FOR our opposition view this week, we caught up with talkSPORT reporter and commentator Ian Abrahams, aka The Moose, ahead of the game between Palace and his beloved Hammers at Upton Park on Saturday…
What do you make of West Ham's season since they played Palace in December? We have to be satisfied with Premier League safety and that was the objective at the beginning of the season. It has been a rollercoaster ride but I predicted many times once Sam Allardyce got his players back, most notably Andy Carroll, that was the time to judge him. Results have taken an upwards spiral then.Which player(s) should Palace look out for on Saturday? Mark Noble is the man and key to West Ham, he really is. He's been at the club for ten years and he'll play the anchor role in midfield. Andy Carroll, you do have to look out for him, and I'm sure Tony Pulis has done more than enough homework on him although you always know how Andy Carroll's going to play. Stopping him is the key but Palace's defence has been outstanding so I don't see a high-scoring affair.What are your memories of facing Palace down the years? My most horrible memory was in Cardiff in 2004. I go back to the Palace team of the 1980s, with Clive Allen and their exciting players, but my most, most vivid memory of Palace has to be, without doubt, the play-off final. West Ham turned up believing they were going to win and certainly had the better squad but they just didn't turn up on the day. Neil Shipperley scored a scruffy goal and there it was, Palace were in the Premier League and West Ham weren't. You can't take that day away from Palace, it just meant we had to go back a year later and beat Preston. As I live near to Wembley it would have been a lot easier to go there and lose.You have been reporting down at Selhurst Park a few times this season. Which player(s) have you been impressed with in particular? I think without any shadow of a doubt, Palace's two best players have been Julian Speroni, who I've liked for a long time – I think he's an absolutely quality goalkeeper and I am amazed he hasn't played in the Premier League during the years Palace weren't. He is very, very hard to beat and I've seen him make some incredible saves this season. And the other player is Mile Jedinak who, I have to say, I hadn't seen a whole lot of until this season. I saw him in bit and pieces but after covering Palace quite a lot this year, he's one of those players it's easy not to notice or not to get rave headlines. He's not going to round and beat four people and stick it in the top corner. He is solid and the position he plays is absolutely key to Palace.What's your opinion on Tony Pulis being up for Manager of the Year? I have said many times on the radio and on Twitter that if Liverpool win the title then Brendan Rodgers gets it, simple as, just because it's an incredible achievement. If they don't win the title then Tony Pulis should get it. I didn't think they were good enough at the start and it looked like a long, hard struggling season. I remember asking Tony when he was unveiled in November that he hadn't had a relegation on his CV in his career and if he was prepared for one now. You look at the points Tony has gathered and the performances and the teams Palace have beaten, it's an absolutely incredible story. There is no way, according to football law, that Palace should have stayed up this season and they are about to comfortably for the first time. I would happily give Tony the accolade unless Brendan wins the title with Liverpool.How about the Palace fans? They will create a good atmosphere at Upton Park, won't they? That little corner in the Holmesdale Stand is incredible at Selhurst Park. The fans have been, and there's that cliché of having a 12th man, but they really have been. I can't imagine what it's like to play in front of them, it must be very intimidating if you're not a Palace player. They should go to West Ham on Saturday, and whatever the managers says, they are safe. Both clubs are safe so go there and enjoy it. Hopefully both teams can put on a good display and score some goals. I anticipate a good atmosphere.And, finally, a score prediction? It will probably be 0-0! I would like to think West Ham will score and if they do, I fancy them to win the game. I don't see Palace scoring that many so I'm going to go for a 3-0 win for the Hammers. I'm hoping Palace's two best players Speroni and Jedinak have nightmare afternoons!
What do you make of West Ham's season since they played Palace in December? We have to be satisfied with Premier League safety and that was the objective at the beginning of the season. It has been a rollercoaster ride but I predicted many times once Sam Allardyce got his players back, most notably Andy Carroll, that was the time to judge him. Results have taken an upwards spiral then.Which player(s) should Palace look out for on Saturday? Mark Noble is the man and key to West Ham, he really is. He's been at the club for ten years and he'll play the anchor role in midfield. Andy Carroll, you do have to look out for him, and I'm sure Tony Pulis has done more than enough homework on him although you always know how Andy Carroll's going to play. Stopping him is the key but Palace's defence has been outstanding so I don't see a high-scoring affair.What are your memories of facing Palace down the years? My most horrible memory was in Cardiff in 2004. I go back to the Palace team of the 1980s, with Clive Allen and their exciting players, but my most, most vivid memory of Palace has to be, without doubt, the play-off final. West Ham turned up believing they were going to win and certainly had the better squad but they just didn't turn up on the day. Neil Shipperley scored a scruffy goal and there it was, Palace were in the Premier League and West Ham weren't. You can't take that day away from Palace, it just meant we had to go back a year later and beat Preston. As I live near to Wembley it would have been a lot easier to go there and lose.You have been reporting down at Selhurst Park a few times this season. Which player(s) have you been impressed with in particular? I think without any shadow of a doubt, Palace's two best players have been Julian Speroni, who I've liked for a long time – I think he's an absolutely quality goalkeeper and I am amazed he hasn't played in the Premier League during the years Palace weren't. He is very, very hard to beat and I've seen him make some incredible saves this season. And the other player is Mile Jedinak who, I have to say, I hadn't seen a whole lot of until this season. I saw him in bit and pieces but after covering Palace quite a lot this year, he's one of those players it's easy not to notice or not to get rave headlines. He's not going to round and beat four people and stick it in the top corner. He is solid and the position he plays is absolutely key to Palace.What's your opinion on Tony Pulis being up for Manager of the Year? I have said many times on the radio and on Twitter that if Liverpool win the title then Brendan Rodgers gets it, simple as, just because it's an incredible achievement. If they don't win the title then Tony Pulis should get it. I didn't think they were good enough at the start and it looked like a long, hard struggling season. I remember asking Tony when he was unveiled in November that he hadn't had a relegation on his CV in his career and if he was prepared for one now. You look at the points Tony has gathered and the performances and the teams Palace have beaten, it's an absolutely incredible story. There is no way, according to football law, that Palace should have stayed up this season and they are about to comfortably for the first time. I would happily give Tony the accolade unless Brendan wins the title with Liverpool.How about the Palace fans? They will create a good atmosphere at Upton Park, won't they? That little corner in the Holmesdale Stand is incredible at Selhurst Park. The fans have been, and there's that cliché of having a 12th man, but they really have been. I can't imagine what it's like to play in front of them, it must be very intimidating if you're not a Palace player. They should go to West Ham on Saturday, and whatever the managers says, they are safe. Both clubs are safe so go there and enjoy it. Hopefully both teams can put on a good display and score some goals. I anticipate a good atmosphere.And, finally, a score prediction? It will probably be 0-0! I would like to think West Ham will score and if they do, I fancy them to win the game. I don't see Palace scoring that many so I'm going to go for a 3-0 win for the Hammers. I'm hoping Palace's two best players Speroni and Jedinak have nightmare afternoons!
