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