I want to beat my old team-mates Nigel and Marlon (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

I want to beat my old team-mates Nigel and Marlon

10:29am Thursday 4th October 2007 in West Ham By Guardian-series

I'M 50-50 to play at Villa Park on Saturday.

It's an important game. We definitely want to get a result going into the international break.

That's why I hope the fans concentrate on getting behind the West Ham boys, not on abusing Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood.

I've had banter with Nigel since he left West Ham about playing against him and the same with Marlon.

But things happen and if I'm not fit, then I'll just have to wait for Aston Villa on the last day of the season.

Hopefully we'll already have qualified for Europe, or maybe that game will be the decider and we'll have to beat them to make it into Europe. I'll be looking out for that one.

It is very disappointing. I just got over my knee problem and then Emmanuel Adebayor pushed me on Saturday, I tried to correct my fall and I knew right away I'd done my hamstring.

Last year my season was interupted with little niggles and I definitely don't want that to happen this time.

Hopefully, this will be the last one for me and there won't be many more for the rest of the team either.

But that is the beauty of the squad Alan Curbishley has built here. It's a squad with a lot of talent.

The Arsenal result was disappointing.

I think we deserved a point, especially when you look at Freddie Ljungberg's disallowed goal and Deano's header at the end. I don't think any player could have tried harder.

Some of you probably spotted the football freestylers, Mikey Fisher and Jeremy Lynch, on the pitch at half-time. I invited them to come down after I saw their film, In the Hands of the Gods.

What they can do with a ball is unbelievable.

Put me in a situation in a match when I've got to do a bit of skill then I can do it, but ask me to do a trick again with the pressure off, I haven't got a chance.

The film teaches you a lot about life and working hard and believing in yourself to achieve your goals.

Our goal on Saturday is to beat Villa.