From the Boardroom - David Gold

West Ham United Joint-Chairman
This is a huge London derby on Saturday and they don't come much bigger than when West Ham face Tottenham.

There is so much passion, determination from both sets of players and there is nothing quite like it.

They have always produced fantastic games over the years and I know a lot of fans will still have fond memories of our last performance when we came away with a 1-0 victory at the Boleyn Ground back in March.

Few could forget Michail Antonio's crucial match-winner that night and his famous goal celebrations.

We know it is going to be another tough encounter as Spurs are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season and are challenging at the top of the table.

But we have a habit of going there and upsetting the odds and hopefully it will be the same once again on Saturday.

A lot of our players are now back from injury and we will be able to name a very strong team for the game at White Hart Lane.

Having Diafra Sakho back in the squad is a big boost for everyone. Diafra is a fans favourite and has scored some crucial goals for the Club.

He has energy and pace and I know Slaven has said it will feel like having a new signing back in the team so we are all excited to see him back in action.

Diafra has come back from a long-term injury and I want to pay tribute to the Club's medical team who have worked so hard to get him back to full fitness.

It will be a great lift for all the other players to see him back in the dressing room before the game.

 

We have a habit of going there and upsetting the odds and hopefully it will be the same once again on Saturday.

David Gold

 

Andre Ayew has also got another two weeks of training under his belt and will hopefully look a lot stronger on Saturday. He is our Club record signing and hopefully he can show his best form in the coming games.

We are obviously disappointed that our influential captain Mark Noble will be missing through suspension and Slaven will have a big decision to make on who comes in to replace him.

Will he keep faith with the same system or revert to a normal back four?

Whatever decision Slaven makes, I know we will be in decent shape and will put out a strong team who will be ready for action.

I know a lot of people have been talking about the tough run of games that we have coming up and on paper it looks difficult.

But there is no reason why we cannot beat Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool.

We have showed that we can beat the big teams and there is no reason why we cannot do it again.

Tottenham and the other teams will not look forward to West Ham United coming to their grounds and hopefully we can show the form which saw us compete with the big teams in the Premier League last season.

Finally, I was thrilled to see Aaron Cresswell called up for the Scotland and Spain games last week and it has been a long time since a West Ham player has played for England.

I want to congratulate Aaron on his call-up. He has now had the experience of being part of the England squad and he will want to stay there.

We have all seen the quality that he brings to the West Ham team and hopefully he can continue to show his best form in the coming weeks and months.

Enjoy the game on Saturday and hopefully we can come away with another memorable victory in north London.