Blackburn Rovers V West Ham United

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Blackburn Rovers V West Ham United

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 18^th

Recent Form: LL

Not the start Sam Allardyce had in mind for his Blackburn side after failing to register a single point in either of their two opening fixtures. Their 2-1 defeat away on Tyneside against Sunderland was their second of the season and a result that now piles the pressure on ‘Big Sam’ as this fixture now becomes a game Blackburn simply have to win in order to bring some resurgent energy back into the Blackburn ranks. We all know from last season that Blackburn are a team that can go on lengthy runs without a win so it’s penetrative that Rovers at least pick up a point against West Ham in a bid to kick-start their season although, at home, Blackburn should be claiming all three points.

Although results haven’t gone according to plan, with two straight defeats, Blackburn actually haven’t been performing too bad. They had several chances against Sunderland last weekend, as well as a dubious disallowed goal, while they could of scored a handful against Man City in their opening fixture at Ewood Park where it not for some poor finishing.

While we’re on the topic of Blackburn’s lack of finishing, our biggest concern with this Blackburn side is their strike force, or lack of it shall we say. The departure of Roque Santa Cruz has left a huge void up front with ‘Big Sam’ yet to fill the Paraguayian’s boots with a talented striker. In the meantime, Jason Roberts has been Blackburn’s first choice striker, but he’s certainly not a player who will reach double figures. New signing, Nikola Kalinic, got his first taste of the Premiership but failed to make any sort of impact apart from making viewers laugh in hysterics. It may have been his first competitive game for Rovers but his finishing was nothing short of abysmal and there will be doubts over where the Blackburn goals will come from this season.

West Ham United

League Position: 10^th

Recent Form: WL

West Ham could be feeling sorry for themselves as they head into a tough away fixture after suffering a harsh defeat at the weekend. ‘The Hammers’ succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday in a game they could and maybe should of gotten something out of. Carlton Cole gave his confidence a lift after a superb strike just after Half-Time but it was his costly mistake which paved the way for a Tottenham revival, and when you take into consideration that Cole is West Ham’s best forward right now, a deflated Carlton Cole is terrible news for ‘Hammers’ fans. Gianfranco Zola will have a lot of consoling to do during the week with Carlton Cole.

Apart from that poor result against ‘Spurs’, West Ham have faired OK after winning their opening game of the season away at newly promoted Wolves. It was always going to be difficult emulating their 9^th place finish of the previous season but they did start brightly and that defeat last Sunday could be a huge dent for West Ham’s morale. They shouldn’t be too disheartened though as West Ham are starting to play some decent football. Scott Parker looks solid in the centre of the park while new loan signing, Luis Jimenez, looked sprightly last weekend. However, they will need to keep on the right side of Carlton Cole though as he appears their shining light and the player that could evidentially decide how their season pans out.

Head-to-Head:

Blackburn – W: 1 West Ham – W: 7 Draws: 2 Overs – 8 Unders – 2

As you can see, to even our surprise, West Ham have dominated the head-to-head record between thw two with Blackburn winning just one of the last ten meetings. Blackburn’s last success at home against any West Ham side was back in the 2005/2006 season when they beat ‘the hammers’ 3-2. However, Rovers have since gone on to lose two of their last three encounters at Ewood Park so the form book would certainly favour West Ham.

Match Verdict: Tight affair to end in a Draw – 9/4 SkyBet

Blackburn have made a terrible start to their season after failing to pick up a single point from their opening two games and that cannot be good for morale. West Ham on the other hand started brightly but that defeat to Tottenham could be a huge reality check for the West Ham players after enjoying a successful league campaign in the previous season. If West Ham do put their weekend woes behind them then they could sneak a win at Ewood Park but this really could end in a stalemate as both sets of players and managers would probably settle for a point although ‘Big Sam’ will be desperate to land his first three points of the season.

Match Odds:

Blackburn Rovers – 13/10 Boylesports

West Ham United – 5/2 Bet365

Draw – 9/4 Skybet

SoccerBetting Tip: Carlton Cole FGS – 7/1 SportingBet