I hate it when we play on Mondays. First of all it means I can’t go to the match as I don’t finish work until it’s too late and you feel as if you are out of the picture when all the other clubs are playing on Saturday and Sunday. And it also means that it will be 16 days since the last match, which, let me remind you was a famous 3-0 victory over Liverpool!
Even though we have signed four new players since that match I’d be surprised if there were too many changes to the team which won at Anfield. It’s the first time Slaven Bilic will have encountered Steve McClaren since the famous England v Croatia match when McClaren was dubbed the “wally with the brolly”, so no doubt McClaren would love to get one over on the West Ham manager. It’s one of those matches that could give us a real confidence boost or be a bit of a let down. If we win it, we really announce to the world that West Ham are motoring, but if we lose we will be dubbed as inconsistent and a team that can only lift itself for the big games. I wonder what the odds are on losing to Newcastle then beating Manchester City. Same old West Ham…
Anyway, back to the team selection. Andy Carroll is likely to feature on the bench, which should be the strongest bench we have ever selected. It might well look like this…
Spiegel, Collins, Moses, Carroll, Oxford, Antonio, Jelavic
Add Adrian, Jenkinson, Song, Zarate and Valencia into the equation and it’s clear that we now have the strength in depth which has been so lacking in the past. Jenkinson is eligible to play against Newcastle but I feel that Bilic may stick with Tomkins. I haven’t heard if Zarate if back to fitness.
Meanwhile, according to Shoot…
West Ham have reportedly agreed a deal to sign striker Luka Belic on a free transfer. Despite being tipped to play for the Serbia national side in the future, the 19-year-old is currently without a club after letting his contract with OFK Belgrade expire in the summer. The Under-19 international became the youngster ever player in the Serbian top flight when he made his debut as a 16-year-old back in 2012. If the Hammers do seal his signature then he is expected to go straight into their development squad.