WEST HAM
18th in Premiership
with 18 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 23:
Highest 18th - Lowest 19th
- WEST HAM UNITED may have eased their way past League One Brighton in the FA Cup, but now they are back to the real business. Alan Curbishley's side are on a three-match losing run in the Premiership, and shipped six against the top flight's most junior club Reading in their most recent League fixture.
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Since succeeding Alan Pardew, Curbishley has presided over one League win, one draw and three defeats. His side have scored twice in those five games and conceded nine. The win was a most unexpected one, home to Manchester United on 17 December, but it's their only win in eight Premiership matches
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Three points against the Cottagers will not be enough to lift them out of the drop zone.
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The Hammers have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three home Premiership encounters with the Cottagers.
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FULHAM
12th in Premiership
with 27 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 23:
Highest 10th - Lowest 15th
- FULHAM are fast catching Aston Villa as the Premiership's draw specialists. They cross the capital on a run of four successive draws in the Premier League plus a 2-2 draw away to Championship Leicester in the FA Cup last time out. Another draw in this match would bring Fulham's post war points tally to exactly 3,000.
- The Cottagers are vying for a 50th Premiership victory under Chris Coleman, and a first in 10 on the road - which would be just their second of the season and would double the tally gained in the last campaign.
- Both West Ham and Fulham have won two London Premiership derbies so far this season - both at home, and to the same opposition, Charlton and Arsenal.
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The Cottagers are attempting to pick up only their second Premiership victory over West Ham. This will be their eighth meeting.
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- Lost 14 Premiership games so far this season - only Charlton have also lost that many.
- Scored just 12 times in the League. Only Watford have also netted so few, but they have two games in hand on West Ham. The Hammers are averaging one goal every 165 minutes (two hours 45 minutes) of Premiership football played.
- Hold the weakest first half record in the Premier League - 75% of their goals have been scored after the break (nine of 12).
- Failed to score in more Premiership matches than any other club (13).
- Conceded the opening goal more often than any other club in the Premier League (16).
- On the longest run without a score draw in the Premiership of 18 games (1-1, home to Aston Villa on 10 September).
- On the longest run in the Premier League of 12 matches, since scoring more than one goal in a game (2-1, home to Blackburn on 29 October).
- A Premiership fixture away at Newcastle is next, before the home tie wth Watford in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
- Bobby ZAMORA is West Ham's leading scorer with five goals - all in the Premiership.
- Zamora needs one more to total 100 League goals.
- Marlon HAREWOOD is a hat-trick short of 100 career League goals (Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and West Ham).
- If he plays, Lee BOWYER will be making his 450th club appearance (Charlton, Leeds, West Ham and Newcastle).
- If he plays, Daniel GABBIDON will be making his 50th Premiership appearance - all for West Ham.
- If he starts, Nigel REO-COKER will be making his 100th League start in West Ham colours.
- If he starts, Teddy SHERINGHAM will be making his 50th start in a West Ham shirt.
- Recent signing Luis BOA MORTE will be face his former club, if selected. The Portugal international scored 54 goals in 249 appearances for the Cottagers between July 2000 and 5 January this year. Of those 205 appearances and 44 goals were in the Premiership.
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| HEAD TO HEAD at WEST HAM |
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WEST HAM |
Draw |
FULHAM |
| League |
19 |
7 |
8 |
| Premier |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS |
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WEST HAM |
Draw |
FULHAM |
| League |
30 |
15 |
24 |
| Premier |
4 |
2 |
1 |
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- Undefeated in six matches in all competitions.
- Won one of the last eight League and Cup games.
- Drawn all five League and Cup matches since beating Middlesbrough 2-1 at home on 18 December in the top flight.
- Another Premiership draw here would leave the Cottagers two short of the seven in a row recorded by Norwich (15 January to 26 February 1994), and by Southampton (28 December 1994 - 11 February 1995).
- Failed to score in four of the last seven League games.
- Gone in at half time all square in 13 League games this term - the joint highest number with Watford.
- Picked up six points from a last possible 27 on the road, since their only away victory (1-2 at Newcastle on 9 September).
- Drawn the last two on their Premiership travels, against Charlton and Chelsea (both 2-2).
- Home to Leicester in an FA Cup third round replay next, before Tottenham visit the Cottage.
- Brian McBRIDE is Fulham's leading scorer, with seven goals - six in the Premiership.
- Only Liam ROSENIOR has been on the field for every minute of Fulham's Premiership matches this season.
- If he plays, Ian PEARCE will be facing a former club. Pearce made 163 appearances and scored 10 goals for West Ham between September 1997 and January 2004. Of those 142 appearances and nine goals were in the Premiership.
- If he starts, Pearce will be making his 50th Premiership start in Fulham colours.
- If he plays, Tomasz RADZINSKI will be making his 100th appearance for Fulham.
- Mark PEMBRIDGE needs one more appearance to total 400 in his English League career (Luton, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and Fulham).
- If he plays, NICLAS JENSEN will be making his 50th Premiership appearance (Manchester City and Fulham).
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LAST CORRESPONDING LEAGUE FIXTURE
Boleyn Ground on 23 Jan 2006
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Ferdinand 17
Benayoun 28 |
Helguson 52 |
Carroll, Repka, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun (Katan, 86 ), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Etherington (Newton, 89 ), Harewood, Zamora (Dailly, 80)
Subs not used: Hislop, Sheringham, |
Niemi, Rosenior, Knight, Bocanegra, Bridge, Elliott, Legwinski, Malbranque (Radzinski, 62 ), Boa Morte, Helguson, McBride (John, 70)
Subs not used Warner, Goma, Niclas Jensen. |
| Bookings: Benayoun, Dailly |
Bookings: Boa Morte, Rosenior |
| Attendance: 29812 |
Referee: U D Rennie (S. Yorkshire) |
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