West Ham compulsive viewing for Lallana (From Daily Echo)

Adam Lallana to be glued to TV for West Ham match tonight

10:35am Monday 23rd April 2012 in Sport By Gordon Simpson , Senior Sports Reporter

ADAM Lallana admitted he will find it impossible not to watch tonight’s match between Leicester and West Ham.

After the disappointment of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, Saints can experience elation this evening.

If the third-placed Hammers fail to win, then Nigel Adkins’ men will hold an unassailable lead over them going into the final day of the season and will be guaranteed a place in the Premier League.

While the manager insisted he won’t be watching, Lallana said he will definitely be in front of the television.

“It’s going to be impossible not to watch, or at least keep an eye on the score,” he said.

“The prize is so great, obviously.“ You never know. Leicester are a good team, West Ham are a good team. Anything can happen.”

Lallana was only just breaking into the Saints first team when Foxes manager Nigel Pearson was in charge at St Mary’s.

The midfielder was part of Pearson’s side that ensured Championship safety on a dramatic final day of the 2007/08 season, thanks to a 3-2 home win over Sheffield United.

And Lallana is hoping his old boss can secure another crucial result for the club tonight, which would ease any tension ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Coventry.

“We’d love Leicester to get a result,” he said. “But West Ham will be right up for it, no doubt.

“Obviously, Pearson was here.

I’m sure they’re going to want to win. It’s a game of football.

“But it’s still in our hands come Saturday, regardless of the result.

“At home, we fancy ourselves against anyone. But it’s disappointing obviously not to get a result.”

Lallana cut a downbeat figure after the defeat at the Riverside Stadium, knowing Saints had missed a chance to book a place in the top flight.

“The lads are gutted, obviously,”

he said. “It was in our hands.

“We scored so early that maybe it didn’t settle us at all in fact.

“We couldn’t get hold of the ball. (Nicky) Bailey was causing us a few issues, just sitting in front of the back four.

“We just wanted to get to halftime and have a chat and what not, but they scored just before.

“It’s our own fault. We took the lead, we should have capitalised on it and we didn’t.”

Lallana added: “Obviously, being in the situation we were in, we wanted to do it (against Middlesbrough).

“Our away form’s been superb of late and just gutted we couldn’t take advantage of such a great start.”