Premiership: Everton V West Ham – Saturday, 22nd January

Everton V West Ham

Saturday, 22nd January – 15:00 (GMT)
Venue: Goodison Park

 

Everton

Despite David Moyes confirmed the club are strapped for cash when in comes to recruiting fresh new faces with an actual fee, the Scot has nonetheless been typically busy in the winter transfer window, allowing both Yakubu and Steven Pienaar to leave the club whilst tying both Victor Anichebe and Seamus Coleman down to long-term deals. The latter in particular is a player for the future for Everton, a marauding full-back whose been terrific out wide for the Toffees this season and on Saturday, when Everton hosts a West Ham side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, will go in search of his fourth league goal of the season.

Speaking of Coleman, the Irishman scored Everton’s leveller when the two sides played out a 1-1 draw back in December at Upton Park, when the Hammers didn’t register a single shot on target and had only a Tony Hibbert own goal to celebrate throughout the whole of the 90 minutes. And speaking of West Ham United, the Hammers are Everton’s favourite opponent in the Premier League, having beaten the Londoner’s on sixteen occasions losing just one of the last fourteen meetings at Goodison Park.

Somewhat ironically, without Tim Cahill, the club’s leading goalscorer this season with nine in the league, Everton have prospered in front of goal. Apart from drawing a blank at Stoke when going down 2-0 at the Brittania, David Moyes has had plenty to be cheery about in the early part of 2011. A couple of goals against Tottenham and Liverpool in the league, the former a 2-1 win at home while the latter, the Merseyside derby at Anfield, they drew 2-2. And in the FA Cup, away to Scunthorpe United, they smashed in five en route to a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

And some more irony for Moyes, whereas before his main concern was his forward’s lack of goals, now it’s how his defence has kept just one clean sheet in their last twelve competitive matches, that rare defensive triumph coming at home against struggling Wigan Athletic. Nevertheless, the goals are finally arriving, Louis Saha and Jermaine Beckford both getting in amongst the goals of late, Everton are definitely a more potent threat in front of goal and that makes then a far more appealing betting proposition than they were earlier in the season, when goals were hard to come by.

Everton Fact: David Moyes’ men have kept just one clean sheet in their last twelve Premier League encounters.

 

West Ham

Love them of hate them, although I’m certain the vast majority can’t stand the sight of them, West Ham’s co-owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, have seemingly reached a verdict on the fate of manager Avram Grant. The decision? The Israeli will remain Hammers boss until at least the end of the season, and, in some sort of salvage operation, with the two David’s reputation in tatters following the debacle which has unfolded regarding Grant’s position as manager, reports suggest Grant will even be handed a decent transfer kitty in a desperate bid to avoid the drop.

Rooted to the basement of the Premier League following back-to-back league defeats at the hands of Newcastle (5-0) and Arsenal (0-3),  the Hammers now find themselves three points shy of safety and in urgent need of a saviour. Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Philipps have been linked with a possible loan switch to London, though neither are likely to be interested in a relegation dogfight. The likes of Adam Hamill, formerly of Barnsley in the Championship but now of Wolves, and Steve Sidwell have both turned down moves to Upton Park, which says just about all you need to know about the lack of appeal West Ham has right now.

Wayne Bridge has joined on loan for a staggering 90k-a-week but isn’t a player capable of winning matches, although he proved he can single-handily destroy any chance of the team winning football matches, after his disastrous début against the Gunners last weekend where the on-loan Man City full-back was at fault for all three goals that Robert Green conceded, a keeper out of contract in the summer. On the plus side, Scott Parker may return to the heart of the midfield for the weekend’s visit to Goodison Park, home of the Toffees, where the Hammers have won just one of their previous fourteen meetings with the Merseyside outfit.

Do we actually have anything positive to tell you about regarding those bubble-mad Hammers? Not really. They’ve lost their last two league contests by an aggregate score of 0-8, are still propping up the league despite a pretty successful December by their standards – Two wins, two draws and two defeats, while a 2-1 win back in 2005 remains their only triumph away to Everton in the league in their last fourteen visits.

Jack Collison, Lars Jacobsen, Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Junior Stanislas and Frederic Piquionne are among those who are doubts for the weekend clash with Everton, while Victor Obinne remains suspended following his red card at home to Birmingham in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final two games ago.

West Ham Fact: Have yet to keep a clean sheet away from home in the league all season, their last coming way back in January 2010, when they played out a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park.

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Last 5 Results

Everton

Premiership: Liverpool 2-2 Everton
FA Cup: Scunthorpe 1-5 Everton
Premiership: Everton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Premiership: Stoke City 2-0 Everton
Premiership: West Ham 1-1 Everton

West Ham

Premiership: West Ham 0-3 Arsenal
FA Cup: West ham 2-0 Barnsley
Carling Cup: West Ham 2-1 Birmingham City
Premiership: Newcastle United 5-0 West Ham
Premiership: West Ham 2-0 Wolves

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Head-to-Head (Last 5 Seasons)

2010/2011: West Ham 1-1 Everton

2009/2010: Everton 2-2 West Ham
2009/2010: West Ham 1-2 Everton

2008/2009: Everton 3-1 West Ham
2008/2009: West Ham 1-3 Everton

2007/2008: Everton 1-1 West Ham
2007/2008: West Ham 0-2 Everton

2006/2007: West Ham 1-0 Everton
2006/2007: Everton 2-0 West Ham

2005/2006: West Ham 2-2 Everton
2005/2006: Everton 1-2 West Ham

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2010/2011 Premiership Statistics

Everton

League Position: 12th
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-11-6 (Home: 3-4-3)
Goal Difference: 25-27 (Home: 12-13)
Form: WDLWD (Home: DLLDW)
Top Scorer: Tim Cahill (9)

West Ham

League Position: 20th
Win-Draw-Lose: 4-8-11 (Away: 1-4-6)
Goal Difference: 22-41 (Away: 8-22)
Form: WDWLL (Away: LLDWL)
Top Scorer: Frederic Piquionne (5)

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Betting Odds & Tips

Match Prediction: Everton to WIN – 1.53 PaddyPower

One of my more confident betting selections this weekend is Everton to compound West Ham’s woes at Goodison.

Not only has Goodison Park been a nightmare venue for the Hammers down the years, with one victory in their last fourteen visits, the club remains in turmoil. The fans still aren’t convinced with Avram Grant’s ability to rally the troops and lead them to Premiership survival, the Israeli having guided his team to successive hammering’s in the league of late, and the former Chelsea and Pompey manager’s cause isn’t helped by so many excruciating injuries. Mark Noble, Scott Parker and Frederic Piquionne are just a number of the players who are doubts for the trip to Merseyside, while Victor Obinne is still suspended.

Everton, meanwhile, are reinvigorated in front of goal having racked up nine in their last three competitive matches, Louis Saha and Jermaine Beckford both helping themselves to goals as well, but they’ll tackle the Hammers on the back of a morale boosting away draw with locals Liverpool, a game in which Everton bossed in the second half and will feel they should have won. We reckon they’re a solid bet to make amends this weekend by adding a further nail into Grant’s coffin with a comprehensive home win.

Value Bet: Jermaine Beckford to Score 2 or More Goals – 10.00 Bet365

He has just scored his first ever goal in a Merseyside derby and after a dismal opening to his Everton career, the tide may well be turning in the former Leeds hitman’s favour. Moyes seems to have a soft spot for him as he plays him all the time, so it’s about time Beckford repaid his manager with a couple of goals.

 

Match Odds:

Everton – 1.53 Paddy Power
Draw – 4.20 William Hill
West Ham – 7.50 Bet365