A Boxing Day dust-up awaits as Fulham & West Ham scrap against the drop
Fulham 2.00; Draw 3.47; West Ham 4.30
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Boxing day in the Premier League starts with a likely dust-up between two London bruisers.
The 1pm early kick off at Craven Cottage will hurt many of the fans who turn up. Provided the snow keeps the game on in the first place, thousands of hope-filled supporters will be trudging through grim, biting arctic-like conditions accompanied by raging hangovers and/or a new shedload of guilty following family Christmas lunch. The chill factor of the wind coming straight off the Thames to the surrounding areas will only seek to make the whole experienced that much worse too.
The only tonic will be three points. And perhaps a flask of hot cider.
Both West Ham and Fulham are in desperate need a win. The Hammers have been scraping the barrel since week one of the season when they were spanked 3-nil by Aston Villa in a match where they showed no promise, no endeavour and little fighting spirit. Since, things have gotten only a fraction better. But there is a bright side for Avram Grants beleagured men. Win, and theres a chance theyll finally move off the fateful foot of the table.
If West Ham go up, Fulham are definitely going down. With their heads just above the dropzone on goal-difference, its been a revolting nine weeks for the Cottagers in a dismal period of one win, seven draws and six defeats. Results have been so bad of late that Fulham sit bottom of the league form table with just three points taken in their last six matches. Its all pretty bleak for the west Londoners.
Fulham have a few small chinks of light to hold onto though. During a first half of the season in which their entire strike-force was virtually bed-ridden with severe injuries, finally Mark Hughes looks to have some op! tions to play around with up front. Sixteen goals in seventeen matches tells a clear story of Fulhams lack of goalscoring prowess, but Moussa Dembele is reported as being ready to return to action against the Irons, while Andy Johnson (who sadly looks like a shade of the player he once was at Crystal Palace) and Diomansy Kamara remain the bread and butter.
The Cottagers are also strong in midfield, with Clint Dempsey the clubs standout player this campaign. Currently Fulhams top scorer and general talisman, the American does offer a glimmer of hope with his creativity, while Zoltan Gera, Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu and Simon Davies completed a well-oiled midfield unit.
Mark Hughes was also blessed to inherit an excellent defence from Roy Hogdson, which has so far done their best to keep the club afloat this season. Mark Schwarzer, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland and Chris Baird have all been played together for over 18 months now, and collectively their are one of the better rearguards in the division.
Fulhams encouragement ahead of West Hams visit is also boosted by some bad omens for the Eastenders.
Over and above their general poor results which has seen them glued to the bottom of the league, West Ham havent won an away match since August 2009 (2-nil at Wolves). More recently theyve chalked up a miserable recent record on the road of ten defeats in their last fifteen league away days, and having not beaten Fulham in three attempts of late few positives are on offer.
The silver-lining for the Irons has been the excellent performances of Scott Parker in midfield. Victor Obinna, in his shift against Manchester United in particular, has also shown that he can make things happen. Frederic Piquionne has also had a handful of decent showings. But thats about where the good news stops.
Any team that needs to play Jonathan Spector in midfield and Tal Ben Haim at the back is struggling. Moreover, Carlton Coles miserable one goal return is just not good enough, while defenders Ma! tthew Up son and Julien Faubert have regressed with keeper Rob Green this season.
Against all that downbeat backdrop, it is honourable that West Ham powers-that-be have stuck with manager Avram Grant. He seems to have been afforded leeway after their big summer signing Thomas Hitzlsperger got injured while on German international duty and been ruled out for the season. Moreover, lest we forget that just under a year ago the Hammers were facing a financial black hole. So bad was the situation at Upton Park that new owner David Sullivan admitted when buying the Irons were taking over an incredibly bad situation. We wouldnt buy this club at all if it wasnt West Ham. It makes no sense commercially.
One suspects though that patience with Grant may be wearing slightly too think these days. Being in such financial plight, relegation for West Ham would be another brutal blow and if getting a new manager could spark a revival the management could bite the bullet. Losing at Fulham would make the decision that much easier.
This game has all the makings of a thriller. Both sides will be desperate to get the win and start a run of good form in the new year, but good football will go out the window for the three points. Expect goals, countless rash tackles, plenty of yellow cards and maybe the odd red card.
101gg predicts: Fulham 2 West Ham 2
Fulham 2.00; Draw 3.47; West Ham 4.30
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