James Collins gives his verdict on going to White Hart Lane as a visiting player

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West Ham United defender James Collins has been talking what it’s like going to Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane ground as a visiting player.

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic

The Hammers are sat 17th in the Premier League table, just one point above the bottom three after a torrid start to Slaven Bilic’s second season in charge.

And things don’t look like getting better any time soon if things go to form with a hellish fixture list on the horizon for the next month.

Bilic’s out of form side go to Spurs next to play Mauricio Pochettino‘s unbeaten side followed by a double header against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a home game against Arsenal and a trip to Anfield to face title hopefuls Liverpool.

The trip to North London after the international break looks a daunting one for the Hammers.

But veteran defender Collins, a firm favourite among West Ham fans, told talkSPORT that White Hart Lane is actually his favourite away ground.

White Hart Lane

“I’ve always liked playing at White Hart Lane,” told talkSPORT’s Sports Bar.

“Obviously because it’s against Tottenham… I’ve done OK there over the years, obviously won some, lost some.

“Evening games there are always great.”

West Ham’s James Collins

Much of the talk this season has been about West Ham’s failure to settle in at their new 60,000 seater Olympic Stadium – now named the London Stadium.

Ugly scenes have marred most of the Hammers’ games there so it’s no wonder Collins is relishing playing on the road.

And it says something that he chose White Hart Lane, the most similar stadium to West Ham’s beloved Upton Park both in terms of layout and capacity.

Spurs themselves will be looking forward to getting back to White Hart Lane after forgettable Champions League experiences at Wembley Stadium this season.

It would not be easy for West Ham going to Spurs with a fully fit squad let alone one low on confidence and decimated by injuries.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Without injured Winston Reid and Collins, who is himself a doubt after picking up a calf strain, West Ham would probably be forced to play defensive midfielder Havard Nordtveit – who has endured a woeful start to life at the club since signing in the summer – at centre back alongside another midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Angelo Ogbonna.

It once again highlights just how bad a decision it was for the Hammers to sell versatile homegrown defender James Tomkins to Crystal Palace in the summer.

Hammers fans now face an anxious wait over the international break to see that star players like Aaron Cresswell and Dimitri Payet come back unscathed.