Speculation is rife Grant is on the brink of being axed, but the Israeli insisted he would "be fine" whether his bosses backed him or not.

This morning's 2-1 semi-final first leg win will do his cause no harm at all, with the home side surviving a moment of madness from Victor Obinna to hold the edge ahead of the return at St Andrews in two weeks' time.

"Don't worry about me - I will be fine in any case," Grant said. "I really, really appreciate that you are worried about me and you like me and you want me to be near you!

"I like you also, by the way. Why do you need to ask me about something that is not in my control?

"You can ask me why I picked this player and not the other one because this is my responsibility.

"You can ask me if I want to stay or not... no, no. Don't ask me this!"

He added: "If I don't want to be here, I will go to the owner and say I don't want to be here.

"The other decision is not mine."

However, Grant admitted the rumours about his future, which have arguably stemmed from a lack of public backing for him, were not helpful in the club's battle to avoid Barclays Premier League relegation.

"I lived with rumours, I think, since day one," said Grant, who was only appointed last summer.

"For us, it is much easier if the rumours around were like at other clubs.

"There is Wolves around us, Wigan, Fulham, West Bromwich, Birmingham. The rumours are only about West Ham.

"If everything was more quiet, I think it would help the players more.

"Even with this, you saw the spirit of the players today, you saw the spirit of the players Saturday, you saw the spirit of the players against Wolves, against Everton, against Blackburn.

"I think everybody needs to respect this spirit."

West Ham completely bossed the first half tonight and should have led by more than Mark Noble's goal.

Birmingham came roaring back after the break, levelling through Liam Ridgewell before Obinna pressed the self-destruct button by kicking Sebastian Larsson in the groin.

But a huge blunder from Ben Foster gifted the 10 men victory when he allowed Carlton Cole's weak shot to trickle through his legs.

Grant insisted he did not see Obinna's sending-off but revealed the player would be punished if guilty.

"Anything that we will do with the player is like in the family," he said, adding of Cole's winner: "I must say for me it was a great goal!"

Grant said of his side's first-leg lead: "It's an advantage. Nothing's finished yet but it's an advantage."

West Ham are poised to complete the signing of Manchester City full-back Wayne Bridge and Grant said: "When the deal is done, we will announce it. The deal isn't done."

Opposite number Alex McLeish described Cole's winner as "a little bit of a monstrosity".

He said of England goalkeeper Foster: "He's a big man, he takes it on the chin, he doesn't hide and he apologised to the players.

"He's saved us many times and he'll save us many times in the future."

McLeish was adamant his side should have had a penalty when Matthew Upson appeared to push Barry Ferguson.

"It's a stone-waller - I've seen it about five times.

"It wasn't just an impediment, it was a barge in the back.

"If that's a shoulder charge then I don't know what I'm talking about."

McLeish was confident his side could turn the tie around but they are likely to have to do so without Scott Dann, who was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected torn hamstring.