Next up is Newcastle v West Ham for us today.
A huge game for both clubs for very different reasons.
For fourth bottom Newcastle our reason is obvious and same for the Hammers, they are intending to stay top four!
I never thought I’d see the day we would be playing a West Ham team going for a Champions League spot so late on in a Premier league season.
I don’t mean any disrespect towards West Ham or their fans in saying that. I was born in 1987 so West Ham have been pretty rubbish most of my lifetime. I can’t comment on what they were like in the previous decades as I simply wasn’t around.
West Ham for me deserve a tonne of credit and I wish them all the best (except today) in going for that top four spot. David Moyes has finally found his groove again after years of ill fortune after leaving the tremendous work he did at Everton for the Manchester United job.
David Moyes may not be everyone’s cup of tea , but he deserves a lot of respect for what he did at Everton and what he is doing now at West Ham. He should be loved by all Newcastle United fans as well after his fine work at Sunderland (relegation) in 2016/17.
Anyways, back to the game today. It’s a big ask and a very tough game ahead for us today BUT there are some things riding for us…Declan Rice and Michail Antonio are big players missing today, plus there is a bit more confidence (seemingly at least) in our players in belief they can win.
Allan Saint Maximin (starts) and Callum Wilson (bench) being involved again is huge, as I imagine the team feel we have a chance in a potentially tight game with ASM from the final whistle and Wilson an impact sub.
Historically too this fixture has been very kind to us, as West Ham have only won four times at St James Park in the Premier League era.
There are 11 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses is the current St James Park head to head record in the Premier League era.
Then 21 wins, 11 draws and 13 losses in our overall record home and away in the Premier League era.
Lets hope history plays its part today, as I feel we need all the help we can get.
My feeling is that it will be a 1-1 draw today and I’ll let you decide if that is a good result or not, I suppose it will be as long as Arsenal beat Fulham at the Emirates on Sunday.
I obviously want a win but a draw would be a good result today if I’m honest. I’d normally bank on us beating West ham at home in any old season but being realistic it’s hard to see us winning today and it pains me in saying it.
West Ham may very well have overachieved and may slump next season but Steve Bruce has certainly underachieved for us and is likely to carry that NUFC slump into next season.
Comments welcome.
