The opponents at Stratford for this afternoon's Premier League fixture arrive sans gravel voiced Sean Dyche, because the club's new owners inexplicably decided to axe the man who has kept them punching above their weight for the last 8 years on a total operating player spend of only £24 Million!
Dyche is loved and adored in Burnley, he even has a pub named after him for Christ's sake, so the club's decision to pull the plug with so few games remaining is baffling to say the least. However before Hammers fans begin thinking that the 'Clarets' will arrive and perform like a rudderless ship are way off the mark, the visiting players will go out and 'give it their all' to honour Sean Dyche's perennial services to the club and will NOT be easy meat.
Hammers exertions in Lyon will also take their toll on Moyes's boys, so the crowd will have to play its part in generating an atmosphere to help 'lift' the team from its previous travails. Hammers will be without Kurt Zouma for this crucial game that might just reignite the club's European qualification aspirations via their final league positioning.
Aaron Cresswell will be available again having been suspended for the Europa League 1/4 final against Lyon, but there are some who feel he had an absolute stinker against Brentford and that the left back berth should be taken by the brilliantly adaptable Ben Johnson.
Most of the team who played on Thursday will be a bit cream crackered, how Mikey Antonio played almost the full 90 is virtually beyond comprehension given his past fitness issues, he is not alone though, ALL of the players who started the game put in a shift and a half, they could be forgiven for a possibly lack lustre performance this afternoon, but winning breeds winning and there is every possibility that the players can summon up enough energy to get the job done today and accrue three vital points.
Results went fairly well for West Ham yesterday, recently the club have failed to capitalise on other clubs' poor results on numerous occasions, it is to be hoped that today that the players can reverse that trend. - Ed
