Zabaleta’s promised Sam fight for a place
WEST HAM defender Sam Byram is ready to fight Pablo Zabaleta for the right-back role.
Byram, 23, has not been fazed by reports that Manchester City’s Argentine legend is on the Hammers’ wanted list.
The Essex-born ace, a £3.7million signing from Leeds 16 months ago, welcomes the challenge and said: “Bring it on!”
He added: “With me being the only right-back there has always been speculation of adding another player to the squad. If it is him then I have no worries about that.
“It means competition and the challenge will bring the best out of me. I just try and improve the best I can.
“I could also learn from his vast experience. Zabaleta’s a title-winner and Champions League player. It’s good for me and the club.”
Slaven Bilic’s Hammers complete an up-and-down season at Burnley this afternoon and hope to finish with a flourish.
Byram said: “It has been frustrating, particularly with the new stadium.
“We have had a lot of disappointing results but the team is now more settled and hopefully we can go out on a high at Burnley and prepare for next season.
“Everyone here wants to win and get the best out of each other and we’ll have a lot of fans travelling to Turf Moor so we have got to be professional.”
Bryam is fully behind Bilic whose job has been under constant threat.
The defender said: “He’s good, very calm and a nice guy. On the training pitch he is positive. He has come in for criticism but we players have to take responsibility also – but we must give him credit where it’s due.
“This is a great club. I was a bit overawed when I arrived from the Championship.
“I had only seen the players here before on TV. But we have a British core like Mark Noble, James Collins, big Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio.
“Michail was just finding his feet when I arrived but he’s turned into a star. He only lives around the corner to me and he’s helped me settle and become a great friend.”
Byram believes the club have now overcome their new stadium blues and can look forward to next season with real hope.
He added: “It was fresh to us all but the atmosphere is gradually changing and I think we’ll all be better and prepared for it next season.” The Turf Moor boss has led his promoted side to Premier League safety with games to spare and if they extend their brilliant home form by beating West Ham today Burnley can finish 11th. Middlesbrough and Hull both sacked their managers yet still tumbled straight back into the Championship. Dyche has enjoyed two promotions in four years since being sacked by Watford but insists that he could be back in the firing line soon. He said: “Football changes rapidly – you can go from hero to zero on a weekly basis. “Fans want change, boards want change, media want change. “I have never been afraid of that because I know it’s a reality. “I don’t take my position for granted either just because we’ve achieved so much over the years. I know if you don’t win enough games, you get the manager out. “It’s the way the game is now, the demand of the game and the fans. “At the minute we’re going well – we’ve had another good season on top of a few good seasons. “But we’ve got to do it all again otherwise people will say ‘Nah, bored of him now’.” Burnley kept f aith with Dyche two years ago when they lost a survival battle and this season he has kept his side out of the bottom three since an opening-day loss to Swansea.
Boro axed Aitor Karanka in a vain attempt to stay up and Hull fired Mike Phelan to no avail in January.
Dyche said: “The marker this year is that the other two have gone back down – it’s tough.
“I don’t think we’re gurus of the Premier League because we’ve stayed up for one season.
“I don’t think I am as a manager. But it’s really tough and money doesn’t solve it, although it helps.
“The thing I’m pleased with is how many managerial changes have been made just to get a shot in the arm yet we’ve still kept performing, still got the points on the board.
“When you’re manager of Burnley a point sometimes feels like a win, especially when you get enough to stay up.
“Every game in the Premier League is a big game – not just the atmosphere of a big stadium but the build-up, the feel, the coverage, every part of it is a big concern.
“That is a shift in mentality – if your players can handle that, that’s a good start.”
Dyche now expects a hard summer even with a war chest swelled by centre-back Michael Keane’s expected £25million exit, probably to Man United.
He said: “The hardest thing for us is getting recognised performers because the wages are so high.
“The fees we’ve had a go at and we’ve pushed our wages on – but we’re finding it hard to compete with your Bournemouths, your Middlesbroughs – and your Hulls even.”