West Ham v Stoke Preview: Cup Win Will Ease Pressure on Avram Grant

Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Footballfancast.com

West Ham v Stoke Preview: Cup Win Will Ease Pressure on Avram Grant CARLING CUP: UPTON PARK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

The opening weeks of the season haven't been kind to Avram Grant who has quickly found himself plunged back into a relegation battle with West Ham having joined the club after failing to steer Portsmouth to safety last term.

Saturday's home defeat to Newcastle marked the latest low in a campaign already pock-marked by disappointment and the chorus of boos that greeted the final whistle confirmed discontent is growing in the East End.

Grant is already facing a battle to hold onto his job and while a victory in the Carling Cup will do nothing to help the Hammers' position at the foot of the Premier League, it will at least provide a confidence boost.

Stoke's success in this competition in 1972 marks the club's only major trophy and having established themselves in the top-flight, Tony Pulis' side will no doubt welcome an extended cup run.

They will be spurred by a sense of indignation at the way Sunday's meeting with Manchester United panned out.

Pulis was convinced United's Gary Neville would have been sent off had he been wearing a Stoke shirt and left frustrated by Javier Hernandez's late winner after Tuncay appeared to have salvaged a point for the Potters.

Form Guide: The defeat to Newcastle brought to an end West Ham's run of four Premier League games without defeat , a sequence that began with a draw at Stoke, but their failure to consistently turn one point into three has left them in rooted at the foot of the table.

Stoke have made a steadier start to the season but successive defeats to Bolton and Manchester United have left Pulis's side in the bottom half.

Key Match-up: Carlton Cole v Robert Huth. West Ham striker Cole made a scoring return after a month's absence against Newcastle and will be anxious to make the most of his chance. Right now Cole's priority is to claim a regular spot for his club but he will also be acutely aware he has fallen down the international pecking order with England and that won't change if he remains on the bench.

Huth will be charged with negating Cole's physical threat and after being undone by the smaller, more mobile Hernandez on Sunday, will relish a more straight-forward physical confrontation.

Odds: West Ham 13/10, Stoke 21/10, Draw 9/4

WEST HAM UNITED:
Grant's mantra ahead of this game matches that of most of his rival managers: a win would be nice, but priorities lie elsewhere.

"It's important for us," the manager told bbc.co.uk . "But the first priority is the league."

Adding: "For us it's a good game. We have a chance to get into the last eight. Stoke are a very very difficult team to play against but so are we. But this is one game. If we lose we are out, so we want to be in."

Another home defeat is likely to trigger more dissent from the club's disgruntled supporters and defender Matthew Upson acknowledged their right to complain after the Newcastle game.

"The supporters have every reason to be quite bamboozled how we can play so poorly in the second half, but we have to analyse that as a group," Upson said.

"The manager has to figure out the answers and we have to work on it. That is the only way to progress.

"If we do that we have enough to see us through this league campaign. It's just a case of getting it out there on the pitch. We have to go away, analyse and find out the reasons why we unperformed.

"We know two wins is really going to pick you up out of there and thrust you into mid-table area. I think that is an area we feel we can realistically maintain."

Strategy: Grant's plan to play Cole, Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna up front against Newcastle worked well initially, less so after the break. The manager will again adopt a positive approach although this time he will expect his defence to show more resilience in the face of Stoke's physical forward line than they did on Saturday.

Injury Update: Upson will undergo a late test on a hamstring problem while striker Piquionne is doubtful after picking up a knock in the weekend defeat to Newcastle.

STOKE CITY:
Matthew Etherington will return to his former club and Danny Higginbotham has become the latest team-mate to trumpet his claims for a place in the England squad.

Indeed, Higginbotham claims Gary Neville's nightmare at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday proves Etherington should be given a chance by Fabio Capello. The Potters winger tortured Neville for the majority of the first half and the Manchester United defender was fortunate to escape a red card after two fouls.

Etherington, 28, has been regularly overlooked by Capello despite manager Tony Pulis's insistence he deserves a crack. But Higginbotham reckons the Potters winger's treatment of Neville was proof that he can cut it on the international stage.

He said: "Neville is a great professional and has been a great player throughout his career, but Matty is doing really well at the moment and he must be there or thereabouts when it comes to the England squad. He is a nightmare for defenders."

Higginbotham has pleaded with Pulis to give him a start at Upton Park, after losing his place to Danny Collins.

He added: "The cup competition is one where the manager has given a few of the lads who haven't been playing regularly a chance this season. I think we have done very well in it. We have a good squad of players here now, so there are a lot of lads pushing hard for that chance.

"Everyone wants to play, that's obvious, but we also appreciate that the manager will make his decision based on what he feels is the right side. It is frustrating when you are on the bench, but you have to keep working hard, and then when your chance does come you are ready for it."

Strategy:
Tuncay produced a stunning cameo in the 2-1 defeat on Sunday and with Pulis expected to ring the changes, should start the game here. The Turkey international has not even made the 18-man squad in recent weeks and there have been reports that he has taken a taxi home early from away games in a huff but this game should be used as a platform to stake a claim for more regular first team involvement.

Fringe players such as Danny Pugh, Higginbotham and Michael Tonge are also expected to be given rare outings as Pulis attempts to pile the misery on Grant.

Injury Update:
Ricardo Fuller could return after a shoulder injury while Dean Whitehead is available after completing a one-match suspension.