In his winning stab at 0-0 for Liverpool vs Sunderland, Paul Devine – soon to be the owner of two splendid mugs – said: “One pointer could well be Liverpool’s date with Basel, where winning could mean El Dorado.”
Fat lot of good that did Brendan Rodgers, then, if they really did have an eye on last night’s game as opposed to just being not very good.
So now for the Hammers, riding high after a string of fine results. Can we stop them? Well, we know the answer to that is “yes, we can”. But will we? That depends on individual performances, plus another solid defensive display to cancel the threat of Andy Carroll and a lot more sharpness up front.
One mug from Personalised Football Gifts awaits the reader who correctly predicts the result before kickoff. It can be a Sunderland supporter or a Hammer and in the latter case the design of the mug would change accordingly.

And here is a taster for the West Ham “Who are You?”, with Graeme Howlett, the gaffer at Knees Up Mother Brown, which is now live at https://safc.blog/2014/12/safc-v-west-ham-who-are-you-glad-pdc-was-our-player-not-manager/ …
Salut! Sunderland: Stewart Downing, Don Hutchison, Pop Robson, Mary McC, Calum Davenport, Big Sam as player for us/manager for you, and, of course, Paolo di Canio (the other way round) spring instantly to mind when thinking of links between our clubs. What thoughts on them or others I missed out?
Graeme: I grew up watching “Pop Pop Pop Robson, score a little goal for me” and was hugely disappointed when he left us to return to Roker Park. I recall Don Hutchison being your reigning Player of the Year when we signed him for £5m, and he flopped. Paolo is Paolo, I’m just glad we had him as a player, not manager. Stewart Downing is having a marvellous season, our most effective player so far this term. I had a lot of time for George – and still can’t believe you paid us £8m to take him back – and Calum was alright until the stabbing caper. I believe there’s one or two others we’ve shared, such as Anton Ferdinand, Clive Clarke, Gary Breen (aaarrggh) and back in the Pop era, Mick McGiven and Dave Swindlehurst.
Graeme sees it being a close game, either a draw or a narrow win one way or the other, so I shall allow his prediction to be the first entry.
But Ha’way the Lads. Make sure the mug goes to someone forecasting a home victory.

3 – 0 West Ham. Come on you Irons!
3-0 to Sunderland , a Carroll brace and a Nolan match winner of own goals .
0-0 It just has to be.
1 – 1, lanky ex Mag scores first, late leveller from Seb
We have a winner, for the substance if not the detail. Will be in touch, John
I don’t see it here, hope I read correctly, but I predict Sunderland 4 – 1 West Ham. I see the lads raining in goals this weekend, and my Liverpool pal from Malaysia says “Oh my God what happened to Sunderland yet again”.
I’ll go for an adventurous 3-2 to us.
(Taking a break from my usual 3-1 defeats)
0-2 to us. If brown plays as he did last week can’t see them scoring. One time I always want us to beat. Mind could say that for most london clubs
8-0 to the Lads.
Why not 1 nil to Sunderland, tight defense against a more attack minded West Ham? I would settle for that.
Sorry for the American spelling, I meant defence.
Nobody going for 0-0? Seems odds on to me unless Alvarez and Fletch can find the net.
I’ll go for 3-0 to us – the same as John Mac and like him I don’t suppose I’m eligible for the mug so the score’s still there for the taking!
SAFC 2 WHU 0.
I hope!!
3-0,with Jozy after 3 minutes, Jonno just before half time and then Wes Brown nera the end after Andy Carroll gets sent off.
Also ineligible for a mug, so this score, indeed this scenario, is available
A thumbs down? Do you reckon Andy Carroll reads this site?
I don’t but going on the number of “thumbs downs”, on any post suggesting a positive score for SAFC, I think that this thread has been flagged on KUMB.i
Ineligible to win, so I’ll go for an improbable 4-3 to the lads in red and white
SAFC 2 – 1 West Ham…fine form continues and a cutting edge starts to show!
A run of wins to begin here. 3 – 1 with Connor celebrating his new deal (no more cheap champagne for you, boy) with a brace.
Sunderland 0 – 2 West Ham
We’re playing very well right now, so I’d have to plump for a 2-1 West Ham win.