Fulham v West Ham Preview

After our 5-1 drubbing against Arsenal, West Ham United will be looking to get back to winning ways this Wednesday when they travel to Craven Cottage to take on a Fulham side that are also struggling for form. Can Big Sam motivate the team to get a result at a ground that, nowadays, doesn`t live up to its fortress label?

With the transfer window set to slam shut, if Mome Diame isn`t in the squad of eighteen, we suspect that he`ll be off to pastures greener.

Although we hope that doesn`t occur, the intimations, from a tale told by Kevin Nolan indicate that the squad wouldn`t be surprised if he went with Nolan recalling a recent incident, the day after the 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, when Diame was late for a meeting,

"Mo Diame was a bit late. When he arrived we all gave him some stick. We said we thought he had left us without saying goodbye. There is a lot of speculation in the media about Mo."

"To be fair he took all the banter really well. We were all upset and disappointed with the result at the Emirates and I apologize to our fans."

A decent apology, we think, would be a win at Craven Cottage, how about you!

We understand that Martin Jol will be able to call on the services of Kieran Richardson for this fixture, with the player signed from Sunderland, having missed the FA Cup defeat up at Old Trafford.

There are also rumours that his most recent loan signing, Emanuel Frimpong (on loan from Arsenal) could make his Fulham debut.

How he was ever persuaded to join Fulham, from Manchester United, still puzzles me. The Bulgarian has the class and ability to operate on a much bigger stage and he could be the difference between us and them, if we let him!

For this fixture, Big Sam has Marouane Chamakh available again after the on-loan striker was forced to sit out the fixture against Arsenal. There are also rumours that Andy Carroll could make the squad, having recovered from his knee injury.

Furthermore, Emanuel Pogatetz, signed from Wolfsburg, is also likely to be included in the eighteen selected for the match.

Our influential captain needs to grab this game by the scruff of the neck, drive us forward and make sure we get something from it.

The Hammers have a more than decent record against Fulham. The results from the last 17 Premier League meetings show West Ham have won 10, drawn 5 and lost only .2

As for meetings at Craven Cottage our record is just as good. In the last 8 clashes in the Premier League, we`ve won 6, drawn 1 and lost 1.

The officials selected to officiate in this fixture are:- C. Foy (referee) M. McDonough (assistant) M. Wilkes (assistant) C. Pawson (fourth official)

It`s hard to get enthusiastic about our chances of winning away from home, our form has been that bad. However, Fulham offers a real chance to grab something on the road and I`m taking a Sam inspired Hammers eleven to get at least a draw and possibly a win!

Next up for West Ham is a home fixture, against Swansea, this weekend.

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