West Ham boss: Man Utd changes will mean we’re fresh for QPR

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA

Thursday, January 17, 2013
3:49 PM

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes that his side will be fresh for Saturday’s game at home to QPR.

The Hammers made six changes for the 1-0 loss to Manchester United, resting the likes of Joe Cole, Guy Demel having a rest.

“You have to change your team accordingly depending on what is coming next,” said Allardyce, who also removed Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Jack Collison from the line-up that started Saturday’s league defeat at Sunderland to the bench yesterday.

“QPR played on Tuesday night (in an FA Cup third-round replay at West Brom), so they get an extra day ahead of it.

“The physical side of the game is massive these days and if you are down compared to the opposition on your physical attributes, it makes it tougher for you to win. So we have to change the team again on Saturday.

“A lot of the players who played against United will play again, but some have been rested, some will hopefully have recovered from injury and we will try to get the strongest side out that we can and see if we can get three points.”

One player given a full breather was Joe Cole, who had set up both of West Ham’s goals in the original 2-2 draw with United at Upton Park but was left out of the squad completely last night.

Regarding the 31-year-old midfielder - back with his first club having joined the Hammers from Liverpool earlier this month - Allardyce said: “We left him out because he is not ready to be playing Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday.

“It would be unprofessional of me to think after he has just come from Liverpool that he could play three games in one week - it would risk him fatiguing and getting injured.

“So we left him back at West Ham to make sure he has had a full recovery and is available for Saturday.”