Allardyce ponders selection issues
ClaretandHugh understands that skipper Mark Noble looks likely to miss the match and currently there is no return date set for the Hammers loyalist.
And it seems that early reports that he was suffering from shin and calf problem may have been mistaken with the player now believed to have sustained thigh knock.
Poyet – impressive at Manchester United last weekend – is the obvious choice to continue but manager Sam Allardyce has to decide whether Carl Jenkinson will come in at right back and whether James Tomkins will be included.
It has been suggested the central defender could be dropped as a result of a guilty conviction in court earlier this week.