No Hammer horrors, please

The Hammers could well lose key performers, too, with the club and its owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson in financial meltdown.

So it is amid such uncertainty that war will be waged. United go forth having lost their last two Premier League fixtures, while West Ham have won their last couple after an indifferent start under new boss Gianfranco Zola.

However, what is much more significant, perhaps, is the fact that the Hammers are hard to beat on the road.

They haven't tugged the forelock in their last five away matches, including two in the North East, beating Portsmouth and Sunderland and drawing with Middlesbrough, Chelsea and Liverpool.

The 5-1 humiliation by Liverpool in United's last home game sparked an angry response from goalkeeper Shay Given, which was hardly surprising. Everyone was stunned, because a reminder of dark days we did not require.

United owe it to the Toon Army, as well as their keeper, to banish such memories in two home appearances over the next five days.

This particular game takes on a special hue, with West Ham having become a rest home for so many former Newcastle employees who will be temporarily returning tomorrow.

From assistant manager Steve Clark to Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker and fit-again Kieron Dyer, they will come determined to make a personal point.

Both Bellamy and Parker have been touted as possible fire sales to raise much-needed cash, along with England central defender Matthew Upson.

On a lesser financial scale, the London club began its unloading of players this week, with another ex-Newcastle star, Lee Bowyer, on his way out along with Matthew Etherington and Calum Davenport. Dyer, always a controversial figure up here, played but 20 minutes of the cup tie against Barnsley last weekend, his first appearance since breaking a leg 16 months ago shortly after leaving Newcastle.

He's still far from fully match-fit, of course, and his immediate impact will be off the subs' bench.

The midfield he polices will be shorn of Nicky Butt, suspended as all enforcers are after inevitably accumulating bookings.

Newcastle must overcome his absence without losing too much bite.

Much onus will rest with young Danny Guthrie under the circumstances.

He must drive on, while the pace of Jonas Gutierrez and Charles N'Zogbia either side of him - Damien Duff and the young Frenchman's injury permitting - will be needed to support the front in what can at times be a pedestrian United side.

As for the Hammers being unbeaten in five away games, the attitude to adopt is very simple.

Ordinary teams, as opposed to quality ones, cannot keep producing such eye-catching results and therefore on the law of averages the run must end soon.

Why not at St James's Park on the morrow?