West Ham vs Chelsea - Preview

Thank god we're back to normal fixtures after the International break, however it's not a nice fixture to come back to. Last year’s equivalent fixture was possibly one of our best performances of the season. We left Chelsea reeling. If memory serves me correctly Maiga scored. I doubt he will even be on the pitch this afternoon.

 I suspect this will be another strikerless lineup, as Carlton Cole has failed so far to prove he is worth a place in the starting lineup. But how much longer can we really go on for without playing with a striker? At some point I think Sam is going to have to bite the bullet and make a choice and stick with it. The 4-6-0 lineup looked like a masterstroke after the Spurs game, but since then it hasn’t worked at all. Perhaps we are starting to realise that Vaz Te meant more to us than we thought.

Jussi will be looking to prove that he isn’t a Joe Hart, and that his errors against Norwich were a one off. If not, Adrian may well be licking his lips in anticipation. The main selection dilemma is at left back where Rat is out and Joey O’Brien may not be fit. I think therefore that George McCartney may well return to the starting lineup after far too long on the sidelines.

Our boys currently find themselves on their worst run of results since ‘Big Sam’ took over at Upton Park. Two losses and three draws have seen them slump to 16th in the league, outside the relegation zone only on goal difference. While the rise of Ravel Morrison has been well documented it has distracted some from their problems in front of goal. They have scored in just five of their 11 league games so far this season and boast the worst current home form in the league. Yeah, I know, it's not a nice read, sorry.

We all know the talent Chelsea have got especially going forward, I'd  put money on Lampard scoring against us yet again. I also expect to see a  hell of a lot of Oscar, if we are going to get a result we're going to need to keep him quiet among everyone else.

Razvan Rat was injured on international duty and will be a doubt for Saturday’s game. Winston Reid has undergone ankle surgery and will be a long term absentee, but Joey O’Brien and James Collins should be fit.

Fernando Torres will not be ready to face West Ham as he continues to recover from a adductor muscle injury.

I'm sorry to say this but I really can't see anything more than a loss here and my accumulator agrees.
I predict a 3-0 loss, but we can hope of a repeat performance from last year.

COYI

Preview - Norwich vs. West Ham

Another 0-0, and it's beginning to get get quite irritating now, when I tell my friends this they say, 'at least you're not conceding', this makes it all the more annoying for me. If we're not conceding then really, we've got to be winning. On wards to Norwich and I can see a similar game panning out.

Should this happen we could become the first team to draw three Premier League games in a row 0-0 since 2009.

West Ham have conceded only one goal in five Premier League away games this season.

Based on goals conceded, West Ham have the joint-eighth best defence in Europe's top five leagues. I wish I could say this has put us in a really strong league position. We've also only scored 8 and thats just one more than Norwich conceded in 90 awful minutes at Manchester City last week. 

Norwich City expect to have Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass available for Saturday evening's Premier League clash with West Ham following concussion.

Midfielder Nathan Redmond is a doubt because of a hip problem, while record-signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel remains out with a foot injury.

Midfielders Alexander Tettey and Elliott Bennett are both out injured. 

West Ham will be without defender Winston Reid after the New Zealand international suffered an ankle injury in training.

Fellow defender James Collins is available following a hamstring complaint.

The Hammers' forward options remain limited with Andy Carroll and Mladen Petric both still injuired while Matthew Taylor, George McCartney and Alou Diarra are also absent.

This is a game I really expect West Ham to take by the scruff of the neck and grind out a win.

It's my birthday today so I'd love a West Ham win, but as I'm 22 I'll go for a 2-2 draw

COYI

Preview - West Ham vs. Aston Villa

A steady 2-0 win in the League Cup wasn't as easy as paper might suggest, it wasn't a classic performance and we needed a little help, but alas, the quarter finals and another game with Spurs await.

Sam Allardyce’s charges won at Championship leaders Burnley on Tuesday night, thus advancing to the last eight of the Capital One Cup. The Hammers could do with some similar results in the Premier League, as they currently find themselves just a point above the bottom-three. Aston Villa are not much better off, with Paul Lambert’s men unable to score a goal during the month of October.

Th battle will be in the middle of the park and Mohammed Diame and Fabian Delph are likely to be key players in West Ham’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at Upton Park on Saturday.

West Ham have won only one of their four home games in the Premier League this season and have scored only eight goals in their nine games so far, and they will not find it easy against a Villa side that seems to relish playing away from home.

Remarkably, Paul Lambert has won more games away from home than at Villa Park since taking over as manager last summer. The Villans have already won twice on the road this season.

Matthew Taylor and Mladen Petric have been added to the West Ham injury list, while Villa are without Antonio Luna and Joe Bennett, with Gabriel Agbonlahor also likely to miss out.

I predict confidently that we will get a win today, 2-0 

COYI

Preview - Burnley vs. West Ham (League Cup)

As I predicted, it was an even game against Swansea, a draw, no goals, a stalemate. Once again our solid defensive work is making up for our severe lack-luster front line, and now, we've lost Vaz Te as well. Fingers crossed we will have just about enough to take us through another round tonight.

We  avoided the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City in the fourth-round draw but a trip to Turf Moor will not be as easy as paper would suggest. Burnley are currently flying high at the top of the Sky Bet Championship and are yet to lose on their own patch this season.

There’s no doubt about it, Burnley are on a roll and it would come as no surprise to anyone if they turned us over tonight. They beat QPR on Saturday and lead the Championship by five points, which at this stage of the season is quite an achievement.

The man to watch is Danny Ings, West Ham's defense will have to be on top form to keep the young Burnley striker quiet tonight.

West Ham will be without Ricardo Vaz Te after the Portuguese striker suffered a dislocated shoulder at Swansea on Sunday.

He joins Andy Carroll, Alou Diara and James Collins on the sidelines.

Carlton Cole could start in attack for the first time since he re-signed for the Hammers while fringe players Matt Taylor, George McCartney, Leo Chambers and Jack Collison - who has returned from a loan spell at Bournemouth - will also be in contention.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche will hand late fitness tests to midfield duo Scott Arfield and Dean Marney ahead of tonight's Capital One Cup clash.

Marney was taken off in the closing stages of Saturday's 2-0 victory over QPR after sustaining injury, while Arfield missed the clash altogether with a groin problem. Both players will be monitored ahead of kick-off.

Meanwhile, fellow midfielder David Jones picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign on Saturday and will serve a one-match ban while former Hammers man Junior Stanislas is in contention to be brought into the side to face his old club. 

It’s the battle of the claret and blues at Turf Moor.

I predict a 2-1 win taking us into the quarters, but it will come in extra time.

COYI

Preview - Swansea vs. West Ham

After a fantastic result vs Tottenham I was thoroughly hoping for an even better one against Man City; sadly this was not to be. It wasn't a bad performance but it was a true display of how different the class is at the top. It wasn't a bad performance from West Ham but it was far from vintage.

Swansea come into this game on the back of a bitterly disappointing late draw in the Europa League.

Three points will be welcomed by both teams at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday as Swansea take on West Ham, with just five league wins shared between the clubs so far this season. Last week’s 4-0 win over Sunderland was the Swans first home win in the Premier League in nine games. Swans are unbeaten in Europe but is that coming at a cost domestically? West Ham will be hoping that is the case.

West Ham’s high from beating Tottenham impressively did not last as long as Sam Allardyce would have liked. A humbling defeat at home to Manchester City will have brought fans back down to earth, and the game also highlighted their main weakness this season once more. With the club boasting the worst shooting accuracy in the league, 29.6%, posing a goal threat has been a serious issue for the Hammers. The likes of Miaga, Vaz Te and Petric haven’t filled the void of Andy Carroll, and the longer the problem goes on the more it will affect the players, who may start to a look around and question themselves who can score goals for them.

Ashley Williams will be a last minute decision after missing the last five weeks with an ankle problem. Ben Davies also has an ankle injury and will definitely sit out the clash, but Pablo Hernandez may finally be ready to feature after overcoming his hamstring problem.

Allardyce may name an unchanged side for the trip to Wales on Sunday. Carlton Cole is not yet fit enough to play, while Andy Carroll, James Collins, Alou Diarra and George McCartney are still out.

I've gone for a draw in my accumulator and I'll stick with that here. 0-0, 1-1 there wont be many goals in this one.

COYI. 

Preview - West Ham vs. Man City

Who would of predicted an away 3-0 win at White Heart Lane? Certainly not me, who opted for a 3-0 loss in my prediction. Maybe I should predict us to lose more often. A memorable victory, a fantastic result and how about Ravel Morrison's goal.

Manuel Pellegrini will be only too aware of the immediate need to start taking maximum points on the road, if Manchester City are to live up to their title contender tag, and unfortunately for them, Upton Park is becoming a fortress

Coming off the back of an international break and with the crucial midweek Champions League encounter against CSKA Moscow lurking, this fixture poses a tricky selection dilemma for Manuel Pellegrini. Does he try to arrest City’s bleak run of results away from home or will the temptation to rotate prove too strong to ignore?

Man City's obvious threat comes in the shape of Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, both of which might prove to have too much for West Ham to contain. The absence of captain Kompany is a real bonus for West Ham and if we can push and press Lescott then we can cause real trouble.

In the absence of Andy Carroll, home hopes will naturally centre around the bristling talent of Ravel Morrison in the West Ham midfield, and he's sure to have an influence after scoring both for West Ham and England under 21's recently.

West Ham defender James Collins will miss the visit of Manchester City on Saturday evening after suffering an injury on international duty.

The 30-year-old was replaced just before the hour in Wales' 1-1 draw with Belgium in midweek and Hammers boss Sam Allardyce confirmed he has a hamstring injury.

He joins Andy Carroll and Alou Diarra on the sidelines whilst Carlton Cole, who rejoined the club on a short-term deal last week, is not fit enough to be involved.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been ruled out of Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip, while fellow centre-back Martin Demichelis, who is still to make his debut, is also not yet fit.

Midfielder Jack Rodwell is back in contention after a recent spell on the sidelines.

After a great result against Spurs and a City side struggling away I'm going to predict a 1-1 draw.

Kick off is at 17:30 this week.

COYI

Preview - Tottenham vs. West Ham

Last weeks result against lowly Hull is a season low, and it can't get much worse. Again us fans can feel robbed, another bit of bad luck has cost us. A poor referee has stolen any points from us. 

After last week’s disappointing result at Hull City, what better way to pick ourselves up than a London derby with Spurs.

We now have a tough few fixtures ahead of us and I without Carroll we're going to be in real trouble.

If it wasn’t for Gareth Bale’s left foot, we probably would have taken three points from Spurs last season. There we were, wishing that Gareth Bale wasn’t as good as he was and, if all else failed, that he didn’t play for Tottenham.

Well, we got our wish, but at the expense of them spending the £80million Real Madrid paid for him on a group of players that, arguably, make them a lot stronger this time around.

One positive we can touch upon, though, is our shrinking injury list. Stewart Downing and Joe Cole are back fit and raring to go, leaving just Alou Diarra and Andy Carroll as our only remaining long-term absentees.

So what can we expect on Sunday afternoon? It’s certainly going to be a long 90 minutes for us if you go buy the current form of both sides, but you can expect the players to give everything they’ve got. Although, on recent evidence, that probably won’t be much. Don’t get me wrong but, if we can’t score away to Hull City, what chance do we have of scoring away to Spurs.

It is to be hoped that the headlines are driven by what happens on the field, rather than off it where it is to be expected that Tottenham's fans will sing what they want.

Only Olivier Giroud and John Terry have scored against them in 11 games so far. West Ham need a tonic after a poor spell. 

Younes Kaboul will miss out after picking up a knee injury in Spurs’ Europa League win over Anzhi on Thursday night.

Danny Rose, Aaron Lennon and Etienne Capoue are not expected to return until after the international break.

Jermain Defoe’s goal scoring form in the Europa League may go unnoticed, though, with Roberto Soldado expected to get the nod up front.

Each week we have all hoped he would try someone else in place of Modibo Maiga but he has started with him each time. Goals continue to be our problem and, once again, we need to hold our fire until we see or hear the starting line-up. My guess is it will be the same starting XI that played Hull and, if that’s the way it’s going to be, positive predictions are hard to come by.

I'll predict a 3-0 loss, it's not going to be a nice afternoon.

COYI

Preview - Hull Vs West Ham

Another round down after a 3-2 victory over Cardiff has earned us a next round tie against Burnley, we couldn't have got a much better draw there. The win was well earned and showed some good courage to fight back a grab a win after squandering a 2-0 lead after only 8 minutes. 

It was nice to see Ravel on the score sheet again, another eye catching performance from the youngster. And I was happy to see Jarvis get a goal, however sloppy it was. 

Back to the league and what we really need is to bounce back strong after the Everton defeat. Points are slipping away from us again already. Some squad depth is much needed. Last year we ending up not coming away with the right result after leading Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Man Utd. It happened again last Saturday and for me this is down to a lack of squad depth. Throwing Matty Taylor on with 20 minutes to go is not doing us any favors. (Sorry Matt)

After the season started off so brightly, we’re now staring a must-win game square in the face. A trip to Hull wasn’t exactly the type of game we expected to be worrying about so early on in the campaign.

Mark Noble returns to the side after serving his one-game suspension against Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

Stewart Downing has overcome a dead-leg suffered last month against Stoke City and will be in the squad, while Guy Demel also returns after his thigh injury.

Joe Cole is not quite ready for first-team action, while Andy Carroll is out for the long-term.

The news on  Carroll is less definite. Statements like ”He’s improving day by day at the moment but we’re not putting any timescales on this at all until we see how he’s progressed with the specialists in Belgium. He’ll be back with us as soon as possible” do not fill me with much hope to be honest. I just hope to God we do not have another Dean Ashton situation unfolding here. Ravel Morrison is our shining light at the minute; I'm sure you will all agree.

The hosts are without James Chester has been ruled out for eight weeks with a hamstring problem, while captain Robert Koren will also miss out through an ankle problem.

Maynor Figueroa and Paul McShane are expected to return to the side after compassionate leave and a hamstring injury respectively.

It’s going to be a tough ask to get all three points but, if we play the way have done in our last two outings, there’s every chance of securing a very rare win away from Upton Park.

It's going to be a tough day out and a win is vital, I predict it will be a hard earned smash and grab 0-1 victory for the Hammers.

COYI

Preview - West Ham vs. Cardiff (League Cup)

What can be said about Saturdays game? I feel so hard done by, such a cruel loss after being 2-1 up after 80-or-so minutes. two absolute worldie free-kicks from Baines sunk us when in winning positions. The 3rd time a free kick has un-done us already. What are the chances?

The Noble red card really cost and his second booking was daft and cynical. However the first booking was very soft. But that's football!

The positive I take from it is that we're losing to individual brilliance rather than poor play or defending ourselves. The negative is that we seem to lack this quality ourselves.

I'd like to see Petric start tonight, I feel he did really well when he came on and I am running out of patience with Maiga.

West Ham find themselves wearing thin once again. Key midfielders Joe Cole and Stewart Downing have only just returned to training, and therefore find themselves unfit to play in tonight’s Capital One Cup game.

The Hammers will also have to do without central midfielder Mark Noble, after he was awarded a red card at the weekend in the 3-2 loss at home to Everton.

Cardiff boss Malky Mackay is set to make a host of changes to his side with Nicky Maynard, Mark Hudson, Joe Lewis, Don Cowie, Jordan Mutch and Craig Noone all in contention to feature at Upton Park. Mackay could also opt to hand new signing Peter Odemwingie a first start.

In terms of current form, both sides have started the season on level terms, having won one, drawn two and lost one of their first five Premier League matches.

Tonight’s fixture is of the utmost importance for both teams.

West Ham fans will be particularly up for this match after Saturdays cruel loss to Everton.

I really hope West Ham can go on a cup run this year. We already ready know we can beat Cardiff but anything can happen in the cup.

I predict a 2-1 win for West Ham (after extra time)

COYI 

Preview - West Ham vs. Everton

Another bore draw for West Ham, if it wasn't for a moment of brilliance (or fluke) from Pennant, against Stoke, that would be 3 0-0's in a row; defensively brilliant, offensively shambolic.

The trip to Southampton would have been a dull, disappointing one for our travelling fans, but never the less, a draw away to Southampton is a good result in my eyes.

A point was salvaged by an impressive displays from Jussi who kept West Ham in the game, West Hams best chance unfortunately fell to James Collins who blazed his effort over the bar. West Ham may feel a little hard done by, having a goal ruled out that appeared on side and also seeing Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin remain on the pitch after a nasty tackle on Diame.

Maiga looks lost and I feel sorry for him. I don't think his ability should be questioned but hes fighting a losing battle trying to hold the ball up alone. Some fans might not agree with me but I'd like to see Nolan up front, Nolan has a great eye for goal when presented with the chance, is a real handful for defenders both verbally and physically and I think in midfield he can go missing and often slow down play. This would also give freedom to Ravel to take up to role behind the front man.  

Injury is troubling West Ham who are short of attacking options ahead of Saturday's Premier League match at home to Everton.

Andy Carroll (heel) is proving to be a big loss for the misfiring Hammers whilst the game comes too soon for new signing Mladen Petric, who is still striving to improve his fitness. Joe Cole and Stewart Downing are also missing, while Alou Diarra is a long-term absentee

Loan signing Romelu Lukaku is set for his Everton debut at West Ham having been ineligible for last weekend's fixture against parent club Chelsea.

Fellow striker Arouna Kone is also expected to return to the squad after a knee injury along with midfielder Darron Gibson, who has not featured this season because of a knee injury. Midfielder Steven Pienaar  is rated 50-50 but centre-back Antolin Alcaraz is still recovering from a similar problem.

Gareth Barry isn't everyones cup of tea but put in a great performance on Chelsea. Steady rather than spectacular, he does a great anchoring role, West Ham will have to cut him out in order to get the ball in midfield and create chances.

I am not confident here but we look defensively solid and I think Upton Park is a difficult place to come for any team.

I predict a 1-0 win for West Ham

Enjoy the game. And make Upton Park rock all afternoon.

COYI

Preview - Southampton Vs. West Ham

I returned from holiday bitterly disappointed to find that we had  failed to secure the services of any new players of deadline day, leaving us desperately short up front should Carroll become injured. Alas, another foot injury could set him back until 2014. Typical.

On top of that I quickly scanned to weekend results to find that we had recorded a 0-1 loss to Stoke at home. Sigh. Jermaine Pennant's brilliant free-kick eight minutes from time gave Stoke the win against a lacklustre West Ham.

The substitute's curled effort was enough to give Mark Hughes's side their second consecutive Premier League win.

In more positive news, this was our first defeat of the season and the first goal we had conceded in the Premier League. Put it down to a bad day at the office.

More positives; In comes Mladen Petric on a short term deal. Not a bad deal given the circumstances but I fear he will be a few weeks away from match fitness yet. This leaves an unhappy Vaz Te who clearly expressed a desire to leave the club and struggling Maiga who I still prey will turn good.

Hopefully the International break came at the right time and we can come back refreshed as a squad and in good confidence following the 1-0 friendly win against Espanyol.

After what I hear was an appalling home defeat where we were outplayed by Stoke on our own ground, yes Stoke; we have a difficult away trip to Southampton. Difficult but winnable. 

Both clubs were promoted to the top flight two seasons ago and they held their own to retain their Premier League status last campaign. Its hard to believe these two clubs were promoted finishing below Reading.

Both sides endured frustrating afternoons in their last Premier League outings. The Saints also couldn’t find the net at Carrow Road, going down 1-0 to Norwich. Both teams will be after blood this Sunday looking to put things right.

Southampton will welcome back the nations new sweetheart, Rickie Lambert (just wait till Carroll is back). And Lambert will be looking to continue his good luck with another goal this weekend. The Saints have no other injury worries.

West Ham's unwelcome Carroll news leaves them with a potentially long lay-off on their hands - and has the potential to rock an already goal-shy team. The signing of Mladen Petric might help a bit, but injuries to both Joe Cole and Stewart Downing might mean that Ravel Morrison could have a bigger impact on this game.

West Ham struggled for away form last season and all in all it doesn't add up for a fun afternoon, I remain optimistic however and always believe we can nick a result nowadays.

I predict 1-1.

Get behind the team as always everyone.

COYI.

Preview - Newcastle vs West Ham

A comfortable performance saw the Hammers win 2-0 against Cardiff. It was a great opening result for West Ham and a brilliant way to start the new season. Which a great deal more for the disastrous performance I saw Newcastle play on Monday night - as they lost 4-0 in Manchester.

The two clubs face each other on Saturday. I was a little worried about this game before last week and felt that after a difficult season last year; Newcastle might have a much stronger one this season. And yes, I know it is only one week in and they had a very difficult away trip against a Man City side that looked world class and Newcastle fans won’t like me saying this, but their performance was an utter embarrassing shambles.

Defensively they looked awful, particularly Debuchy, who put in a catastrophic performance. The whole team was full of petulant reactions, sloppy passes and an obvious lack of passion for the club; the entire team looked unhappy. Cisse and Ben Arfa, who I would highlight as the danger men looked off the pace and un-interested.

After Monday night’s performance I am pretty confident we could get another good result here.

`West Ham played well, it was a solid and steady performance, but equally, Cardiff were so poor it was an easy game with no real threat that West Ham would do anything other than win. The Bluebirds did not manage a single shot on goal. This was thanks to a fantastic defensive performance as well as a poor attacking display from Cardiff. Winston Reid was solid as ever in centre defence along with James Collins. I was surprised to see Joey O’Brien start over Razvan Rat, but was not disappointed with his ever reliable performance.

The Hammers were without their star striker Andy Carroll, who was missing with a heel problem, but it was Joey Cole, who stole the limelight with his superb early strike. Cole's display will probably earn him another start against Newcastle.

Modibo Maiga is likely to lead the line again, and I think he did a decent job against Cardiff. Maiga held the ball up well at times and did a lot of hard work that won’t be appreciated due to his lack of goal threat. As a West Ham fan, I urge other fans to get behind Maiga.

I would really like to see Morrison feature at some point this week. I was a little bemused to see Vaz Te come on when West Ham were leading comfortably last week, I felt that would have been a perfect time to introduce Ravel. Maybe it was Sam’s way of saying thank you to RVT who could be leaving. A cameo appearance is the least he deserves and if he does, I will be sad to see him go.

Andy Carroll will miss out again, but West Ham could give Downing and Razvan Rat their first starts for the club. Downing looked very sharp when he came on and I am excited to see more from him.

Newcastle will be without Steven Taylor, who is suspended following his straight red against Manchester City as well as having Loic Remy and Jonas Gutierrez missing out due to injury. Yohan Cabaye is also likely to miss out.

The last time the two met at St. James' Park, we saw West Ham run out 1-0 winners thanks to a Kevin Nolan goal. It was a rare away win.

Kick-off this Saturday is a traditional 3pm. 

And I'll go for a safe 1-1.

Enjoy the game!

COYI!

Preview - West Ham vs Cardiff

The most envied league in the world is about to explode into action once again. A sell out crowd is expected at the fortress that we call Upton Park against new boys Cardiff City, and I for one, can not wait.

Everyone is hoping to avoid the big guns on the opening day, and in Cardiff, West Ham got to polar opposite. However the Championship winners are not to be scoffed at and could prove to be a tricky customer at for the Hammers at the Boleyn Ground this Saturday. With a point to prove and some good summer investments, Cardiff City are not to be underestimated.

The Bluebirds are back in the top flight for the first time in half a century and Malky's men are determined to stay. Cardiff have made some solid investments that will add a little premier league quality to their side breaking their own transfer fee record three times in doing so. Steven Caulker coming in at center back will being some real experience even at the young age of 21. As well as Caulker, Gary Medal has came in from Sevilla and will add some real steal to their midfield. Cardiff fans will disappointed that to won't get to see their summer signing striker Andreas Cornelius who will be out with an injury. The big Dane scored an impressive 20 in 44 games last season for F.C. Copenhagen. 

This will be a concern for Cardiff who, although they won The Championship, did not have someone who reached double figures in goals in 46 games. A  big cause for concern. 

Pre season has been a mixed bag for Cardiff who have recorded wins over Athletic Blibao and Chievo but have also lost to Brentford. South Korean winger Kim Bo-Kyung has probably been the most impressive, scoring in three of their friendlies whilst Fraizer Campbell and Peter Whittingham have netted twice. All three will be important outlets for the Welsh club on Saturday. The experienced Craig Bellamy has also impressed and is sure to be a talisman for Cardiff this season. 

As well as Cornelius out with an ankle injury, Cardiff will also be missing suspended defender Andrew Taylor.

Big Sam has spent big this summer and has smashed the clubs transfer fee record by bringing in giant striker Andy Carroll. Along with Carroll, Sam has invested in experienced full back Razvan Rat and Liverpool's Stewart Downing. Unfortunately Andy seems to be carrying an injury which will more than likely keep him out of the opening day fixture. But I've still got my fingers crossed. Rat and Downing should both feature in Saturdays starting XI

West Ham have had an impressive pre-season wins, particularly on their tour of Germany, should see the Hammers in good shape. The Hammers will want to continue on last season's impressive 10th place finish and their equally impressive pre-season.

One player who has particularly stood out pre season is young talent, Ravel Morrison. Fans will be hopeful of him making at least a cameo against Cardiff. Due to Andy Carroll being injured, Modibo Maiga could be used as a solo centre forward. Other key men for West Ham include to ever combative, goal scoring midfielder Kevin Nolan. Nolan will be looking to pick up where he left off on the last day of the 2012/13 season, where he scored a hat trick against relegated Reading.

West Ham conceded the fewest headed goals (four) in the Premier League last year, this was mainly down to some immense defensive displays from Winston Reid and James Collins. The two will be hoping for more of the same and a clean sheet against Cardiff. 

The last time the two met was West Ham's 5-0 aggregate win in the play-off semi finals in 2012. Something that will be very encouraging for West Ham fans.

I predict a 3-1 victory for West Ham.

See you at 3pm, Saturday...

Come on you Irons! 

Looking through the transfer's window.

In many respects football is a world and a law unto itself. There is no better example of this than the corrupt and murky realm that is the transfer window. Football has become a circus of greedy, gluttonous money grabbing agents, players, owners and clubs...

The transfer market is a much scrutinised aspect of the modern game. Every rumoured is discussed ad nauseam by fans on social media, forums, blogs and every where else online.

Transfers of players usually involve complicated and intimate negotiations. More often than not these negotiations are between four parties. The selling club and the buying club as well as the player and usually, his agent.

The Club.

Clubs are often pressured into selling their top stars against their will for a valuation that they do not deem satisfactory. The clubs personal finances are probably the biggest factor in a players transfer. This is especially the case with smaller clubs.

A league 1 club for an example more often than not can not afford to hold out for £1million when an offer has been submitted for 25% less than that valuation. The day-to-day running of the club is more important than that extra £250,000 that may never come.

It is a different matter for those clubs who can afford to say no.

Take for example, Manchester City and Carlos Tevez. When the Argentine forward decided he'd had enough at Man City, he went on strike. Tevez was trying to engineer a move out of the club and refused to play, whilst still collecting his reported £250,000 a week wage. Manchester City opted to see out his contract, which would of left any other club hugely out of pocket. Tevez was recently sold to Italian giant Juventus, probably for a third of the price they asked for 18 months ago.

The Player.

The final decision of a players transfer destination should of course rest with the player himself. Sometimes a player will attempt to engeneer a transfer himself.

Take for example, the ever controversial Luis Suarez. A player who has always been supported by his club through thick and thin. Suarez is now demanding a move away from the club. The Uruguay forward has openly made it clear that he wants to leave, against the wishes of Liverpool FC.

As a fan I find it very hard to deal with when a player actively pushes their way out their employers door because very often, the reason for this is money. Although the player would tell you they 'need a new challenge' or it's for 'personal, family reasons', I find this very difficult to believe.

Sometimes players will have a clause in their contract that will allow them to leave should a Champions League team bid for them, or one that allows them to leave on a free should the team become relegated. This can be a deal breaker for the player.

However some players might not understand contract negotiations entirely, others might not be confident with numbers.

This is when, the agent comes in...

The Agent.

Is he top businessman, a friend and advisor or a greedy money grabber? The line between the three is often one which is very blurred.

The chief role of an agent is to negotiate playing contracts. Very often this will result in the agent generating thousands themselves maybe even millions just for concluding a single deal. It is no wonder then, that agents how no conscience of how damaging their behaviour and actions can be to the club.

There is clearly a role for the agent in modern-day football transfers, but again, it is the actions and the ethics of a select few which seem to cause the most strife. Rumours planted purposefully to generate interest or pressure a club into selling, or offering higher wages, are now commonplace.

There is no doubt football has become money driven. Nearly all controversial issues and conflicts during the transfer window and money orientated.

The next two months will provide many more indications of just how complex the nature of transfers are in world football, with deals dragging on for days or weeks before a successful conclusion.

Has player power gone too far? Who's dictating transfers in the modern game?

In many respects football is a world and a law unto itself. There is no better example of this than the corrupt and murky realm that is the transfer window. This is probably the only industry in the world where millions of pounds are gambled on a single individual. In what other job could you demand you want to leave, go on strike and still walk away with £250,000 a week? This is football, and it's becoming a circus of greedy, gluttonous money grabbing agents, players, owners and clubs...

The transfer market is a much scrutinised aspect of the modern game with deadline day becoming just as eagerly anticipated as some cup finals for many football fans. Every rumoured is thrown for the grapevine and discussed ad nauseam by fans on social media, forums, blogs and every where else online. There's a royal baby on the way, yet my Twitter trends still read, Rooney, Barcelona and Bernard (the Brazilian ace is subject of an anticipated move the Arsenal).

Transfers of players usually involve complicated and intimate negotiations. More often than not these negotiations are between four parties, all of which will be scrabbling for their cut of the deal. The selling club and the buying club as well as the player and usually, his agent. This is a dog eat dog business that would make Lord Alan Sugar wince.

So, who holds the cards in the concluding deal? 

The Club?

Now, you would think that ultimately all the power lies with the selling club wouldn't you? After all, if they don't want to sell, they simply just say no. You would think, that they can simply refuse to sell him if they are not in agreement with any offer made, wouldn't you?

While this is true to an extent, clubs are often pressured into selling their top stars against their will for a valuation that they do not deem satisfactory. The clubs personal finances is probably the biggest factor in a players transfer. This is especially the case with smaller clubs.

A league 1 club for an example more often than not can not afford to hold out for £1million when an offer has been submitted for 25% less than that valuation. The day-to-day running of the club is more important than that extra £250,000 that may never come. This is where selling clubs will attempt to negotiate clauses regarding sell-on fees and appearances for example. A sell-on fee will help the club to obtain a percentage windfall at an unspecified date, should said player move on again.

It is a different matter for those who can afford to say no.

Take for example, Manchester City and Carlos Tevez. When the Argentine forward decided he'd had enough at Man City one day, he refused to come on as a sub and eventually went on strike. Tevez was trying to engineer a move out of the club and refused to play, whilst still collecting his reported £250,000 a week wage. As no club would go near the volatile striker, Manchester City opted to see out his contract, which would of left any other club hugely out of pocket. Tevez had no other choice but to stay at the club and eventually went on to help them lift the 2011/12 title. Tevez was recently sold to Italian giant Juventus, probably for a third of the price they asked for 18 months ago. The appalling behaviour of Carlos Tevez towards his employer leads me to my next point...

Those of you who follow football will know all about who is dominating recent football headlines. I'm talking of course about a bloke called Wayne Rooney and a little club named Manchester United. 

Manager David Moyes faces the biggest challenge of his Manchester United career and season hasn't even started yet. 'No individual player is bigger than Manchester United' the boss claims, well it appears Wayne Rooney is, Mr Moyes.  

This is where the player has the power...

Rooney, 27, is seemingly pulling the Premier League champions strings, they say 'he's not for sale', he says, 'I'm unhappy and angry, I want to leave', and thus, the speculation and bidding wars across the country commence. Now that's power.

This is where I am massively disappointed with football. Although I will defend the game to the bitter end, this is an issue I really struggle with. Players holding clubs to ransom I find enormously un-professional and saddening.

The final decision of a players transfer destination should of course rest with the player himself. However, a player should not dictate when a transfer happens. Attempting to force your way out of a club that has supported your livelihood, I find hugely disrespectful. Take for example, the ever controversial Luis Suarez.

What an appalling lack of respect shown by the Liverpool player. A player who has been supported, sometimes wrongly, by his club through thick and thin is now demanding a move away from the club he deems lower than himself. A shameful lack of respect. Luis Suarez is an exceptional talent, but I refuse to believe that Liverpool fans are ashamed of some of his actions. The Uruguay forward has repeatedly made it clear that he wants to leave - stating that he needs to escape the English press that are damaging his and his families life. My heart bleeds for you Luis. It would of course had it not been for his sudden charge of heart as he attempts to engineer a move to Arsenal. The countries capital; a press hot-spot to say the least.

Suarez and Rooney are both on astronomical wages and are both openly saying they want to leave. If this was any other job, they would have probably told where to go.

As a fan I find it very hard to deal with when a player actively pushes their way out their employers door. Very often, the reason for this is money. Although the player would have you believe they 'need a new challenge' or it's for 'personal, family reasons', I find this very difficult to believe.

Some players will have a clause in their contract that maybe allows them to leave should a Champions League team bid for them, or one that allows them to leave on a free should the team become relegated. This is sometime a deal breaker for the player. However it is not always the players themselves that put these demands directly on the club.

Some players might not understand contract negotiations entirely, other might not be confident with numbers.

This is when, the agent comes in...

The agent. A top businessman? A friend and advisor? A greedy money grabber? The line between the three is often one which is very blurred. Ask any top flight footballer and I'm sure he will agree.

The chief role of an agent is to negotiate playing contracts, some however go above and beyond, obtaining commercial sponsorships, buying property, and suggesting what a player should do next in his career. The power of an agent is one that can become very scary.

Some agents are better known than others, some a well known to be very shrewd in the financial market. Open a newspapers football gossip column and you will find the name Jorge Mendes at some point in the transfer window, whilst Israeli Pini Zahavi is probably a more recognisable name in the papers than half the Israel national playing squad. 

Players will often seek new agents, who will help to represent said player and ensure they conclude a deal to a new club. Very often this will result in the agent generating thousands themselves maybe even millions just for concluding a single deal. It is no wonder then, that agents how no conscience of how damaging his behaviour along with the actions of the player and the deal itself could be to the club.

A proposed idea has been that an agent should represent an entire clubs playing staff, thus resulting in equal treatment. This is an ide that would help to banish players holding their parent clubs to ransom, as the agent wants to represent the club in the most positive way. It is an idea, however, that is likely to be rejected by both agents and player. I would think the reasons for this would again be money driven.

A player, even if he likes a club, wants to feel that he is getting paid his true worth and trusts his agent to negotiate on his behalf. Having an employee of the club tell the player what he is worth is probably not going to appeal quite as much.

There is clearly a role for the agent in modern-day football transfers, but again, it is the actions and the ethics of a select few which seem to cause the most strife. Rumours planted purposefully to generate interest or pressure a club into selling, or offering higher wages, are now commonplace, though no more agreeable.

There is a firm grasp of control over player transfers. It is not the grasp of a player, and agent or a club however. It is the firm grasp of the modern world, money. Nearly all controversial issues and conflicts during the transfer window and money orientated.

The next two months will provide many more indications of just how complex the nature of transfers are in world football, with deals dragging on for days or weeks before a successful conclusion.

For supporters, the only thing that matters is the squad lists at the end of the window. For clubs, players and agents alike, an awful lot of telephone calls, meetings and skilled negotiations have to go into each deal just to make a move happen.

It's a balancing act, one which shifts on a window-to-window basis with each potential transfer, and one which isn't going away anytime soon.

Uncovering Fantasy Footballs new Michu! - All my tips for a great Fantasy season.

The new Premier League season is just around the corner and thus, the dawning on Fantasy Football is upon us once more. So, once again, the annual selection headache begins. With all those players to pick from, I feel like Vicente Del Bosque already...

Whats the secret ingredient in the formula that will make up the winning fantasy Football? Modibo Maiga. Okay, that's not true, in fact he epitomises everything that was wrong with my team last year.
Weeks of painstakingly tinkering with my team, proved to be a thankless exercise as I tried to uncover that unique player.

Every season without fail produces a surprise package, be that in the form of an individual or an entire team. It's merely a guessing game at this stage of the season. 

Last year saw almost entirely every fantasy football manager scrabbling back to the drawing board in order to squeeze Swansea City's new and Spanish sensation Michu into their fantasy teams. After netting a neat brace on his debut in the opening game of the season, Michu quickly found himself as the most popular transferred in player after game week 1. This was much to the amusement of those of you who already had him from the offset. They were the lucky ones. Essentially that's what you need in this game...

Another one we all missed a trick on was Christian Benteke. Relatively unknown Belgium International Benteke was a summer steal form Genk and slipped under the radar of every Premier League and Fantasy League manager in the country, eventually grabbing a hugely impressive 19 goals in his debut season. A few weeks later and just about every fantasy team in the country featured Benteke or Michu along side Robin Van Persie or Liverpool's Luis Suarez. In some cases a combination of 3 out of the 4. Strikers will grab you a majority of your points so pick them wisely...

The question is, who do we take that early gamble on? How many of you took a backfiring gamble of Fulham's Mladen Petric after he, just like Michu grabbed an impressive double on his debut? Own up those of you that took a disappointing risk in Manchester City's Javi Garcia. Who could blame after the £16m summer signing was another who found the net on his debut.

Everyone on Fantasy Football knows that Robin Van Persie, Juan Mata and Gareth Bale are going to earn you top points. And that is exactly the trouble, every knows it. The best way to earn yourself those extra points that will take you to the top, is to find that something no one else has. Find a Michu, find a Benteke, take that gamble on the new Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla. We all want to know who it is going to be this year? We're going to help you, with a guide to the new signings and a successful fantasy football season...

First of all, take a gamble. But an educated one. Every year I'll look at the player selection % and find that someone somewhere is that 0.01% of managers that have selected Manchester United's Federico Macheda or Chelsea's Lucas Piazon. This is not what I mean by take a gamble. Take an educated guess at who you think may have a good season that might be under the radar. Look at the likes of Norwich's Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, Aston Villa Jores Okore or a more expensive alternative in Man City's Fernandinho.

Secondly, you don't need to be afraid to look at players that have come into the Premier League via a promotion. Picking promoted players wisely can sometimes earn you double the points for half the price. But be warned, you don't want another Pavel Pogrebnyak on your hands.

Anyone who selected the likes of West Ham's Jussi Jaaskelainen in goal or Winston Reid as part of their defence will tell you what a valuable asset they were, for a bargain price. Similarly, anyone who opted for Southampton's Rickie Lambert can tell you about the impact he made on a budget price.

My selection tips from the promoted teams this year, would firstly be Hull's new loan signing Danny Graham, who enjoyed a successful debut campaign when playing for a newly promoted Swansea. The Sunderland striker failed to capture his previous form after his move from Swansea in January but I expect him to be leading the line for The Tigers this year. Another Hull City player to keep an eye on could be Robert Koren who finished as Hulls top scorer last term, with 9 goals from midfield and is also Hulls' designated penalty taker. 

From Welsh new boys Cradiff take a good look at another penalty taker Peter Whittingham along with defender Mark Hudson, striker Fraiser Campbell and summer signing Andreas Cornelius who are sure to be Cardiffs highest point scorers this season. 

Crystal Palace appear to be the weakest of teams arriving via the play-offs. The same could of been said of West Ham who achieved a very respectable 10th place finish. The Eagles have some good talent on offer, not least in Midfielder Yannick Bolasie who was often over shadowed by Wilifried Zaha. Bolasie has a good eye for goal and like Zaha possesses a great ability to run at defenders with a great array of skills. Glenn Murray might be an injury concern early on but will be sure to find the net for Palace as often as he can, Murray netted a really impressive 30 goals in the Championship last year as should continue to score this season. My last tip from Palace is goalkeeper Julian Speroni, Speroni has bags of experience and is a top goalkeeper, I expect him to have a similar season to West Ham's Jussi Jaaskelainen did last year grabbing some clean sheets and bonus points along the way.    

Defenders, I find, are the most difficult of the selection process to choose. Everybody wants to blow money on Robin Van Persie and Gareth Bale but nobody feels comfortable blowing all their money on the back 4. Defenders can be equally as important and a good selection will enable you to have a well balanced team that will score well every week. Jan Vertonghen came to the Premier League last year and was consistently a top performer who also chipped in with the occasional goals. New Defenders to watch this year are the likes of Aston Villa new boys Antonio Luna and Jores Okore, one is a former Seville full-back and the other, a man who turned down a January transfer to Chelsea respectively Experienced Romanian international Razvan Rat and Stoke City's Dutch international Erik Pierters are other to watch, both of which have lightning pace at full-back. Neither are likely to grab many goals but both will provide a lot of assists for teams that both kept a decent amount of cleans sheets last year.

Midfielders are where you can really earn your points. The right choice of midfielder will grab you goals, assists and clean sheets regularly. My bargain tips are Norwich City's Leroy Fer and Southampton's Victor Wanyama. Fer and Wanyama have previously been chased by top Premier League teams such as Everton and Manchester United respectively. Both have been important players for their previous clubs and also a good eye for goal as well as defensive duties. Norwich and Southampton have grabbed themselves a fantastic asset to the team in these two, will you do the same?

Last season Michu and Benteke proved to be the steals of the season, both in Fantasy Football and in the Premier League. Both strikers were relatively unknown and had fantastic seasons. This year, we have a few new boy's leading the line. Those of you looking for a bargain need look no further than Norwich City's Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, Cardiff's Andreas Cornelius, Aston Villa's Nicklas Helenius and my personal tip in Swansea City's Wilfried Bony . All of which will almost certainly be leading the line for their clubs. All of which will be great additions to your fantasy team. The big name strikers that have came in this year are both playing their trade for the blue half of Manchester, Stevan Jovetic has come in from Fiorentina and boasts great aerial presence along with plenty of goals in his locker. The other new boy in blue in Alvaro Negredo, we'll get to him later...

We know Lambert can pluck a great striker from the depths, that much is obvious from last season. His ability to get the best out of a striker was something that shone in abundance when he got 15 Premier League goals out of Grant Holt during his time as Norwich manager. Those of you who have been following any pre season fixtures will know that Helenius has been in a good vain of goal scoring form, taking only 6 minutes to find the net in his first game, with a very clinical header. This was not the only contribution the Danish striker made. Helenius looked threatening and almost grabbed a second in his debut game. Helenius went on the score in Aston Villas next fixture also. Helenius had a impressive goals to games ratio for his previous club netting 40 goals in just over 100 games. At 6ft 5 the strikers main attribute in his brilliant aerial prowess. The big Dane is my tip to perform well and could be one to watch...

A quick warning though. Pre season is not always something to pin your hopes on, last year it made Mauro Boselli look like a world beater, needless to say, pre season form should be taken with a pinch of salt. Remember my trouble with Maiga. Sigh.

Both Van Wolfswinkel and Bony would also be options to consider. But again are risks. Van Wolfswinkel signed for Norwich way before the transfer window opened and you know what they say, the early bird catches the worm, or in this case, a prolific striker. One thing to be said about the Holland international is that he scores in bursts, maybe wait for him to break his duct before drafting him into your Fantasy team.

With Bony, all looks great on paper, this is a man that scored 37 times in 36 games last season with all the attributes of a top striker. Bony is strong and physical as well as quick, great in the air and a composed finisher, playing along side Michu will give Swansea another dimension which should to goal a plenty. What you do need to consider however, is that this is the same league that Afonso Alves scored 45 goals in 39 games. A few of you probably wont even remember him during his time at Middlesbrough. My point exactly. Bony will either be another Alves or he could be as successful as former Eredivisie players such as Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Luis Suarez. That's really something for you to sink your teeth into...

There will also be a familiar face to mull over this season. The much traveled journey man of football, Nicholas Anelka has signed for West Brom and the sulky Frenchman is sure to have some life left in him. At £5.5m he could prove to be a great investment, especially as the Baggies will be without Romalu Lakaku this year, who has returned to parent club Chelsea.

An influx of Spanish players into the Premier League has given us the likes of Juan Mata, David Silva and Santi Cazorla as well as Fernando Torres (I've still not given up on him), and this year we've been given a few more. Manchester City have added both Seville hotshots Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo and will be hoping that the two take to the English flight just as well as their compatriots. Not only have Navas and Negredo joined us but Liverpool have also added Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto to their squads. Whilst Alberto is only young is likely to be a bit part player, look out for Aspas in the opening weeks, the Spaniard could prove to be a wise investment during Luis Suarez's suspension. 

Pick your captains wisely. Choosing the right captain is as important as ever from the beginning. Those who handed their armband to Hazard in Gameweek 1 last season reaped in 42 points, which immediately catapulted them up the rankings. spend you budget correctly, take the occasional gamble and you're looking at a winning formula.


My final tip is to always make sure you check the upcoming fixtures. Robin Van Persie is more than likely going to score you less points if Man Utd are playing Chelsea, Manchester city and Arsenal on the trot, so plan around the fixture list. Tottenham and Chelsea players for the opening game should score you maximum points.

All that is left to do is manage your team for 90 minutes on 38 occasions. Keep on top of your team, stay focused and you could be a winner. Good luck...