Manchester United vs West Ham: Sam Allardyce concerned about possible 'backlash' at Old Trafford
West Ham manager fears Premier League meeting could be coming at a bad time for his side
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sam Allardyce is fearful of his West Ham side being on the receiving end of a Manchester United backlash.
The Hammers travel to Old Trafford on Saturday in good heart following a 3-1 home win over Liverpool last weekend - while United continue to struggle for consistency despite Louis van Gaal's summer spending spree.
Many will still see the hosts as favourites going into the game but their vulnerabilities in defence were highlighted once again as they let a two-goal lead slip to lose 5-3 at Leicester on Sunday afternoon.
But that result, Allardyce fears, could see the likes of Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney in no mood for a similar outcome against his side as they look to replicate their last home outing - a comfortable 4-0 victory over QPR.
"No. I'm thinking a backlash," he said when asked if it was a good time to face van Gaal's side.
"I think that because of the determination of the Man United players and the fact they are playing at Old Trafford.
"I know there's quite a lot of new players playing there but certainly the demand of Manchester United is huge and they'll be really fired up to make sure that they try and perform like they did against QPR and beat us.
"They will be pretty down about that performance they gave at Leicester and they will be hurting and they know the only way they can put that right is to get out onto the field and punish us for it - so we will have to be careful about that.
"A draw would be great for me, anything more than a draw would be outstanding as far as I'm concerned.
"They (the West Ham players) have got to look forward to a tough game at Old Trafford now and test their skills and test their ability at a stadium that can obviously be daunting for some players.
"Hopefully our new players won't be daunted about the prospect of playing at Old Trafford on Saturday."
Allardyce sympathised with Van Gaal's problems with seamlessly integrating his new recruits into the set-up at Old Trafford.
West Ham themselves have brought in nine new faces since the end of last season and Allardyce insists getting so many new players to gel is not an easy task for anyone.
"It's not an excuse, it is an actual fact," he said.
"If you've got your players to settle quicker then that is a bonus when you have brought in as many players as I have and as many players as Man United have.
"Irrespective of the talent, you've got to work as a team and to do that you need to understand each other - you need time.
"You can't just walk into a club for two days and say 'I know his strengths and weaknesses, I know his talent'."
The Hammers travel to Manchester without one of his additions, as midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate will miss up to six weeks with a groin injury - something Allardyce described as a 'blow'.
Captain Kevin Nolan has returned to training but will not feature at Old Trafford whereas another option, Ravel Morrison, has been loaned out to Sky Bet Championship side Cardiff.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments