Hello and welcome to live text coverage of this afternoon's Premier League clash between West Brom and West Ham United.

West Ham captain Matthew Upson misses out after suffering a recurrence of an Achilles injury, while James Tomkins and on-loan striker Robbie Keane are sidelined with calf problems. Long-term absentee Thomas Hitzlsperger takes his place on the Hammers' bench.

Team News... West Brom: Myhill, Jara, Scharner, Olsson, Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu, Dorrans, Thomas, Odemwingie, Fortune. Subs: Carson, Pablo, Morrison, Barnes, Vela, Tamas, Cox. West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Reid, da Costa, Bridge, O'Neil, Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Cole, Ba. Subs: Boffin, Hitzlsperger, Kovac, Spector, Faubert, Hines, Piquionne. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).

West Ham, meanwhile, currently prop up the bottom of the table but Avram Grant's men can take heart from the fact that they have won two of their last four Premier League away matches, even if the Hammers have failed to keep a clean sheet in 21 away attempts.

It's certainly a big game for both teams. New Baggies boss Roy Hodgson, who returns to the Premier League frontline just five weeks after his acrimonious departure from Liverpool, is tasked with steering West Brom clear of the drop zone. An unenviable task given that the club has lost seven of their last nine Premier League matches.