It is the Christmas season and down on the South Coast along with many other traditional holiday resorts Bournemouth do a roaring trade in Pantomime, currently Jack and the Bean Stalk is running at the Pavilion Theatre. If they suddenly need a back up Panto villain then they need look no further than referee Bobby Madley!
Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, S Cook, Ake, Gosling, Smith, L Cook, Fraser, King, Ibe, Wilson. Subs: Boruc, Pugh, Afobe, Hyndman, Mahoney, Mousset, Simpson.
West Ham: Adrian, Cresswell, Collins, Ogbonna, Zabaleta, Kouyate, Lanzini, Obiang, Masuaku, Ayew, Arnautovic. Subs: Hart, Reid, Carroll, Sakho, Hernandez, Quina, Rice.
Result could have been better yesterday, Little Ed in particular was very 'disenfranchised' much to the chagrin of Lady B he is sure, let's face it following West Ham is a roller coaster ride of happiness and usually despair. Parents who inflicted being a 'Hammer' on their offspring would now make the front page of the 'Evening Excess', or even the Daily Snail, for neglect or abuse or some other Corbynesque misdeed!
West Ham Utd: Adrian, Reid, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Zabaleta, Masuaku, Kouyate, Obiang, Ayew, Arnautovic, Antonio Subs: Hart, Carroll, Sakho, Hernandez, Collins, Quina, Rice
Newcastle Utd: Elliot, Yedlin, Clark, Lascelles, Manquillo, Diame, Saivet, Ritchie, Atsu, Gayle, Joselu Subs: Darlow, Dummett, Murphy, Aarons, Perez, Mbemba, Haidara
Joe Hart desperately needed a good performance for West Ham in the cup game against Arsenal at the Emirates last night in order to keep alive his chance of being England's goal keeper at this year's FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. In a drab game that saw West Ham register NO shots on target despite having Hernandez, Ayew, Carroll, 'Elbows' and Sakho on at various points in the 1 - 0 defeat by Arsenal.
Arsenal: Ospina, Debuchy, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Coquelin, Elneny, Willock, Walcott, Giroud, Welbeck Subs: Macey, Sheaf, DaSilva, Reine-Adelaide, Nelson, Akpom, Nketiah
West Ham : Hart, Rice, Reid, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Obiang, Quina, Ayew, Hernandez Subs: Adrian, Zabaleta, Makasi, Haksabanovic, Arnautovic, Sakho, Carroll
The FA review panel will sit today at Lancaster Gate in order to decide whether Hammers' talisman Manuel Lanzini was guilty of 'simulation in order to gain a pernicious advantage by deceiving the match officials'. That's quite a mouth full, but no where near the mouth full that beleaguered Stoke City boss Mark 'Sparky' Hughes gave to his ex-striker turned pantomime villain Marco 'Elbows' Arnoutovic.
Stoke City: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Wimmer, Pieters, Shaqiri, Fletcher, Allen, Sobhi ,Diouf, Crouch, Subs: Berahino, Choupo-Moting, Tymon, Adam, Ngoy, Grant, Edwards
West Ham: Adrian, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Obiang, Ogbonna, Collins, Antonio, Noble Masuaku, Lanzini. Arnautovic .Subs: Hart, Ayew, Sakho, Haksabanovic, Hernandez, Rice, Makasi
West Ham United's Kiwi warrior Winston Reid is suspended for the upcoming game away to Mark Hughes' Stoke City side having picked up his 5th yellow card for the season during the combative draw against Arsenal at the London Stadium. With Peter Crouch likely to feature Reid's ability to keep attackers in his pocket will surely be missed, however the Ginger Pele James Collins is available as is Declan Rice, both good centre backs, Rice has pace whereas 'Ginge' has experience.
West Ham: Adrian, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Obiang, Ogbonna, Reid, Antonio, Noble Masuaku, Lanzini. Arnautovic .Subs: Hart, Ayew, Sakho, Carroll, Hernandez, Rice
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Holding, Monreal, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Wilshire, Lacazette, Ozil, Giroud. Subs: Sanchez, others to be confirmed.
NB: Amendments may be made once we arrive at the London Stadium