Whispers

Sam is right: This game is MASSIVE

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Hammers badgespurs badgeFinally, back to the football and after the horror show of last weekend. tomorrow can’t come soon enough!

Once again Sam has dominated the agenda throughout the week but tomorrow the team really has to perform for him at White Hart Lane.

With the exception of Andy Carroll, everybody is reported fit and in the words of co chairman David Gold: “There has to be a response.”

Victory will see the team close within two points of Spurs although regardless of what happens at Swansea immediately below us (v Manchester United ) or at Southampton where Liverpool (immediately above us) are involved tomorrow, our position in eighth place is safe for the weekend.

Last season the manager came up with an extraordinary plan to play no strikers in our first White Hart Lane encounter as we scored a 3-0 victory.

That was only our second win in seven league games and we had to wait until the end of November for our next – another 3-0 win over Fulham.

Victory tomorrow is even more important given we have had just one win in the last eight PL games along with the disastrous FA Cup excursion last weekend.

The manager – despite all the chat surrounding his future – sums tomorrow up like this: ” We’ve lost our goalscoring touch at the moment and we’ve struggled to put our chances in the back of the net.

“We had been fluent in that area at the start of the season. Obviously that is key to any team doing well and I think that is why we have drawn some games we should have won.

” It’s a massive game for us and hopefully we do as well as we did there last season.

“I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our season. A win in a derby team is a bonus for us all, particularly the fans. We’re concentrating on winning as many games as possible from now on until the end of the season.”

Defeat at White Hart Lane is incredibly hard to take – and pride is the key to everything tomorrow. With only AC absent there can be no excuses.

And after the events of last weekend every fan expects! Sam used exactly the right word. This game is indeed MASSIVE!

COYI

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • mattefumi69 says:

    We have all the players available, and I’m sure our sophisticated manager will certainly want to make the best use of this opportunity, so I think this will be his winning choice

    E. Nolan D. Nolan

    S. Nolan

    K. Nolan M. Nolan

    A. Nolan

    A. Nolan W. Nolan J. Nolan C. Nolan

    Nolan

  • Born to be a Hammer says:

    I’ve got a bit of a bad feeling about tomorrow and I think the “Respect the Point” might rear it’s head. We will know at kick off how it’s going to go, if Sam really has any ambitions of winning or attempting to win this game then Downing has to be at the tip of the Diamond. If he’s out on either wing then we all know how it’s going to end up. Hopefully SA will realise that this game is not only about the result but the performance too, another capitulation and I think SA will be on very thin ice come the end of the Season. I’m not a Sam fan but I would still like to see him leave when he does without being sacked, as on paper you cannot fault the job he’s done and the stability he’s brought to the club, I just feel it’s time for a freshening up of the club but sorry I digress.

    Tottenham are going to be right at it tomorrow, they are going to feel there’s a few scores to settle from last year. We need to be able to retain possession effectively and stop giving the ball away, especially in dangerous areas, I feel Song owes us a performance, hopefully he’ll be right at it for this one. I think Sakho will be right up for this one too. Despite recent events and performances it’s still a great time to be a hammer, win lose or draw tomorrow, as long as there’s a performance to be proud of I’ll be happy. COYI

  • tony says:

    “I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our season.

    gee – now I know why he paid so much money!!

  • Dainon17 says:

    I am praying to god’s I dont believe in for a good performance and result tomorrow. My confidence has gone and I’m fearing a heavy defeat.

    We need to pick the right players, formation & tactics to stand a chance tomorrow and I dont think BFS will

  • bubs says:

    If BFS picks Nolan tomorrow and we loose Nolan could end up the most hated captain WHU have ever had,
    BFS Is now begging for a job from what I have read in the last 3 days and thinks the whole problem was our Cup exit,heis so much in denial or just dumb and stupid,
    BFS it’s the fact that you promised adventurous expansive good football and for 3 months we got used the idea and you thought it would fail,but when it worked you wanted to be right and made sure it failed by playing Nolan out of position and blaming the system,
    That why we now hate you WE WANT TO WATCH FOOTBALL YES THAT TIPPY TAPPY STUFF OTHER FANS GET TO WATCH
    COYI

  • oldiron says:

    Just read that Sam has stopped our players training properly, not to have any contact etc.. No wonder we didn’t get to grips with WBA and they ran us ragged, what type of Manager does this type of training sessions, OH YEA ALLADYCE cos he knows best.
    God he’s an egotisticle *******,
    We had it right at the beginning of the season , not because of Sam but because Nolan & Carroll were injured, then he goes and changes a winning team, my god , what a prat, he must go cos I think he is scared of getting too high on the ladder of success as he isn’t able to handle it.
    He’s ok at getting clubs to a stable position but unable to go the next step, he talks a good strategy but then goes and alters a winning formula cos he gotta play Nolan & Carroll, WHY ??????
    COYI

  • Nolan fan says:

    Here we go again.Everthing is Nolans fault.If it wasnt for him we would be in the bottom half of the table.He has been our most consistently good player this season.If you want someone to blame then blame the other midfielders who have made his workload so large with their poor performances.

    • mattefumi69 says:

      Tell me the truth: you are conkerpot, but you changed your nickname;-)

    • Dainon17 says:

      OMG Crackpot your back ..

      If you think Nolan has been better than Downing, Song ect this season you must be high

      • Nolan fan says:

        No i just understand football more than you so called experts.If Nolan was made the spearhead of the midfield our recent slump would be over.I believe he has been better than both Noble & Kouyate this season.

        • mattefumi69 says:

          Yes. Ok, you’re are a true expert. I hope you’ll be our next manager…

          • Nolan fan says:

            Haha,i knew i would get you fired up Mattefumi.Just TysonM here.I knew you were missing Conkerpot so i thought you needed someone to disagree with.Sad Bubs wasnt here to comment.Now time to become TysonM again now i have given you someone material to disagreee with,lol.

        • Roman says:

          Your having a laugh??

  • philtheiron says:

    While it seems that every game we play these days is vital/most important ever, there is no doubt that in the context of our season this is a massive game.

    So although an improvement in performance would be nice,(any kind of a performance would be an improvement from on recent displays!). All I’m interested in to be honest is a result and I’m really not bothered how we achieve it!

    With what has gone on between the two clubs over the years especially the OS I feel we owe them one.
    And apart from anything else I want us to beat them so badly and wipe the grin of the smug bas****d levy’s face!
    2-1irons! Get in!

  • Nolan fan says:

    If the midfield give the ball to Nolan more when passing from deep he can be the link to the forwards.If we played through Nolan more we would start to score again.Sam knows this & for me it makes perfect sense.But if he isnt given good service it makes him look bad.

  • bubs says:

    Just got in serching for conkerpot,
    TysonM I accused someone else already today of being our missing friend,
    But this forum needs some humor so stick with it , speak tomorrow when we teach those poor people at he lane how to play football,
    Our we allowed to tackle tomorrow or only in training said Ginge to Nolan don’t know dad has not told me that part,
    Do you think he will tell us before we start don’t know why are you in the team I know I am
    He promised.

  • TysonM says:

    Only because he his so slow he cant even catchup with the ref anymore to have a moan 🙂

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