|
He was sent off for violent conduct at Millwall in the cup, his offence being to push away some little thug who had stamped on him.
There seems little hope of Richard Chaplow being fit for either game this week and we will also be without Bradley Orr, who made his full debut on Saturday, and Paul Rachubka who have returned to their clubs after a one month loan period.
Stan tried to keep both but failed and in fact Rachubka looks all set to sign a similar temporary deal with Huddersfield Town this week.
There has been no word from the club whatsoever on the sudden disappearance of both Matt O’Neill and Joel Pilkington. Neither of them were there to fill the bench on Saturday and didn’t play in the recent reserve game.
We believe that O’Neill, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season, is currently injured whilst Pilkington is ill and possibly suffering from glandular fever.
Unless Stan decides to include someone from his youth team then it will mean just a squad of fourteen players and we will probably line up:
Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, David May, Mark McGregor, Mo Camara, Glen Little, Tony Grant, Neil Wood, Alan Moore, Robbie Blake, Ian Moore. Subs: Dean West, Graham Branch, Luke Chadwick.
West Ham also have injuries with three influential players still ruled out in Rob Lee, Don Hutchison and Rufus Brevett. Not that it will bother them too much with a squad that is far bigger than ours. In fact looking at their starting line up has you wondering just where these three might fit in.
They beat Cardiff on Saturday and will almost certainly be unchanged tonight with one of our former targets Stephen Bywater in goal.
They are expected to name the following side:
Stephen Bywater, Hayden Mullins, Tomas Repka, Christian Dailly, Jon Harley, Marlon Harewood, Nigel Reo-Coker, Michael Carrick, Matthew Etherington, Bobby Zamora, David Connolly. Subs: Pavel Srnicek, Andy Melville, Jobi McAnuff, Adam Nowland, Brian Deane.