WHUFC.com
Background information and team news ahead of Tuesday's meeting with the
Saints
13.02.2012
SOUTHAMPTON v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2012
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Southampton knowing that a victory would extend
their lead at the top of the npower Championship to four points. The Saints
closed the gap to one by beating Bristol City 2-0 at St Mary's on Saturday.
• The Hammers took over top spot from the Saints after beating Nottingham
Forest on 21 January 2012. Previously, Southampton had been top of the table
since winning 1-0 at Barnsley on 13 August 2011.
• Both teams are new to the Championship this campaign. The Hammers were
relegated from the Premier League while the Saints finished second in League
One, three points behind Brighton & Hove Albion, to earn promotion. West Ham
go to Brighton on Monday.
• Tuesday's game will raise awareness and funds for Richard House Children's
Hospice in Beckton - London's oldest children's hospice and one of West Ham
United's official charities. Bucket collections will be held at the Boleyn
Ground on matchday. For more information about Richard House, click here.
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Us and them
• West Ham United have beaten Southampton 4-0 at home on three occasions -
their biggest victories over the Saints at the Boleyn Ground. All three were
in the old Division Two. The first occasion was on 27 March 1937, with Len
Goulden scoring twice. The second was on 12 April 1947, with Frank Neary
netting a brace, while the third was on 19 April 1952, with Terry Woodgate
getting two goals.
• The largest crowd to attend a West Ham United versus Southampton fixture
was the 35,000 who were at the Division Two fixture at the Boleyn Ground on
13 November 1948. The match finished in a 1-1 draw.
• The smallest crowd to turn out at the Boleyn Ground for a Football League
fixture between the Hammers and the Saints was the 14,221 who attended
Southampton's 3-2 Division One win here on 22 December 1984.
• Southampton's best result at the Boleyn Ground is the 4-2 Premier League
victory achieved over West Ham United on 25 April 1998.
West Ham United were top of the Division One table when they welcomed
Southampton to the Boleyn Ground on 22 September 1981. Paul Goddard netted a
hat-trick and Geoff Pike once as the Hammers scored a 4-2 victory. Gordon
Armstrong and Malcolm Waldron were on target for the Saints in front of a
34,026-strong crowd.
• West Ham United travelled to Southampton for a Southern League Division
One fixture on 14 February 1914 - 98 years ago today. A crowd of 7,000 saw
Frank Burton (see Classic Match), Dan Bailey and Dick Leafe secure a 3-2
victory for the Hammers.
• West Ham United and Southampton met 20 times in the Premier League between
1993 and 2003. The Hammers won eight times, Southampton six and there were
six draws.
• The Hammers' most-recent league victory over Southampton took place on 20
October 2001, when Frederic Kanoute scored both goals in a 2-0 Premier
League victory at the Boleyn Ground.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs at the Boleyn Ground was a
Southern League Division One fixture at The Dell on 16 December 1899. Then
known as Thames Ironworks FC, Ken McKay scored the goal in a 3-1 defeat.
• Southampton won on their most-recent visit to the Boleyn Ground on 2
December 2002, when James Beattie converted Brett Ormerod's last-minute
cross to secure a 1-0 victory.
• Southampton's most-recent visit to the Boleyn Ground at this level was on
23 August 1952, when Jim Barrett Jr scored the only goal of the game in
Division Two.
• West Ham United have been drawn to meet Southampton three times in the FA
Cup - and have gone on to reach the final twice. The Hammers overcame the
Saints after two replays in 1922/23, when they were beaten by Bolton
Wanderers in the first-ever final at Wembley. In 1974/75, West Ham defeated
Southampton 2-1 at The Dell in the third round.
• Nicky Maynard scored in Bristol City's 2-0 home npower Championship win
over Southampton on 26 November 2011.
• Gary O'Neil and Matt Taylor played for Portsmouth in a 4-1 Premier League
win over Southampton on 24 April 2005. One-time Hammers forward Henri Camara
scored the Saints' consolation goal.
• Papa Bouba Diop enjoyed a 4-1 win over Southampton in his time at Pompey
in an FA Cup fifth-round tie on 13 April 2010. Avram Grant was the
Portsmouth manager, while Rickie Lambert was on target for the Saints.
• Sam Baldock scored at St Mary's last season when MK Dons lost 3-2 in a
League One encounter on 2 April 2011.
• Frazer Richardson scored the only goal when Stoke City won 1-0 at West Ham
on 9 December 2003.
• David Connolly spent the 2003/04 season at the Hammers, after signing for
£285,000 from Wimbledon. He went on to score 14 goals before moving on to
Leicester, with the Hammers doubling their money.
• Kelvin Davis had a trial at the Hammers in summer 2010 but a move could
not be agreed and he rejoined Southampton.
• West Ham United's all-time leading goalscorer Vic Watson moved to
Southampton after 15 seasons as a Hammer in 1935. Watson would spend the
1935/36 season at The Dell, scoring 14 goals in 36 appearances to finish as
the Saints' leading goalscorer in DivisionTwo before retiring in summer 1936
at the age of 38.
• Among the other players to have played for both clubs are William Adams,
Eyal Berkovic, Wayne Bridge, Henri Camara, Alistair Campbell, Frank
Costello, Christian Dailly, Calum Davenport, Iain Dowie, Bob Fairman, Jack
Foster, Horace Glover, Richard Hall, Jimmy Harris, Fred Harrison, Joe
Kirkup, George Kitchen, Alex McDonald, Walter Pollard, Nigel Quashie, Albert
Roles, Robbie Slater, David Speedie, Vic Watson, Arthur Wilson, Richard
Wright.
• Sixteen players have made their West Ham United debuts against
Southampton: William Davidson (December 1902), Robertson (December 1907),
George Chalkley (December 1908), Fred Harrison (April 1911), William Adams
(November 1936), Jack Kirkcaldie (March 1937), Arthur Banner (April 1939),
George Sadler and Joe Payne (both December 1946), Bobby Howe (September
1966), Alan Stephenson (March 1968), Warren Donald (December 1983), David
Kelly (August 1988), Mark Bowen and Florin Raducioiu (both August 1996) and
Ian Moore (October 1997).
Team news
West Ham United
• West Ham United will have a strong squad available for the visit of their
nearest challengers. with new signings Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te, George
John and Ravel Morrison all included.
• Maynard, Morrison and John will all be eager to pull on a claret and blue
shirt for the first time, while Vaz Te will be keen to build on his late
cameo appearance in the 2-1 home win over Millwall on 4 February.
• Captain Kevin Nolan is definitely out as he begins a three-match ban after
being sent-off against the Lions. Gary O'Neil, Henri Lansbury and Matt
Taylor will be among those looking to take the skipper's place in the
starting XI.
• Papa Bouba Diop continues to be sidelined with a hamstring problem, while
John Carew is a minor injury doubts after picking up knocks in training.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza
and Bristol City respectively. Cristian Montano (Notts County), Peter Kurucz
and Paul McCallum (both Rochdale) and Callum Driver (Burton Albion) are all
out on temporary loans.
Southampton
• Southampton welcomed back centre-back Jos Hooiveld from injury and
left-back Danny Fox from suspension for Saturday's 2-0 home win over
Burnley.
• New signing Billy Sharp has replaced former West Ham United forward David
Connolly in the starting XI in recent games.
• Club captain Dean Hammond will be hoping to force his way back into the
starting XI.
• Southampton will be without loanees Harlee Dean (Brentford), Ryan Dickson
(Yeovil Town), Ryan Doble (Bury) and Jonathan Forte (Notts County).
Last time out
Saturday 4 February 2012
npower Championship
West Ham United 2-1 Millwall
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, McCartney, Faye, Reid, Tomkins, Noble,
Nolan, Faubert ,(O'Neil 80), Collison (Taylor 46), Cole (Vaz Te 87)
Subs not used: Baldock, Maynard
Goals: Cole 45, Reid 69
Red card: Nolan 9
Saturday 11 February 2012
npower Championship
Southampton 2-0 Burnley
Southampton: Davis, Richardson, Fonte, Fox, Hooiveld, Schneiderlin, Cork,
Guly (Hammond 78), Lallana, Lambert (Lee 90), Sharp (Connolly 64)
Subs not used: Bialkowski, Puncheon
Goals: Lallana 8, Sharp 33
Previous meetings
• The most recent competitive meeting between the sides was the reverse
npower Championship fixture at St Mary's on 18 October 2011. Jos Hooiveld
headed the only goal of the game shortly before half-time. Mark Noble hit
the post late on, but the Saints held on to remain top of the table. The
lineups that night were:
Southampton: Davis, Richardson, Fonte, Fox, Hooiveld, Schneiderlin, Guly (De
Ridder 86), Hammond, Chaplow (Harding 74), Lambert, Connolly (Cork 82)
West Ham United: Almunia, Reid, McCartney, Faye, Faubert, Nolan, Taylor
(Piquionne 20), Diop (Noble 66), Lansbury, Baldock, Carew (O'Brien 78)
Last six meetings
18 October 2011 - Southampton 1-0 West Ham United (Championship)
5 April 2003 - Southampton 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
2 December 2002 - West Ham United 0-1 Southampton (Premier League)
30 January 2002 - Southampton 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
20 October 2001 - West Ham United 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
5 May 2001 - West Ham United 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Overall record v Southampton (all competitions) W 36 D 26 L 30
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th
2008/09 Premier League 9th
2007/08 Premier League 10th
2006/07 Premier League 15th
2005/06 Premier League 9th
2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Southampton
2010/11 League One 2nd (promoted to Championship
2009/10 League One 7th
2008/09 Championship 23rd (relegated to League One)
2007/08 Championship 20th
2006/07 Championship 6th
2005/06 Championship 12th
2004/05 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2003/04 Premier League 12th
2002/03 Premier League 8th
2001/02 Premier League 11th
Referee
• Tuesday's referee will be Lee Probert.
• Thirty-nine-year-old Probert will take charge of West Ham United for the
first time this season, having refereed the Hammers four times last term.
• He began refereeing in 1986 before being promoted to the Football League
assistant referees' list in 1998, and made the step up to referee in the
league five years later.
• Probert was promoted to the Select Group of Premier League referees in
summer 2007.
• In 2010, he took charge of the FA Trophy final between Barrow and
Stevenage Borough at Wembley, before returning to the Home of Football to
act as fourth official for the 2011 FA Cup final between Manchester City and
Stoke City.
• In 25 matches this season, Probert has issued 78 yellow cards and sent-off
four players. He has taken charge of just two npower Championship fixtures
previously this term - Brighton & Hove Albion's 3-3 draw with Leeds United
in September and Burnley's goalless draw with Derby County on 21 January
this year.
• This evening, Probert will be assisted by Stuart Burt and Adam Watts,
while the fourth official will be Dean Whitestone.
Up next
• West Ham United will travel to Blackpool next Tuesday 21 February for an
8pm kick-off. Southampton host Derby County at St Mary's on Saturday 18
February at 3pm.
General information
• Tuesday evening's weather forecast is for a cloudy night with a maxiumum
daytime temperature of 8C (47F).
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Noble steeled for Southampton
WHUFC.com
Richard House patron Mark Noble is ready to give his all on Tuesday evening
13.02.2012
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble says everyone is itching to get back
on to the pitch to tackle npower Championship visitors Southampton on
Tuesday evening. With the Hammers' away game at Peterborough postponed due
to a frozen pitch, the players came back to Chadwell Heath to continue
training and preparing for the Saints clash over the weekend. "It was a
shame that the match on Saturday had to be cancelled for now, but we are now
ready to go against Southampton," said Noble, who would be making his 200th
appearance for the club against the Saints. "Obviously with our position at
the top of the table and with them a point below us, it is set to be a good
match and one people are looking out for. Hopefully afterwards the outcome
is of us being the winners on the night."
Noble could captain the side in the absence of suspended skipper Kevin
Nolan. The No16 is hoping to inspire the Hammers again, just as he did in
the 2-1 win over Millwall in their previous home league match. "We just want
to go out there and win every game, it is as simple as that. It will be a
tough match, Southampton want what we want - promotion - and so I am sure it
will be a close match again, but hopefully it is us who will be emerging as
the winners come the final whistle."
Tuesday's match at the Boleyn Ground will also see West Ham helping to raise
awareness and funds for the Richard House Children's Hospice, one of the
club's official charities. For Noble, it is a cause particularly close to
his heart, as he is a patron of the Beckton-based hospice. "It is important
to support Richard House because it is a fantastic place, it is a fantastic
cause and what they are doing down there is just second to none. "I have
been there many times, they have to hit their budgets every year to keep the
hospice running and help keep the children and young people alive if they
can and for those who sadly have a life-ending condition, the hospice
enables those to have the best quality of life with their families as long
as they possibly can in the time they have left. "Everyone can help by
texting RHCH02 £5 to 70070 to donate a fiver. On the night, their volunteers
will be collecting money at the match. Every bit of support is massive for
them."
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Captain's Blog
WHUFC.com
Skipper Kevin Nolan may be missing Tuesday's big game but he will be right
behind his team-mates
13.02.2012
Good morning everyone,
I want to start by saying what a fantastic derby win it was against
Millwall.
What a great result it was for us, further cementing our place at the top of
the league. It was not only down to the lads but also to all of you for
playing your part in making sure it all went off smoothly and your backing,
which was top class as always.
I was absolutely gutted to be sent-off - I understand why the decision was
made to send me off, but I was still distraught. I am sure you will agree
that the focus should be on the lads who did a fantastic job, I thought we
bossed it and deserved the points in what was a typical battling London
derby. I have to sit out the next three games but will be backing the lads,
who I know will be giving 100 per cent. I can't wait until I can play again.
Until then, I will be supporting the lads as they look to achieve more good
results in the next three games.
It was a shame our match at Peterborough United was called off, but I heard
that both sets of fans were among the volunteers who were helping to get the
snow off the pitch. It is great to see fans from opposing sides getting
together like that. We now turn our focus to Tuesday and Southampton. There
are no easy games but we want to keep our place at the top. The lads have
worked hard on the training pitches this weeked again and will be doing
their upmost to get the right result.
Tuesday's game will help to raise the profile one of our club charities, the
Richard House Children's Hospice in Beckton. A number of the lads visited
Richard House just before Christmas and I know they were all impressed and
moved by the amazing work done there. They will be collecting donations at
the stadium on matchday and please help them in any way that you can. It is
a great cause and one close to everyone's hearts here at West Ham United.
One way to donate a fiver is to text RHCH02 £5 to 70070.
As captain of our fantastic club, I can assure you that we will keep doing
our best and the only way we can reward your support is by getting the
results that will take us closer to getting promoted. As I have said before,
your support deserves that.
Come on you Irons!
Kevin Nolan
Captain
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Peterborough match rearranged
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's away match with Peterborough has been set for 27 March
13.02.2012
West Ham United's game with Peterborough has been re-arranged for Tuesday 27
March, with kick off at 7.45pm. The match was postponed on Saturday after an
8am pitch inspection found that the pitch was frozen despite the superb
efforts of fans from both club in trying to clear the surface of snow.
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Potts gets England call
WHUFC.com
Dan Potts has been included in the England Under-18 squad for a friendly
with Poland
13.02.2012
West Ham United defender Dan Potts has been included in the England Under-18
squad for a friendly with Poland next month. The match, which will be held
at Crewe Alexandra's Gresty Road on Wednesday 7 March, marks Potts' first
call-up by the national team at any level. The 17-year-old left-back has
made four first-team appearances for the Hammers this season and has
captained the Under-18s to the FA Youth Cup fifth round, where they take on
Chelsea on Wednesday evening. Potts has previously turned out for the United
States Under-20 side, who he qualifies for through Connecticut-born father
Steve, but will now hope to pull on the Three Lions shirt for the first
time. The teenager is one of five new caps included by manager Noel Blake.
With no competition for the Under-18s to take part in, this team offers a
chance for last season's Under-17s and any newly emerging players to
continue their international development ahead of moving up to Under-19
level later in the year. England and Poland last met at Under-18 level in
2010 at Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park, with the hosts running out 3-0
winners.
Tickets are available priced £3 for Adults and £1 for Concessions by calling
01270 252610.
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West Ham v Southampton
KO 19:45
13 February 2012
Last updated at 17:46
BBC.co.uk
NPOWER CHAMPIONSHIP
Venue: Upton Park Date: Tuesday 14 February Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio;
text commentary on the BBC Sport website
Championship leaders West Ham will be without influential captain Kevin
Nolan for the top-of-the-table clash with second-placed Southampton.
Midfielder Nolan begins a three-match ban for his red card against Millwall.
Left-back George McCartney felt a tight hamstring in training but is
expected to be fit, while striker Nicky Maynard could make his debut for the
club.
Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has virtually a full-strength squad to choose
from. Saints welcomed back defender Jos Hooiveld after three weeks out with
a hamstring injury for Saturday's 2-0 win over Burnley, meaning fellow
centre-half Dan Seaborne remains the only absentee as he continues his
recovery from the head injuries he suffered in an assault last year. Skipper
Dean Hammond and fellow midfielder Richard Chaplow could return to the
starting line-up after they were rested on Saturday.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• This is the 95th time these clubs will go head-to-head. West Ham
lead by 36 wins to 32 in all competitions.
• Southampton have bagged 10 points out of the last 12 available
against the Hammers, and another maximum will clinch their first double over
the East London club since 1997/98.
• If four goals are generated in this fixture, it will take the total
featured in league matches between the pair to 250.
West Ham United
• West Ham are aiming to complete a fifth win in six Championship
outings with victory in this top-of-the-table showdown. They are also vying
for a five successive home league maximum.
• The current tally of 56 points after 29 games is their best
equivalent return since the promotion season from the old Second Division in
1990/91, when 63 were bagged by this stage.
• Sam Allardyce's side have found the net in each of their last eight
league games - the longest current scoring sequence in the second tier.
Southampton
• If Saints win it will be their 17th of this Championship season and
will see them leapfrog the Hammers to reclaim the top of the table spot,
lost three and-a-half weeks ago.
• Saturday's 2-0 home win over Burnley was only the third time Nigel
Adkins side had mustered a victory in 11 league outings.
• The club with the strongest attack in the division, has so far not
managed to win away from home against any of the top 14 clubs.
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New date confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th February 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's cancelled trip to Peterborough has been re-scheduled for
next month. Saturday's fixture between the Posh and the Hammers was called
off early on Saturday morning after the pitch was declared unfit for
purpose, despite the best efforts of hundreds of volunteers who helped clear
snow from the London Road playing surface. It has now been confirmed that
the re-scheduled fixture will take place on Tuesday, 27th March; kick off at
7:45pm. Although it remains to be confirmed, those supporters who had
purchased tickets for last weekend's cancelled fixture are likely to be able
to obtain replacement tickets for the re-arranged fixture. West Ham's March
schedule - already busy even before the new fixture was added - will see Sam
Allardyce's side take in no less than EIGHT games including three game in
six days between Sunday 4th and Saturday 10th.
Full details of those may be seen below:
Revised March fixture schedule
Kick off 3pm unless otherwise stated
Sunday 4th: Cardiff City (a) 1pm
Wednesday 7th: Watford (h) 7:45pm
Saturday 10th: Doncaster (h)
Saturday 17th: Leeds United (a)
Tuesday 20th: Middlesbrough (h) 7:45pm
Saturday 24th: Burnley (a)
Tuesday 27th: Peterborough (a) 7:45pm
Saturday 31st: Reading (h)
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Sam on the Saints
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th February 2012
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce was in optimistic mood when questioned about the visit of
Southampton to the Boleyn Ground tomorrow night. The West Ham manager, who
is one of several English managers to be linked with the vacant national
team manager's job told Sky Sports that his team are looking forward to
testing themselves against the Saints, who won the corresponding fixture
earlier in the season by the narrowest of margins. "We're in really good
form at the moment; we've won our last four [at home] on the trot so
hopefully we can continue that," said Allardyce. "But there's still a long
way to go - 15, 16 games after this one. "We know what we've got to do;
we've got to try and stick to that two points per game target that we set
ourselves. If we can get near to that or equal that total we'll almost
guarantee automatic promotion."
Despite having captured the likes of George John, Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz
Te and Ravel Morrison during the January transfer window, Allardyce - who
will be without the services of captain Kevin Nolan who is suspended
following his early dismissal against Millwall last weekend - refused to
talk about team selection.
However he confirmed that at least two of his new signings may have a part
to play. "Both Nicky Maynard and [Ricardo] Vaz Te are in the squad," he
revealed. "Both players have proven that they can score goals at this level.
"We've been a little short of scoring goals recently because the front men,
particularly, haven't hit the back of the net as often as we would have
liked. So we've gone out and improved that. "It puts greater pressure on
everybody and hopefully that [policy] will bear fruit, starting on Tuesday
night. The amount of chances that we create, we have sort of let ourselves
down in terms of how many goals we've scored. But we've still managed to win
football matches, which is the most important thing."
And with regards to the vacant England position - for which former United
manager Harry Redknapp is strong favourite, despite spending two weeks
recently in the dock facing tax evasion charges - Allardyce said that it was
very much a 'wait and see' situation. "I'm not putting myself forward one
way or the other," he confirmed. "If they come knocking then there's a
decision to be made. At the moment it's entirely up to them [the FA] to get
their house in order, draw up the short list and then we'll move forward
accordingly. "If and when I'm on that list then I'll make a decision one way
or the other."
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We'll take it as it comes
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th February 2012
By: Staff Writer
The jury still appears to be out on new signing Ravel Morrison after Sam
Allardyce refused to confirm whether or not the youngster would feature for
the first team this season. Morrison was signed from Manchester United on
transfer deadline day for £650,000 - a knock down fee that took into account
his numerous off-field problems. Those problems have already caused issues
at West Ham before the 19-year-old has even kicked a ball in anger, after he
was accused of making an inappropriate comment via his Twitter account last
week. And according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, it is yet to be decided
whether or not the England youth international will feature for his first
team this season. "I don't quite know as we've not had enough time with him
just yet," Allardyce told Sky Sports when asked whether or not Morrison
features in his plans. "We're well-versed on the career of [fellow recent
captures] Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard, wheras Ravel is striving to make
a career for himself. "We all know he's got the ability, it's just whether
we think that ability can go into the first team right away and produce
something that we haven't got already. "If yes, then he can play in the
first team between now and the end of the season. If not we'll develop him
hopefully for the start of next season - wherever we might be."
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West Ham v Southampton Preview
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th February 2012
By: Preview Percy
Preview Percy spent some of his childhood not all that far from Southampton
having been evacuated to Hampshire. There wasn't a war on or anything, his
parents just didn't like him. Here's his look at the Valentine's Day meeting
of the two sides. Statistical input from John Northcutt
Next we entertain Southampton in a match that kicks off at 7.45pm this
Valentine's Day. Time to get creative with the excuses guys.
It is, perhaps, superfluous of me to point out that our visitors currently
lie in second place with 55 points from their 30 matches. That is one point
behind us, though we do have the game in hand after Saturday's postponement.
However, after a start to the season that saw them move faster than a
Scouser trying to find someone else to blame, they have wobbled a bit over
the past few months. Saturday's 2-0 defeat over Burnley at St Mary's was
only their second win since Boxing Day ant their last six has them showing a
2-2-2 record. The other win in that period came courtesy of a 3-0 drubbing
of the rather hapless Forest at the City Ground. They've drawn at home to
Cardiff (1-1) and away at Birmingham (0-0) and lost away at Brighton (3-0)
and at home to Bristol City (0-1).
They made two noteworthy signings in the recent transfer window, both in the
forward department. Tadanari Lee came in on a free from J-League side
Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Lee played the full 90 plus stoppage in the FA Cup
match last week that proved it is possible to lose to Millwall if you try
hard enough. However he was back to the bench for the Burnley match coming
on as a late sub for Lambert.
The other big signing was Billy Sharp from Doncaster. Sharp was credited
with the Southampton second against Burnley, though there did seem to be
something of an "assist" from a helpful defender. Sharp, you will recall,
received kudos from all quarters earlier this season when playing for
Doncaster despite the sad loss of his young son, escaping the statutory
yellow card for a t-shirt revealing goal celebration thanks to a piece of
intelligent and sensible refereeing from Darren Deadman that will have
caused uproar amongst the shared braincell at Ref HQ. Sharp came in from
Doncaster Rovers for a reported fee of £1.8m, though with Willy McKay's
involvement at the Keepmoat lord knows what the real fee was.
Sharp's arrival means that there's competition for places up front. Ricky
Lambert is still the division's top scorer with 16 from his 27 league
appearances this far this term, which pretty much makes him an automatic
start. However, in addition to new boys Lee and Sharp they also have
ex-Hammer David Connolly in the squad. Angry Ant has six goals from his 23
league appearances this term and replaced Sharp just after the hour on
Saturday, having a goal disallowed for offside late on.
You'd think with them going reasonably well with promotion a distinct
possibility all would be sweetness and light within the St Mary's camp. Not
quite so. A quick delve into the file marked "attitude problem" will reveal
a dossier in the name of Jason Puncheon. Puncheon fell out of favour with
boss Adkins back in the 2010/11 season, ending up on loan at Blackpool. On
his return from the seaside Adkins farmed him out once more, this time to
QPR, the deal expiring last month. In his six months at Loftus Road Puncheon
made but two league appearances, putting paid to any thoughts that QPR might
do Southampton a favour by taking the player off their hands. Puncheon's
demeanour was not improved by his being made to train with the kids on his
return to the South coast. It was therefore none too surprising when the
player sought to publicise his position in the footballer equivalent of the
Times personal column: Twitter. Criticising the club's chairman the player
threatened to do a Winston Bogarde by seeing out his contract and departing
on a free. However, in a bit of a truce, Puncheon apologised for his
comments and even featured in the first of the Millwall cup ties and the
league match against Cardiff. There was no explanation for the apparent
U-turn, though the fact that the only interest in the player was an
unconfirmed enquiry from Blackpool might have focused his mind with the
transfer window closing rather quickly.
The squad news from the South Coast is that they have just about a full
squad to choose from, with the exception of defender Dan Seaborne. Seaborne
is still recovering from a "nightclub incident" back in September. He is
said to be close to a return after an attack that left him with injuries
described as "life-threatening" by the local Constabulary.
This preview is obviously going to be a bit shorter than usual (hooray! –
ed) as, at this point I normally pick over the bones of the previous match.
Try as I might there's only so much mileage to be gotten out of the fact
that the game was called off at 8am following overnight temperatures of -15
Celsius (whatever a Celsius is). The good news for those of you who like
terraces is that, although the away terrace at London Road was due to be
demolished soon, Peterborough have stated that the redevelopment won't start
until their home games have been completed. The match has been rearranged
for 27 March. March is going to be a bit of a busy month with something like
8 matches to be played so the squad will be utilised to its maximum.
The postponement of the Peterborough match has made little difference to the
squad for Tuesday night. Despite Demel's comments to the effect that he was
targeting this one for a return, unsurprisingly he seems to have been ruled
out of contention. Papa's hamstring is still hamstrung though I was somewhat
surprised to receive one of those text alert thingies that suggests that
John Carew wouldn't be available. Given the wealth of attacking options now
available to the manager after the transfer window Carew would be well down
most people's list of options anyway. I guess the injury alert is more
something to remind us all he's still there once the March fixture rush
starts,
As for team selection it wouldn't surprise me to see the boss continue with
the experiment of Tomkins playing just in front of the back four – if that's
the case we'll see exactly how it is supposed to work when we have eleven on
the pitch. It was rumoured that Nicky Maynard was in line for a debut
against Peterborough, though the manager's usual caution may see us revert
to us starting with Cole on his own again – not my favourite formation
though admittedly Cole had a fine game in that role against the vendors of
clothespegs last weekend.
The week off has both pros and cons. On the "pro" side it means our
opponents will be facing their second match in four days, and those follow a
midweek cup replay last week so they could feel the pace a bit. On the "con"
side of the equation the fact that they won against Burnley has, as
mentioned, reduced the points gap to just the one, notwithstanding the game
in hand. That in itself should prove to be some sort of incentive to ignore
the aches and pains that come with a run of fixtures in a short space of
time. This means that we'll probably be looking at a team wanting to come at
us from the start. My prediction is therefore going to be for a draw – let's
call it 2-2 which will keep both sides looking a bit anxiously over our
shoulders at Birmingham City – who are the side we really ought to be
keeping an eye on at present.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met: Lost 0-1 We lost Matt Taylor early on. We hit the post. We
had one cleared off the line. They scored at the end of the first half
through Hooiveld. The crowd beat their previous record. By one.
Referee: Lee Probert inconsistent Premiership official last seen presiding
over our annual defeat up at Bolton.
Danger Man: Adam Lallana although Lambert will be a threat as top scorer
Lallana is the creative hub of the side who will need to have an eye kept on
him.
Daft fact of the week: Southampton is home to the UK's only geothermal power
station in which hot water obtained from boreholes drilled into the earth's
crust is used to provide heat and power. A hot air version is planned for
Liverpool just as soon as they can work out which particular orifice it is
that Kenny Dalglish is speaking out of these days.
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Friendlies
Away
January 1962 6-2 Tindall 3 Musgrove 2 Scott
August 2008 2-1 Davenport Hines
Home Testimonial
Bobby Ferguson 4-3 Cross Ferguson Barnes Pearson
Sent Off
Mark Ward Home December 1987
They Played For Both
Bill Adams, Eyal Berkovic, Iain Dowie, Richard Hall, Robbie Slater, Arthur
Wilson, David Connolly, Paul Allen, Horace Glover, Jim Harris, Joe Kirkup,
David Speedie, Justin Fashanu, Vic Watson, Wayne Bridge, Nigel Quashie,
Christian Dailly, Richard Wright, Walter Pollard.
Our former captain George Kay was also the Saints manager between 1931 and
1936
Alan Pardew was their manager in 2009-10 and Harry Redknapp was in charge in
2004-05
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West Ham v Southampton preview
Last updated: 13th February 2012
SSN
Team news for Tuesday evening's Championship clash between West Ham and
Southampton at Upton Park. Leaders West Ham are without captain Kevin Nolan.
Midfielder Nolan begins a three-match ban for his red card against Millwall
last week after Saturday's trip to Peterborough was postponed. Left-back
George McCartney was feeling a tight hamstring in training last week but
boss Sam Allardyce expects him to be fit. Defender Guy Demel has shaken off
a thigh problem but will not be risked yet, striker John Carew has a knee
knock and midfielder Papa Bouba Diop will be out for a few weeks with a
hamstring injury. Nicky Maynard will be hoping to make his debut after he
was an unused substitute against Millwall but fellow deadline-day signing
Ravel Morrison will not be involved yet.
Southampton have a virtually full-strength squad. Boss Nigel Adkins was able
to welcome back defender Jos Hooiveld after three weeks out with a hamstring
injury for Saturday's 2-0 win over Burnley. That means fellow centre-half
Dan Seaborne remains the only absentee as he continues his recovery from the
head injuries he suffered in an assault last year. Former Hammers striker
David Connolly will start on the bench at his old stomping ground with
Adkins set to stick with Rickie Lambert and Billy Sharp in attack. Skipper
Dean Hammond and fellow midfielder Richard Chaplow could return to the
starting line-up after they were rested on Saturday.
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Match Preview: West Ham v Southampton
February 14th, 2012 - 2:21 am by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Well, Braderz has had his say. Now let me have mine. The one thing you can
guarantee is that when you play a team like Southampton, attack is the best
form of defence. Let them come at you and you may live to regret it. So
let's play a genuine 4-3-3 against them and forget what we all know has been
a 4-5-1 formation. And the start of Kevin Nolan's ban is just the time to do
it. Play Jack Collison and Mark Noble in the centre, with Henry Lansbury
playing a holding role. Up front let's go for it with a front three of
Carlton Cole, Nicky Maynard and Sam Baldock. I do realise there is no
prospect of that happening. An alternative would be 4-4-2 with a midfield of
Collison, Noble, Taylor and Vaz Te with Cole and Maynard/Baldock up front.
In defence, it seems George McCartney is a doubt, in which case it would be
good to see young Danny Potts drafted in to gain further first team
experience. The player who may well miss out on all of this is Julien
Faubert. You have to say he has done nothing wrong and doesn't deserve to be
dropped, but he's not a right back and the question is whether he can be
accommodated in a four man midfield has yet to be answered. So my team would
be
Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Potts, Taylor, Collison, Noble, Vaz Te, Cole,
Maynard.
Which means you can bet your bottom dollar Sam will pick a different one.
Give the lads a cheer from me. I am working tonight and can't get to the
game. So make sure on your drive home you tune in to my programme on LBC
97.3, and I will see if I can sneak in a Hammers mention during our 9-10pm
medical hour!
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