Source: Telegraph
West Ham are in for rough ride says Hartlepool manager
Hartlepool United v West Ham UnitedKick-off: Sat Jan 24, 12.45pm; Victoria Park, HartlepoolTV: ITV1 (excluding Scotland), ITV HD, Setanta Sports 2 (in Scotland only)Radio: Radio 5 Live [LNB]The former Manchester United goalkeeper wants his League One side to make life as uncomfortable as possible for Gianfranco Zola's Premier League team when they visit the North East for their FA Cup fourth-round tie. [LNB]And his hopes of an upset have been bolstered by the way his team dumped Stoke out of the competition in the previous round as well as eliminating West Bromwich Albion from the Carling Cup last August. [LNB]"They will have seen enough to know that they will be in for a rough ride even though they have fantastic players," Turner said. [LNB]"It will be a pleasure to have them here at Victoria Park but for the 90 minutes we want to give them hell. [LNB]"West Ham will have taken notice of the fact we beat West Brom who are a very good football side and we beat Stoke who are a strong, powerful unit. [LNB]"We have the opportunity to be mega giant-killers this year in the greatest knockout competition in the world and we've got every chance of securing a little niche in football folklore." [LNB]The FA Cup's rich tradition for serving up shock results has convinced Turner, the club's director of sport, that the League One side can overcome the odds. [LNB]The former Sheffield Wednesday manager added: "I'm not daft and I realise that because they have a fantastic array of talent but you know that if they come here in the right frame of mind which I'm sure they will do and they play to their strengths they will make life very difficult for us. [LNB]"But it's a great opportunity for the players to go head to head with some of the best footballers in the business and it will be fascinating for the fans to watch. I know it's a cliché but in football anything is possible. [LNB]"It's 11 versus 11 and it's what happens on the day. Obviously we need a little bit of luck or West Ham to be off-key. I will say to our players we can win this game. [LNB]"There have been FA Cup upsets throughout the course of the competition's history. That's because when it's your day, it's your day. I know my team will give 100 per cent effort and commitment and if that's enough to beat them on the day then so be it." [LNB]Turner is short on good FA Cup memories so this is a good way of putting that right. [LNB]"My favourite memory is the day Manchester United beat City 1-0 in the third round at Maine Road thanks to a Norman Whiteside goal," he said. [LNB]"The League Cup was my thing. I got to the final with Sunderland against Norwich where we lost to an own-goal and I was in the Sheffield Wednesday side that beat Manchester United 1-0 in the 1991 final with a John Sheridan goal when I was at the club. [LNB]"So maybe I'm due a change of luck this weekend." [LNB]
