Pre-Match: West Ham V Liverpool: Sunday 6th April 2014 - 4pm

Fat Sam is going to park everything he can find -- buses, trains, cars, airplanes, his mother, aircraft carriers, battleships, etc. -- in front of goal. It's going to be some supremely negative tactics vs us and they'll try to beat us on set pieces. It'll be vital to get an early goal, forcing them to actually try to play football. They'll be toast once they do.

Got to be flying from the first whistle and try to score in the first 10 minutes at least or I can see it being a very frustrating 90 mins..

I don't know why but every time we come up against an ex-player I always fear they will hurt us. Carroll and Downing will do their best to prove a point, I think Joe Cole may be injured though I'm not sure. In all honesty I kind of wish we kept Downing, he wouldn't get in our first team, what with Sterling's form, but he could do a job coming off the bench - a lot better than Moses or Aspas anyway.

Back to the game, I think we will prove too much for the Hammers. They are a physical lot and I wouldn't bet against a red card and/or penalty going in our favour. Players like Cou, Sterling, Suarez and Studge will have them in knots. 3-0 red men...

Can get much better odds than that mate, with reason too. It will never happen.

Apologies mate

Be interesting to see how Brendan sets us up for this one. We might see a return to the diamond with Allen coming back into the side but given the way West Ham like to play ie. direct, get the ball wide, put crosses in, win 2nd balls off of diags etc I wonder if the diamond will leave us a bit narrow. I'd rather see 4-3-3 myself ask their fullbacks to deal with Sterling and either Luis/Sturridge.

No doubt Big Andy will be absolutely fired up for this one and there is no denying he can be a real handful when he is fit so he will be the main danger man. If our lads are as committed as they were at the weekend I fancy us to wi. Tis one without too many problems.

I'm going for a 3-1 win. Two for Sturridge and a Stevie pen.

Do we trust ourselves to do a job with the same 11 or do we bring Sakho in to handle Carroll.

Again I have to ask risk Stevie or rest him?

Do we trust ourselves to do a job with the same 11 or do we bring Sakho in to handle Carroll.

Again I have to ask risk Stevie or rest him?

Same 11 for me Bri especially the back four.

Same 11 for me Bri especially the back four.

Back 4 were boss last day but I wonder will they be bullied by Andy? That fear goes out the window of course if we just keep the ball

Back 4 were boss last day but I wonder will they be bullied by Andy? That fear goes out the window of course if we just keep the ball

A settled back four will give us more confidence I feel.

Just have to deal with the big man as no guarantee Sakho will deal with him any better than Agger.

I've just been checking the form.

yacster has started two pre-match topics for away games. Won 1 Lost 1.

Knife edge.

you should have read the omens thread..

I'm confused?

cut the service out from the wide areas and Carroll will be pretty ineffective. Keep marauding down the wings and keep them on the defensive. Even if they manage to notch one, we'll score more. Should be a good, well earned 3 points. Going for 1 - 3

Maybe the Fulham game all over again, long as we get 3 point, no problem for me

Lets GO REDS!!!

They will huff and puff and then hoof the ball to Carroll hoping he gets a good touch on it. West Ham right there.

We will crush these clowns.

If Sam 'Silas Greenback', 'Snow on it', ' Fookin give it give it' Allardyce derails our season I will never watch football again.

Another game where we use one of core strengths to the fullest - PACE. Their team as a whole is slow as ****.

Whatever be the formation, just press, press, press like hell and counter

I'd go with the same eleven that started vs Spurs. As we all know they will try and park the bus but I've got full faith in the lads to go out and get the win to keep us top and heap the pressure on citeh and the Chelsea.

Looking at how calm and composed the lads were on Sunday, if they can keep that level headedness going into the West Ham game and conjure up the same kind of measured performance there is no reason at all we shouldn't be able to take 3 points, I'd go with an unchanged line up, why fix whats not broken ?

Can possibly see Rodgers including Allen from the off with one of Sterling or Coutinho dropping out though.

Every games a must win at the moment.

I'm confused?

Were on a roll under Solodee strating match threads I suggested in the omens thread that we leave all pre match threads to him now, then Ycaster went and started this one

Looking at how calm and composed the lads were on Sunday, if they can keep that level headedness going into the West Ham game and conjure up the same kind of measured performance there is no reason at all we shouldn't be able to take 3 points, I'd go with an unchanged line up, why fix whats not broken ?

Can possibly see Rodgers including Allen from the off with one of Sterling or Coutinho dropping out though.

Every games a must win at the moment.

Is right mate and with every victory the pressure increases for our rivals.

Shitting it for this game.

Feels like a final and the anxiety is killing me. They play sh*t direct football that I am hoping with our pace we will be able to counter and hit on the break. I think Skrtel will have Andy in his pocket.

I'm very nervous about this game because as ugly as Allardyce's football is, pumping long balls into the box for Carroll to get his head on will really exploit our defensive frailties. Like Dadorious, I'm just hoping our pace and passing ability will allow us to out score them. We could do with a 0-4 win which would give us a superior goal difference to City (as it stands now) but I think this will be one of those cases of having to win ugly. Knowing Allardyce, very, very ugly.

I'm nervous before every game now.  But it's not whether Stevie and the team can win - of course they can!  It's the waiting.  I hate the waiting.  I've analysed this game to death already and it's still only only Wednesday   

I reckon that Big Sam will try to park the bus as other guys have said too, like he did against Chelsea when Mourinho whinged about 19th century football.  I heard Allardyce interviewed on the radio recently saying that his target was more points than games, so that 39 points and West Ham are currently on 37.  Two draws will do it for them from their last 6.  It also seems more than likely that they'll play the long ball and hope that Andy Carroll will get on the end of something and / or create opportunities for Nolan. 

Enough about them.  I think that's all they've got in their locker. 

For my money Skrtel has been huge this season, giving no change to any opposition and that will include Carroll this week.  Stevie will marshal in front of the back four and I reckon we might go back to the diamond, with Allen and Hendo on the sides and Coutinho up top to unlock their defence.  Sturridge was a little quiet on the weekend by his standards and I think he's due a few.  Luis will just simply terrorise their defence from the first kick to the last. 

I'm predicting 3-0 to the mighty Red Men.  A brace for Super Dan and 1 to the prison guard (aka Skrtel) from another Stevie G set piece.