West Ham United Preview

The trip to West Ham is the first chance to see our new signings in true competitive action. Steve Bruce’s solid but un-flash signings haven’t initiated any ripples in the collective psyche of our Premier League rivals supporters. Many of them think we will struggle again, pointing at Amr Zaki as the only signing of note.

Yet Bruce has added to a solid core of players to form a team that can, provided we can remain relatively free from injury, force its way into the top half of the table and kick on from there. Opinions are, as usual, far from unanimous as to the best starting 11.

I suggest:

Kirkland

Figueroa
Scharner
Boyce
Melchiot

De Ridder
Palacios
Cattermole
Valencia

Camara
Zaki

Bench

Pollitt
Bramble
Brown
Kapo
Sibierski

Heskey you will see is the notable absence from my Latics Dream Team (!)

West Ham’s supporters are concerned with the lack of cover within their squad should the going get tough on the injury front. Indeed, at the moment, they are without a recognised left back and are looking at signing Ben Thatcher (ex Manchester City nutter who smashed Pedro Mendes in the face, hospitalising him in the process, and who was consequently banned for 8 matches in 2006) as emergency cover. Thatcher was booed by the Hammers faithful during a pre-season game against Villareal. With this absence of strength in depth, perhaps first game is not the best time to be travelling to The Boleyn Ground, but a lack of quality signings over the summer has left Alan Curbishley as bookies favourite to be the first managerial casualty of the season.