West Ham United FC v Reading

The ****,s over at Fox in the States have moved this game (along with two others) to their new Fox Soccer 2 Go internet service, which means they're expecting people to cough up another subscription fee to watch what we were allowed to watch for our existing subscription fee this time last year.

Fupp 'em

I Really hope the players are fired up for this one as last weeks game against everton was poor IMO , I would like us to beat Reading by 3 or 4 goals tomomrow to finish what has been a great season for us on high

Surely you lot would agree with me in saying that this has got to be the game that BFS gives youngsters and paulista a chance surley !?!?

I would go with : 4-5-1/4-3-3
Jussi,Demel,Collins,Reid,Potts,J.Cole,Nolan,Diame,Noble,Collison,C.Cole
SUBS:Henderson,Taylor,Jarvis,Carroll,O`Neil,Vaz Te,Paulista

*The reason I would start Carroll and Jarvis on the bench is to give other players a chance then bring them on as the game goes on

I`am going 3-0 West ham(C.Cole , Nolan and Carroll)

I just hope that 30000 pairs of socks are thrown in Kebe's direction

This could be dire if everyone on the pitch is thinking of their holidays. Alternatively - and hopefully - it could be a bright display from both teams wanting to finish the season with a positive display for their fans. Lets hope it's the latter. A good display by Carroll with a goal ot two would give the home crowd something to sing about, and put him in a positive frame of mind about staying. I reckon we are already dead certs as last in the MOTD playlist, would be nice to get a goal-fest and maybe change their minds.
COYI!!

the arse and spuds games will be first on MOTD as they still have something to play for

Arran H wrote:I Really hope the players are fired up for this one as last weeks game against everton was poor IMO , I would like us to beat Reading by 3 or 4 goals tomomrow to finish what has been a great season for us on high

Surely you lot would agree with me in saying that this has got to be the game that BFS gives youngsters and paulista a chance surley !?!?

I would go with : 4-5-1/4-3-3
Jussi,Demel,Collins,Reid,Potts,J.Cole,Nolan,Diame,Noble,Collison,C.Cole
SUBS:Henderson,Taylor,Jarvis,Carroll,O`Neil,Vaz Te,Paulista

*The reason I would start Carroll and Jarvis on the bench is to give other players a chance then bring them on as the game goes on

I`am going 3-0 West ham(C.Cole , Nolan and Carroll)

Erm.......not from the start, no ! We want to finish 10th so we have to make sure we win the game. If we are 3 up with 10-15 mins to go then I would like to see Paulista. We have all seen Danny Potts so we will learn nothing new there

Campo wrote:the arse and spuds games will be first on MOTD as they still have something to play for

Indeed Campo.....They are the live games that Sky are showing.

Despite that, this is a must win for us and not just for the reasons Semi has stated. A loss, and a win for Newcastle, Stoke or Norwich would see us lose 10th position. In the worst case scenario we would finish in 13th place.

Don't take any chances and let this happen West Ham ........ WIN!!

Cant see Sam putting out anything but a full strength side

Campo wrote:Cant see Sam putting out anything but a full strength side

agreed. The owners will have pointed out the cash difference between 10th and 13th I am sure!

Lawro's predictions from BBC Sport -



"Apart from a win over Fulham at the start of May, the fire has gone out of Reading's play in recent weeks. A couple of their players are still hoping to secure new contracts, but that is about it. So I cannot see this ending up as anything other than a comfortable win for West Ham. On-loan Hammers striker Andy Carroll has been called up by England for their end-of-season friendlies with the Republic of Ireland and Brazil, and he deserves it. Carroll has ended the season very well and he will clearly be better off staying at West Ham than going back to Liverpool, who don't want him. It's no surprise that, now he is playing regularly, he is playing well and scoring goals again."

West Ham 2 Reading 0



No mention of our brilliant Young goalie McCarthy getting into the England team too, but Andy Carroll does get more than a mention!! ...






This just about sums up how seriously we should take Lawro!!


Mark Lawrenson's Premier League predictions: the final weekend

BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season. His opponent for the final weekend of the Premier League season is CBBC star and Wigan Athletic fan Hacker the Dog. Hacker is well known for being a big fan of BBC Sport presenter Sue Barker but he is also a lifelong Latics supporter, after growing up in the town and working as a Yellow Coat at Wigan Holiday Park. Not surprisingly, he backs Roberto Martinez's FA Cup winners to sign off their season with a victory, and follow their relegation on Tuesday by beating Aston Villa. In all Hacker thinks there will be 68 goals in Sunday's 10 top-flight games, and is also backing Manchester City, Stoke and West Ham to enjoy convincing wins. You can see all of Hacker's predictions on Football Focus at 12:15 BST on Saturday on BBC One and this website in the UK.

Campo wrote:I just hope that 30000 pairs of socks are thrown in Kebe's direction

ha-ha, he's just about had his day, not getting much of a look in with his injuries - and there's now fiercer competition for the wing spots ...

It ain't socks I,d like to throw at that arrogant dick

Lawro is a big nose prick who can not stop himself talking utter shite

I am still wondering where the youngsters in Arran's side are, other than Potts!

Not even any amongst the subs bench!

We have 10th to secure against a team already relegated-I think if Sam put anything out than his strongest available team-he should be sacked!

They said it:


West Ham boss Sam Allardyce - 'I think that, with no disrespect to Nigel Adkins because he came through a very difficult spell and got Southampton up and out of the relegation zone, you draw on experience. Having been in the Premier League for as long as I have with three clubs then you know what to expect. You know when the pitfalls are going to appear and how to overcome those pitfalls and you strive to make sure that the players stay in a very good, positive frame of mind. That's when you do well.'



Reading manager Nigel Adkins - "West Ham have gone up with a good experienced manager in Sam Allardyce. I`ve got a lot of respect for him. At the end of the day, they`ve played winning football. They`ve done very well because they`ll be in the Premier League next season and that`s important for everybody. Over the last seven or eight weeks there`s been a good progression from what we`ve wanted to do. The players are in a good state of mind, looking forward there`s a lot of belief about what we`re doing for the future.'

My youngest son has just said the only thing he is looking forward too this afternoon is taking the piss out of the Reading fans.

We already are on ourselves Charlie!!
OK, here's the big preview -


BBC Match Preview


Barclays Premier League
Venue: Upton Park
Date: Sunday, 19 May



INTRO

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce's only real fitness doubt is James Tomkins. Apart from that, and the long-term absence of George McCartney, he should have a relatively full-strength side available.

Reading boss Nigel Adkins will have to make do without winger Jimmy Kebe and forward Jason Roberts. But otherwise there are no fresh concerns ahead of their final match of the season.



MATCH PREVIEW

As any cliché-wielding writer and Wigan Athletic fan know, a week (or sometimes even a few days) is a long time in football. But for these two clubs, the last year must feel like a lifetime. Twelve months ago this Sunday, West Ham concluded what had been a real grind of a season by hauling themselves back in to the Premier League with a play-off victory over Blackpool at Wembley. Reading, on the other hand, were already enjoying their holidays after wrapping up the Championship title with a perfectly-timed run up the table three weeks previously. Now, the team which laboured so much outside the elite can wrap up a top-half finish while the best the Football League had to offer last season have returned below stairs with barely a whimper. West Ham have rarely excited the neutral but their overall performance has been a world away from the disjointed shambles which tumbled out of the top flight two years ago.

Manager Sam Allardyce may not be universally popular among the Hammers' long-suffering supporters but few can argue that he's done exactly what was required. Big Sam's way may not be the West Ham way to some but he's met all of the targets set by the owners who've now sorted out his new two-year contract - but can he build on what's been achieved?

Central to that question could be Andy Carroll. The on-loan Liverpool striker has been in superb form at the end of a season disrupted by injury, but unless the two clubs reach some sort of compromise over his value then this could be his final appearance in claret and blue.

While West Ham never really looked in danger of relegation this season, Reading never really looked as though they believed they had a realistic chance of survival. Winger Jimmy Kebe claimed before Christmas that a lack of transfer activity following promotion meant The Royals were "a good Championship side trying to compete in the Premier League" and despite the Adam Le Fondre-inspired flurry of points in January he seems to have been proved correct. Although the sacking of Brian McDermott seemed harsh, Nigel Adkins appears to be the sort of man Reading need to ensure their stay in the Championship is a brief one. The spine of the squad which won promotion last season is still intact - all four of the goals in the recent win at Fulham were scored by members of the title-winning side - and the work Adkins did at Southampton before his own surprise dismissal means the turbulence of relegation shouldn't linger for too long in Berkshire.



MATCH FACTS - Head-to-head

•West Ham have won just one of their previous five Premier League meetings with Reading (D1 L3).

•The last time West Ham beat Reading at home was in the Championship, a 1-0 victory in August 2004.

•Should Reading win this match, they'll have secured more wins against West Ham in the Premier League than against any other side (four, currently three).




West Ham

•The Hammers have managed just two goals in their last five Premier League games.

•But they have lost just one of their last eight Premier League home games (W4, D3, L1).

•Goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen has faced more shots on target (211) and has made more saves (162) than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this term.

•No side has conceded a lower proportion of their goals from set-pieces than West Ham United this season in the Premier League (15.7%).



Reading

•No side has fewer clean sheets this season than Reading (5).

•The Royals have won fewer points away from home than any other side in the Premier League this season (8).

•They have scored a league-high proportion of 39% of their goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this season.

•Jobi McAnuff has attempted 39 shots (incl. blocked) without scoring in the Premier League this season; more than any other player.

•Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has been forced into a save every 17 minutes on average in the Premier League this season; more often than any other goalkeeper.

Mr Carroll has been having a bit of a giggle pre match

WHUFC starting XI: West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Collins, Reid, Noble, Diame, Nolan (c), J.Cole, Vaz Te, Carroll

Reading starting XI: McCarthy. Gunter, Kelly, Gorkss, Morrison, McCleary, McAnuff (c), Guthrie, Karacan, Robson-Kanu, Pogrebnyak




WHUFC subs: Henderson, Tomkins, Collison, Maiga, Wellington Paulista, O'Neil, Taylor

Reading subs: Taylor, Pearce, Mariappa, Le Fondre, Akpan, Carrico, Blackman

Is jarvis injured?

Paulista has to be given a chance today IMO REGARDLESS of the scoreline !!

if we are 3 up then yes, otherwise nope

CC not even on the bench...

CC has tonsilitis (SP?)