With the exceptions of Luis Boa Morte and Dean Ashton (remember him?), Gianfranco Zola has a full squad to choose from for Sunday’s game at home to Arsenal. And with Arsenal having won their last eight games, Mr Zola’s tactics and team selection needs to be spot on.
I’ll come to the proper match preview on Saturday, but I will say now that I understand it is highly likely that Guillermo Franco will make his full debut up front alongside Diamanti and Cole.
What is intriguing is who Zola thinks his his strongest midfield. For the first time this season every single midfielder is fit. Just to remind you, the midfielders in the squad are…
Jack Collison
Mark Noble
Radoslav Kovac
Mark Noble
Kieron Dyer
Junior Stanislas
Scott Parker
Valon Behrami
To those you could add Diamanti and Jimenez in a 4-4-2 formation.
But assuming Zola plays 4-3-3 against Arsenal, who would you pick in a midfield three? Not easy, is it?
For this game I would go with Parker, Collison and Behrami. And yes, I know you will be astonished that I wouldn’t go with Mark Noble, bearing in mind he is one of my favourite players. But even I can see that he is not exactly in a rich vein of form at the moment. Having said that, Zola will no doubt play him on Sunday, he will score the winner and be man of the match!
I think the only way we are going to get anything out of this game is to send them to the hotel Spurs stayed in a couple of seasons back and hope they get food poisoning, or scour the FA rules to see if there is any way our defence could be allowed side arms.
Its a great year for building character within the fan base……so much promise to begin immediately followed by catastrophe after catastrophe (Millwall, financial ruin, injuries, ref calls). Have 9 year old twin girls already hanging off every development….much more fun than all their Scum supporting friends who have no idea what being a real fan is about.
COME ON YOU IRONS…….all the way from NZ
Spector should be given a chance
Lets all shout………………
I agree fully with your formation!
Not so sure on Noble slotting in though! He can pick up the crisp packets after the game
Or maybe if he's lucky, he can drive Dyer to Newham General Hospital after he's played 12 minutes
lol
When playing Arsenal you must always remember that,whilst they are exceptional going forward,there defense is still not exceptional. Despite them bringing in Thomas Vermaelen they are still weak at the back and Gallas will always make a mistake.On sunday I think that it is likely that Carlton Cole will be able to cause allot of problems for there back four.Also Franco will start and hopefully will show the signs of quality that Nani saw in him when we signed him.
In terms of January West Ham will make one major acquisition that being Nicolás Millán from Colo-Colo for 4 million.
If we're playing 3 up front then I'd go Behrami, Parker and Stanislas. With Diamanti, Cole and Franco up front and also Illunga and Faubert as wing backs that's a very attacking 11 and I would agree with others on here we have more chance winning this 4-3 than we do 1-0.
I've been trying to pinpoint what happened last year when we started to turn things around and why we have slipped back again this year to similar form to the early part of Zola's reign. It all points to Behrami to me. Let's hope he has a similar impact to last year and that we are able to hold onto him in January.
Let's play the line-up that all the world's best are now playing 4-2-3-1, with Faubert/Upson/Tomkins/Ilunga on the back line, Parker & Collison as holding midfielders, Behrami, Hines & Jimenez as attackers, and Cole as our centre forward. If Arsenal really have too much possession, then Behrami can drop back as well, and use the speed of Hines & Jimenez on the wings to counter-attack. Remember how vulnerable Arsenal are to counter-attack and how much Vermaelen wants to get forward.
As to the ridiculous attacks on me personally (by site owners, no less!) as a "ringer", I should let you know I am part of the American consortium of businessmen looking to buy. I have been a Hammer supporter for decades, watched Tony Cottee score winning goals at UP against Chelsea, suffered through relegation battles, actual relegation, two play-off finals, 6-0 new year's day defeats to reading, etc. So attack gingerly, please. (But I can take it.)
Given how poor Faubert has been (again, after a brighter start), I do like the concept of Behrami at right back. It does help us get our 11 best on the pitch. But I'm afraid we'll see Mark Noble's name penciled in again tomorrow, for reasons I can't fathom…
I think GZ should start with Hines as we need to take the game to Arsenal and we know that he can get to defences(as against Liverpool). As I strongly believe that Behrami and Collison are comfortably our best midfielders they are always in my team and Parker, Noble, Dyer and co have to improve to reach this level.
Green, Faubert(could be exceptional in my view), Upson, Tomkins,Ilunga,Collison. Behrami,Parker(or Jiminez),Hines, Diamanti, Cole. I would not start with Franco for this game
I agree with you on the midfield 3. Who would you play up top? I’d put Diamanti and Stanislas either side of Cole. Junior has genuine pace and can beat a player and he’s weighed in with a few goals. If we are gonna beat the gooners we need someone to keep Clichy and Sagna from getting forward on the overlap. With Stanislas and Diamanti we have to players with enough threat to keep them busy.
if he is going to go with up front as u said then I agree with you it must be Parker, Collison and Berhami. However I believe he should have Stanislas in the team as is the one most likely to cause problems for the Arsenal defense then I would leave out Collison as we would need the two hardest workers to fight for every area of the midfield and have the greatest bite.
Noble should play as he always raises he.game for big matches.
The Intermerket group are going to show they have the funds to buy West Ham outright but the wizard Andew Bernhardt AKA our non-executive chairman has apparently been hard to get hold of?The invisible man has obviously hanging around with Jimenez!
Lol thanks mate
It's all good that you agree with Gav, no doubt a lot of you will, I just know how I felt when we were relegated last time and it was a lot worse than when we last played the long ball 
Thanks for your input HammersWest
That isn't premier league experience though is it?
Whereas Upson has beein in the prem for years and would rub off on Da Costa very well?
how can you possible justify playing Hines at right mid and Franco up front (debut start against ARSENAL?) and leave Collison out of the squad?
Yes Franco has experience but he needs some time to make the transition to premier league and starting agains the Arse after only two minutes prem action isnt enough im afraid.
Cheers fella. Please don't get me wrong – I definitely don't want to see us play lower tier football. I really don't think we'll be in the mix at the bottom come the end of the season anyway.
chris – you repeatedly decry Zola playing 4-3-3, which I agree with and then select Da Costa (awful at Citeh and concedes another 4 in the reserves against Chelsea! You omit Collison (one of our best players), play Hines right midfield (he's a forward) and Diamanti left midfield (he has no stamina and is also a forward.!! FRanco up front, which GZ may or may not go with but what are you basing your selection of him on?
We don't need a RB against Arsenal – flood the midfield with talented p-layers and play 2 up top. We might just get a result.
If we don't have any width against Arsenal they will murder us. Playing a diamond would mean Faubert and Ilunga must get forward but could also get caught if they do.
For the first time this season we have the four midfielders fit who played during our best performances last season – Behrami, Parker, Noble and Collison – so I would go with that with Cole and Hines up front. 4-4-2 Chris!!!
I quite like the 3-5-2 suggestion but unless Zola has been working on this for a few weeks it would be a dangerous game to play, especially against a team like Arsenal.
3-5-2 would be my choice for this one,with Tomkins Gabbidon and upson behind
Berahmi collison parker diamanti and stanislas, up front Cole and Hines.
Noable,ilunga and noble would be on my bench as other than forced changes they would be the players I would bring on as plan B.