[Archived] West Ham United (away - 7th May)

[BuckyRover]

Ah right, so the age old logical way of debating by using factual examples to support your opinion isn't correct is it not? TGM's post was about as solid an argument as you can get in defence of Allardyce. And the response? "Uhhh no, he didn't give him a 2.5 year one because everyone does that, he gave it him cause he was small." Words fail me on how pathetic a counter-argument that is, but according to you its great stuff

Pardon?

Great stuff that he gave an opinion without berating anybody. In the post directly below I said I disagreed with him. Difficult to understand?

I remember how awful this place is now.

[bennyboyt11]

Although Parker is integral to West Ham, I fear even without him we'll need a LOT of resilience to stop their attacking options. Obinna/Ba/Keane/Piquionne/Cole are all enough to give us a scare.

[yeti-dog]

Ah right, so the age old logical way of debating by using factual examples to support your opinion isn't correct is it not? TGM's post was about as solid an argument as you can get in defence of Allardyce. And the response? "Uhhh no, he didn't give him a 2.5 year one because everyone does that, he gave it him cause he was small." Words fail me on how pathetic a counter-argument that is, but according to you its great stuff

I think TGM is big enough and ugly enough to not need you as a fawning acolyte.

[Guest roverspogges]

Kevin Keegan game for me. I hate west ham and would love it if we beat them. Love it.

[elwaxo]

Great preview BRB.

My prediction:

West Ham United 2. [byrne 2] - Blackburn Rovers 8. [Pickering 3, McEvoy 3, Ferguson, Douglas]

Attendance: 20,500

a double hat-trick would do nicely

[RIML]

David Dunn, Junior Hoilett and Michel Salgado could have recovered from injury to face West Ham.

[otto man]

Mercerman, I couldn't give a monkeys if Upson and Parker do play, if they don't and we win people like you use it as an excuse to belittle the result anyway.

Finally bagging a win could be considered a turning point, in fact I'm sure you will suggest that WHU have turned a corner if they beat us at the weekend, but of course as it's rovers who won none of us should get excited and hope we might get another against the mighty hammers.

I wonder what drivel you will come out with if we win at the weekend.......

Well said!

[danielwhite813]

We have sold out. Should be a good atmosphere. COYB

[Riversider]

We can't afford to carry David Dunn in this one.

[robbo_rovers]

My team, depending on injuries obviously:

GK: Robbo

RB: Emerton

LB: Givet

CB: Samba

CB: Jones

RM: Hoilett

LM: Olsson

CM: Jones

CM: N'Zonzi

ST: Kalinic

ST: Roberts

Subs: Bunn, Hanley, Salgado, Pedersen, Dunn, Santa Cruz, Diouf.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

My team, depending on injuries obviously:

GK: Robbo

RB: Emerton

LB: Givet

CB: Samba

CB: Jones

RM: Hoilett

LM: Olsson

CM: Jones

CM: N'Zonzi

ST: Kalinic

ST: Roberts

Subs: Bunn, Hanley, Salgado, Pedersen, Dunn, Santa Cruz, Diouf.

Personally would play a fluid 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 with Hoilett and Olsson given full license to push forward. For balance would add MGP to midfield and drop Kalanic. The it is one from Roberts/Santa or Benjani - all have their negatives - only positive for Santa would be his ability to bring other players into the game.

[Ozz]

We have indeed sold out 1800 odd tickets gone, well done boys and girls. £35 a go I think, plus a ball ache of a journey, bogey ground credit to Rovers fans there. Hope you all get behind the team.

[Gav]

We have indeed sold out 1800 odd tickets gone, well done boys and girls. £35 a go I think, plus a ball ache of a journey, bogey ground credit to Rovers fans there. Hope you all get behind the team.

Couldn't agree more Oz, got effort lads and lasses

[DE.]

My team, depending on injuries obviously:

GK: Robbo

RB: Emerton

LB: Givet

CB: Samba

CB: Jones

RM: Hoilett

LM: Olsson

CM: Jones

CM: N'Zonzi

ST: Kalinic

ST: Roberts

Subs: Bunn, Hanley, Salgado, Pedersen, Dunn, Santa Cruz, Diouf.

I'd go with that, except I wouldn't start Roberts. The only way he's able to make an impact these days is as a sub. I'd play either Benjani or RSC up front with Kalinic. Either that or take out a striker and stick Pedersen or Dunn in CM with JJ and N'Zonzi playing behind him and RSC playing the lone-striker role up front (I know he's been awful lately but he's the only striker we have who could really play that role effectively, and he's gotta score at least one before he buggers off, doesn't he?!)

[tashor]

the blind beggar ??

Used to go there loads........great salt beef sarnies

Sat in the "inner sanctum" in the mid 80's - six of us - music far too loud....

Irish lass with us turned the volume down with a knob on the wall...

Four guys in their late 50's sat in the corner wearing black trench coats - glaring at us one stands up, walks over, and turns the music up to maximum...

Irish lass stands up and reaches for the knob - we pull her back down and calm her down - she may have relatives high up in the Republican movement back home but we know who are the bosses here............

She is now London's chief nurse ........... ( I'm not even going to talk about The artichoke ............)

[Gav]

Used to go there loads........great salt beef sarnies

Sat in the "inner sanctum" in the mid 80's - six of us - music far too loud....

Irish lass with us turned the volume down with a knob on the wall...

Four guys in their late 50's sat in the corner wearing black trench coats - glaring at us one stands up, walks over, and turns the music up to maximum...

Irish lass stands up and reaches for the knob - we pull her back down and calm her down - she may have relatives high up in the Republican movement back home but we know who are the bosses here............

She is now London's chief nurse ........... ( I'm not even going to talk about The artichoke ............)

Great story Tash as always, but I hope you disowned her after the crush wore off

[Steve Moss]

My team, depending on injuries obviously:

GK: Robbo

RB: Emerton

LB: Givet

CB: Samba

CB: Jones

RM: Hoilett

LM: Olsson

CM: Jones

CM: N'Zonzi

ST: Kalinic

ST: Roberts

Subs: Bunn, Hanley, Salgado, Pedersen, Dunn, Santa Cruz, Diouf.

Normally I would approve of this line up but I think WHam will be desperate. That means a lot of fouls and free kicks. Assuming MGP has his head straight, will play both defense and offense, and doesn't decide to jog about the field, in other words if he replicates his performance of last week, I would take a chance on him. We'll have plenty of chances to score, supposing his head is in the right place.

So take Roberts off, and play 4-4-1-1 with Kalinic up front and MGP behind him.

[brian nelsen]

Normally I would approve of this line up but I think WHam will be desperate. That means a lot of fouls and free kicks. Assuming MGP has his head straight, will play both defense and offense, and doesn't decide to jog about the field, in other words if he replicates his performance of last week, I would take a chance on him. We'll have plenty of chances to score, supposing his head is in the right place.

So take Roberts off, and play 4-4-1-1 with Kalinic up front and MGP behind him.

Yes, agree with you there Steve. Both Peds and Niko showed quality when they came on last weekend. Hopefully Salgado will be fit though. The guy is immense. I'd want him on the pitch, even if he had no legs.

[Tom]

May as well play with ten men as have Niko up top alone he's too weak to be a lone striker.

If we are playing one up top benjani is the best choice at the moment for me

[philipl]

Whammers prepare for relegation

Any tickets still available?

[my_name_is_Earl]

I'd go 4-5-1 for this game. West Ham will be nervous and will seek to dominate the midfield as there best way of creating chances, therefore put the extra body in there and snuff it out. On the wings, I'd play Hoillet and Olsson and basically, their pace will almost make it a 3-pronged attack on the counter. I'd put Benjani up front as well because he's our best player at holding up the ball.

The key to this game is draining West Ham's will at all costs. They will be well up for this in the first twenty minutes, so if we can really crowd them out and dictate possession, we have a great chance of coming away with all three points. My team, therefore, would be:

Robinson

Salgado----Samba----Jones----Givet

Hoillet---J.Jones---Emerton---Nzonzi---Olsson

Benjani

[cesus]

I would a crazy as it sounds back Roberts and Benjani again if we have Hoilett fit. We can pretty much write off a striker scoring again this season so we may aswell us the physical side of these like against Bolton to tie up the centre backs and allow the pacey wingers to target the full backs. Kalanic as a sub to hurt a tiring defence.

I would a crazy as it sounds back Roberts and Benjani again if we have Hoilett fit. We can pretty much write off a striker scoring again this season so we may aswell use the physical side of these like against Bolton to tie up the centre backs and allow the pacey wingers to target the full backs. Kalanic as a sub to hurt a tiring defence.

[PAFELL]

Whammers prepare for relegation

Any tickets still available?

Sold out last I heard

[Ricky]

A draw down there would be a very very good result with our previous record. It would also retain the gap between us and west ham and reduce the games left.

However if we go there looking for a draw we'll come unstuck and end up conceding a silly goal. We need to go there with fire in our belly and get at them early on. Their home support will soon turn on them if they go 1-0 down, we need to capitalise on that and use it to spur us on.

[my_name_is_Earl]

Does anybody else get a strange feeling regarding West Ham at the moment? Usually, in this situation, the whole club would unite and give it one last throw of the dice yet all week we have heard stories of the fans hating the board, the board hating the players for not putting the effort in, the fans hating the players for feigning injury and bottling the situation, etc, etc. For me, it provides us with a great chance of wrapping up the points against a team completely in disarray and we have to take advantage of that.....or......is it the greatest soap opera ever and behind the scenes West Ham are focused and united on getting all three points?