WEST HAM midfielder Valon Behrami could not have timed his return to first-team action any better.

The Switzerland international made only his second appearance of the season as a second-half substitute for Scott Parker in the 2-2 draw with Fulham at Upton Park on Sunday, following a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

And the team are in desperate need of his endeavour and ingenuity as they seek to halt an alarming slide that has seen the Hammers plummet to second-bottom of the Premier League table.

It is now six league games without a win for Gianfranco Zola’s team, and they could have been contemplating their fifth loss, but for a last-gasp intervention from Junior Stanislas.

The winger, who was thrown on with Behrami in the 71st minute against the Cottagers, fired off a pot shot from the edge of the area and it took a wicked deflection off defender Aaron Hughes to beat Mark Schwarzer all ends up.

However, the goal merely served to paper over the cracks that are beginning to widen for the Irons on the pitch.

Two of the players you would normally put your mortgage on to avoid game-altering mistakes were guilty of just that on Sunday.

First, Matthew Upson opted to wrestle Diomancy Kamara to the floor when it would have been more prudent to usher him wide, handing Danny Murphy the chance to score from the spot.

Then England’s number one Robert Green inexplicably missed Paul Konchesky’s corner, allowing Zoltan Gera to steal in at the back post to score.

Behrami spelt it out afterwards: “In the future stuff like this cannot happen.” No kidding.

The problems are not confined to the defence, however. Carlton Cole, who scored his fourth league goal of the season against Roy Hodgson’s team, is responsible for half the team’s haul so far.

And Behrami has called on the whole team to stand up and be counted.

“Everyone has to give something more, for scoring, for running, for everything,” he said. “We have to give an answer. Also, to score from midfield and the back. As a team we need to get some points straight away.”

The 24-year-old midfielder conceded that he ‘has never seen the manager like this’ before, implying that the likeable Italian’s patience is wearing thin.

“Every time he (Zola) is very positive but obviously he has given us a little bit of pressure as well because he has to. It was a different feeling because we have never seen the manager like this but I think he should be like this.

“The work we do during the week is brilliant but after we made some mistakes. After a big war you make just a little mistake and you pay for it, especially in the Premier League.”