Some of us may be distracted by the talk of a change of ownership but let’s home this doesn’t have any effect on the team tonight. Not having seen the Birmingham game, it is difficult to be categoric about what has to change – apart from everything! But it is safe to say that it is the midfield which will change tonight, Mark Noble suspended. It was rumoured that Radoslav Kovac was suspended but I have been unable to verify that. Assuming it is only Noble who is out, then Collison will come into replace him. I also suspect that Kieron Dyer will replace the increasingly disappointing Stanislas. Other than that I can’t see what else will change. It is still a mystery to me that Da Costa isn’t in the team, but what do I know?
We do not have a good record at Bolton. Indeed we have never won there in ten attempts. We’ve lost our last four games against Bolton and overall have a 31-22 deficit. But apart from that I am optimistic!
Prediction: 2-0 to the Hammers with Franco and Collison bagging the goals.
I'd love it to be 2-0 to us but my head says it's more likely to be the other way around. Still, law of averages suggests we're due a win up there eventually, so maybe we'll be lucky. Play Diamanti and, please, not Kovac.
id love for us to get a result but i am not very optomistic in all honesty, all this takeover talk has gotten to everyone and i think most of us forgot about the game tonight. Im not fussed what margain we win by as long as we can win, but i see us losing this one. Clean sheet would be nice to give green some confidence. Team for me would be:
Green
Illunga Upson Tomkins Gabbidon
Stanislav Parker Collison Dyer
Diamanti Franco
But lets wait and see as i doubt it will look like that haha.
I am off to the match shortly as my lad is the mascot and will be leading our boys out. I hope your 2 – 0 forecast is right but I am not too optimistic at the moment. Not a happy hunting ground for us but lets hope that changes tonight. COYI
Is he better than Kovac?
Have a great night.
Let's hope it a memorable night for your lad, give him a pat on the head from me for luck and you watch, we will WIN!!!!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Iain Dale, West Ham United FC. West Ham United FC said: West Ham Till I Die >> West Ham v Bolton Preview http://bit.ly/4HTa23 [...]
We have to be bold tonight and attack them whilst killing off their route one philosophy. I would therefore play a 3-5-2 and push our full backs up high to keep the likes of taylor away from getting crosses in. Then 3 centrebacks to cope with the endless high balls in.
Green
Tomkins DaCosta Gabbidon
Faubert Collison Parker Diamanti Ilunga
Franco Dyer
I'd start with Dyer and run his legs off supporting Franco to try and get a lead and then 2nd half when they tire get Franco and Dyer off and get Nouble on with Diamanti playing off him with Kovac on to support Parker. Nouble holds the ball well and we can try to stay out of our half.
Subs are what ever is left
Fancy a nice 1-0 to us
nasher – I've been mooting that formation for a long time on here and was constantly criticised with "nobody plays it". I believe in playing to your own strengths or to combat the opposition. Oddly, our teams are similar (with the exception of Ilunga) but my starting team is your finishing team!
I really like the look of that nasher even though i showed how i would do it, the onlt thing i have against it is that we are shipping a lot of goals lately so with this formation would it mean we could plat 3-5-2 and when bolton are on the attack we can push illunga and faubert back so that we play a 5-3-2 because that to me sounds good. I think we need to start dyer up alongside franco or on the right hand side in midfield, i would have diamanti playing in the whole just behind the front 2 and parker playing just in front of the back line but will push forward. I would also really like to see nouble come on which devo put in his team as he is similar player to cole just not as good yet, i think we must be attacking minded and go their and tear everything out of bolton tonight otherwise if we sit back like we recently have done we will get punished again. Going to be an interesting evening to see how we play. come on you irons!
The full backs would need to drop back when we are defending but I think if we don't push up from the start and get behing their fullbacks we are asking for Bolton to come on to us to much and then we will just be defending crosses into our box all night. And we all know how good we are at that don't we!
"I'd start with Dyer and run his legs ………."
Careful what you wish for, considering our run of bad luck!
I was at the game on Saturday, it was a great day as I was there remembering an very good friend who died recently who was a big BFC fan.
However, I have never seen such a poor game of football in my life. Both teams were terrible, it was hardly Div 1 standard, let alone premiership. It was truly awful.
Stanislas was absent, the entire defense was all over the shop. Even Parker had a poor game. The only time I saw some football was when Dyer came on. He was hungry, and went for it, shame the rest of the team around him didn't have the same appetite.
I have no idea what to suggest, but i have to admit, for the first time I have to question Zola, why does the team not seem to have the desire to try and win?
sorry, rant over
I wished I shared your optimism, Iain, I can't think of a worse place to go with the team playing as they are with all the fight of a toothless rabbit.
This is the team i would play, but it won't be Zolas' and I see us scoring nil, so 0-0 is the best I will hope for.
Green
Gabbidon
Tomkins
Da Costa
Daprela
Faubert
Collison
Parker
Diamanti
Franco
Nouble
Faubert RM with Dyer coming on around the hour mark. Nouble up front to rough up their defenders and to give Guillermo's guile some support. Da Costa in for extra height against Davies and thier long ball.
2-0 at best I'm afraid but possibly more if we concede early.
Agree Devo,but Faubert no thanks,Nouble must start he has a bit of pace,we cant go with just franco that means we have no ball over the top.
With all the negativity around the club, it might just be our night to perform, who knows……
Love the optimism and why not- we have the ability to beat Bolton!
Well I must admit Eddie I have been one of the worse doom mongers on here this week which is strange for me, but that Birmingham result got right under my skin, it was like "we can't even beat bloody Birmingham" what hope is there.
Still throw it over your shoulder and lets keep our fingers crossed.
Good to see you on here, you've been a bit quiet lately.
Cheers Roshi, to be honest mate I tend to steer clear of the blogs et al when we're in a situation like this as the 'doom-mongering' tends to get me even more down or frustrated one of the two! I see positives in every performance so far- whether a Diamanti inch perfect pass, a textbook Scotty Parker slide challenge, the young DaCosta defending like a seasoned veteran of the Prem, Cole looking more and more like a world-class striker BUT we cant seem to gel it all together in the same game/ consistantly!! Im 99% sure we will be safe of relegation by the end of January though! :0) Here's hoping!
Our luck has to change soon so why not tonight. The weather could be a key factor too as it's going to be freezing come kick-off.
A clean sheet has to be priority for me so pack the mid-field.
Green
Gabbidon – Upson – Da Costa – Illunga
Dyer – Parker – Collison -Daimanti – Stanislas
Franco
Give Diamanti a bit of freedom to back-up Franco, but Stan and Dyer MUST track back as cover.
Would be more tahn happy with 0-0 but to be honest I really fancy us to turn them over – just… 0-1 with a Diamanti blockbuster. (even an own goal will do santa)
Please dont play Tomkins, he has cost us so many goals this season!
He definitely has potential and i WAS a big fan but at the moment i wouldnt put him in the first team he just makes too many mistakes!
I dont know what is happening with team selection. Noble finally plays well against Villa and gets dropped, then Da Costa puts a couple of good performances together and gets dropped. But i guess you dont know what happens on the training ground.
I always get nervous when we play Bolton. But i believe we have a team good enough to beat them……COYI
I think think this result will be dependent on which team wears the most gloves, Your right Maidstone it will be cold up there.
Team almost picks itself..
Bolton love a high ball so for me .
………………..Green…………………
Tomkins…DaCosta…Gabbs…..Ilunga(upson)
………………..Parker……………….
Dyer…………Collison…………Diamanti
…………….Franco…Nouble…………..
I would play the Diamond with Diamanti on the left of it.
Gives him the choice to come in field and gives much needed balance.
Lets hope we go for it all guns blazing,but you know we wont, bet its a Negative
formation 4 5 1,Bolton score 20 mins left and then on come the players that should of started.
If I see Kovac I'll cry.
Zolas team will be,,Green, Faubert,Gabbs, tomkins,ilunga,stanislas,kovac,collison,parker,diamanti,…Franco
Chris – ill bet you money Zola lines up likle this:
Green
Spector
Gabbidon
Tomkins
Faubert
Illunga
Kovac
Parker
Collison
Stanislas
Franco
5 man midlfield – 3 central (Collison/parker/kovac) with Stan and Faubert on either wing.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you've got Zola's team spot on there Chris
If I was picking though
Green
Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Illunga
Collison, Parker, Diamanti
Franco, Nouble
(Dyer to come on for Faubert in a free role behind the front two on 55 minutes and switch to 4-3-1-2 – he'll never make half time if we put him on from the start)
Chris your team is exactly the same one I would go with although I might bemoreinclined to have Collison on the left as Diamanti lacks discipline. I think you are close wit his team although he might go back to Spector. Still we can dream
Tonight is a big night for our lads, they must forgot about everything that is going on on the pitch and forget the birmingham result and move forward. What we could do with is a large win something like a 3-0 win would be great but this won will be tight and our record at bolton isn't very good. I would love to see diamnti score an absolute beauty as that will boost his confidence, a clean sheet would help green and our deffence, but i don't care how scrappy the game is is we can win and even if diamnti doesn't score a beauty they all count and we take any kind of goal at the minute, we must go their and attack the game and really show them what we are made off, it is time for our forwards to put some pressure on cole for a change for when he returns, make a bit of competition for him to get back in the team, We must have right attitude and if we go their wanting to win then i fully believe that we will. So come on lads do this for us and yourselves as we have been through a hell of alot on and off the pitch.
Come on you irons!
NOBODY APPEARS TO BE LISTENING – SO ONE MORE TIME FOR THE CHEAP SEATS….
Our histoical record at the Reebok:
Played 10
Won 0
Drawn 2
Lost 8
Lost ALL of the last 7 – scoring 3 and conceding 16
A point will represent a very good result irrelevent of our current league position.
Jolly deep down everyone on this page agrees with you but the hallmark of a Hammers fan is to get more optomistic the closer to kick off we get, we could be playing Braca tonight and by 7pm everyone on here would be fancying us to nick it!
Its the WestHam way, "when all else fails a complete refusal to look facts straight in the face will see us true" in the words of Gen Sir Cecil Hogmanay Melchard!
Plus we have to win there at some point- statistically speaking of course!
Now there are some famous last words Chappers!
If Villa can break a losing run at Old Trafford then there is a small glimmer of hope…………….yeah your right famous last words! Doh!
WhO?? Lol, Celtic – that is a classic
from black adder goes forth…comedy classic!!
For what it's worth, my tesm tonight would be:
Green
Faubert
Da Cost
Upson / Tomkins
Illunga
Diamanti
Collison
Parker
Dyer
Jiminez
Franco
41221 we have nothing to lose and may as well try to score a gaol or two back for the 3 we are bound to concede……..i never look forward to Bolton away at the best of times, nights like tonight are just pure tortur!
Jolly. If West ham line up with kovac and stanislas in the team we might as well not wait for the result- we will lose with a whimper.
As for the team. I agree wholeheartedly with DevoDevo. This is exactly the team I would pick for tonight, considering Noble is out. We already know that Dyer is not going to start as Zola has alluded as much.
We need a bit of legs and muscle..and let's face it, some good aerial abilitiy in there also, and having Da Costa, Tomkins and gabbidon at the back would give us a little insurance.
I happen to think it is about time we tried Faubert on the right midfield as he has the legs to bomb up and down all night and can track back reasonably well…his right back placement this year would have helped this position. Illunga will offer the perfect foil on the opposite side- he likes to get up and down too and provide width. this is the job that these two relish.
I agree wholeheartedly that this is the game for Nouble to start. We are crying out for him to start here. He can also get back and help out in the box for long throws and corners. We all know that bolton score from lots of knock downs so lets just cut these out.
Zola needs to understand also that west ham fans are extremely patient for young players to progress and we will never barrack a player if he is giving his all. If it works it works, if it doesn't then at least we were positive. Give the lad a chance. He will get phenominal support from the fans tonight I'm sure. I think that this boy could be a real bonus for us this season and Im actually not sure that the management quite realize what a talent they have on their hands here.
Height, pace and muscle. we need that tonight.
If we start with this team- that devodevo mentioned earlier im really confident we will have some fun against bolton tonight. Will zola pick it- no probably not. In with spector, kovac and stanislas again no doubt.
green
tomkins da costa gabbidon
Faubert Parker Collison
Diamanti
Franco Nouble
Collison on the left??no balance again andy,nouble and franco need crosses.
And I like your thinking on the 10 men – it really seemed to perk us up on Saturday!!
Would be great if we could play with that attitude with 11 though, might even win a game!!
Some good incisive comments so far. Yes it's going to be a tough night but we HAVE to win, so record, or no record, we've got to try and score plenty.
Like many I'd be surprised if Da Costa doesn't start in central defence, and if he doesn't I would worry that something is up with him that we do not know about.
I wonder whether Parker shouldn't revert back to DM for this match with Collison , Diamanti and Dyer playing up the pitch. I also agree with many that Stanislas should perhaps take a break although I felt for him in the last match as quite a few times he presented himself wide only to be ignored. It's like the team are completely unable to play wide!
Our confidence is shot so it willhave to be a game we play ourselves in to. So if we are even at half time and have played some half decent stuff I think we could run over them in the second half. We must not concede early!!!! I would love to think we will win but predict a 2-2 draw.
Just looking at an old westham vs Bolton program our team 2006….
Carrol
Scaloni…Gabbidon….ferdinand……Konchesky.
Benayoun…Mullins…Reo..joker…Ethrington..
…………..Ashton……Harewood…………..
Intersting, chris. Benayoun and Etherington would be handy now, as would Harewood with Cole out. Let's hope Nouble gets a run out as Andy says, he'll get plenty of support.
As for Deano, all we can do is wonder what might have been with him and Cole together.
shame about Deano,the first thing that strikes me about about this team is the balance down each flank,bet Nouble and franco would of liked this team
Couldn't agree more Chris especially with the height and presence in the box of those two winning headers and knockdowns!! Cor blimey!
Same as that Chris. As soon as I saw that team there, balance was the word that came to mind. Because right now the team Zola's been playing is so topsy turvy it doesn't make sense. Only he knows what he's trying to achieve but none of us seem to see it and it sure isn't very effective! Still here's hoping the boys are fired up for a big effort and a happy coach trip home.
Or him and Tevez or him and Franco – gutting
ChrisChris what date was that game, because I cant find that line up in the 05/06 season or the 06/07 season
was that the drawn FA cup game?
put in behrami at rb, cole in for harewood and upson for ferds and thats an incredible team
and green in goal obviously
the program with shaks hislop om the front
Seem to recall from the carling cup game that we pretty much dominated them before conceding a very late equaliser and capitulating in extra time?
where can we watch the game tonight
come on you irons 2 nil to the irons
Hello guys! How are we all?
We're making this difficult for ourselves tonight!
Pompey are no pushover but we are the better side!
Come on you Irons!