Who doesn't love a Friday night game at Bramall Lane? The last one that immediately springs to mind for me is a match we had against Notts County about 4 or 5 years ago. We drew and I remember County wore a kit that looked like slime mixed with volatile vomit. Ah those League One days... It doesn't quite compare to the Premier League though does it? And we've got a match that a lot of people think is a bit of a grudge match. You see, in 2007 both our opposition and ourselves were in the Premier League and we were both locked in a relegation dog fight. United would eventually lose that battle to the Championship however, that wasn't the end of the drama. West Ham had been naughty, naughty widdle boys and had signed two players (Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to be exact) illegally. There was a big uproar and many expected West Ham to be deducted points. That didn't happen. Instead United stayed relegated and West Ham payed us £20 million in damages. It was a very lenient punishment in the eyes of many and is seen by some as the catalyst for United's fall from grace over the next 10 years. But now here we are, 13 years on and we're both back in the Prem. The grudge match thing is a little overstated but it should still be a relatively feisty affair. Let's take a look at the opposition.
West Ham United are a team that have lost their identity and I don't think many West Ham fans would disagree with that statement. The move from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium was heralded as a way for West Ham to join the big boys. It's safe to say that this joining of the big boys has yet to happen, instead, The Hammers have floundered a little bit since moving to their new ground and have never looked like they'd be competing regularly for a European place. Mid table mediocrity and even relegation dog fights have been the order of the day with Manuel Pellegrini recently being sacked after failing to deliver on the aspirations of the fans and the board. In his place come David Moyes, a man who comes back to West Ham once again tasked with pulling them away from the bottom three. Moyes did manage to start his second spell as Hammers boss with a resounding 4-0 win against relegation rivals Bournemouth last weekend and will be looking to improve an away record that hasn't seen them win away since December 14th. For a team that are struggling, there is talent at West Ham, players like Felipe Anderson and Declan Rice have been courted by many top teams and could really being playing at a higher level if they wanted to. So although they're struggling, The Hammers can cause problems and if United aren't on it from the off, West Ham's quality could see them get a result. So how do I see this going? It's a tough one to call, I think United definitely have enough quality to beat West Ham but it'll be interesting to see how the boys react to the back to back defeats against Liverpool and City. An early goal for us should settle the nerves but if West Ham score first, questions may be asked. I'm going to go for my usual prediction of a 2-1 win for The Blades with Mousse and Lunny getting the goals. I'll see you on Saturday for the review, enjoy the game and as ever, UTB.
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AuthorHi my name is John and i will be giving my thoughts on the blades matches and all blades related news in this section Archives
November 2022
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