The Prague Dream Fades: Relegation Fear
What’s happening to our club? We are slowly watching us drift away from where we always hoped we would be after that win in Prague. Two bad seasons and this year we are set to have the worst season yet.
Are we getting relegated? It hurts to type it but I can’t see where we pick up crucial points, but I hope I’m wrong. I’m just hoping I come back to this on Christmas Day and we are at least in double digits for points.
I can’t see where our points are coming from and I do think it is our time to go back to the Championship but there is still a bit more hope than once thought.
The Brutal December Fixture List
Before Christmas we face Bournemouth, Man United, Brighton, Manchester City away and Liverpool and Aston Villa at home. Honestly, I can’t see us getting any more than one point there, which comes at home to Aston Villa.
With the way we have been defending and the way all these teams attack quickly, I can’t see us keeping a clean sheet in any. The one hope is the way we can always find a way to score and defensively Aston Villa haven’t been as prolific as the others.
But on Christmas Day we need to have at least 12 points in my opinion to have any chance of staying up. Most teams that are down there are already on 10+ so even with 12, I see it being a push to stay in the Premier League.
I really hope I am wrong and I see the typical West Ham that wins some hard games. For example last season we took six points against Man Utd and won at Newcastle but also we won the six pointers. So far, bar Nottingham Forest away, we haven’t really shown we can win a game again.
January Must: Spending and the Owners’ Dilemma
Now as much as our owners don’t seem to care too much, I honestly believe they can’t accept us getting relegated either due to the amount of money they will lose. We all know Karren Brady thought we’d have a “world class stadium and a world class team’ right now and relegation just proves that we aren’t there even more.
With hope that in January there is a chance of survival, we need a CB signing in the first few days and a striker and we can’t be trying to find the cheapest deal. So winter signings are a must and it won’t be easy due to many clubs not wanting their players to leave in January, so we will have to over spend.
Also if we are too far gone, there is a high chance players won’t come to us, so we will need to lower our targets.
The Competition: Matching Rivals
The teams that could get relegated this season are Wolves, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Burnley. Between now and Christmas Day, Burnley have a few hard games so I can see them getting only a few points.
Leeds also have a very hard run so maybe four points I see them gaining. Nottingham Forest are a bit like us, we are waiting for our team to perform like they can. I see them getting six points which if they do, they will probably be safe.
For Wolves, I don’t see them staying up at all but they could still gain a couple points between now and Christmas. For Fulham, they have some likeable fixtures at home so they could get between four and six points before Christmas but we play them away on the 27th and that fixture could be huge heading into the transfer window.
So if this is the case, I see us being in even more trouble, we just have to hope we at least match Burnley and Leeds points gained as that will keep us within the fight and a few teams do us a favour. But the main thing is we need to start winning, as these teams could help us out along the way but if we don’t capitalise with games won, we will still be in trouble.
The Hope After Christmas
To stay up in this league you need between 35 & 40 points so 10+ wins and a few draws, which somehow makes it look a bit more hopeful as after Christmas we will play 21 matches so there will still be 63 points up for grabs. From the start of the January window, we will play 19 matches so a few big signings could still give us so much hope, it’s the only thing I’m holding onto.
But whilst there is hope I will always believe we will find a way to stay in the Premier League. But one more must that needs to change is our home form as that is where all the teams in and around us will pick up their needed points.
Now we must give ourselves the best hope we can and find a way to pick up a few points between now and January, to ease the pressure from January but also to attract a few better players.
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