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Worrying Forward Line Injury News Ahead Of Brighton Clash

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Wed, 03/10/2018 - 10:45

The lows and highs of Premier League football cannot be better illustrated than by looking at the fortunes of West Ham United over the last couple of weeks, from crisis club to slayers of Red Devils and fillers of Toffee laden mouths! There is a genuine air of hope surrounding the club, a far contrast from earlier in the season. However the joy fans are currently feeling will be slightly tempered by the reality that both Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Arnoutovic are not 100% for the game against Brighton this coming Friday evening.

Arnoutovic still has a very painful impact knee injury that will require nursing, hopefully Arnie will be given time to recover during the International break, Yarmolenko picked up an ankle injury during the 3-1 victory over Manchester United and is a real doubt for Friday. If Yarmolenko is unavailable Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini may well use either Robert Snodgrass or Michail Antonio to fulfil what has become a very important position in the way he sets his team up, speed and skill down the wing is an essential requisite for any of Pellegrini's preferred starting line up.

Last season Brighton took six points off of a rudderless West Ham, what was once a ship with no direction is now a boat on a true course with the right man at the healm, an admiral with a proper captain at his side. Pellegrini and Noble are about as far apart as you can get when they talk, but they both share a passion which somehow negates background or reputation. Pellegrini is the eighth manager Mark Noble has worked with in his fifteen year career at the club and is undoubtably the best, there is a real chance of the team challenging to be 'the best of the rest' this season and under Pellegini's guidance with the support of senior players there is no reason to assume otherwise.

It is perhaps testimony to Pellegrini's approach, particularly his desire to build a squad not just a team, that even with Javier Hernandez having the longest case of flu ever and Andy Carroll being a long term injury as usual, that the manager has options available instead of scraping the barrel as has so often been the case in the past. Lucas Perez is available as is young hot shot Grady Diangana, not bad for a 'third wave' of players available from the bench, it would be foolish to assume the likes of Arnoutovic, Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson will be able to get through the rigours of a Premier League season without at least one of them picking up a lengthy injury so it is at least encouraging that there is finally strength in depth available to the manager, a situation that he sought reassurances about before signing up for the 'Hammers' project. - Ed

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moore 6 legend's picture

If he don't beat brighton,he'll go back to a being a hairy bollock,i'll be so frustrated if we lose to them again, this is a big test to see if we're on the right track,they need putting in there place COYI

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nevillenixon's picture

It wasn't fake news, we don't do that at the Org! After all we are too busy monitoring Ronaldo trying to buy West Ham at the moment.

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moore 6 legend's picture

Trying to buy west ham,don't tell me he's been accused of Sexual assaulting someone in the hammers camp now,he wont be buying his way out of this one ;)

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moore2come's picture

He already has bought himself out of it, but seems that we'll need to see a bank statement of the deposit to determine if there's any truth in it!

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