Time for another edition of the David Moyes Cup (of which there are many, but this specific matchup is always the most fun to discuss), as Manchester United welcome in West Ham United.
This Sunday matinee clash takes place on Halloween eve, and thus we must call back to the time that an Irish bookmaker sent a man dressed as the Grim Reaper to United’s final home game before the club sacked him in April of 2014.
It was the salmon mousse David, and any Monty Python die-hard will tell you that. Moyes has managed six teams over the course of his career, with United representing his greatest failure, and West Ham, arguably, his greatest success.
Man United at West Ham FYIs
Kick-off time: 4:30 PM GMT, 30th October 2022, Old Trafford
Starting XI Predictions: Man United West Ham
Team News: Man United West Ham
After Extra Time Podcast: Apple Spotify
Fun Fact I: United is where Moyes achieved his highest winning percentage as a manager, and the only place where he won a trophy (2013 FA Community Shield)
Fun Fact 2: The origins of The Grim Reaper folklore date all the way back to the 13th century, even further back than the Black Death which plagued Europe in the mid 14th century, when the character was first popularized.
Manchester United emerged from the 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff tonight unscathed, injury wise and that’s always great news.
And no real developments in terms of the injured brigade and their recoveries, hence we have no true “Team News” items to discuss.
Hence we’ll just get to the
United Starting XI Prediction (4-2-3-1) vs West Ham
De Gea; Dalot, Martinez, Lindelof, Malacia; Eriksen, Casemiro; Fernandes, Antony, Sancho; Rashford
Prediction: United 1, West Ham 0
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.