West Ham v Derby: Another Hammering for the Relegated Rams?

We all know the Rams are going down but any thoughts that having their fate already decided would coincide with an upturn in results have been proven incorrect. They remain on course for the worst Premier League season in history and even though the Hammers are ending their season with a whimper themselves, Premier 10 players would be foolish to back anything other than a home win especially after the thrashing Derby received from West Ham back in November.

Rams have Already Been Nailed by the Hammers this Season

The Hammers banged 5 past the relegated Rams earlier this season at Pride Park and generally boast a strong recent record against the Midlands club. In fact Derby have only won 1 of the last 14 encounters between the two sides (7 defeats). Their record at Upton Park is hardly impressive either though they did triumph on their last visit there in January 2005. However, apart from that win the Rams haven’t recorded a victory in the East End for 22 years (5 defeats & 7 draws). So expect another defeat this weekend Derby fans.

Athleticism Triumphs Over Experience

Paul Jewell’s side consistently lurch from defeat to defeat with the only variation being the amount of goals they concede. They’ve shipped in 4 goals or more on 7 occasions this season. This includes conceding 6 goals in two of their last 6 matches at Chelsea and at home to Villa. They are extremely susceptible to pace due to an ageing team which struggles with the speed of the Premier League. After all, the combined age of the Rams starting line-up for the 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Villa was 326, that’s an average age of 29 and a half. That side included six 30-something’s and is proving that experience doesn’t always count at the highest level, athleticism and pace does. The table certainly doesn’t lie in Derby’s case as they remain the team with the lowest goals scored, highest goals conceded, most games lost, fewest won, worst home record and worst away record. In fact, it’s a wonder why 19,000 Rams fans have renewed their season tickets for next season; they must be either eternal optimists or enjoy torturing themselves.

West Ham Hammered by Injuries

The Hammers have had a far better season than the last but after ploughing £30 million on summer signings they perhaps would have expected a bit more for their money. However, most of that cash was spent on players that have hardly featured in this campaign. Only Freddie Ljungberg (23) and Scott Parker (14) of their big name transfers have reached double figures in Premier League appearances. The other 3 expensive new boys Kieron Dyer, Julien Faubert and Craig Bellamy have only made 15 League appearances between them. Therefore it’s no surprise West Ham have struggled at times and that’s exactly what they’re doing now. They’ve lost their last 3 games in succession and only won once in the last 8 matches (6 defeats) so will be low on confidence. However, a visit from the Premier League whipping boys is exactly what they need.

West Ham are struggling at the moment but that should make little difference in the result of this match as Derby are the worst team in Premier League history and are performing as such. Therefore back the home side to give the Relegated Rams a customary hammering on Premier 10.

Pundit’s Pick: Derby downed at Upton Park (home win) Do you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>

Tags: Derby County, Hammers, Premier 10 preview, Premier League, Rams, West Ham

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 10:13 and is filed under Betting-Tips, Premier 10 Match Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.