Blast from the past
In today’s preview, we travel back to 21st August 2016; Major Lazer’s ‘Cold Water’ featuring Justin Bieber and MO topped the charts, Finding Dory topped the UK box office and Team GB finished competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, finishing second in the medal table with 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronze medals, their best Olympic result in over a century.
Slaven Bilic’s Hammers ran out 1-0 winners against Bournemouth in the first Premier League encounter at London Stadium in front of a club record 56,977. Cherries goalkeeper Artur Boruc saved well from Enner Valencia in the first half, while Adrian denied Joshua King. Bournemouth’s Harry Arter was sent off for a second bookable offence after 77 minutes, his first yellow card for dissent towards the assistant referee and second for dragging back Cheikhou Kouyate – eight minutes later, Michail Antonio rose highest at the back post to head in Gokhan Tore’s left-wing cross to score the Hammers’ first goal at their new stadium and claim all three points.
The Hammers would end the 2016/17 campaign in 11th place in the Premier League, one point and two places below Bournemouth. Chelsea won the title and Arsenal won the FA Cup. Antonio was voted Hammer of the Year and ended the campaign as the club’s leading scorer with nine goals from 37 appearances.
West Ham United: Adrian, Sam Byram, James Collins, Winston Reid, Arthur Masuaku, Cheikhou Kouyate, Havard Nordtveit (Ashley Fletcher), Michail Antonio, Mark Noble, Gokhan Tore (Pedro Obiang), Enner Valencia (Jonathan Calleri).
Bournemouth: Artur Boruc, Adam Smith, Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels, Jordon Ibe (Nathan Ake), Harry Arter, Andrew Surman, Ryan Fraser (Dan Gosling), Josh King, Callum Wilson (Lewis Grabban).
Club Connections
A decent number of players have turned out for both West Ham United and Bournemouth. Ex-Bournemouth loanee Jack Wilshere is now at West Ham. Jermain Defoe and Hammers Academy product Junior Stanislas are currently on Bournemouth’s books while Carl Fletcher played for both clubs and is currently youth team manager with the Cherries. Other players to have appeared for both clubs include:
Goalkeepers: David James, Stephen Henderson and Marek Stech.
Defenders: Everald La Ronde, Bill Kitchener, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Brignull, Reg Parker, Keith Rowland, Elliott Ward, Bobby Howe and Horace Glover.
Midfielders: Keith Miller, Ian Bishop, Trevor Hartley, Bobby Barnes, Tommy Southren, Jimmy Neighbour, Emmanuel Omoyinmi, Tony Scott, Anthony Edgar, Scott Mean, Matty Holmes, Dale Gordon, Jack Collison and Patsy Holland.
Strikers: Nicky Morgan, John Arnott, Mark Watson, Zavon Hines, Steve Jones and Ted MacDougall.
Harry Redknapp played for and managed both clubs. Former Hammers player John Bond went on to manage Bournemouth, while Jimmy Quinn played for both clubs and also managed the Cherries.
Today’s preview focuses on a midfielder who experienced limited playing time at West Ham United in between spells with Bournemouth. Paul Mitchell was born in Bournemouth on 20th October 1971. A pupil at the England School of Excellence at Lilleshall with plenty of England Youth caps to his name, Mitchell could play at right-back or in midfield. He made 16 appearances for Bournemouth between 1990 and 1993; he was given his debut by Harry Redknapp, but had undergone five operations by the time he was 20 – injuries were to play a significant part in Mitchell’s career.
After a difference of opinion with Tony Pulis, Redknapp’s replacement at Bournemouth, Mitchell (pictured) joined Billy Bonds’ West Ham United in the summer of 1993 in a joint deal with fellow Cherry Keith Rowland for a combined fee of £150,000 – Mitchell was valued at £40,000 in the deal. Redknapp, Bonds’ assistant, had previously had both players under his wing when he was manager at Dean Court. The 22-year-old Mitchell’s only appearance for the Irons came as an 84th-minute substitute for fellow former Cherry Matty Holmes in a 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn at the Boleyn Ground on 27th April 1994 – future Hammer Ian Pearce scored Rovers’ winner that night.
After one appearance for West Ham United, the 24-year-old Mitchell returned to the South Coast, signing for Mel Machin’s third tier Bournemouth in March 1996 on a free transfer. He played four consecutive games after arriving but moved to Torquay in the summer of 1996, where he enjoyed the most productive spell of his career during a two-and-a-half year stay before a hernia problem restricted him. Mitchell scored his only goal in league football while at Torquay in a 2-0 win over Macclesfield on 10th January 1998. After 41 appearances for Torquay, Mitchell moved to Barry Town in March 1998.
Mitchell played Champions League football while with Barry Town, playing home and away against a Dynamo Kiev side containing Oleg Luzhny, Andriy Shevchenko and future Hammer Sergei Rebrov. Spells at Salisbury and Wimborne followed and Mitchell has since turned out for West Ham at the ex-pros’ Masters tournaments, making more appearances for them than he made for the Hammers in the Premier League! Mitchell, now 46, is back at Bournemouth as a correspondent for Opta Sports.
Referee
The referee on Saturday will be Stuart Attwell. The Birmingham-based official will take charge of a West Ham game for only the fifth time – he has sent off a Hammers striker in two of his other four games officiating the Hammers. He refereed our 1-0 victory at Wigan in March 2009 and our 3-1 win at Blackpool in February 2011. The 35-year-old sent off the Latics’ Lee Cattermole for a shocking challenge on Scott Parker, while the Hammers’ Carlton Cole also received his marching orders during the aforementioned win at Wigan. Even Latics boss Steve Bruce criticised the decision to dismiss the Irons striker. Attwell also issued a first-half red card to Andy Carroll in our 1-1 draw at Burnley last October.
Attwell also awarded an infamous ‘phantom’ goal for Reading in a Championship match against Watford in September 2008. He was the youngest-ever Premier League referee but was demoted from the Select Group in 2012. He most recently refereed the Hammers in February in our 4-1 defeat at Liverpool.
Possible line-ups
The Hammers are without Winston Reid, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll, while Carlos Sanchez and Lucas Perez will only make the bench at best. Aaron Cresswell could return at left-back.
Bournemouth are set to be without the suspended Diego Rico and the injured Jefferson Lerma and Junior Stanislas.
Possible West Ham United XI: Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Noble; Antonio, Wilshere, Anderson; Arnautovic.
Possible Bournemouth XI: Begovic; Smith, Steve Cook, Ake, Daniels; Brooks, Surman, Gosling, Fraser; King, Wilson.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!