I know this is probably a really stupid thing to say, but I reckon the Newcastle match could well be a defining game. If we win it, expectations are going to be sky high and we’re all going to expect a good season finishing in the top half. And in a week’s time we’ll expect to have nine points on the board and have reached the second round of whatever the League Cup is called nowadays. Football isn’t life that, though, is it? Especially if you’re a West Ham fan who supports a club with no real strikers.
Although we won the same game last year, back in 2011 we were slaughtered 5-0. Even with their injury, suspension and transfer woes, Newcastle are not to be misunderestimated, as George Bush might say. They have some quality players who will have been humiliated after their drubbing at Manchester City in their first game. We also need to bear in mind that last season we were the only club in the Premier League never to win two consecutive games. It would be nice to break that particular hoodoo today.
Newcastle will probably line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Krul; Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon; Sissoko, Anita; Marveaux, Ben Arfa, Gouffran; Cisse. They are missing S Taylor (suspended), Gutierrez (hamstring), Remy (knee), Williamson (knock), Haidara (knock), Alnwick (calf/shin), R Taylor (knee) not to mention Cabaye (Arsenal bound).
The most likely change I can see in our starting eleven is Downing in for Jarvis or Cole, but my suspicion is that Sam Allardyce doesn’t think he is fit enough to last ninety minutes. In theory Rat could come in for O’Brien, but why change a winning team? O’Brien played very well last week.
Last week I correctly predicted a 2-0 Hammers win. Unusually, I was right. Let’s see if lightning can strike twice. This week I’m going for a 2-0 win again, with Maiga to score.