Nottingham Forest match preview

WEST HAM UNITED v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012
KICK-OFF: 3PM

FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Introduction

• West Ham United welcome Nottingham Forest knowing a draw will be enough to take them top of the npower Championship table for the first time this season.

• The Hammers go into Saturday's match level on points with leaders Southampton, but with an inferior goal difference by four goals. However, the Saints do not play again until Monday evening, when they host Leicester City.

• Saturday's match sees Sam Allardyce's side look to complete a third consecutive league victory following a 1-0 home win over Coventry City on Monday 2 January and success by an identical scoreline at Portsmouth on Saturday 14 January. The Hammers would also complete a third straight league 'double' should they triumph this weekend.

• Should he start on Saturday, Robert Green will make his 200th league appearance in goal for the club.

• Nottingham Forest arrive in east London in 22nd place in the table and staring at the possibility of being relegated to the third tier for the second time in eight seasons. The two-times European Cup winners have scored just 21 goals and collected just 21 points from 26 league matches played. The Tricky Trees were also dumped out of the FA Cup on Wednesday, losing 4-0 at Leicester City in a third-round replay.

• Nottingham Forest are enduring a terrible run of form in front of goal, having failed to score in nine of their previous ten matches in all competitions - eight of which have come in the npower Championship. However, Steve Cotterill's side hit the net three times when they did manage to score, winning 3-1 at Ipswich Town on 2 January.

• Steve Cotterill has already ended up on the losing side as a manager at the Boleyn Ground this season. His Portsmouth side were beaten 4-3 here in the npower Championship on 10 September 2011.

• On the Reds' most-recent visit to east London on 30 January 2011, West Ham United defeated Nottingham Forest 3-2 in last season's FA Cup third round at the Boleyn Ground, with Victor Obinna netting a hat-trick. West Ham are unbeaten in their previous five home matches against Forest dating back to a 1-0 Premier League win for the visitors on 1 January 1997.


Us and them

• West Ham United's biggest-ever home victory over Nottingham Forest was a 5-0 Division Two success on 18 February 1939. Benny Fenton scored twice and Joseph Stanley Foxall, Archie Macaulay and Len Goulden once each in front of 16,200 supporters.

• Nottingham Forest's largest victory at the Boleyn Ground came in the shape of a 5-0 Division Two win on 30 April 1949. Amazingly, Forest would end the 1948/49 season by being relegated to Division Three (South), while West Ham would lose just three home games in finishing seventh in the table.

• The largest crowd to witness a West Ham United versus Nottingham Forest fixture was the 36,589 who turned out for the Hammers' 3-0 Division One win over the Tricky Trees on 12 April 1968. Brian Dear scored twice and John Sissons once for the hosts.

• West Ham United caused a massive upset when they beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the FA Cup first round on 14 January 1911. Then a Southern League First Division club, the Hammers scored a victory over their Football League Division One opponents thanks to two goals from forward Danny Shea.

• West Ham United defender Tony Gale was infamously sent-off in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on 14 April 1991 after a foul on Gary Crosby. Referee Keith Hackett later revealed that he had been given a directive before the game on the interpretation of the professional foul rule. Forest would go on to win the game 4-0 but lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the final. Future Hammers Gary Charles and Stuart Pearce filled the full-back positions for Forest in the semi-final.

• George John's FC Dallas eliminated Nottingham Forest striker Robbie Findley's Real Salt Lake from the MLS Play-Offs in October 2010 courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate victory.

• Nottingham Forest striker Matt Derbyshire was plucked from the obscurity of non-league Great Harwood Town by Blackburn Rovers in 2003, having been recommended to then Rovers chief scout and present West Ham United head of player recruitment Martyn Glover. Derbyshire appeared for Birmingham City in last season's Carling Cup semi-final victory over the Hammers.

• Victor Obinna scored a hat-trick in West Ham United's 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round win over Nottingham Forest at the Boleyn Ground on 30 January 2011. The Nigeria forward is one of four players to score a hat-trick against Forest alongside Dave Mangnall (September 1935), Frank McAvennie (May 1992) and Syd Puddefoot, who netted four times in a 5-1 Division Two victory in April 1920. McAvennie's treble came in his final game for the Hammers and after the Scot had appeared as a substitute for Mitchell Thomas.

• Nottingham Forest player Chris Cohen played 21 times in all competition for the Hammers between 2003 and 2006, having come through the youth ranks at the Boleyn Ground.

• Jim Barrett, Horace Brown, Franz Carr, Gary Charles, Charlie Craig, Colin Foster, Marlon Harewood, Andy Melville, Ian Moore, Adam Nowland, Stuart Pearce, Teddy Sheringham and Fred Wallbanks are among those to have worn the colours of both clubs.

• Fifteen players have made their West Ham United debuts against Nottingham Forest - Frank Birchenough (April 1920), Vivian Gibbins (December 1923), William Kaine (October 1924), Arthur Tonner (September 1935), Robert Black (February 1937), Brian Moore (May 1955), Geoff Hurst (February 1960), Paul Heffer and Bill Kitchener (March 1967), Bryan 'Pop' Robson (February 1971), Alexander Clarke (August 1982), Robbie Slater (August 1995), Dani (February 1996), Hayden Mullins (October 2003) and Gavin Williams (December 2004).

• Glaswegian Arthur Tonner's appearance in the 5-2 win over Nottingham Forest in September 1935 was his one and only game in a West Ham United shirt.


Previous meeting

West Ham United last met Nottingham Forest on 28 August 2011, when the Hammers ran out 4-1 npower Championship winners at the City Ground.

Luke Chambers netted an own-goal before Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole put West Ham in total charge before half-time. Robbie Findley pulled one back before Winston Reid completed the scoring late on. The lineups were:

Nottingham Forest: Camp, Morgan, Chambers, Gunter, Boateng (Lynch 58), Cohen, Greening, McGugan (Derbyshire 64), Majewski (Reid 64), Miller, Findley
Subs not used: Smith, Garner

West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Faubert , Reid, Tomkins, McCartney, Noble, Taylor, Collison (Faye 75), Nolan, Cole (Piquionne 68)
Subs not used: Boffin, Stanislas, Carew


Team news

West Ham United

• Sam Allardyce has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's match. However, Matt Taylor (calf), Guy Demel (thigh) and Marek Stech (shoulder) remain sidelined.

New signing George John is not expected to be involved as he continues to work his way towards full match-fitness following his arrival on loan from MLS club FC Dallas.

• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza and Bristol City respectively. Cristian Montano, Ahmed Abdulla and Eoin Wearen are on temporary loans at Dagenham & Redbridge, while Peter Kurucz (Rochdale), Callum Driver (Burton Albion) and George Moncur (AFC Wimbledon) are also away.

Nottingham Forest

• Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers is suspended after being sent-off in the 3-0 home npower Championship defeat by Southampton last weekend.

• The Reds will be without former Hammer Chris Cohen (knee ligaments), Ishmael Miller (fractured foot), Brendan Moloney (knee), Wes Morgan (foot) and Jamaal Lascelles (back).


Last time out

Saturday 15 January 2012
npower Championship
Portsmouth 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Faubert (Lansbury 84), Reid, Tomkins, McCartney, Diop, Noble, Collison, Nolan , Cole
Goal: Noble 24 (pen)

Wednesday 17 January 2012
FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay
Leicester City 4-0 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest: Camp, Lynch, Gunter, Cunningham, Boateng (McGoldrick 46), Greening (McGugan 46), Anderson, Moussi, Reid, Harewood (Blackstock 81), Findley


Previous meetings

(Last six meetings, npower Championship unless stated)

28 August 2011 - Nottingham Forest 1-4 West Ham United
30 January 2011 - West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest (FA Cup fourth round)
26 December 2004 - West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest
26 September 2004 - Nottingham Forest 2-1 West Ham United
28 December 2003 - Nottingham Forest 0-2 West Ham United
22 October 2003 - West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Overall record v Nottingham Forest (all competitions) W 45 D 26 L 43


Ten-year records

West Ham United

2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
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 to Premier League 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)

Nottingham Forest

2010/11 Championship 6th (75 points)
2009/10 Championship 3rd (79 points)
2008/09 Championship 19th (53 points)
2007/08 League One 2nd (82 points - promoted to Championship)
2006/07 League One 4th (82 points)
2005/06 League One 7th (69 points)
2004/05 Championship 23rd (44 points - relegated to League One)
2003/04 Championship 14th (60 points)
2002/03 Championship 6th (74 points)
2001/02 Championship 16th (54 points)


Referee

• Saturday's referee will be the experienced Tony Bates - the longest-serving referee in the Football League. Aged 50, Bates has been officiating in the Football League since being appointed as an assistant referee as long ago as 1993, having begun his career a decade earlier at junior level.

Two years later, he took the flag in the Charity Shield before doing the same job as England hosted the UEFA European Championship in 1996, running the line in the group-stage meeting between eventual finalists Germany and Czech Republic. The same year, he also ran the line at the FA Cup final. Bates completed a fine year by being appointed to the Football League List of referees for the 1996/97 season.

More recently, during a Championship fixture between Coventry City and Nottingham Forest in February 2010, an injury to Bates saw him replaced by assistant Amy Fearn, who subsequently became the first female to referee a Football League match.

• Bates officiated his West Ham United match when he took charge of the 1-0 home npower Championship win over Peterborough United on 24 September 2011.

Away from football, Bates is a big speedway fan.

Bates will be assisted by Carl Fitch and Simon Knapp, while the fourth official will be Michael Webb.


Old boys

• Chris Cohen played 21 times in all competition for the Hammers between 2003 and 2006, having come through the youth ranks at the Boleyn Ground.

• Jim Barrett, Horace Brown, Franz Carr, Charlie Craig, Colin Foster, Marlon Harewood, Andy Melville, Ian Moore, Adam Nowland, Stuart Pearce, Teddy Sheringham and Fred Wallbanks are among those to have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.


Next up

• West Ham United have a weekend off before returning to action with an npower Championship trip to Ipswich Town on the evening of Tuesday 31 January.


General information

• Saturday's match has been designated as a Youth Academy match, meaning ALL Youth Academy tickets are FREE. For ticket information, click here.

• Sunday's forecast in east London is for a cloudy afternoon with temperatures peaking around the 11C (52F) mark.