If anyone in a West Ham shirt is capable of feeling sympathy for the sick abuse likely to descend on the bleached blond locks of David Beckham at Upton Park today, it is surely Ian Wright. In fact, it will be a novel experience for Wright to play in an atmosphere of such white-hot hatred and not find himself the target.

"Abuse has only ever served one purpose for me," he wrote in his Sun column this week, "and it will serve exactly the same for Beckham: to wind me up to such a pitch I want to hurt their team in the way that does most damage, by scoring goals."

Wright, who carries around so many chips that he must have shoulders to rival those of Atlas, is as quick to share his opinions with fans as with opposing players. One particularly nasty incident at Coventry in the 1996-97 season, when fans accused him of spitting at them, earned him a fine and a censure from the Football Association.

Thanks to the arrival of Dwight Yorke, neither Wright nor Beckham will be the centre of attention for neutrals, although the West Ham manager Harry Redknapp says: "I wouldn't swap Wright for Yorke and he only cost me £750,000."

On a ground where he has suffered terrible abuse in the past Wright will hear nothing but fanfares, particularly after his debut winner at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

Redknapp had hoped to reunite Wright and John Hartson this afternoon, resuming a partnership that produced an impressive 35 goals in the 34 games they started together as Arsenal players. Sadly Hartson, available again after suspension, is out with an ankle injury.

Wright, three months short of his 35th birthday, says he still has the hunger for goals that he had as an angry, late entrant into professional football.

Certainly, he can expect more goal chances to come his way playing off a big target man like Hartson than playing alone up front in the refashioned Arsenal side.

If Hartson's physical skills look the perfect foil for Wright's goal poaching, the record would suggest that Wright's success in drawing the attention of defenders means more room, and goals, for Hartson, who was surprisingly the senior partner in their goalscoring feats at Highbury, scoring 19 goals to Wright's 16 in the matches they started together.

West Ham fans who recall the hurtful goals Wright has scored against them are ecstatic about their new capture. But older fans might feel unease about the similarity to a signing in March 1970, when another ageing scoring legend arrived at Upton Park.

That was Jimmy Greaves (30), who also scored on his debut - two goals at Manchester City - before embarking on what he describes as "my worst season in football" at the end of which he retired in self-disgust.

Wright might be fitter than a booze-riddled Greaves was. But after his two extensive periods at Arsenal's French fitness centre last season, which ended with reports that he would never play another full season, there must be doubts about how much he has left to give.

As if Wright needed any extra incentive on his home debut, the sight of Peter Schmeichel in Manchester United's goal will surely provide it. Wright, who has accused Schmeichel of making racist remarks in the past, has yet to experience the satisfaction of putting a league goal past him.