West Ham United vs Everton

It was a big result last week and I’d love another one tomorrow going before the international break. Can we keep a clean sheet?

If we can keep Payet quiet and don't soil ourselves everytime they put a cross in there’s, no reason why we can't win this.

First goal will be important: if they score first, they can sit back and counter how they like to... but, if they keep coming at us, that’s a game we can defo beat them at.

Its all ifs and buts... It would be a huge boost going into the break. Come on, boys, you're better than these bubble-blowing muppets!

To answer your question about keeping a clean sheet..

Virtually no chance, I’m now accustomed to the fact that under Roberto Martinez we will never be defensively solid and it’s something that will always be a weakness.

I fully expect West Ham to have the same kind of chances that Sunderland had last week; the question is: Can we outscore the Hammers like we did Sunderland? We couldn’t quite outscore Arsenal or Manchester United but we needed to score three at West Brom to win, it may need at least a couple of goals to draw or win tomorrow.

Personally, I’m not at all comfortable with the match tomorrow. I am not at ease with our shocking defending and I know we are not capable of scoring three every week... so, unless we learn to tighten up, we will continue to ship chances galore. As I said, Sunderland themselves could have had six last weekend!

I’d take a draw tomorrow provided we take six points off Villa and Bournemouth.

Sadly though I can see West Ham finally turning us over tomorrow. I got a bad feeling for a 2-1 defeat!

As Lyndon states in his excellent review, the ’Ammers will be a stern test, but one if we’ve any hope of challenging we'd need to match; and more than match.

Like a lot of Evertonians, I’m becoming increasingly concerned at the Wiganisation of our team. Lots of goals scored and shedloads conceded... I would love a 1-0 or 2-0 than a 4-3, call me old fashioned, but no team won anything with a leaky defence.

The Score? Too difficult to predict, I’ve got us 3-1 on my Super 6, but then again I never put us down for a draw or a loss, that’s why I hate it when we’re one of the games on Super 6!

As regards to clean sheets, we never worried about them in the 80’s and that was with Big Nev in goal. We always had the confidence then as in what is starting to grow now under Roberto that if they score two we will score three.

That is not me saying it about scoring three, they are quotes from Peter Reid & Kevin Ratcliffe. Look at our goals-against record in that successful period, we were not clean sheet merchants and we know that defence was one of our most solid with the world's best goalkeeper at the time.

Also, I remember the great Howard Kendall stating that, for every three players you sign, you expect one to be a success and one to flop, you just hope the other does enough to make you a profit to make up for the flop. Both Martinez and David Moyes pass that test.

What Howard built started slowly then exploded, if we have a good period from now to the end of January (including cup progress) it could be the start of a very exciting time for the Blues.

Years of suffering has a negative outcome for a fan's mindset eventually.

I get the point your making but comparing this team with the success of the 80's and even football in general is a bit difficult because everything has changed so much.

We scored six goals last week but if you look back over our results in recent years, we don't normally win many games by scoring four or five goals and I'd be a lot happier knowing our defence is sterner.

What happens if we concede another two tomorrow?
It greatly reduces our chances of winning the match because we can't score so many goals every week!!

I'd be happy tomorrow to see a hard fought 1-0 win.

I also think our style is sometimes better suited to playing away from home. They will let us play, and we normally do well there anyway. I fancy us tomorrow. Lukaku will hopefully bag a goal or two.

I just kind of liked the days too when Everton were rigidly hard to break down, notoriously difficult to beat; nowadays you feel like any half-baked cross into the box is going to result in a goal for the opposition.

Don’t get me wrong: I want to see us score loads of goals but we definetly need to work more on defending and I think 90% of Evertonians will agree with that.

My first match was a Liverpool Senior Cup Final in May 1961. It was only way a derby match could be played then with the reds in the old Second Division. So like you I have plenty of helter skelter rides. (Everton won 4-3, with a Harry Catterick defence.)

At the end of January (with my predication) one of us will be right. If I am correct you can buy me a pint with a smile on you face.

I reckon it'll be 2-3 but could easily be 4-2 to West Ham.

If we have as good a spell as you predict between now and January I'll gladly buy you two pints with a gleaming big smile.

Martinez is totally clueless in the tactics and set-up department. We can win if we keep the same side as last week.

John Stones chose to gamble on a clearance he could easily have made (and should have given the scoreline and the proximity of the half-time whistle) and Funes Mori was simply ’out-competed’ by a striker renowned for his heading prowess. I simply don’t believe the manager coaches these things into the players and / or they are not allowed to make a judgement call that might lie outside of the manager's preferred approach.

As others have said, the great team in the mid-eighties was not infallible, but whenever we went behind we (the crowd) just ’knew’ we would peg them back in the end, and most of the time we did.

Draw seems most likely result, but that will all depend on how West Ham approach the game. If they play it as a typical home-team opportunity to parade before their home supporters, then we will have loads of chances to play on the break; if we score first then I fancy our chances for the win.

Can we manage to score more than them? Maybe.

It would be a good win, they are above us and have a decent enough first team.

Can you image Moyes letting Stones miss a simple clearance like that? No way – risky mistakes like that would have been coached out of him in the week and he would have got a good rollicking if he still did it in a game.

With Stones and Funes Mori out there in front of Howard, we need to be lethal with our attacking, and that's what we did last week, and I hope that's what we do again this week. No chance whatsoever of a clean sheet.

I'd say Andy Carroll is on the scoresheet already, pretty much. However, I do think we're a better team, and with Deulofeu and Kone pretty much guaranteed to start, I think there's going to be a lot of goals in this game. I'm gonna say 4-3 Everton, with Lukaku to score as well as Super Kev off the bench.

We seem to play well against teams attacking against us, because our counter attacking is immense. West Ham will want to attack, they still love their 80s team and the home fans won't expect anything less. That's why the majority hated Allardyce. Though he did well, their style of football was not to the fans liking. I used to work with a guy who was a West Ham season ticket holder, he refused to go to any games when Allardyce was in charge.

The only thing that could count against us is exactly the way we played against Sunderland happening to us! If West Ham get the early goal, they can then sit back and counter. Our defence isn't good enough at the moment to handle much, so with players like Valencia and Payet, pacy and creative, could be a problem.

Set pieces could also be a problem with Carroll, Koyate, Tomkins, Reid and others.

If we don't concede in the first 30 minutes I still think we have a really good chance. Think our attack is better than theirs and we will have space for Barry and Barkley to dictate the game.

West Ham are not great at home at the minute but will be a lot harder test than Sunderland were. Payet is a quality player and they have some decent forwards as well. If Carroll is up for it, our CBs will have their hands full.

Hard to call but I can’t see this being 0-0.

After last week, confidence in front of goal should be good. If we cut out the silly mistakes at the back, we should hopefully be onto a winner.

Add to that the two that hit the post and you can see how we have become Wiganised. A poor defence means you can’t go into any game with confidence despite having good players.

On the other hand, if we go all out attack with no concern for the defence, we might go with an unchanged side.

Colemasn should be fitter than the other day but Stones remains a worry. No leg speed since his knock against Reading on the 22nd September, he has told Hodgson he'll be available for the end of the month but we need him now. Personally, till Stones is definitely 100%, I would prefer Browning who is better in the air, physically stronger and quicker.

Plus Coleman had a mare vs Sunderland.

Other than that, I hope he sticks with the same team... though that seems unlikely.

I think he’s only really had one really great season in nearly six years, Martinez’s first season 2013-14, before that under Moyes he was always decent to good but last season and so far this, albeit due to injury, he just hadn’t pulled up that many tree’s.

I think that’s one of the downfalls to having attacking fullbacks like Coleman and Baines, neither are too drawer defenders for me, not old school like Tony Hibbert anyway.

Some may question whether Coleman has really even been that outstanding going forward lately.

Some fantastic memories, Saha's late double, The Yaks run in, Lukaku's powerful late header, those fantastic free kicks from Baines, We so often have been able to to be able to produce a rabbit from the hat down there. Sad this will be the last time we play there.

One more time, boys.

West Ham are a capable side, but they, like us, are better suited to counter-attack, and have fared better away from home.

For me, a draw would be fine, but our good record against them gives me hope for a win, but I think we may need to score three to take the points!

WHU have been given loads of accolades because they are everyone’s favourite second team in the smoke but they usually start well and then fall away as the season progresses.

But let’s talk about the other 18 goals against in 14 games in all competitions this season, and how about the 50 (yes 50) goals conceded in the league last season, from a defence that was the best in 2011-12.

And comparisons between us & Wigan in for and against columns... don’t go there.

I am looking to McCarthy in particular to carry on in the same vein, that man could be an absolute giant for us over the coming years if he develops his game going forward.

I feel that something might have clicked together for our club. Let's keep it going tomorrow.

It’s our GK who is to blame for much of this IMO. Perhaps Joel Robles isn’t the long-term answer but I’m convinced we’d reduce the amount of set-piece goals conceded if the lad was playing because he’ll attack crosses. He made three clean sheets last season and was unceremoniously dropped.

I know the Utd game didn’t turn out well; not too sure what you’re getting at.

Barry brought great maturity last week, and we will need more of the same. Keeping Carroll out will be a big challenge, so the full backs better improve on closing down the crosses.

Same team as last week plus Galloway. Fingers crossed, up the Blues.

So we just have to win. And we will win, and Lukaku will score again. Yes. Definitely.

I hadn’t clicked it would be the last game there. Memories indeed.

Growing up in Kent, Upton Park was the first time I saw the blues ’in the flesh’. 1973 an awful game with an awfully ugly team (I was scarred for life by the sight of Joe Harper).

February '74, I was there for Bob Latchford’s debut, when we lost a cracker 3-4. I can still remember George Telfer’s screamer.

Finally saw them win early in the 74-75 season, 3-2. I remember a penalty from Joe Royle and possibly one from Colin Harvey. All seems just like yesterday.....

Paul Andrews #4 - the Ruskin Hotel has a large decent sports bar (also serving food) and is only half-a-mile away. I’m pretty sure it’ll be a local’s place. Mind you, I stayed there a year or so ago when doing some work at the local hospital. Man Utd were playing in Europe midweek and it filled-up with Mancs. After a couple of pints, I went to bed early.

Even that great team had to grind them out; I would settle for same tomorrow, a clean sheet would be more than welcome. I was in the chicken run that day which restricted celebrations!

Coleman was ball watching last week. He needs to tighten up that side of his game. All our defensive players need to be on their game. No tippy tappy, thank you. That would only play into West Ham's hands.

Play on the front foot. Same team as last week will do for me. I think that WHU can be vunerable at the back. And talking of "big lumps". We have our own version. I sense a blinder from him soon.

Attack, Attack, Attack, that's the best form of defence. See, it's easy, this management lark. Nothing to it. Let's hope Mr. Martinez realises that. No tinkering, please.

Flip a coin.

But then I read that Andy Carroll is likely to lead the line and I can't help but think we should be beating a team with options so limited as that.

Expect lots of crosses and dead balls across our 6-yard box, with our keeper nailed to the goal-line as usual.

WHU 0 - Everton 2.

That’ll do nicely!!

Was it Hibbo's debut when Pearce was sent off for cutting him down, and we got the penalty and won 2-0?

Also recall a 4-0 there when Barmby scored a Hat-trick and Joe Max Moore got the other. Ended up in the Blind Beggar that night. But that's another story...

They're steadily building a good side, first under Allardyce and now Bilic, who is carrying it on with class signings like Lanzini, Moses and especially Payet. They're a good all-round team for me, even if they are a bit unpredictable at times this season with results. They seem to do better when nothing is expected of them but when, the onus is on them to take the game to teams they're expected to win, they’ve struggled. The West Ham fans will feel confident they can beat us today; hopefully the team come out and feel that way also as that could play into our hands!

Martinez likes it when teams come on to us and leave themselves a bit open at the back. He likes to hit those teams on the break and exploit the space so hopefully West Ham make this an open game and we're deadly on the break!

There will be goals in this definitely and I don’t know why but I get the feeling it could be another ding donger like we had down there in Martinez’s first season?! 3-2 to the Blues and Lukaku to keep up his form and record against the Hammers.

But when with Newcastle, Carroll was a lot better than limited Ernie, he was on fire, it's being badly managed at our neighbours and then his consistent injuries at WHU that have done for him.

The fact that a poor Sunderland team created so many good chances and scored two against us regardless of the fact we scored six worries me a lot. We can’t go away to West Ham and give Carroll, Payet and Co the same space because we will lose, I have a feeling Martinez will change the shape to a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3 and play counter-attack which suits us fine!

We always concede under Martinez so I’m just hoping Deulofeu and Rom can do the damage up top again and we can get a winning streak going!

I expect us to control the ball and probe for an opening without pressing too high. Hope he has the courage to play 4 forward players that we had playing last week and I think we will 2-1.

COYB!!!

Last week saw some very poor work against a generally poor side in Sunderland where firstly Coleman was frequently caught out and then Stones who let in Defoe to square the game. Funes Mori was then caught with his feet in the mud when Fletcher scored.

Okay, all matches are different but one hopes they will be more solid today and that Kone keeps up his fine work. Kone has been a much better player this season now that he seems to be fully fit.

Deulofeu is another who makes a difference as he is very quick and goes at defenders making space for Lukaku and Kone to exploit.

Come on Blues, let’s keep the good record going against the Hammers.

I just hope RM got the message about the need to improve our defending and slow starts and that he has prepared the squad properly for this game.

This is a six pointer and will go a long way in identifying our credentials.

We are due a clean sheet but I have been thinking that for so long now.