West Ham season ticket holder Jon Roffey lets us know what we can expect from our trip to the East End on Friday night.
With West Ham sitting in the top half, are you happy with how the season has panned out so far?
Given we started with four straight defeats, we can’t really complain about sitting in the top 10 currently, but our consistency is the thing that frustrates most West Ham fans. You don’t know which West Ham will turn up; it could be the one that secures wins over Manchester United, Everton and Arsenal, or the one that lets Bournemouth do the double over us and loses to Burnley when they haven’t won a game in ages!
Who have been your better performers?
Lukasz Fabianski has kept us in so many games this season and is proving a real bargain for £7m – and a huge improvement on Joe Hart. Declan Rice has moved from central defence into a defensive midfield role and has been immense, lots of heart and seems to win every tackle. Felipe Anderson has also looked a £40m player for most of the season, some of his goals and assists have been a joy to watch. Issa Diop is also turning into a bit of a beast in the heart of defence.
Where do you think you can end up?
I think the top-six is pretty much sewn up but we have to aim for best of the rest in seventh – Wolves are pulling away slightly but I think that has to be the aim. I would have said “to win some silverware” too, but AFC Wimbledon put an end to that.
What were your thoughts on the reverse fixture back in December?
I actually thought Fulham looked good, especially in the first half; I think the difference on the day was our finishing – we had two chances in the first half and scored them both; you had a couple of one-on-ones and took none of them. Would like you to stay up as it’s a good away day!
How has Ryan Fredericks been getting on for you?
Ryan looked great in pre-season but didn’t start the season that well and then went off injured for a period of time. He’s come back into the team in recent weeks and looked sharp, so hopefully he can press on and have a good second half of the season.
Which Fulham players do you think could cause you problems?
I’m sure it’s the answer you get most this season but Alexander Mitrović up front could cause issues; we’ve looked weaker at the back since Angelo Ogbonna came in for the injured Fabian Balbuena. As I said, Diop for us is a beast at the back, so it should be a good match up. If Pablo Zabaleta starts, I’d expect Ryan Sessegnon could give him a few issues down your left, although I haven’t seen that much of him recently in your team.
What can Fulham fans expect from their first trip to London Stadium?
It’s been said a lot but the London Stadium isn’t built for football (although we are currently looking to bring the seats closer to the pitch apparently…). It depends on where you are sitting, but if you are in the upper tier bring your binoculars: it’s an odd setup with quite a big gap between the upper and lower tiers and you are quite a distance from the pitch. If the match is dull at least there is always Westfield…
How does Manuel Pellegrini set his side up?
Generally a 4-3-3; Marko Arnautovic up top with Anderson and (recently) Michail Antonio on the wings, switching throughout the game. Mark Noble and Rice usually anchoring the midfield, with Robert Snodgrass getting further forward. Overall he likes to be attacking, so I think Anderson and co will see a lot of the ball on Friday night.
Where’s a good place for away fans to get a pre-match pint?
There’s unfortunately not much around the stadium itself or in Stratford for away fans, so best option is probably to drink centrally en route. There are a few places inside Westfield itself, like Tap East which is a micro brewery on the ground floor, but you may struggle to get in if you are wearing colours
How do you see Friday going?
Both teams seem good going forward and pretty nervous at the back, so should be an exciting, if nerve inducing, game.
What score prediction are you going for?
I’m going for 2-1 to West Ham; I can’t see us keeping a clean sheet with your front three, but I just see us being too strong (hopefully) for you going forward.