Hammers boss furious over injury slur

Alan Curbishley today hit back at suggestions that West Ham's injury crisis is largely self-inflicted.

The manager has been criticised for buying players with suspect injury records during the summer, such as Kieron Dyer and Freddie Ljungberg.

Dyer has been sidelined since the end of August, while Ljungberg has played only six games this season.

Following Tuesday's Carling Cup win over Coventry, the club had 12 senior players on their casualty list.

"Most of the injuries have been impact and there is nothing you can do about that," said the manager.

"Kieron has had his problems in recent seasons but he is out with a broken leg. The only significant muscle injury at the moment is Freddie's and he is back running again."

The good news for Curbishley is that Craig Bellamy, who missed the cup game with an abdominal problem, could return to the side for Sunday's Premier League visit of Bolton.

And two of the three players who went off injured against Coventry, Mark Noble (groin) and Hayden Mullins (knee), have reported an improvement and could also be fit to play.

However, the third player, centrehalf Anton Ferdinand, who has suffered a succession of injuries already this season, is definitely out due to a hamstring strain.

"Considering all the problems we've had, the players who have been fit deserve a lot of credit because some of them, at times, have been forced to play in unfamiliar positions," said Curbishley.