Back to the land of bubble blowing

Somehow it didn’t quite happen and although they reached the play off final they were beaten by Crystal Palace at the Millennium Stadium and are back with us again in the Championship.

Manager Alan Pardew took over directly after our visit last year and he has certainly rung the changes with fourteen new permanent signings and a number of loan deals.

Five of those new signings have arrived since the end of last season as Pardew has tried to rebuild his squad for another attempt at regaining their place in the Premiership. The first of the five to arrive was Walsall keeper James Walker who has been brought in as cover for Stephen Bywater.

Teddy Sheringham came in from Portsmouth and he was followed by Sergei Rebrov from Spurs and then Luke Chadwick from Manchester United. The former Burnley loan man was desperate for a move back south and has been playing well according to reports – no surprise really, he played well for us in August.

Finally they added 17-year-old Millwall forward Moses Ashikodi. The youngster who made five league appearances for Millwall is still to make his debut for West Ham.

Players have left to make way for the new recruits, most notably Kevin Horlock to Ipswich, David Connolly to Leicester and Joel McAnuff to Cardiff whilst this week Michael Carrick finally said his goodbyes and followed the now well used path to Spurs.

They have got their season off to a good start and they currently sit just one point above us having won two and lost one of their opening league games. The only defeat came at home at the hands of the current league leaders.

Last week they won 3-2 at Crewe but it is a match they should have won more convincingly having gone 3-0 up in the first half hour.

Click HERE to see West Ham's results this season.

West Ham have a big squad so even though Don Hutchison, Bobby Zamora and Christian Dailly are all ruled out and Andy Melville remains doubtful it shouldn’t be of too much concern to Pardew.

Anton Ferdinand, Hayden Mullins and Matthew Etherington were all missing through injury from their midweek Carling Cup clash against Southend although all three are expected to be available as is Steve Lomas who has still to play this season because of an ankle injury.

Pardew is expected to select his side from:

Stephen Bywater, Tomas Repka, Anton Ferdinand, Hayden Mullins, Rufus Brevett, Luke Chadwick, Adam Nowland, Nigel Reo-Coker, Matthew Etherington, Teddy Sheringham, Marlon Harewood, James Walker, Steve Lomas, David Noble, Sergei Rebrov, Trent McClenahan, Chris Cohen.

For Burnley the one real doubt is Richard Chaplow who was injured during at Bury following what could, if we were being polite, be described as a high challenge. It caught Chappy on the thigh but was inches away from causing damage to, as Steve Cotterill put it, the family jewellery.

It is hoped that he will be fit and if so then there is little doubt that it will be an unchanged team that takes to the field, namely.

Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Richard Chaplow, Tony Grant, Micah Hyde, Graham Branch, Robbie Blake. Subs: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Matt O’Neill, Joel Pilkington, Ryan Townsend.

Should Chappy not make it then Lee Roche will probably come in and play on the right hand side of midfield with Ian Moore moving up front to partner Robbie Blake in a 4-4-2 formation.

Last season’s visit to West Ham ended in a 2-2 draw after we had looked as though we might be in for a pasting. After going a goal behind Delroy Facey equalised for us and Ian Moore looked to have won it but a late strike from Don Hutchison took a point for the Hammers in Trevor Brooking’s last game in charge.

It was the day Arthur returned from QPR to partner Graham Branch at the back with David Many injured and Andy Todd back at Blackburn. It was also one of those days when there were positive comments about keeper Brian Jensen.

The teams that day were,

West Ham: David James, Tomas Repka, Ian Pearce, Christian Dailly, Wayne Quinn (Neil Mellor 63), Niclas Alexandersson (Don Hutchison 83), Matthew Etherington, Michael Carrick, Rob Lee, David Connolly, Jermain Defoe. Subs not used: Stephen Bywater, Anton Ferdinand, Matthew Kilgallon.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Dean West, Graham Branch, Arthur Gnohere, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Paul Weller (Tony Grant 27), Richard Chaplow, Luke Chadwick, Robbie Blake (Gareth Farrelly 78), Delroy Facey. Subs not used: Lee Roche, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.