Newcastle host West Ham at St James' Park today in what will be a reunion of Alan Pardew and two of the players he exiled in Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan. The two former (current?) roommates are of course managed by the enigmatic Sam Allardyce, which is confusing to me, as I was positive he had been named the new Barcelona gaffer.

It's tempting to reduce this match down to the battle between Mike Williamson and Andy Carroll, but there will be others as well. For instance, Carroll will need to be extra watchful of the chalk that makes up the 18 yard box.

In all seriousness, Allardyce has West Ham playing positive football, and the absence of Fabricio Coloccini and Cheik Tiote for NUFC means they will need to be calm in possession. Playing hoofball is usually not advisable, but that's especially the case today.

NUFC: Krul | Simpson, S.Taylor, Williamson, Santon | Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Jonas (c), Ferguson | Cisse, Ba
Subs: Elliot, Anita, Bigirimana, Amalfitano, Marveaux, Obertan, Shola

WHUFC: Jaaskelainen | O’Brien, Reid, Tomkins, McCartney, Noble | Diame, Nolan, Jarvis | Benayoun, Carroll
Subs: Speigel, Demel, Collins, O’Neil, Maiga, Hall, Cole