Wigan v West Ham United: Can Carroll and co get revenge on the Latics?
West Ham United may have had to go through the play-offs to win promotion to the top flight but boy they are by far the best equipped to deal with the demands of Premier League football. While Reading and Southampton languish in the bottom three the Hammers are riding high in seventh.
Last weekend the Hammers marched all over Southampton and this weekend they will be looking to exact some revenge on Wigan not only for their 4-1 win at Upton Park in the Capital One Cup but for beating them 3-2 in 2011 to send them down.
Wigan fans must feel like they have seen this movie before. The Latics are struggling for results and finding points hard to come by. They are facing another battle to avoid the drop, but I'm sure that come the end of the season they will turn into Barcelona again and beat everyone who stands in their way.
Roberto Martinez is still seeking his first home win of the season but he will view this game as winnable. The Latics have won five of the past 12 meetings, with the Hammers claiming six, so both sides will be vying for all three points.
This clash though reminds me of arguably one of the worst games I have ever attended in my life. Wigan beat West Ham 1-0 in February 2008 through a Kevin Kilbane goal that moved them out of the bottom three, but the Hammers could have played til midnight and they still wouldn't have scored. Despite having the likes of Ashton, Bellamy, Etherington and Cole on the pitch, the Hammers offered nothing. The pitch didn't help things either as it was in a terrible state.
Hopefully this weekend will be a game to remember for all the right reasons.
Wigan Athletic v West Ham United; Kick Off 3pm October 27 2012
Prediction Panel
|
Arsenal |
Josh Ben Moshe |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Aston Villa |
Frank Pattison |
2 |
V |
1 |
|
Chelsea |
Joe Tyler |
TBA |
V |
TBA |
|
Everton |
Chris Goodwin |
1 |
V |
3 |
|
Fulham |
Neil Springate |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Liverpool |
Dave Disciascio |
2 |
V |
2 |
|
Man City |
Callum Rothwell |
3 |
V |
2 |
|
Man United |
Alex Richert |
2 |
V |
1 |
|
Newcastle |
Greg Hall |
0 |
V |
2 |
|
Norwich |
Sue Read |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
QPR |
John Jaycock |
2 |
V |
2 |
|
Reading |
Jon Keen |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Southampton |
Andy Saunders |
3 |
V |
1 |
|
Stoke City |
Jack Heaney |
TBA |
V |
TBA |
|
Sunderland |
Tony Ratton |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Swansea |
Jim Barry |
2 |
V |
3 |
|
Spurs |
Mike Richards |
TBA |
V |
TBA |
|
West Brom |
Andy Wakeman |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
West Ham |
Matt Beeby |
1 |
V |
3 |
|
Wigan |
Jimmy Shine |
2 |
V |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OUR EXPERTS |
|
|
|
|
|
Writer |
Colin Illingworth |
1 |
V |
3 |
|
Writer |
Steve Coulter |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Writer |
Hugh Larkin |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Writer |
Mitch Waddon |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Writer |
Chris Pettitt |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Writer |
Sarshar Hosseinnia |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Blackburn fan |
Terry Kennedy |
2 |
V |
1 |
|
Bolton fan |
David Blackburn |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
Boro fan |
Sue Gardener |
0 |
V |
2 |
|
Pompey fan |
Dan Taylor |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Pompey fan |
Peter Rendle |
1 |
V |
1 |
|
West Ham fan |
Nigel Telfer |
TBA |
V |
TBA |
|
Wolves fan |
Chris Cox |
1 |
V |
2 |
|
Editor |
Antony Melvin |
2 |
V |
1 |
Panel Verdict
This Hammers could just edge it.
Home: 7; Draw: 11; Away: 12. TBA 4.
* Do we have it right or do you know better? We’d love to hear from you.
