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If West Ham had played a full strength team against Newcastle in the Asia Trophy Cup and ran out comfortable winners, fans would have said "So What, it's only Newcastle". Paradoxically by playing a weakened team Manuel Pelegrini has been roundly criticised! In case it has escaped the cognosenti, these Asia Trophy matches are warm up games for the Barclays Premier League 'proper'. The games are a focal taster of what the best league in the World can offer, and as such are friendlies with a bit of bite.

Newcastle: Dubravka, Sterry, Schar, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie, Colback, Hayden, Shelvey, Muto, Sorensen. Subs: Darlow, Woodman, Manquillo, Fernández, Lazaar, Bailey, Watts, Ki, S. Longstaff, M. Longstaff, Murphy, Aarons, Allan.
West Ham:: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Cullen, Lanzini, Yarmolenko, Anderson, Hernandez. Subs: Martin, Roberto, Fredericks, Johnson, Obiang, Sanchez, Wilshere, Snodgrass, Noble, Diangana, Antonio.

Manuel Pellegrini along with his Director of Football Mario Husillos have put their stamp on the way West Ham recruit players, and the Irons look to be moving in the right direction with some brilliant acquisitions, so why on Earth would they bring in Gary Medel as a Pedro Obiang replacement, as claimed could happen by ExWHUemployee on The West Ham Way podcast? Would it be another superb deal? We think not!