West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soucek, Bowen, Antonio, Paqueta.
Subs: Anang, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Cornet, Fornals, Kudus, Benrahma, Mubama, Ings.
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Burn, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Tonali, Almiron, Isak, Anderson.
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Manquillo, Hall, Livramento, Targett, Ritchie, Murphy, Wilson.
Eddie Howe was given what appeared to be wall to wall coverage on the BBC sports website today ahead of Newcastle's clash with West Ham in London on Sunday, in fact it was almost unprecedented such was the 'gub fest' being dished out by tongue slavering reporters who are supposed to be unbiased according to the Beeb's self imposed rules.
Inbiased they most definitely were NOT! ALL of the attention was given to how(e) Newcastle would perform after their 'heroic' Champions League victory over PSG, there was little to zero reference regarding Hammers record breaking antics on Thursday evening, although there were a few hastily scrambled paragraphs knocked together in a sub-heading.
The reporting was incredibly disrespectful and it is to be hoped that David Moyes prints off and pins up some of the 'brown nose' reporting 'high lights' in order to motivate his team just that little bit more to vanquish their visitors from up North.
According to the various BBC niche articles, Hammers might as well NOT turn up at the game because the Toon are imperious and will sweep all those in front of then asunder! Well, in the immortal words of one of their previous managers, many Irons fans will "just love it" if the Toon arrive but fail to conquer, after all who is currently above who in the Premier League table?
Eddie Howe is a good manager and by most accounts a thoroughly decent fellow, but he is not above telling the odd "porky' when he feels the need, so it is probably best to disregard his 'injury news', particularly regarding Hammers nemesis Callum Wilson.
You can almost bet your 'Paqueta' on Wilson suddenly becoming fit in time for Sunday's game following a 'miraculous' recovery. One other element that irks many Hammers fans is the Podcast that Michail Antonio shares with Wilson which is also featured on the BBC and other platforms. It must drive Moyes mad to hear Big Mick spouting off, in any other area of life the Jamaican forward would be told to 'shut his mouth' and concentrate on highly paid job, not twittering on about 'stuff'!
There are enough mind games played ahead of a match already, WITHOUT adding unnecessary extra rubbish, perhaps it is better to stick to training rather than entertaining, except on the pitch that is! Howes that?- Ed
Well it might be 'little ol' West 'Am, but it is going to take another team a helluva long time to equal Hammers European record established in last night's victory over Freiburg. The Irons have eclipsed Pep, Don Revie and Bill Nicholson's achievements by going one better and it will take some effort for others to overtake 'Moyes' Marvels'.
Hammers could have put the game to bed early doors last night had it not been for the woodwork and a goal that was ruled offside that would have had Jurgen Klopp going apoplectic! Instead a hard fought victory was earned in the 2nd half as the hosts came out with all guns blazing and for a while threatened to ruin the now unblemished record.
Be prepared for a ridiculous amount of speculation regarding Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen in the next couple of weeks, it will be yet another ludicrously timed International break during which speculation is ALWAYS rife about players in order to fill up column inches and the two stand out Hammers stars will be directly in the cross hairs of the needy and the greedy media outlets desperate to keep them 'clicks a coming'.
In a way the exploits of Pac Man and 180 will obscure the astounding squad strength now being assembled by Steidten and Moyes, players like Mo Kudus and Stan the man as well as El Chefe and JWP appear to be going under the radar, which is a GOOD thing.
Most Hammers fans will be sick to death of the constant speculation surrounding the club's players having 'endured' over 18 months of 'Dec mania' before Rice finally moved to Arsenal, tapping up in public? No never!
Anyway today is a chance to enjoy the club's achievement and have bragging rights over 'Tottingham' and Chelsea, neither of which are in Europe this season! - Ed
Freiburg: Atubolu, Sildillia, Ginter (C), Lienhart, Sallai, Eggestein, Höfler, Kübler, Adamu, Grifo, Höler
West Ham: Fabianski (C), Coufal, Kehrer, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Fornals, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus
Subs: Areola, Anang, Zouma, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Benrahma, Soucek, Coventry, Emerson, Mubama
David Moyes has confirmed Michail Antonio will NOT be leading the line in tonight's away game against Freiburg, neither will Aaron Cresswell nor Ben Johnson. Aaron Cresswell, despite his years of great service, is viewed by many fans as a liability, especially in European matches given his propensity to give away fouls due to his lack of pace, which saw him pick up two red cards during the club's last Europa Cup campaign.
Ben Johnson on the other hand WILL be missed, and this fixture was a chance for him to prove he is worth retaining when the January transfer window opens up, unfortunately he has picked up a 'niggle' in training and won't travel with the rest of the squad.
Johnson's absence means Emerson will have to play with no natural back up in his defensive position. Moyes would have liked to keep the ex-Chelsea player fresh for Sunday's crucial game against the high flying Toon, but alas that will not be the case!
Upfront Moyes WILL have the opportunity to start Mo Kudus ahead of 'Uncle Ingy', Kudus has more than proved how devastating he can be in Europe this season, signing off with a first half hat trick in what was hist last appearance for Ajax before signing for the Irons.
Kudus could be joined up front by Divin Mubama who thoroughly deserves the CHANCE TO LEAD THE LINE, especially if he has Kudus to pull the opposition apart! This game really represents an ideal opportunity for BOTH players to make their mark and it is hoped that Moyes makes the most of it.
If this seems harsh on Ings then maybe it is, but he has shown little if any reason to start ahead of Kudus or Mubama, he simply doesn't have the pace to fit into Myes' counter attacking template, why he was signed on such big money and for so much money is still a mystery, but Villa must have been laughing all the way to the bank!
Moyes also has to decide whether to feature the club's talisman Lucas Paqueta. He would obviously prefer to rest him ahead of the Too game, but can he risk it? He may well elect to have Lucas on the bench in case his magic is needed to help the club achieve their own bit of European history by winning or drawing tonight.
No away fans due to the ludicrous sanction handed out by UEFA, but the players DO HAVE what it takes, but the manager needs to be bold for this 'early' fixture which kicks off at 17:45 Hrs BST. It will be a tough match in a hostile environment, but these are the games a club has to win to confirm they really are 'Euro Winners'. - Ed
The interviewers a bit of a Knob but loved this interview.
New that post headline would raise a few hackles on here! but this is my point a Kaneless spuds after a terrible season and playing shite football suddenly play fast attacking flowing football that has them currently second in the league and the poor dears fans dreaming of winning the league as they have no European football and only one game a week until the F.A. Cup in January.
Now we have not started badly at all but we dont do free flowing we are more methodical and well at times for me negative, We have players more than equal to the spuds and yet we play with a leash on and it is annoying for me because i feel it is holding us back at times.
Look at how the spuds manager uses his subs he hauls off so called untouchables and they don't whinge or throw a hissy fit they get off and the side does not back away from going forward still yet we dither over when a sub clearly needs to be made and lets face it unless we have a bad injury during the game we all know who is going to be subbed in and out of nearly every game and the time it will happen.
The low block they say draw teams on they say hit fast on the counter they say well i say why not play on the front foot have more faith in our ability to put most teams to the sword playing that way then concentrate on defending our lead if you will.
Methodical it gets results they say and yes that maybe the case but we can be so much more but this Sunday against the barcodes expect to see every player including Ants inside our own half from the off because the poor dears played Thursday evening and had to go allllllllll the way to Germany and back. My point being we give the initiative to our opponents week in week out and we are more about stopping the opposition playing than letting them worry about us.
Football for me should be about enjoyment and appreciating good performances and whilst we have done well so far this season we are never easy on the eye to watch and we can be so so much better if the man in charge let the players show us that but he never will.
So the media will say things like West Ham a tough place to go and get a result and in the same breath talk about the Spuds in the title race and playing attractive free flowing football so if they can do that why can we not?
Spuds win the league of course not but it is funny we are never mentioned in that way.
Freiburg(froderick)next been watching them play this afternoon and if we apply ourselves properly we should win...yeah yeah jinx it you say but its West ham we will do whatever we are going to do lol....listening to the commentators the side have not had the best of starts and sound like us when he said you do not know what freiburg side will show up...but watching the game they do look open at the back and set pieces they do not look great at defending.....So Ants with the right application could well fill his boots here they have a couple of tricky widemen but coufal(Kehrer?)and Emerson more than capable dealing with them....no official hammers fans allowed so the players need to quieten the crowd early doors for me and put a lot of doubts in there minds.....COYI lets have another great european night abroad but remember Don't mention the war!
David Moyes enjoyed Hammers 'stroll in the park' against Sheffield United as he reached his 900th top flight game as a manager by heaping more pain on the struggling Blades, or Blunts as they are often derogatively referred to.
Although the score line was not as comprehensive as some had hoped for it was still a win AND a clean sheet.
Having been crushed 8-0 at home by Newcastle the previous week the visitors were surely going to put a shift in to try and restore their pride, but try as they might they did little if anything to trouble Alphonse Areola in Hammers goal.
Jarrod Bowen stroked home his fifth goal in seven Premier League games this season to put Hammers ahead following some beautiful build up play and then Tomas Soucek, the 'real Tomy' who missing most of last season, squeezed home a second despite heavy pressure from the ragged defenders.
West Ham never looked as if they were going to 'tonk' the visitors, but the margin of victory could have been far greater had Michail Antonio and others not squandered the ample first-half opportunities they were presented with.
Soucek side-footed over an easy chance, while Sheffield keeper Wes Foderingham saved a Bowen header and Nayef Aguerd's follow-up was cleared off the line, while Michail Antonio also curled just wide with his 2nd 'gift'.
McBurnie scuffed wide for the visitors just after the Hammers' second and although Sheffield improved after the break, Alphonse Areola only had one save of note to make from Anel Ahmedhodzic's close range header.
The three points were more than useful as Moyes and his men looked to get back on track following successive defeats by Manchester City and Liverpool.
West Ham remain seventh in the league, whereas the Blades are rock bottom with just one point from seven games. Freiburg are up next in the Europa League for Moyes' men, followed by the home fixture against Newcastle ahead of yet another International break. - Ed
West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Zouma (c), Aguerd, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio. Subs: Fabianski, Kudus, Fornals, Mavropanos, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Benrahma, Kehrer.
Sheffield: Foderingham, Amedhodzic, Egan (c), Robinson, Bogle, Souza, Hamer, McAtee, Thomas, Archer, McBurnie. Subs: Davies, Trusty, Basham, Brewster, Traore, Norwood, Davies, Slimane, Larouci.
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