[Lord Snooty]

Huddersfield Town v West Ham United
The Premier League
Saturday January 13th - 15:00 ko
at the John Smith's Stadium

Huddersfield Town welcome West Ham Utd to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It's another 24,000 sell out and it's this season's "Town For All" match where the players will show support ‘Kick It Out’, ‘Football vs. Homophobia’ & ‘Shown Racism the Red Card’.

Most of this article you will have read before. I did the preview for the away game. We could do with some more contributors. Why don't you have a go?

A brief history of West Ham United: In 1966, West Ham won the World Cup. Goals from West Ham's Geoff Hurst (3) and West Ham's Martin Peters in the final against West Germany were enough for West Ham and England skipper Bobby Moore to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy.
This short period of the 1960s were the Hammers' glory years. After winning the FA Cup in 1964, they followed that up by beating 1860 Munich in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup 2-0, both goals scored by Alan Sealey.

Hurst, Moore and Peters of England

They were formed in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and became West Ham Utd in 1901. They moved into their long time home, the Boleyn Ground at Upton Park, in 1904, but it wasn't until 1919 that they were admitted into the Football League.
1923 was the year they came of age, gaining promotion to the 1st division and reaching the FA Cup Final, the famous "White Horse" final at Wembley, where they were beaten 2-0 by Bolton Wanderers.
They have gone on to win the FA Cup three times, that aforementioned 1964 final was a 3-2 win over Preston North End. They won it again in 1975, beating a Fulham side that had the veteran Bobby Moore skippering them. And then finally in 1980 they beat Arsenal with Trevor Brooking heading the only goal of the game. They did make the final again in 2006, but lost on penalties after a 3-3 draw to Liverpool, Steven Gerrard scoring a famous injury time equaliser.
They won the Play Offs in 2005, beating Preston and then again in 2012, since when they have stayed in the Premier League. That last win was against Blackpool 2-1. Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Tê scoring for them with Tom Ince getting the Blackpool goal.
And that's about it really. Those glory years in the mid 60's are just a highlight in a sea of relative mediocrity, considering the perceived size of this massive club. So massive they had to move into the London Olympics Stadium! Notice they have never won the league. Their highest placing was 3rd in 1985/86. Huddersfield Town, the small club, have three league titles and have twice finished runners up.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Alf Garnett!




Head to Head



Town lead in the overall head to head with 22 wins to West Ham's 11, with 7 draws.

The image of the programme above is from what I remember as the best match I ever saw at Leeds Road. It was an FA Cup 5th round match and came strangely in the middle of the dross being served up during our relegation season of 71/72. This was when the FA Cup meant something and the Hammers still had all their star names turning out. Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Harry Redknapp, Billy Bonds, Clyde Best and Frank Lampard (snr) were all in their line up.
I stood on the big east terrace down the Cowshed corner with my dad as Town absolutely pummelled them. The score was 4-2, but that flattered them. Goals came from Jimmy Lawson, Terry Dolan, David Smith and Frank Worthington, who was the star player on this day.
This was also my first experience of football hooliganism. I was 12 year old and watched the fighting as a group of skinheads tried in vain to take the Cowshed. Nobody takes the Cowshed End!

David Smith also scored in the league victory over them at Leeds Road that season, one of our last wins in the top flight until now. We lost at Upton Park 0-3.

The season before, we had won down there in the last match of the season, another 1-0 win and another Jimmy Lawson goal. It was a 1-1 draw at home, Steve Smith scoring for Town.

There was another famous win over the mighty West Ham back in 1960. This time it came in an FA Cup replay down there after Denis Law had scored in a 1-1 draw up here. We went down there and beat them 5-1 on a hard, frosty pitch, which would never have been played on by today's standards. Obviously the southern softies didn't fancy it as Les Massie (2), Bill McGarry and John Connor (2) scored the goals as we stuffed them.

West Ham 1-5 Town in 1960

The most recent encounter, before this season, was in 1997 against a star studded West Ham team, with the likes of John Hartson, Rio Ferdinand, David Unsworth, Iain Dowie, Paul Kitson and Frank Lampard (jnr). We went down to Upton Park with a 1-0 lead for the second leg of a League Cup tie, courtesy of an Alex Dyer goal, but were beaten 3-0 on the night with Hartson bagging a hat trick.

The first meeting of the two teams came back in our crisis cum promotion season of 1919/20. We won 2-0 at home on the 20th of December, the day after the club had been threatened with a winding up order, with goals from Jack Swann and Billy Smith. Then following home and away fixtures against Rotherham County on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, our brave boys travelled down to London for a match on the 27th at West Ham, the 3rd consecutive day playing, and drew 1-1 with Sam Taylor scoring our goal.

The game at their Olympic Stadium in September wasn't a classic and was decided late on in the Hammers' favour. Goals from Pedro Obiang and Andre Ayew gave the Hammers a 2-0 win, the first goal coming off a wicked deflection and being the first goal we had conceded this season, in the fourth match.



So what's happening at the London Stadium?  Managed nowadays by David Moyes, the former Cambridge Utd and Shrewsbury Town centre back. Most of his playing career was in the English lower leagues, he did however start his career in Iceland before winning a Scottish League title with Celtic. He made over 500 appearances in professional football for various clubs, winning along the way a Freight Rover Trophy winners medal with Bristol City and a Fourth Division league title with Preston.
It was at Deepdale where he hung up his boots and moved into the Manager's office in 1998. In his first season he stopped them from being relegated and his next, they reached the Play Offs. In his 3rd season in charge, they went up as 3rd division champions and then the next to the 2nd division (now the Championship) Play Offs, losing to Bolton in the final.
So pleased with their man, the Preston board rewarded him with a new 5 year contract, which he immediately broke when Everton came sniffing around. He took up the manager's hot seat at Goodison Park in March 2002 and stayed there for 11 years, in which time the Toffees won absolutely sod all. Everton won sod all, but Moyes actually won the LMA Manager of the Season award three times and took 10 Manager of the Month awards.
In 2013, following his retirement, Alex Ferguson recommended Moyes to the Manchester Utd board as his successor. He was given the job and was an immediate success, winning the Community Shield in his first game in charge, beating Wigan 2-0. It was all downhill from then on and he was sacked after only 10 months in charge.
He then had a year in Spain managing Real Sociedad, which wasn't a success. Then back to the Premier League last season to oversee Sunderland's relegation to the Championship, where he resigned one day after the end of the season, to avoid getting the sack again.
Then surprisingly, following the sacking of Slaven Bilić, West Ham Utd appointed Moyes as their new manager. Preparing for the big drop? Not a bit of it. Moyes has given it a good go so far, steering them out of the relegation zone and getting a win over Chelsea and draws against Arsenal and Spurs.

There are some players in their squad who you may have heard of: Andy Carroll, the bustling, bun bonced centre forward, who once paid £22,000 for a wristwatch. Liverpool once paid £30m for him.
Pablo Zabaleta, an ex Man City player, scored against us in the FA Cup replay last season.
Ex Man Utd star, Javier Hernandez, commonly known as Chicharito. The Mexican has been at Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen since leaving Old Trafford.
Michail Antonio, a tricky winger who has footballing giants Tooting & Mitcham, Colchester Utd, Cheltenham Town and Sheffield Wednesday on his CV.
Sam Byram, a full back signed from dirty Leeds.
Marko Arnautović, a club record signing for £25m in the summer form Stoke City.
Defender James Collins has over 50 caps for Wales.
Angelo Ogbonna, ex Juventus, was born in Nigeria but plays internationally for Italy, emigrating there as a child. Played for them in Euro 2016.
Ex Tranmere Rovers full back, Aaron Cresswell, has 2 England caps.
Irish kid, Declan Rice, is only 18 but has forced his way into the side this season.
The skipper is Mark Noble. He has more West Ham Premier League appearances than anybody else, having been there since his youth career started in 2000.
Striker André Ayew cost the club a then record fee of over £20m when he joined from Swansea last year. Scored the 2nd goal in their 2-0 win over us this season and is the club's leading scorer so far this season with 6.
Swiss midfielder, Edimilson Fernandes, signed for the Hammers last year.
New Zealand international, Winston Reid is the club's vice captain.
Adrián was first choice goalkeeper last season, but was sat on the bench after the arrival of Joe Hart, on loan from Man City. However, since Moyes became manager their roles have been reversed and now it's the England keeper keeping the bench warm.
Manuel Lanzini is an Argentina international springboard diver.
Cheikhou Kouyaté and Diafra Sakho are both Senegal internationals.
José Fonte was a member of Portugal's Euro 2016 winning squad.
And Spaniard Pedro Obiang scored a lucky deflected goal against us earlier this season, but scored an absolute belter against Spurs at Wembley last week.

Recent form: Town are 11th in the Premier League with 24 points. The Hammers are in 15th with 22 points.

Last 6 matches:

Watford 1-4 Town (Kachunga, Mooy [2, 1 pen], Depoitre)
Southampton 1-1 Town (Depoitre)
Town 1-1 (Ince)
Town 0-0 Burnley
Leicester 3-0 Town
Bolton 1-2 Town (FA Cup) (van La Parra, Williams)

Arsenal 1-0 West Ham (League Cup)
West Ham 2-3 Newcastle (Arnautovic,Ayew)
Bournemouth 3-3 West Ham (Collins, Arnautovic 2)
West Ham 2-1 West Brom (Carroll 2)
Spurs 1-1 West Ham (Obiang)
Shrewsbury 0-0 West Ham (FA Cup)


Hammers line up in the last league match away at Spurs:

13 Adrián
2 Reid
21 Ogbonna
41 Rice
5 Zabaleta
8 Kouyaté
16 Noble
14 Obiang
26 Masuaku
10 Lanzini
17 Hernández  

Substitutes
9 Carroll
20 A Ayew
23 Haksabanovic
25 Hart
29 Martínez
36 Quina
46 Makasi

[Lord Snooty]

The word from West Ham is that having missed the last two games, Arnautovic will be fit to play in this one.

[theo_luddite]

Revenge required for letting them bully us out of the game and the points down at theirs. Even with Moyes in charge, they haven't changed their spots much but I reckon we can match that physical side of their game now. My signature says the rest.

[Lord Snooty]

Quaner, Lowe and Crainie all missing through injury.

[Lord Snooty]

Mrs Pritchard's lad has signed in time to play tomorrow. Do we stick him straight in though or do we let him train with the squad first?

[theo_luddite]

Put him on the bench. There's a badger on this one.

[Lord Snooty]

Put him on the bench. There's a badger on this one.

[theo_luddite]

Is it me or is this Steel City derby a bit like watching steel go rusty? Hopefully they'll get the shot blasters out in the 2nd half

[theo_luddite]

Nope, total seizure, you wouldn't give either of them the Can of WD-40 Trophy.

[Lord Snooty]

Watching that last night just shows how far we've come on this season. It was poor quality football, not even the usual cut and thrust of a derby match, quite boring for a neutral really. Having said that, they were both a million miles better than Leeds were at Newport last week.