West Ham managed to retain their place at the top of the Coca Cola Championship with a battling 1 -1 draw against fellow promotion candidates Southampton at Upton Park recently.

The fact that Sam Allardyce’s men managed to gain this point after playing the majority of the game with 10 men makes their performance even more impressive.

West Ham are 1 point ahead of Southampton in the race for the Championship title, with Cardiff city only 4 points adrift after a 3 - 1 home win against Peterborough United.

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has said that the 2-1 victory over Millwall during the weekend was enough to prove the character within the West Ham United dressing room.

The local derby between the two clubs was expected to be a tight encounter and it turned out to be one. West Ham United took the lead in the first half through Carlton Cole.

Sam Allardyce has said that he is extremely disappointed with the way West Ham United lost the opportunity to go level on points with Southampton at the top of the Championship table.

West Ham United could only manage a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City in the latest round of Championship fixtures, which also gave Southampton the opportunity to extend a small three point lead at the top of the table.

A narrow one goal win was enough for West Ham United to go level on points with leaders Southampton in the Championship. Even though West Ham United have played a game more than Southampton, this is a crucial advantage for Sam Allardyce's men.

The 1-0 win against Barnsley will take them to 43 points from 22 matches, while Southampton also have the same points tally but from 21 matches. Papa Bouba Diop is usually known for his defensive abilities, but he turned out to be the unlikeliest of scorers for West Ham United.

Sam Allardyce has a shortlist of 25 players as he looks to bolster his injury-hit West Ham squad during the January transfer window.

He is currently coping without eight first-team players, while suspensions to Jack Collison and Joey O’Brien have also made things tough.

Speaking to BBC London 94.9, he said: “There are about 25 names on my pad already at the minute.

"It is important to sift through the information we have and try to make the right choices as quickly as we can."

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce is being linked with a cameo role in a movie next year, though it seems that he is much more effective at managing the club!

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce isn't happy with the constant moaning from fans - especially given that the team are currently on good form!

Whilst he could understand the fans concerns if the team was losing each match, he didn't expect to be having to answer to fans when the team are lying in 2nd place in the Championship, and with a great chance to get promoted.

"I don't know why they are moaning about winning," Allardyce told the Newham Recorder. "Because all this team did before was lose.

"It doesn't make any sense to me, but you're talking about the small handful.

Sam Allardyce has said that West Ham will be targeting to return to the Premier league. "As difficult a task as that is going to be, it can be achieved," he said.

"With the club the size of West Ham it needs to be achieved as soon as possible because the long term goal is the Olympic stadium."

The former Bolton and Blackburn boss replaced Avram Grant after the Hammers' relegation to the Championship.

West Ham United are expected to submit a bid to move into the Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games. It looks set to become mired in a flurry of legal challenges after Leyton Orient's chairman, Barry Hearn, lodged an application for a judicial review against the government, the mayor of London and Newham council.

Thomas Hitzlsperger has said that he is confident of West Ham United's survival after they enjoyed an impressive win over Liverpool.