West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 25 September 2010
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Martin Atkinson
LISTEN LIVE TO EXCLUSIVE WHUTV COMMENTARY FROM 3PM
Introduction
• West Ham United - although bottom of the Barclays Premier League - welcome Tottenham Hotspur looking to build on the positives of the opening Barclays Premier League point of the season at Stoke City last Saturday and then a first away win in 14 months with Tuesday's Carling Cup triumph at Sunderland.
• For their part, Spurs are in the middle of their maiden UEFA Champions League campaign and welcome Dutch champions FC Twente to White Hart Lane this coming Wednesday. Harry Redknapp's side sit fifth in the early season standings, with eight points from their first five fixtures.
• Avram Grant's side reached the fourth round of the League Cup competition with a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light, summer arrivals Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna scoring their first goals for the club. Tottenham were knocked out by Arsenal after a 4-1 defeat after extra time at home. The draw for the last 16 will be held on Saturday lunchtime.
• The Hammers have not beaten Tottenham since a 2-1 success on 7 May 2006, just before the 2005/06 FA Cup final. Yossi Benayoun scored the late winner in a match that attracted additional attention because of food poisoning affecting some of the Spurs squad.
• West Ham manager Grant and centre-back Tal Ben Haim will both return to league action after being absent from Saturday's game out of respect for the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Both men were also involved at Sunderland on Tuesday.
• Tottenham won all three meetings between the club's last season - including the Barclays Asia Trophy in Beijing on 29 July 2009 when Jermain Defoe's 75th-minute strike settled the contest.
• West Ham lost this fixture last season on 23 August 2009, by the odd goal in three. Carlton Cole had given the Hammers a 49th-minute lead with a stunning strike before goals from Defoe and Aaron Lennon settled the match in favour of the visitors.
• West Ham have lost the last five meetings and not won in eight fixtures between the clubs. In fact, the Hammers have scored just once in those last five defeats, Cole's spectacular effort at the Boleyn 13 months ago.
• This is the 116th league meeting between the two sides. Tottenham have won 47, West Ham have won 39 and there have been 29 draws.
Team news
West Ham United
• Lars Jacobsen is back in contention after being cup-tied in midweek
• Herita Ilunga, Winston Reid, Danny Gabbidon and Matthew Upson will all come into the manager's thoughts for the weekend, having missed out on Tuesday. All of the club's first-team defenders have been out on training pitches this week.
• Robert Green, Mark Noble and Carlton Cole will all hope to maintain their ever-present records this season in the Barclays Premier League, after sitting out from Tuesday's starting XI although Noble and Cole were used as substitutes.
• South Africa striker Benni McCarthy could appear for the first time since the Carling Cup second-round victory over Oxford United on 24 August after working hard on his fitness.
• The Hammers are likely to again be without Thomas Hitzlsperger after the 28-year-old picked up a thigh injury during Germany's international friendly draw in Denmark last month.
• Valon Behrami was being assessed this week after a knock to his right knee on Saturday. It is not linked to his previous knee injury, which affected his left leg.
• Peter Kurucz, Jack Collison, Zavon Hines and Anthony Edgar on the long-term injured list are all recovering from knee surgery. Kurucz and Edgar have recently undergone surgery, while Collison and Hines are regular visitors to Chadwell Heath as they continue their rehabilitation.
Tottenham Hotspur
• Striker Jermain Defoe will be absent with an ankle injury suffered while on England duty in Switzerland on 7 September. Michael Dawson will also be unavailable after suffering a nasty knee ligament injury in England's 4-0 2012 UEFA European Championship qualifying victory over Bulgaria at Wembley on 3 September.
• Brazil goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes is expected to miss out with a groin strain suffered in the 4-0 UEFA Champions League qualifying play-off victory over BSC Young Boys on 25 August.
• Spurs are also without Jonathan Woodgate, who has not been registered in their 25-man Barclays Premier League squad because of his persistent injury troubles.
• Croatia full-back Vedran Corluka (back) and French defender Younes Kaboul (hamstring) are both rated as doubtful for Saturday's derby.
• Midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who played under Avram Grant and alongside Frederic Piquionne at Portsmouth last season, will definitely miss out with a back problem.
Previous meetings
• The two sides last met on Monday 28 December 2009 when the north Londoners won 2-0. Scott Parker lasted just 12 minutes for an injury-ravaged Hammers in a game that saw Luca Modric and Jermain Defoe score in the eleventh and 81st minutes.
Tottenham: Gomes, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto (Bale 88), Corluka, Huddlestone, Lennon (Jenas 89), Palacios , Modric (Kranjcar 83), Crouch, Defoe
Subs not used: Alnwick, Hutton, Keane, Bassong,
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Ilunga (Spector 19), Tomkins, Parker (Jimenez 12), Kovac, Behrami, Faubert, Collison (Stanislas 79), Franco, Diamanti
Subs not used: Stech, Da Costa, Payne, Nouble
Head to head
(Premier League unless stated)
28 December 2009 - Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham United
23 August 2009 - West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
11 April 2009 - Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 West Ham United
8 December 2008 - West Ham United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
9 March 2008 - Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 West Ham United
25 November 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Overall record v Tottenham Hotspur (all competitions) W 43 D 34 L 57
Last time out
West Ham United
21 September 2010
Carling Cup third round
Sunderland 1-2 West Ham United
West Ham United: Stech, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ben Haim, Barrera, Kovac, Parker, Boa Morte, Obinna, Piquionne
Subs not used: Boffin, Brown, Spector, Noble, McCarthy, Cole
Goals: Piquionne 35, Obinna 59
Tottenham Hotspur
22 September 2010
Carling Cup third round
Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Arsenal aet
Tottenham: Pletikosa, Assou-Ekotto, Bassong, Naughton, Caulker, Bentley, Palacios, Livermore (Keane 46), Sandro (Kranjcar 96), Pavlyuchenko, Giovani (Lennon 46)
Subs not used: Cudicini, Jenas, Huddlestone, Hutton
Goal: Keane 49
West Ham United
• West Ham have not won a London derby in the league in their last 12 attempts since prevailing 3-1 at home to Fulham in January 2009.
• The club are in the middle of a three successive capital clashes at home. They lost 3-1 to Chelsea at the Boleyn on 11 September and welcome Fulham on 2 October.
• West Ham have not beaten Tottenham since the last day of the 2005/06 season when they denied the Lilywhites a Champions League place with a 2-1 victory at the Boleyn Ground, and they have not won a league game at White Hart Lane since April 1999.
• The Hammers' best home performance against Spurs came in the top flight on 8 February 1964 with a 4-0 win.
• West Ham's biggest away win at Tottenham came in a First Division fixture played on 2 September 1981. Then, the Hammers won 4-0 at White Hart Lane with all four goals being scored by David Cross in front of a crowd of 41,200.
• West Ham are without a win away from home in the Barclays Premier League since 15 August 2009 - the first day of last season - when they won 2-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
• Parker is West Ham's top scorer this season with three goals in seven matches in all competitions.
• West Ham have the tenth-best all-time record in Premier League history. The Hammers have contested 583 matches, winning 195, drawing 147 and losing 241. During that time, West Ham have scored 683 goals and conceded 823.
Tottenham Hotspur
• Tottenham have conceded only two goals in their last six Premier League encounters against West Ham. Carlton Cole scored in the 3-1 defeat at the Boleyn last season and in the 1-1 draw in east London on 25 November 2007.
• Tottenham's biggest home win over West Ham came in the first meeting between the two clubs on 4 November 1899. Spurs won 7-0 against Thames Ironworks FC at White Hart Lane.
• Tottenham's biggest away win at the Boleyn was a 6-1 top-flight success as the reigning champions on 25 August 1962. Jimmy Greaves scored twice for Spurs and future Hammers manager John Lyall scored an own goal.
• Tottenham have the sixth-best all-time record in Premier League history. Ever-presents Spurs have contested 701 matches, winning 260, drawing 183 and losing 258. During that time, Tottenham have scored 957 goals and conceded 937.
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Tottenham Hotspur
2009/10 Premier League 4th (70 points)
2008/09 Premier League 8th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 11th (46 points)
2006/07 Premier League 5th (60 points)
2005/06 Premier League 5th (65 points)
2004/05 Premier League 9th (52 points)
2003/04 Premier League 14th (45 points)
2002/03 Premier League 10th (50 points)
2001/02 Premier League 9th (50 points)
2000/01 Premier League 12th (49 points)
Referee
• The match referee will be Martin Atkinson
• Aged 40, he was the man in the middle for Ivory Coast's 1-0 win against Italy at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 10 August.
• A referee since the age of 16, Atkinson was promoted to the Football League list of assistant referees in 1998. In 2000, Atkinson was promoted to the Select Group of assistant referees, allowing him to run the line in Premier League matches.
• Atkinson joined the National List of referees for the Football League at the start of the 2003/04 season before taking charge of his first Premier League fixture on 20 April 2005 when Manchester City entertained Birmingham City.
• Atkinson was the man in the middle at the 2006 FA Community Shield between Chelsea and Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He also took charge of the 2008 FA Trophy final between Ebbsfleet United and Torquay United at Wembley Stadium.
• Atkinson refereed two West Ham games last season - the 2-1 defeat at Stoke City on 17 October and the 2-0 home loss against Arsenal on 20 March 2010.
Old boys
• Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp made 175 appearances for West Ham between August 1965 and April 1972, scoring eight goals. Redknapp served as assistant manager under Billy Bonds before taking charge in August 1994. He remained as manager until May 2001, overseeing 327 matches.
• Spurs striker Jermain Defoe came through the ranks at West Ham before scoring 29 goals in 93 league appearances between 1999 and 2004. He is in his second spell at White Hart Lane after returning in January 2009.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Calum Davenport, Ilie Dumitrescu, Dave Dunmore, Matthew Etherington, Les Ferdinand, Jimmy Greaves, Fred Griffiths, Pat Holland, Chris Hughton, Bill Joyce, Bill Kaine, Frederic Kanoute, Kenny McKay, Fred Massey, Fred Milnes, John Moncur, Jimmy Neighbour, Tony Parks, Martin Peters, Sergei Rebrov, Mark Robson, Peter Shearing, Teddy Sheringham, Mauricio Taricco, Mitchell Thomas, Michael Carrick, and Bobby Zamora.
Next up
• West Ham United welcome Fulham on Saturday 2 October, kick-off 3pm. The match is Kids for a Quid, click here for more information.
• Tottenham are in UEFA Champions League action on Wednesday 29 September, playing host to Dutch champions FC Twente, kick-off 7.45pm.
General information
• For ticket information, click here. For details on getting to the Boleyn Ground, click here. For the latest public transport information, including news of closures to the District line this weekend, click here.
• Weather - Saturday's forecast is for light rain showers with a maximum daytime temperature of 14C (58F).