Can West Ham Beat Manchester United?

Wednesday night sees West Ham United take on the future Champions of England, Manchester United, at Upton Park, in a rearranged game.  But can Sam Allardyce get his team to produce a similar performance to that of the FA Cup game at Upton Park in January?

 

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Upton Park has got some bad memories for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, and we have certainly had a few thrillers over the years.  Midweek, under the lights at Upton Park are always special games, but especially when one of the ‘big boys’ come to town.

In the recent FA Cup match at Upton Park, we were robbed in the last minute by a world class goal by Robin van Persie after a sublime pass from Ryan Giggs.  We didn’t deserve to lose that game, but we did.  In our league game at Old Trafford, one of the rare away games I have been to in recent years, we were unlucky again, with a deflected goal by that man, RVP again.

So how will we fair in current form?  Well I watched Man U against their rivals, Man City last week and United were terrible.  They couldn’t string two passes together, they didn’t look like themselves going forward, and they rarely threatened Joe Hart in City’s goal.  I think they will go for it against us, to try and wrap up the league title, which could mean an open game at the Boleyn.  I think they will go for Nani and Antonio Valencia on the wings, I think Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez may start, giving the out of form van Persie a rest, although, usually if a striker is out of form, they normally rediscover it against us!

As for West Ham, well, our home performances have been good this season, despite defeats against Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs, we haven’t been outplayed at all.  Even Man City came here and got a tough game.  So Man Utd can expect a test.  However, when you do play a team like Man Utd, you would want a fully fit squad, but with Noble, Reid and Joe Cole either missing or just returning to the bench, it’s a disadvantage already.  But then, you only have to look at the performance against West Brom at home, to see that the players who have come in to replace them have actually done ok.  Collins and Tomkins have formed a good partnership, although Tomkins is doubtful for the game due to an injury picked up against Southampton on Saturday.  Ricardo Vaz Te, has started to look like his old self, but still has a long way to go.  But the player who has surprised me more than most is Gary O’Neil stepping into Noble’s role.  I thought we would miss Nobes more than we have, but O’Neil has been solid in the centre, and actually scored a quality goal in that game against the Baggies.

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So where will the game be won and lost?  My fear is that we will sit back, and try and hold Man U for as long as possible, but with the likes of Rooney, van Persie, Hernandez and Welbeck, they always have enough to break you down eventually.  So the other option is to go for it, and play them at their own game. Chase them down, hassle them, don’t give the likes of Rooney and Welbeck, time to find the pockets of space in between the defence and midfield.   Don’t let Valencia or Nani get their crosses into the box.  But the main thing is to take our chances when they come our way.  Andy Carroll has become a very key man for us in recent weeks.  Since his return from injury, he has found his goalscoring form, meaning results have improved.  I think if Carroll could’ve found this form at the start of the season, and had a clear run of games, he would easily reach double figures for the season.  I imagine Smalling, Evans or Jones will be the two centre backs, as Vidic and Ferdinand are probably not able to complete 3 games in a week.  So I think Fergie will have to risk the rotation to try and keep his team fresh.  Hopefully, the game against Stoke will have them feeling a bit tired and jaded, and an extra days rest will allow us to take advantage.  Imagine securing safety in the Premier League, with a win against the future Champions!  We can but dream…..

COME ON YOU IRONS!!

By Chelmo Hammer

Follow me on Twitter: @ChelmoHammer

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