“Bye bye, Sam! Thanks for the 3 points!”
It was a good result at the weekend, even though it was a tough performance and we rode our luck but wasn’t it a great feeling to beat Sam the “Sam Allardyce way”?!
Moving on to the next fixture and it’s a huge one… the very last Tottenham Hotspur game at home and under the lights. West Ham v Tottenham in an evening game is always a “ball tickler”.
Just talking about this fixture really gets your blood pumping and it always seems to deliver a fantastic 90 mins of entertainment. I can recall at least three games where there has been at least five goals and last minute heart breaks, and I expect much of the same this Wednesday evening.
So let’s talk about the season Spurs are having. We all have to admit that they are playing some very good football and fully deserve their place in the top four, it would be a complete travesty if they don’t finish there after being there for the majority of the season. Along with Arsenal they are chasing the heels of table toppers Leicester City, and being spoken about as serious Premier League title contenders.
For me personally, I have an abundance of Tottenham Hotspur fans lurking around my life – youth football team mates, family members, work colleagues and close friends. In fact, one of them I consider the nearest thing I’ll ever have as a brother – my Best Man (Bradley) at my wedding later this year. I would absolutely love bragging rights when I go on my stag do!
I am not like any regular west ham fan, though. I share a hatred for Arsenal and I actually want Spurs to do well, only because of my mates. It was good to see them have some enjoyment, a beaming smile and bragging rights winning League Cups, going to finals, reaching the Champions League, getting dream ties at Real Madrid, selling on the world’s most expensive player and being a force in the Europa League.
Seeing all those things happen… made me want that success at West Ham.
With a 54k Olympic Stadium on the horizon (potentially even 66k after a few years), a strong squad currently 6th in the league and being linked with a world class striker in Zlatan Ibrahimović, it looks like we’ll be having the days my mates had when supporting their team, and it is such a bitter sweet feeling!
So, about the game. I’m expecting nothing less than a fiery performance from the Hammers.
I felt we held ourselves back Saturday and never really got out of third gear. It was like the players were saving themselves for the Tottenham game. Spurs, on the other hand, beat Swansea and it looks like Dele Alli will miss the game, which gives us a boost, but there’s also some talk that Harry Kane and Erik Lamela will be rested this Wednesday to play in the North London derby.
In my eyes, I feel that is a huge risk especially, against Bilic’s Babes. Tottenham shouldn’t under estimate us and it only makes West Ham more of a favourite for the game.
I suppose they think they can take it easy against us after beating us 4-1 earlier in the season, but I feel that heavy defeat “spurred” us on ( excuse the pun) to be a team non-reliant on Dimitri Payet, who missed that game through injury.
When Payet was injured we went on an unbeaten run, gained more injuries in the squad and yet we didn’t drop any lower than 8th in the league.
Payet does add that bit extra to the team and will defiantly add something extra against Tottenham. They won’t know what will hit them with both Payet and Lanzini back in the team, a forever improving Antonio boasting the wing, the long awaited “Return of the Sakh” Diafra Sakho (who deserves as much of an applause as Payet when he gets back on the field), Big AC back in contention (he loves a goal against this lot) and Winston Reid back fit.
Will spurs manage to break down Adrian’s wall? The guy is on fire and becoming a top top premier league keeper, he’s now collected 9 clean sheets this season!
My prediction is that we will WIN 4-2 this Wednesday. It’s a brave prediction from me, I normally stay with 1-0’s and 2-1’s, but I deeply feel there’s going to be goals galore against a Spurs side focusing on ‘their cup final – title deciding – North London derby’ at the weekend.
To win the league you have to keep your eyes on the prize EVERY GAME. One blink and shifting focus elsewhere is where you lose the league.
Do spurs really care about beating us at our last ever game against them at the Boleyn ground? Honestly, they couldn’t care less.
Do we as fans care? 100% Yes
Do the owners care? 100% Yes
Do the players care? 100% Yes
Does Bilic care? 100% Yes
Let’s get up for this game! Let’s get behind the players, and let’s put a dent in Tottenham’s title hopes and maybe, just maybe, dent their top four hopes… again!
Loo rolls at the ready, lasagne at the ready… let’s give them a bloody good thumping!
Come on you Irons!
