West Ham vs Southampton -- March 31st, 2018

Here we go.... must win game number whatever...

but before that... you know how it goes.

Crystal Palace vs Liverpool
The 'pool have to win this... we're level on points with Palace but have a game in hand, so let's convert it into point huh, how about that as an idea.

Brighton vs Leicester
A Leicester win please. We'll not make up the 10 point deficit on the Foxes and might never make up the 4 point deficit on Brighton... but let's try huh?

Man Utd vs Swansea
Too easy this week. All the results are pretty easy to call. Same here. Utd win... get us two points clear of the Swans, please.

Newcastle vs Huddersfield
Okay, first tough one... 2 points and a point above us... but Newcastle are on the same number of games as us while the Hudds are a game ahead... so it's kind of a toss up... but I guess a Newcastle victory could help us get 2 points ahead of the Huds with a game in hand as well.

Watford vs Bournemouth
Another toss up, this time because both teams are 6 points ahead of us (or as it's known in West Ham circles... an insurmountable lead)

West Brom vs Burnley
Burnley gotta win this. It'll be the death knell for Pardew but there's no way we're catching Burnley and we need the Baggies to fill one of those relegation spots asap.

West Ham vs Southampton
There's only one result wanted from this. I hope someone informs the team of that.

Everton vs Man City
doesn't matter. We'll not catch City no matter how much we all blow Moyes.

Arsenal vs Stoke
Arsenal, you gotta win this... win it in style, win it with a shitty own goal in the 94th minute... don't care... just win.

Chelsea vs Tottenham
doesn't matter in the slightest and I couldn't care less.

Well the spitter in chief is back in contention

Lanzini picked up a knock on international duty...

Charlie Austen being back for the Saints might be a problem and we'll have to see how much the new manager bounce works for other teams and not us...

Traveling to game later and trying to avoid any demonstrations. I've gone for a 2-1 win for us on predictor because my heart saids so but my brain is saying something else. I think we need all the luck we can get today so that we have a chance of staying up. Losing and I think we are down.

Charlie Ham wrote:Traveling to game later and trying to avoid any demonstrations. I've gone for a 2-1 win for us on predictor because my heart saids so but my brain is saying something else. I think we need all the luck we can get today so that we have a chance of staying up. Losing and I think we are down.

Good luck Chas

We're on CNBC in the States for some reason... kick off is .... NOW


pretty obvious line-up although why Hart is in goal is beyond me... oh yeah... world cup selections...

2 minutes gone... we've had one attempt on goal although Arnie fluffed a shot form the edge of the area...

Liverpool did what was needed in beating Palace - hopefully all the other games (including this one go our way)

Oh good lord.... there's a 'dynamic response team' on offer today - no not our team... the steward shipped in to stop the herbert's from ruining the game...

no Lanzini... antonio is down injured as we wait to take a corner.

I always liked Sparky as a player... but don't like him as a manager...

oh god... looks like Antonio might have to come off... no one knows what happened... he challenged for a header but not in the 'challenge' sense of the word.. no contact, - he's crying into his jersey as he walks off...

we must have the world's worst medical staff in the world...

Fernandes is coming on to replace him... and there'll be some injury time in this half...

Cresswell takes the corner and it is palmed way by the keeper for another from the opposite side

Mario will take this one...

Soton had 11 in the box, so the ball predictably ends up on the halfway line...

Mario conjures up a break into the box... but it's only Fernandes there with him and the ball is cut out before he can slip it through

10 minutes gone... we've lost a good player... had a couple of chances...

Austin is playing for Soton, he's their top scorer and hadn't played since before Christmas

Now THAT's how you do it...

How many times have I written that a West Ham corner ends up in the back of our net??????

Too many...

Well this time...

We gave away a poor corner from a Kouyate header...

but the Soton corner gets played out... to Kouyate... he runs down the wing...

crosses it in to Mario who's waiting on the edge of the penalty area... Mario slams a shot into the roof of the net

1-0

well played West Ham

and then Arnie shoots just wide form the next attack...

this is much better than usual

and it's 2-0

this time Arnie gets in on the goal scoring action


Kouyate and Fernandes work together... Mario crosses the ball in towards Arnie whose header goes straight at the keeper--- but it's too hard and he's too close for the keeper to handle so it rebounds off his body... to Arnie, who whacks it into the back of the net from inside the 6 yard box...


less than 18 minutes gone (including the Antonio injury) and we're two up.

Antonio has gone to hospital...

and Arnie is down feeling his calf... medic on to look at him...

why is Barry Fry sitting with David Gold?

Arnie is back on... but he's skipping a bit...

Looked like he was getting the treatment you get for cramp...

Again... not from a challenge... he looked like he was limping a little after he scored...

oh... THAT's why Hart is in goal... Southgate is in the Directors box having a butchers....

nice little play by Fernandes, wins us a corner...

we try to be clever.. it falls on its face... goal kick

Looks like they're gonna give Antonio 5 more minutes to see if he heeds replacing...

a victory would be pretty pricey if we lose Lanzini, Antonio and Arnie...

but it would still be a victory...

ooh... so close...

Arnie has a header saved then tries a scissor kick (so he must be feeling better) but the flag goes up for offside...


fingers crossed... a bunch of the other games are currently going our way as well... might be a decent saturday morning at this rate.

if the weekend ended now we'd be 14th, 5 points above the relegation spots...

a result in the Newcastle/Huddersfield game would only change who we're above and below...

but we'd all be happy with 14th...

5 minutes of extra time in the first half...

I've gone quiet cos

a: nothing much is happening

b: I don't want to jinx things cos we're looking pretty comfortable

Holy fupp.... that was genius...

48 minutes on the clock...

ball come out of the back

Masuaku runs and runs... then plays a huge long looping ball into the box... which lands right at Arnie... who volleys into the back of the net.

bubbles fill the air...

and the half time whistle goes just as they try to restart...


3-0 that'll do nicely

Bubbles blowing

Fans singing

The 2nd half gets underway

blimey... #westham is trending on twitter in Los Angeles... and not because of crowd trouble....

Hart has literally nothing to do... at all...

but when he does, it's another weak punch of a ball...

there's no way he can be the england goalkeeper

Soton have upped their game since the restart... we've decided to sit back a bit - as we always do...

nothing much to report thus far... 59 minutes gone

lots of Soton attacks but we're defending pretty well

Soton corner...

ends in a free kick to us

another Soton corner comes to nothing

Good Lord! Hart catches a ball.

straight forward corner... but he catches it nonetheless...

let's save the punches for the Joshua/Parker fight, eh?


not much to report... although Kouyate is down and grimacing now..

what happened to Chicharito? Not on the subs bench, no mention in any of the pre-match write-ups...

I wonder how we'd do against a decent team?

for as good as we've been... Soton are a disaster

Arnie ain't going to get his hat trick...

he's being replaced by Hughill

79 minutes gone... it's job done



even as good as this is... we'll end the weekend only 3 points above Palace who are the last team above the relegation places.

we'll be 5 ahead of Soton, so a tiny bit of breathing space... but nothing is guaranteed just yet.