This weekend sees the Hammers head to Old Trafford to face a Manchester United side whose performances have been particularly underwhelming as of late. Louis van Gaal’s reign hasn’t quite started in the way many had predicted, with the Dutchman managing just a single win from his opening five Premier League games, and picking up various injuries along the way which will hopefully work in the Hammers’ favour.
West Ham’s impressive 3-1 home victory over a strong Liverpool side last weekend will see the Hammers go into battle at Old Trafford, full of confidence. The apparent new brand of football coming out of the Boleyn Ground this season gives the side even more reason for optimism, alongside the fact that United are without centre backs Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones due to injury. I am sure Hammers fans will once again, be relishing the sight of new striker Diafra Sakho in action following his impressive goal record thus far this campaign – scoring three goals in three starts, including a superb chip last weekend. With the injury crisis Manchester United have in defence, I see no reason why Sam Allardyce cannot set up in the exact same way as he did last week, and attack from the outset.
Despite going through a period of transition at the moment, Manchester United I am sure, will not be and should not be underestimated. The Red Devils have spent excessively over the summer and acquired some outstanding players including the likes of Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria and the prolific Radamel Falcao – Our centre halves, presumably Winston Reid and James Tomkins, will have to be on top form for ninety minutes if we are to stand any chance of quashing United’s superb attacking threat and taking something back to East London.
Hammers fans including myself have some good memories of visits to Old Trafford in recent times: Carlos Tevez’ *all hail* goal to keep us in the Premier League is a personal highlight, whilst Paolo Di Canio’s goal against Fabien Barthez I am sure, will live long in the memory of many supporters. Let’s just hope that this weekend sees the side replicate those performances, and last weekend’s performance and have a real go at Manchester United
Let me know what you guys think – will we be able to capitalise on United’s defensive issues, or will their attacking threat simply prove too strong?
My prediction: Manchester United 2-2 West Ham
Happy with a point all day long…lets see what happens !!
West Ham were denied an on-side equalizer after battling away against a Man Utd team that had closed their ranks. Wesh Ham worked their guts out to get what was rightfully theirs, being a share of the spoils and were cruelly denied by Lee mason and his officials. Keep your eye on Kevin at the exact moment the cross to him is struck, there is no way that he is in front of that ball, at the most he is in line with the last line of defense, he just moved so damned quick, which he needed to, that it may have appeared that he was off-side, but no that was a really well worked equalizer that should have stood and Man Utd deserved to lose their lead after Rooney’s damned right wickedly dangerous tackle on Stewart. That was vicious play from a player that I have never liked, ever since he deliberately trod on an opponent’s testicles in the 2006 world cup when he was also sent off, No, Rooney is one nasty, sadistic, cruel piece of work, from treading on people’s testicles to shouting and swearing down TV camera’s also against West Ham at Upton Park, after he scored a penalty against us, and now with him trying to smash Stewart’s knee cap to pieces, and he tries to carry himself as though butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, only desperate people who are behind in their game make dangerous cruel lunges like that, and for me, the sooner he retires, the better. He’s overrated, never has and never will make it at any world cup tournaments, his offsider RVP has and is there, as for West Ham, there was something missing there in their performance, and the missing ingredient was definitely the lack of Mark Noble & Kouyaté. Mark Noble is like the glue that holds West Ham together. We badly missed his engine room, but even without him and with Stewart having a great game we should have at least had a share of the points. Man Utd started well and did to us what we did to Liverpool last week, and had Enner not been a bit overawed with playing at Old Trafford when he blazed over when all he had to do was stroke it past the keeper straight after Rooney’s opener, then West Ham would have been at 1-1, so even after letting RVP in for a 2nd, when West Ham pulled one back with Sakho, I thought we had a chance, and with Rooney’s sending off, I had absolutely no doubts that we would get something out of that game, but no, it is not always the case against 10 men, they closed ranks and held onto their lead, as we did at Cardiff last year after Andy Carroll was sent off when not only did we hold onto it but extended it to a 2 goals win, but no, after all of the money that Man Utd have spent, if I was a Man Utd fan, I’d be really concerned after spending a record 149 million on players and getting a manager to replace a David Moyes who achieved more wins and given time would have been a really good manager for them, as the overrated spectacular claims for Van Gaal seems he is not the right man for them,as his ideals seem to be on another planet. West Ham comfortably held Di Maria and all of them, and after pulling a goal back, comfortably held Man Utd and in fact could have won the game. I wasn’t to impressed with Sam bringing Nolan on, but even with Kevin on, it almost worked and the on-side goal should have held the once great Man Utd who really are only a mid table team, who any team on their day, in the Premier League, can beat.
Referee Lee Mason is lucky West Ham fans are a decent lot re;
“I said go as far as the 18-yard box for offsides but don’t go any further – if you get an offside wrong, you get it wrong; it is not worth getting a rock on the head for,” added Clark.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29242557
If Nolan’s disallowed goal in the 88th minute had happened in Egypt he’d have had to have run for his life and the game would’ve had to have been abadoned.