West Ham vs Portsmouth 10092011 West Ham vs Portsmouth 10092011

lovelystyle

A home game. We havent actually won competitively at home so far this season  lo ses to Cardiff and Aldershot, and a late Leeds goal sealed a draw for them at Upton Park. It seems as if the players are scared of Upton  Kolten Wong Jersey Park, and our home faithful loudly supporting them has actually worsened our situation.It seems then that we need to turn this around come Saturday, when we host Portsmouth. We must not take three points for granted  oh no, its a hard game all right. Portsmouth have experience in abundance, and their hoof-ball tactics under their manager, Steve Cotterill, will pose a different challenge to that of Nottingham Forest.Who do we need to prepare for then? Well, firstly, we need to get past their rock at the back, Tal Ben-Haim. If you remember back to last season, he provided something for us  Trevor Rosenthal Jersey that we sorely mi sed for the second half of the season  a tough-tackling centre-half who can stop the likes of Torres, Rooney and van Persie. Come Saturday, the Hammers will be dealing with a different type of player  Eric Huseklepp. Huseklepp, a striker who can also play on the wing, will intimidate our Lance Lynn Jersey  back four and hopefully set up Kanu, the natural poacher. However, its more likely that well have to nullify Benjani. The 33-year old Zimbabwean needs to be stopped by our centre-backs, and whilst James Tomkins has been exceptional so far, the jury is still out on Winston Reid. With no  Red Schoendienst Jersey Abdoulaye Faye due to a groin injury, it would be a surprise to see a different centre-back pairing. At the other end of the pitch, Jamie Ashdown is proven between the sticks, and could be the difference between a win, a draw and a lo s.For West Ham, we have seen what Carlton Cole can do, but who (if anyone) plays alongside him will be key to deciding the outcome of the game. Providing that Sam Allardyce goes for a 4-4-2, with Sam Baldock the second attacker, and additional debuts to David Bentley and Henri  Vince Coleman Jersey Lansbury, we should be able to break the home game curse. Guy Demel isnt needed yet, as our usual right-back in Joey OBrien is doing a sound job right now.It will be tough though. Mark my words.Prediction  West Ham 2-1 Portsmouth
Click here Click here Click here