The Centre Circle

Night games at Upton Park are always full of atmosphere. I know, because in my time I’ve been to a few there. They are particularly good, especially when there is a lot on the line. Tonight is going to be one of those nights as West Ham & Wolves, two clubs haunted by the threat of relegation clash in East London.

West Ham are in a worrying run of form. Four defeats in a row, although three of those four games have been against the current top three, Man Utd, Arsenal & Chelsea, so not so surprising. The other game though, a home defeat to Bolton was a concern for Hammers fans, and as I understand it, West Ham were not at the races until the last 15-20 minutes. A victory can lift them 6 points above the drop zone with a much superior goal difference, so effectively a seven point gap. Very handy at this time of year with just seven more games to go, four of which are at the Boleyn. They welcome back Scott Parker and Carlton Cole to the first team, Herita Ilunga and Mark Noble may also feature after Gianfranco Zola rested a few players for the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal. A tactic that opposing manager Mick McCarthy used to great effect and to huge criticism earlier in the season at Old Trafford before earning a vital win versus Burnley.

McCarthy’s team travel to Upton Park in good spirits after two credible away results at Turf Moor and Villa Park where they were unlucky not to come away with all three points after a 2-2 draw. All this is due to a settled side and I would not be surprised if McCarthy sticks to the same formula of late, with Kevin Doyle (who has recently been outstanding) being the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. I have also been impressed this season with Matt Jarvis, who can be a dangerous customer on the left hand side. He will keep the West ham defenders occupied all night.

So how do I see the game? I take West Ham to nick this one 2-1 and to draw clear of the drop zone. Wolves are not the most prolific sides in terms of goal scoring (they are the lowest scorers in the league) so watch for them to try to keep this one tight and to try to nick a goal late on. If so, it could get tricky for the Hammers, but just because of the return of Parker, who will give more bite to the midfield and vital protection in front of the back four I take West Ham to come out on top. It is a fact that the Hammers play so much better when he is in the side. Kick off at the Boleyn is at 20.00 this evening.