Portsmouth v West Ham United: A winning start’s on the cards for the Gold-Sullivan era

West Ham United travel to the south coast looking for their first away win since the start of the season and they won’t get a better chance of picking up three points than at debt-ridden Portsmouth.

A few years ago Fratton Park was full of smiles. Now it’s full of anger as the club faces the threat of administration due to mounting debts and relegation looks a definite certainty. You have to feel sorry for the fans in this situation as they watch their club crumble around them but they will have been boosted by their FA Cup fightback against Sunderland on Saturday and excited by the upcoming clash with rivals Southampton. 

West Ham earned a credible draw in the league last time out against Aston Villa, to avoid slipping into the bottom three, and everyone associated with the club has been buoyed by the arrival of David Gold and David Sullivan. With Zola’s position at the club safe, and the former Birmingham duo’s pledge that no-one will be sold against the manager’s will, you firmly believe that the Irons will kick on from here and climb the table sooner rather than later.

The Hammers have won the last two meetings with Portsmouth, scoring six in the process, and with the Portsmouth fans furious about the financial state of their club, and the players reportedly threatening to walk out if they are paid late again, you have to fancy West Ham to take all three points here.

However, you tend to see the real character of people when they are under immense pressure and Portsmouth’s John Utaka – who is reportedly earning £80,000 a week at the club – stepped up to the plate at the weekend to send Sunderland packing out of the FA Cup with a brace. Will that performance inspire the team to beat West Ham and pull themselves back to within two points of safety?

Gianfranco Zola knows that if West Ham are to retain their Premier League status their away form must improve drastically. He will have been pleased with the display at Villa Park last Sunday but collecting just four points since beating Wolves in August is a terrible away record.

The history books can’t split these two sides. In 29 league meetings they have both won 12 times. Unfortunately for Portsmouth, it looks as though the Hammers will make it unlucky 13 tonight and possibly climb two places to get the Gold and Sullivan era off to a winning start.

Portsmouth v West Ham United; Kick Off 7:45pm 26 Jan 2010

Prediction Panel

Our panel contains both Squarefootball writers and readers, the writers are marked: (sqf).

Dave Blackburn : 0 - 0
Chris Cox : TBC
Graham Enwright : 1 - 0
Sue Gardener : TBC
Chris Goodwin : 0 - 1
Paul Grech (sqf) : TBC
Colin Illingworth (sqf) : 1 - 2
Hugh Larkin (sqf) : TBC
Peter Lee : 1 - 1
Don McMahon : TBC
Antony Melvin (sqf) : 0 - 2
Paul O'Meara (sqf) : TBC
Dave Nash : 1 - 0
Stephen Orford (sqf) : TBC
Tony Ratton : 1 - 2
Peter Rendle : 1 - 0
Dan Taylor : 1 - 1
Andy Wakeman : 0 - 2
Isaac Williams : TBC
Mark Williams : 1 - 1

Panel Verdict

It’s a close one but West Ham may just edge it.

Home: 3; Draw: 4; Away: 5; TBC: 8.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!