West Ham V Newcastle at Boleyn Ground - Match Preview




No new injury worries for West Ham

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has no fresh injury concerns as he welcomes former club Newcastle to Upton Park on Saturday.

Defensive duo James Tomkins (calf) and George McCartney (knee) are again likely to miss out for the Hammers, who could climb to ninth in the Barclays Premier League with a win.

Mark Noble and Joe Cole will be pushing for places in the starting XI after improving their match fitness from the bench in recent weeks.

Striker Andy Carroll will be "licking his lips" at the prospect of coming up against Newcastle's creaking defence, according to assistant manager Neil McDonald.

Carroll, who moved from Tyneside to Liverpool for #35million in January 2011 and has since been loaned to West Ham, has enjoyed a return to form in recent weeks.

That comes in stark contrast to the Magpies, who remain embroiled in the scrap for Barclays Premier League survival after a 6-0 mauling by Carroll's parent club last weekend.

West Ham can inflict more pain on their former boss Alan Pardew if they win and McDonald, an ex-Newcastle player himself, reckons Carroll will be up for the reunion.

"He is a forward and wants to score goals so I imagine he will be licking his lips after their performance against Liverpool last week," McDonald said.

"He is bound to find it strange because this is the club where he grew up and came through the ranks. That won't stop him trying to do his best for the team and he is fully committed to West Ham.

"He will be desperate to score and keep up his fine run of form."

Newcastle full-back Mathieu Debuchy will miss the trip through suspension.

The France international was sent off for two bookable offences during last weekend's 6-0 drubbing by Liverpool at St James' Park and will sit out the game at Upton Park as a result.

Left-back Massadio Haidara has also been sidelined by a hamstring injury, while keeper Tim Krul (dislocated shoulder), full-back Davide Santon (hamstring) and midfielder Sylvain Marveaux (groin) are all still out, although skipper Fabricio Coloccini could return from a long-term back problem.

Energy, discipline, organisation, quality and a great deal more were missing as Newcastle capitulated in spectacular style against Liverpool last Saturday evening to lose 6-0 on their own pitch.

The alarm bells began ringing afterwards as it dawned that the Magpies may have to win at either West Ham or QPR - they have tasted victory on the road only once all season - or beat Champions League-chasing Arsenal at home on the final day of the season if they are to avoid the drop.

It is a situation in which neither Pardew nor his players ever expected to find themselves with the manager convinced his best team is good enough to compete at the other end of the table.

He said: "Unfortunately, when I have looked around that dressing room sometimes, they have not all been there. At any one stage, three or four have been missing - and they will be again on Saturday, and we have had to accept that.

"But we have under-performed in terms of results, particularly away from home, and that's something we need to put right in the next three games."




Source: PA

Source: PA