Barclays Premier League
West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion
Boleyn Ground
Monday 16 March
8pm
Referee: Mark Halsey
WHUTV - LIVE COMMENTARY, ACTION AND REACTION
• West Ham United welcome Tony Mowbray's West Bromwich Albion for the club's 15th home match of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League season.
• West Ham have won seven home league matches (Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Stoke City, Fulham, Hull City and Manchester City), drawn one (Portsmouth) and lost six (Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Manchester United).
• The Hammers go into Monday's match having won each of their last two Premier League matches. A Jack Collison volley saw Manchester City beaten 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground on 1 March before Carlton Cole's fine finish earned victory by the same scoreline at Wigan Athletic on 4 March.
• West Ham will hope to avenge the 3-2 defeat they suffered by West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday 13 September last year. That match represented Gianfranco Zola's first since being unveiled as West Ham's new manager, although first-team coach Kevin Keen took control of the squad that day before Zola took charge officially on the Monday.
• Zola's side go into the match in seventh place in the Premier League table. A win could lift the Hammers within three points of sixth-placed Everton should the Toffeemen lose at home to Stoke City on Saturday. Should Hull City fail to win the FA Cup and the top six remain the same, a seventh-place finish will be good enough to qualify for next season's UEFA Europa League.
• West Brom go into the match bottom of the table, four points behind second-bottom Middlesbrough and six points adrift of 17th-placed Newcastle United.
• Sunday's match is the 12th of West Ham's 29 Premier League matches to be screened live on television. The fixture will be shown live by Setanta Sports.
• This is the 74th league meeting between the two sides. West Brom have won 33, West Ham have won 30 and there have been ten draws.
• Gianfranco Zola said: "It is not a gimme that is for sure. First of all they are bottom of the league but they are playing well. I have seen them play a few times and they play quite good football, they have been very unlucky on a few occasions and maybe conceded some goals they could have avoided. They are a team that is alive and we need to respect that ... There is still a chance although it is becoming very difficult for them although I believe that Tony Mowbray is doing a good job."
Referee
• Monday's referee is Mark Halsey.
• Aged 47, Mark Halsey played semi-professional football for Barnet and St Albans City in the 1980s before becoming a referee in the early 1990s. At the time, he would continue to train with Barnet and later Potters Bar in order to maintain his fitness.
• Halsey joined the Football League list of referees in the mid-1990s, taking charge of the memorable Division Two play-off final between Manchester City and Gillingham in 1999. That same year, Halsey was added to the Premier League list, with Wimbledon's 1-1 draw with Coventry City on 14 August 1999 representing his first top-flight fixture.
• In 2000, he was added to the FIFA list, officiating matches at the Toulon Under-21 tournament in France and the World Student Games. After acting as the fourth official at the 2002 FA Cup final, Halsey took charge of his first senior international match - a friendly between Belgium and France in 2004.
• Halsey was the referee for the 2007 Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester United and the 2008 Carling Cup final contested by Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
• In the 32 matches he has officiated this season, Halsey has issued 49 yellow cards and two red cards - an average of 1.59 cards per game.
Last time out
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Barclays Premier League
Wigan Athletic 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Collison (Spector 78), Parker (Lopez 88), Kovac, Noble, Di Michele (Savio 75), Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Payne, Stanislas, Tristan
Booked: Noble, Cole, Parker, Neill, Savio
Sent-off: Cole
Goal: Cole 34
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Barclays Premier League
West Bromwich Albion 1-3 Arsenal
West Bromwich Albion: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Donk, Robinson, Morrison (Menseguez 72), Greening, Koren, Brunt (Teixeira 72), Moore, Fortune
Subs not used: Kiely, Hoefkens, Cech, Kim, Valero
Booked: Koren, Brunt, Meite, Donk
Goal: Brunt 7
West Ham United
• West Ham go into Monday's match seeking a third straight Premier League victory, having overcome Manchester City and Wigan Athletic 1-0 in each of their last two league matches.
• West Ham's biggest home win over West Brom came in the shape of a 6-1 success at the Boleyn Ground on 16 April 1965. Hammers striker Brian Dear scored five times in the space of 20 minutes either side of half-time after Martin Peters' opening goal. West Bromwich Albion's consolation was scored by Jeff Astle on the stroke of half-time.
• West Ham's most recent home win over West Brom came with a 1-0 Premier League win on 5 November 2005. The Hammers' goal was scored by Teddy Sheringham.
• Carlton Cole is West Ham's top scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals. He has eleven in all competitions.
• Goalkeeper Robert Green is the only West Ham player to have played every minute of the club's 28 Premier League matches so far this season. Matthew Upson has started all 28 games, but was substituted late in the 3-1 home defeat by Everton on 8 November.
• Cole is West Ham's statistics leader in a number of categories. The striker has had more shots in total (74), on target (45) and off target (29), more assists (five), been caught offside more times (28) and committed more fouls (62) than any other Hammers player.
• Matthew Upson has made more defensive blocks (25) and clearances (45) than any other West Ham player.
• Midfielder Mark Noble has unleashed more crosses (23) than any other West Ham player.
• Cole has been sent-off twice, more than any other West Ham player, while Noble and Scott Parker have each been shown the yellow card on seven occasions.
West Bromwich Albion
• West Brom go into Monday's match on a run of eight matches without a victory in all competitions. Tony Mowbray's side have not won since overcoming Middlesbrough 3-0 in the Premier League at the Hawthorns on 17 January. West Brom have also lost each of their last five matches in all competitions and are bottom of the Premier League form table with just one point from their last six fixtures.
• West Brom have gone 25 games without a goalless draw in the Premier League, the second longest such streak in the division behind Manchester City (35). West Brom's last 0-0 draw came at Bolton Wanderers on 30 August 2008.
• The Baggies have also gone six matches without keeping a clean sheet, longer than any other club the top flight.
• West Brom's biggest ever away win at the Boleyn Ground came in the shape of a 5-1 win on 7 November 1931. West Ham's goal that day was scored by Jimmy Ruffell.
• West Brom's last win at the Boleyn Ground came with a 4-3 victory in the Championship on 8 November 2003. Brian Deane scored a hat-trick for the Hammers, but also put through his own net. The Baggies' other goals were scored by Rob Hulse (two) and Lee Hughes.
• Roman Bednar is West Bromwich Albion's top scorer in the Premier League this season with six goals. Bednar has also been caught offside more times (19) than any of his team-mates.
• Goalkeeper Scott Carson is the only West Brom player to have played every minute of the club's 28 Premier League matches so far this season. Defender Paul Robinson has started 27 and midfielder Robert Koren 26.
• Scotland midfielder James Morrison has unleashed more shots (41) and has more assists (three) than any other West Brom player this season.
• Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt has put in more crosses (53) than any other West Brom player this term.
• Jonas Olsson has made more defensive blocks (20) than any other West Brom, while Robinson has made the most defensive clearances (31).
• Robinson has received more red cards (one) and yellow cards (seven) than any other West Brom player.
Team news
• West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola will be without the suspended Carlton Cole, who received two yellow cards and was sent-off at Wigan Athletic on 4 March. Cole will also miss Saturday's trip to Blackburn Rovers.
• Zola will also be without midfielders Valon Behrami and Jack Collison. Switzerland international Behrami will be out of action for around six months after suffering a anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee, while Collison is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a dislocated kneecap. Zola is hoping Collison will yet have an impact again before the end of the season.
• Savio, an impressive substitute in the last two wins, and Freddie Sears are both pushing hard for starting berths in the absence of Cole and Collison from the team that began at Wigan.
• Portugal forward Luis Boa Morte, Wales defender James Collins and England midfielder Kieron Dyer all stepped up their training during the club's recent warm-weather training camp in Spain. Boa Morte could be in contention for selection on Monday night.
• Spanish striker Diego Tristan is progressing well following a minor groin injury.
• Young Academy graduates Junior Stanislas and Josh Payne, who have been unused substitutes in the Hammers' recent Premier League victories over Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, joined the first-team squad in Spain and impressed manager Zola. Both will be hoping to earn their first taste of competitive first-team action soon.
• Wales defender Danny Gabbidon is continuing his recovery from back and stomach injuries by working with the club's medical staff at Chadwell Heath.
• West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has welcomed Swedish defender Jonas Olsson back into his squad after six weeks out with tendonitis in his knee. Olsson came through 45 minutes of a Barclays Premier Reserve League South match against Stoke City on Monday 9 March.
• Czech Republic international striker Roman Bednar is also hoping to feature on Monday after recovering from a back injury, while on-loan Paris St Germain midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu is hoping to shake off a thigh strain in time to make his West Brom debut.
• Mowbray will definitely be without forward Ishmael Miller, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a cruciate ligament injury in his knee. Defender Neil Clement (knee) is also on the sidelines.
Last meeting
• The teams met at the Hawthorns on Saturday 13 September 2008. James Morrison fired West Brom into a third-minute lead, only for Mark Noble and Lucas Neill to put West Ham ahead with two goals in the space of six minutes. A Roman Bednar penalty levelled matters on 37 minutes before Chris Brunt won the game for the Baggies seven minutes from time.
• The match saw both Herita Ilunga and David Di Michele make their West Ham debuts.
• The lineups were:
West Bromwich Albion: Carson, Hoefkens, Barnett, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison (Kim 64), Koren, Greening, Brunt, Valero (Moore 64), Bednar (Cech 86)
Subs not used: Kiely, Beattie, MacDonald, Donk
Goals: Morrison 3, Bednar 37(pen), Brunt 83
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami (Faubert 65), Parker, Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington 79) Ashton (Di Michele 19), Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Bellamy, Mullins, Tomkins
Goals: Noble 29, Neill 35
Attendance: 26,213
Old boys
• West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon started his career with West Brom, making 27 league and cup appearances between August 1998 and September 2000.
• West Ham midfielder Nigel Quashie, who is currently on loan at Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, joined the Hammers from West Brom in a £1.5m deal in January 2007. The Scotland international made 30 appearances during 12 months at the Hawthorns, scoring one goal.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Roger Cross, Gary Strodder, Tommy Green, Vincent Hayes, Geoff Hurst, Thomas Kinsell, Tudor Martin, Chippy Simmons,
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
13 September 2008 West Bromwich Albion 3-2 West Ham United
1 May 2006 West Bromwich Albion 0-1 West Ham United
5 November 2005 West Ham United 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
6 December 2003 (Championship) West Bromwich Albion 1-1 West Ham United
8 November 2003 (Championship) West Ham United 3-4 West Bromwich Albion
23 February 2003 West Bromwich Albion 1-2 West Ham United
Overall record v West Ham United (all competitions) W 35 D 16 L 37
Next up
• West Ham will travel to Blackburn Rovers for a Barclays Premier League fixture on Saturday 21 March, with kick-off at 3pm
• West Brom will play host Bolton Wanderers in the Barclays Premier League next Saturday 21 March, kick-off 3pm
General information
• For ticket information, click here
• Monday's weather forecast is for sunny intervals, with a maximum daytime temperature of 12C.