Match Previews written by webmasters of other unofficial sites will hopefully become a regular feature of the site, depending on the level of cooperation I get; some of these people are not what you might call civilised. I certainly won't be asking the bloke at ArseWeb, as he's a complete... well, arse. If you ever discover your bollocks and fancy having it out man to man, Rupert, instead of insulting me from behind your keyboard, just let me know and I'll be more than happy to oblige. I won't be holding my breath, though. That's the distasteful bit over with. I'm delighted to have Graeme Howlett, who is the webmaster at West Ham United FC Online, also known as Knees Up Mother Brown, as my first previewer from another site: Rio Ferdinand (hip), Frank Lampard (ankle) and Steve Lomas (tendonitis) are
all struggling to be fit in time for Satuday's curtain raiser. No major injuries. The Hammers are likely to go with a 5-3-2 formation; the team should look something like this: Due to Gianluca Vialli's rotation policy and a squad of over 40 players, it's impossible to predict the team, but you could probably safely hock the family silver on Stanic and Hasselbaink featuring in the side against West Ham. Chelsea are looking much better candidates for the title this season due to
one big signing - 'Jimbo' Hasselbaink. I think he's the player we'll fear
most on Saturday, and Rio will have to be at his best to keep the Dutchman
from scoring on his league debut. But the player I've enjoyed watching most is another Dutchman - the
youngster Mario Melchiot. I've been impressed every time I've seen him play,
and I think Chelsea have got a real star of the future on their hands here. Can Chelsea win the Premiership this year? I think they'll be a lot closer
than last, but I think it'll elude them for another season at least. Should
be good for a Champions League spot though. Harry Redknapp's side have achieved respect at Stamford Bridge in the past few seasons. West Ham's performances against the Blues recently have been impressive, showing grit and determination as well as attacking flair. Chelsea fans have grown used to flowing, attacking football, and West Ham are definitely in the same mould. Unfortunately this can lead to fairly dull games between the two sides, as the packed midfield tends to lead to each team cancelling the other out. West Ham have nevertheless proved a difficult hurdle for Chelsea to overcome, especially at Stamford Bridge - Chelsea fans are still smarting from the 1-0 home defeat in March 1999. Players to watch are Cole and Lampard, two of England's best prospects, Sinclair who is tricky on his day, new signing Suker, always dangerous, and above all Di Canio, who is probably the most inventive, and certainly one of the most skillful players in the Premiership today. As long as he doesn't become embroiled in arguments with Chelsea's Italian players on the merits of organic buffalo mozzarella as a pizza ingredient, we should see some good entertainment.
I'll have a cheeky 1-1 draw. Hasselbaink opening with Suker snatching a
point.
I would tend to side with Graeme on this one, and go for the draw. Let's just hope that both sides will try to play attractive football. What do you think about the idea of match previews ? Is it worth continuing, or is it a load of arse ? Write and tell me.
Premier League - 19th Aug 2000
Hislop, Winterburn, Charles, Margas, Pearce, Ferdinand, Carrick, Lampard,
Cole, Di Canio, Suker
