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Dan Coker's Match Preview

Match Preview: Norwich v West Ham

Blast from the past

“You’d better beware, you’d better take care, you’d better watch out, he ain’t got much hair!” – fans of early ‘70s glam rock will recognise (some of) those lyrics from The Sweet’s ‘Blockbuster’, which was number one on the 10th February 1973 when Norwich failed to heed the warning and the follicly-challenged Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson sealed maximum points for the visiting Hammers.

This 1-0 victory at Carrow Road in front of 32,597 was the last time West Ham United won in the league at the home of this weekend’s opponents, Norwich City. The game also saw a debut for midfielder Bertie Lutton who had arrived from Brighton a month earlier. Goalscorer Robson would go on to win the Hammer of the Year award at the end of the season.

Robson’s strike saw Ron Greenwood’s Hammers continue a march which saw them end up 6th in the First Division. Ron Saunders’ Canaries were to finish in 20th place in 1972/73, two points clear of relegation. Liverpool won the First Division title and Sunderland won the FA Cup.

West Ham United: Bobby Ferguson, John McDowell, Tommy Taylor, Bobby Moore, Frank Lampard, Bertie Lutton, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, John Ayris, ‘Pop’ Robson, Clyde Best.

Club Connections

A long list of players have turned out for both West Ham United and Norwich City over the years. Matt Jarvis made his loan move to Norwich from West Ham permanent and so is available while fellow ex-Hammer Gary O’Neil could also be selected. Other players who have appeared for both clubs include:

Goalkeeper: Robert Green.

Defenders: Malky Mackay, Elliott Ward, John McDowell, Kenny Brown, Calum Davenport, Steve Walford.

Midfielders: Luke Chadwick, Henri Lansbury, Scott Parker, David Bentley, Dale Gordon, John Sissons, Jimmy Neighbour, Martin Peters, Graham Paddon, Matthew Rush.

Strikers: Justin Fashanu, David Cross, Keith Robson, Craig Bellamy, Freddie Kearns, John Hartson, Tony Cottee, Ted MacDougall, Alan Taylor, Dean Ashton.

In addition, ex-Hammers Ken Brown, Archie Macauley, John Bond and Chris Hughton have managed Norwich.

This week’s focus though is on a player who is recognised as one of the best left-backs in Norwich City’s history. Mark Bowen was born in Neath, Wales on 7th December 1963 and started his professional career with Tottenham. Former Hammers player, and then-Norwich manager, Ken Brown signed the 23-year-old Bowen for the Canaries in the summer of 1987 for a fee of £90,000. He remained at the club for nine years and was a virtual ever-present. An attacking left-back who made vital interceptions and clearances, he was dubbed ‘Mr Versatile’ by Martin O’Neill in the latter stages of his Canaries career as he played in both full-back positions, sweeper, all positions across midfield and as a forward for club and country. Bowen even played in goal when Bryan Gunn was sent off at Coventry in April 1989.

Bowen spent much of his first season at Norwich playing on the left of midfield but made the left-back spot his own when Tony Spearing left the Canaries to join Leicester in the summer of 1988. He finished the 1989/90 campaign as Norwich’s joint-top league goalscorer and collected the Barry Butler Memorial Trophy that season when the supporters voted him Player of the Year. Bowen’s crowning glory in a yellow shirt was his headed goal in Norwich’s stunning 2-1 UEFA Cup win at the home of Bayern Munich in October 1993.

Whilst with Norwich, Bowen became a regular in the Welsh national team that nearly qualified for the 1994 World Cup – he won 43 caps for his country in total, scoring three goals. Norwich were relegated in 1994/95 and, after criticising his former team-mate and then-manager Gary Megson’s tactics in a local newspaper, Bowen was dropped from the first team when he was just one game short of 400 appearances for the Canaries. Norwich’s financial problems in 1996 saw them release Bowen on a free transfer and, despite interest from Leeds and Coventry, he joined West Ham ahead of the 1996/97 season. Bowen had scored 27 goals in 399 matches in all competitions for the Canaries. In 2002, in a survey to mark the club’s centenary, Norwich fans voted Bowen the club’s best ever left-back and named him in the club’s all-time XI. He is also a member of the Norwich City Hall of Fame. Bowen won 35 of his Welsh caps while at Norwich, meaning that he holds the record for being the club’s most capped international player. He was nicknamed ‘Taff’ because of his Welsh connections and also ‘Albert Tatlock’ after the grumpy old man in Coronation Street, because of his frequent complaining.

Bowen made his debut for the Hammers on the 21st August 1996 in the 1-1 home draw with Coventry. He scored his only goal for the club in a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on the 21st September 1996, stealing in at the back post to give the Hammers the lead with a close-range header just before half-time (video below). His final appearance for West Ham came on the 1st March 1997 in a 1-0 defeat at Leeds – later that month he was on the move to join former Spurs team-mate Ossie Ardiles’ Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse for a reported fee of £1m. Bowen had scored one goal in 20 matches in claret and blue.

Bowen returned to England and spent two years with Charlton before brief spells with Wigan and Reading. Since retiring in 1999, he has worked as assistant to former international team-mate Mark Hughes with Wales, Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and Q.P.R. Bowen, now 52, is currently Hughes’ assistant manager at Stoke.

Referee

Saturday’s referee will be Mike Jones, who will take on his first Hammers appointment of the season. Jones took charge of our 0-0 draw at Q.P.R. last April and, before that, our 2-1 win at West Brom. Jones’ previous two Premier League games officiating West Ham had both come at Old Trafford – the 3-1 defeat in 2013/14 and the 1-0 loss the season before. He is perhaps more infamous for a shocking display during our FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Stoke in 2011, when he allowed both goals for the home side to stand despite blatant infringements on Matthew Upson and Thomas Hitzlsperger respectively. He also awarded the Potters a penalty for a Matthew Etherington dive (which was saved by Rob Green) and astonishingly gave Stoke a free-kick for a tangle which should have seen James Tomkins awarded a penalty.

Possible line-ups

Norwich City should have Graham Dorrans fit after illness but the Canaries will have to do without banned midfielder Alex Tettey. After conceding 16 goals in his last five games, Declan Rudd could lose his place in goal to John Ruddy, who was himself dropped earlier this winter after a drop in form.

West Ham United are again without Carl Jenkinson, James Tomkins, Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho, while Joey O’Brien, Winston Reid and Cheikhou Kouyate join them after picking up injuries against Liverpool in midweek. Sam Byram is almost certain to start at right-back but the recent signing is one yellow card away from a two-match suspension himself after picking up seven bookings at Leeds earlier this season and two in his first couple of appearances with the Hammers.

Possible Norwich City XI: Ruddy; Pinto, Martin, Klose, Brady; Mulumbu, Odjidja-Ofoe, Howson; Redmond, Naismith; Mbokani.

Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Byram, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Song, Noble; Antonio, Payet; Valencia.

Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!

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