After an afternoon that would test the patience of any manager, West Ham's Glenn Roeder had just one word for his team's performance.

"Excruciating" was his verdict on the 6-0 defeat to Manchester United which saw his side dumped out of the FA Cup in spectacular style.

Nothing went right for Roeder on the day, and he was in no mood to make apologies for a performance which plumbed new depths even in this current sorry season.

"We did have players who did not fight as hard as you would have wanted or expected them to -- but there were two or three who carried the fight for the whole game," he said.

"You can't carry one passenger here, though, but all the way we had to carry several."

Published Monday, January 27, 2003

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