After last Sunday’s palpitations, a routine 5-0 win at the London Stadium this coming Sunday would be just what the doctor ordered. But as CER astutely headlined his Liverpool match report, no one said this was going to be easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The record shows that we have outstanding league away form against West Ham United \u2014 P26 W14 D9 L3 in the Premiership era; we have lost more often at home to them in that time, five times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most recent defeat at their gaff was in January 2019. A 19-year-old Declan Rice struck his first West Ham goal just after half-time from the edge of our box after Granit Xhaka had headed out a cross from Samir Nasri (remember him and his snood?). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2006, it was a Marlon Harewood goal that did for us, and, in 1999, a Paolo Di Canio brace against the run of play in a game in which both sides ended up with ten men. The latter two defeats were at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, a nasty, cramped place even before it became all-seater in the 1990s, and even when Ron Greenwood’s Moore-Peters-Hurst team graced it on my first trip in the late 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our first league visit to West Ham came in August 1923. The newly promoted Hammers secured their first-ever win in the top flight. Albert Fletcher scored the game’s sole goal. Who? I hear you cry. They probably said the same back then. It was the inside forward’s only goal in his eight-game West Ham career before losing his place in the team and then, after a season with Brentford in the Third Division South, dropping out of the professional game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our keeper that day was Jock Robson, 5’8″ of Scottish athleticism, who kept 35 clean sheets in 101 games. His keeping kept us in the old First Division, given that we escaped relegation by a point in 1923-24 and by a place the season after. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robson remained first-choice keeper until Herbert Chapman arrived and bought Bill Harper from Hibernian for a then British record for a goalkeeper of \u00a34,000, \u00a33,995 more than the club had paid for Robson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The monks cannot find evidence that we have ever signed a shorter keeper than Robson, although Sheffield Wednesday had one at around the same time, Teddy Davison, who was 5’7″ but good enough to win an England cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The August 1923 league game was not our first competitive encounter. That was a January 1906 FA Cup First Round tie that we won after a replay; we would go on to make the semi-finals for the first time. However, the two clubs, born out of works teams on either side of the River Thames — the Thames Ironworks works in Canning Town in West Ham’s case, hence the riveting hammers on their club badge — were already familiar with each other from playing friendlies in the 1890s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Under David Moyes, once touted as the ideal successor to Arsene Wenger, believe it or not, West Ham are underperforming this season. Pencilled in for another top-seven finish this term, they have lost 15 of 29 league games and are three points off the relegation zone, although in 14th place and with a game in hand over the other nine teams scrapping to avoid the drop. With us, ‘Pool and both Mancs still to play, their results against fellow strugglers Palace, Bournemouth, Leeds and Leicester will decide their fate, and likely that of Moyes, though I have a feeling he will leave this summer come what may.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His team comes into Sunday’s game on the back of a hard-fought draw on Thursday in the first leg of their quarter-final in the UEFA tournament for teams whose name contains lots of the consonants that make for a high score in Scrabble. This followed a turgid 1-0 win over slumping Fulham last weekend, in which own goal was the top scorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moyes has won four of his 40 games against us and has yet to beat Arteta, who played 209 games under him at Everton, in their six managerial encounters, losing five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He has been switching up his starting formation of late, making five changes for the Fulham game after a 5-1 thrashing by the Barcodes and lining up in a 4-4-2 rather than his preferred 4-2-3-1. Moyes then made six changes on Thursday and played a 4-2-2-2. Many of his first choices started on the bench against KAA Gent in Ghent, suggesting he prioritises the league over Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The names that can be pencilled into Sunday’s team sheet with any confidence are those of Lukasz Fabianski, formerly of this parish, Declan Rice, possibly to be of this parish next season, right-winger Jarrod Bowen, who is their joint top-scorer this season with Said Benrahma, four goals apiece, centre half Kurt Zouma and record signing Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paquet\u00e1. Danny Ings, an irritant to us in his Southampton days, will, no doubt, get some minutes, although I would expect Michail Antonio to start up top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Arsenal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With Sporting Lisbon making the Europa League quarter-finals trip to Turin in our stead on Thursday, we have had a full week to recover from Anfield. The injury news is marginally improved. Long-term absentees Tomiyasu and Elneny remain just that, and William Saliba’s back remains in limbo; perhaps limbo dancing is what did for it. However, Eddie Nketiah returns to the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would expect Arteta to start:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n White Holding Gabriel Zinchenko<\/p>\n\n\n\n Partey \u00d8degaard Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saka Jesus Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three points are essential, preferably with no alarums. A goal every 15-20 mins would suit us well, letting Arteta get Partey wrapped back up in cotton wool early and give those on the bench some minutes. However, Moyes will have West Ham digging in and scrapping for a point, so it will likely be a lot closer than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, if we can exert the control and consistency that Arteta has sought all season and avoid the chaos of the second half at Anfield, we have the quality to emerge from the London Stadium with a 15th Premier League away win over West Ham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ‘holics pound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The gentlemen of the turf have us as short-odds favourites, as might be expected. There is little value to be found in any win unless we score at least four goals. If you think we can stroll it to 5-0, 60s are available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Enjoy the game, ‘holics, near and far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After last Sunday’s palpitations, a routine 5-0 win at the London Stadium this coming Sunday would be just what the doctor ordered. But as CER astutely headlined his Liverpool match report, no one said this was going to be easy. 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