’s form has been terrific and Ji-Sung Park has been doing a magnificent job.”

Ferguson knows Blackburn also have something to play for as the season draws to a close – they are just three points clear of the relegation zone and will be looking to make sure they are safe.

“The most important thing is to approach this game in the right way and we are going to play our strongest team,” he said.

“It is a big game and it is always difficult to play away at Blackburn.”

“They are fighting relegation and I think they probably need a point so it is going to be a difficult game.”

“They will try to do their best to get that point or even beat us and it is a hard game for both teams.”

“We are going there with the confidence from a great performance when we beat Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday. We need another one like that.”

Midfielder Owen Hargreaves misses out with a shoulder injury.