“I’m back and I’m ready.”

“I’m back and I’m ready.”

Ahead of today's crucial home tie against Local rivals Crystal Palace Hammers fans have been hoping for some good news and it seems as if they have found it in the form of Lucas Pacqueta's upbeat social media announcement of "“I’m back and I’m ready.”

Only five words but they mean an awful lot to a lot of people, none more so the Gianluca Scamacca who has sorely missed his 'playmaker from heaven'.

Scamacca looks like a fish out of water or more accurately like an energetic puppy chasing a deceptively thrown frizby, without 'Pacaman's' immaculate service, there is after all a reason why the club broke it's transfer record when it paid £51 Million for the Brazilian International! Sidelined by a collar bone and rib injury since the Southampton game, Pacman's contributions to the team have been massively missed and if all the current information proves to be correct he will be 'unleashed' against Palace this afternoon.

Even IF Pacman is available, today's visitors represent much sterner opposition than they would have done in previous seasons when they were managed by a different breed of managers, usually those who had a safe pair of hands and weren't too demanding of Steve Parish and his board. Patrik Viera is a different kettle of fish however and despite having some injury concerns will put out a 'battling' team that might well ruffle the feathers of Pacqueta and Scamacca, neither of who is known for their patience, Palace may look to exploit their collective short fuses in order to level things up a bit.

David Moyes has a decision to make regarding who plays between the sticks today, Lukasz Fabianski is available having recovered from a knock received during the Manchester Utd game, but will Moyes elect to keep in form Alphonse Areola in the starting line up instead?

Since his arrival at the club initially on loan from PSG for one year, a deal that was made permanent at the beginning of this season, Areola has done NO wrong and has calmly bided his time by producing a string of superb performances during Hammers European campaigns both this season and last, he is the chosen heir to Fabianski and the general consensus is thatNOW is the time for him to take charge of the gloves.

Apart from the goalkeeping situation it will be interesting to see how Moyes deals with the 'Soucek' situation, does he stick with the ex H.O.T.Y by handing him his 100th start or does he go brave and have Downes play alongside Decan Rice? Many fans would like to see Rice and Downes in the midfield together, you never know, today their wishes might get granted! - Ed