WEST HAM v FULHAM - NO JOY FOR NEW-BOY ROY AT UPTON PARK?
Roy Hodgson takes his new side across London to face an inconsistent West Ham side at Upton Park this Saturday. However, Roy shouldn’t expect too much as the Hammers haven’t lost a League match against Fulham for 7 years, since a 2-0 home defeat in November 2001. The chances of a point apiece are high with 3 of the last 5 encounters drawn and both sides struggling to find consistency.
West Ham are having a distinctly average season, currently in 10th place, 12 points clear of relegation and 10 points from a Champions League place. You can understand why Upton Park has a melancholy feel to it with very little to stir the imagination. Manager Alan Curbishley claiming he won’t be strengthening his squad has dampened even the excitement of the January transfer window. Whether Curbs is telling porkies or not, it has not stopped the Hammers being linked with Reading’s Nicky Shorey and interestingly Bolton’s El-hadji Diouf. Perhaps Alan likes to challenge his own man-management skills to the full, but the idea of hotheads Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer alongside the spitting Senegalese forward, sounds an accident waiting to happen.
Hodgson is unsurprisingly looking to strengthen his side currently 19th in the table. Roy is obviously looking to bolster his defensive unit as the Cottagers have been linked to various defenders this week including Sami Hyypia, Stephane Henchoz, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Leyrielton. Fulham fans may start panicking with the reported signing of comedy French defender Boumsong high on the agenda. Did Roy not see the comedy double act the 27-year-old Juventus defender performed alongside sidekick Titus Bramble at Newcastle? I guess not.
It is hard to back against the home side despite winning just one of their last 5 home games, mainly due to Fulham’s terrible away record. The Cottagers have not won an away Premier League match since September 2006 (16 months) and have lost 4 of their last 5 matches on the road. The Hammers are notoriously inconsistent but they should be too strong for a struggling Fulham side so back Curbs to take all 3 points and West Ham to continue their slow crawl up the table.
Pundit’s Pick: Cottagers fail on the road again (home win)
Tags: 12/01/08, Alan Curbishley, COttagers, Fulham, Hammers, Premier League preview, Roy Hodgson, Upton Park, West Ham
