A recent upturn in fortunes on the pitch was marred by the 5-0 defeat at Newcastle, while Grant continues to find his own position making the headlines. And while he was unimpressed that director Karren Brady revealed in her newspaper column why the club had pulled the plug on signing Steve Sidwell, the Israeli is not about to be distracted by reports of off-field issues at Upton Park. "I have answered this a thousand times," Grant said when the subject was again the first question at Monday's press conference ahead of the semi-final with Birmingham. "We are here because of the semi-final, it has been 30 years since West Ham were at Wembley and this is a big game for us. That is what is important for me now. "I am dealing with the problems on the pitch, and we have done that well. We still have some, so I am trying to deal only with this. "The results in the last few weeks show we are doing well, they can always be better, but we have been doing well. That is what we are concerned about. "My position is very clear. I am the manager and need to do the best for the club." Grant also rebuffed suggestions his future was set to be decided at a board meeting later this week. "I have nothing to say about this because nobody has said anything to me about this," he added. "I don't need to answer about things which are in the paper. "We have a game tomorrow and that is what is important to me. If there is any personal issue, I speak to the person. I don't have to deal with it in the media. I have not done it before and don't need to do it now." However, Grant is well aware the semi-final has extra significance for West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan, who used to own Birmingham. "It is very important to them," he said. "When you leave a club, you have some emotions, but you want a good result against them. "It is important for everybody here, and also for Birmingham, it is a big, big tie. "I have been to Wembley twice in the past couple of years and enjoyed it very much. We have done well in the Carling Cup until now, the win over Manchester United was the only game they have lost this season and it was great for us. "We want to be at Wembley, but it will be difficult. The squad are all excited. I don't know any footballer who would not want to be in a semi-final. "From the motivation point, it is easier. When you know if you win, you are at Wembley, you do not have to say anything to the players. "In these matches you need to get a good result at home, so we will try to score and go with an advantage for the second game." Despite missing out on the signature of Sidwell, Grant still has plenty of irons in the fire as he looks to strengthen the squad during the January transfer window. "We are close, but I cannot tell you at the moment because anything can happen in the negotiations. We want to close the deal first," he said. "We are trying to do it as soon as possible, because we have many games in January. "On the field it is very encouraging. If we can make the squad a bit stronger, that will be good. A few of the players are coming back from injury, so that will also be helpful for us."
