Derby County won their first league match this term with a 1-0 victory Monday over West Ham's next opponent, Newcastle United, at Pride Park. New signing Kenny Miller struck from well outside the penalty area in the 39th minute to account for the scoring. The BBC recap indicated that Newcastle could have been rewarded two penalties in the match, but added that Derby County in general had the better of the play and deserved the points. Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce seemed to blame his side's heavy participation in internationals last week for the sluggish performance.
The match against Newcastle Sunday on Tyneside represents a step up in class for West Ham's schedule. Three of the next five matches are against teams currently in the top half of the table, with Sunderland and Portsmouth sitting 14th and 15th. Arsenal, currently top of the table, visits Upton Park on Sept. 29 and then West Ham is away to their kit twins, Aston Villa, on Oct. 6. Newcastle had a chance to leap above West Ham in the table, but instead slipped to 10th with the loss in the East Midlands. West Ham are sixth. I mentioned to a friend who supports Manchester City, who are second, that it was nice to see some different names near the top, but really, other than City, it's the usual four at the top. Wigan are sitting ninth, which is also a change after the club fought relegation nearly all of last term. Of course, it's very early in the campaign.
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