Pub Talk: ‘Finances are dire – we will lose key players, no matter which league we are in’

Assessing the March Rollercoaster

Since our last issue, we beat Fulham and Brentford in the cup, drew at home against City and lost to Villa away. What did you make of our results and performances in March?

WestHamRambles: Much better, is it enough though? The Villa result brought us down with a bit of a bump – showing our lack of squad depth and that we can still give better teams too much respect. It makes the game against Wolves our most important game of the season so far. We are fortunate that Spurs, Leeds and Forest are still within touching distance.

David Meagher: We are definitely back in the mix but need to keep up our form and bite. I wouldn’t read too much into the Villa game apart from that we need Summerville for his link play between defence and attack. We look well up for the fight but simply must beat Wolves in our next outing. The dream of a great escape with Spurs relegation is the prize.

Meirion Williams:I really thought it had been a good month for us until the Aston Villa game which was a massive disappointment. We never get results at Villa Park but we normally come away with a point on a good day and that’s what I expected. What I didn’t expect was such a poor performance after the previous few games. But that’s the West ham way. They give us confidence and it’s squashed very quickly. I worry that the FA Cup win against Brentford is going to cause a distraction away from what is a very tight relegation battle. But in the league, up until that Villa game, we have to be impressed – at least they are now showing some fight and could stay up.

Geoff Hillyer: I think overall, it’s probably everything we could reasonably have asked for. The team has played well and it’s clear that there is fight there. The result against Aston Villa was disappointing but won’t define our destiny – we would all have taken a point from matches against Manchester City and Villa. April will define what will happen, once and for all, and we need to bounce back quickly.

The Race for Hammer of the Year

Who are your current contenders for Hammer of the Year?

WHR: Summerville, for basically scoring and creating the goals to give us a chance of avoiding the drop. Special mention for Mavropanos – who looks a different player.

DJM: Summerville in attack, Fernandes for his midfield efforts and Mavropanos at the back. Fernandes pips the overall prize for his energy and guile. Once he had legs around him and was rid of ‘needy’ Paqueta he flourished.

MW: Statistically wise it has to be Jarrod Bowen. Top scorer, most passes, captain and leader and talisman. It’s difficult to identify a player of the season in what has been a poor season. I also feel that Crysencio Summerville maybe in another shout or maybe even after his heroics in the loss of Villa Park, Mavropanos might get a few votes.

GH: Fernandes for me. I think he’s a key player. Summerville gets an honourable mention. I love Mav, but don’t think he’ll win the award. My moment of the season though is when he took that one to the face v Man City – hero.

Balancing the Books and Summer Sales

Assuming we survive the drop this season, with our current finances, who do you think will have to be sold to balance the books?

WHR: I would imagine Sullivan will cash in on Summerville, and at least one another. If Man United or another “big club” comes in for Fernandes, I can see him going as well. Finances are dire – we will lose key players, no matter which league we are in. The squad will be trimmed even more, and we will struggle again next season.

DJM: A new owner would keep this now functioning squad and buy Disasi. No need for departures if a decent buyer comes in. If not, it’ll be bad as we now have half dozen highly desirable players.

MW: I’m not looking forward to the off-season and the transfer window opening. I can definitely see teams coming in for Summerville and testing Bowen’s loyalty. If Bowen doesn’t make the World Cup squad then I think he may feel he has to move to a bigger club. Will those two players alone bring in enough money to finance Sullivan‘s summer holiday?

GH: There is no doubt the vultures will be circling. The rumour mill will be in overdrive on Bowen, I think teams will want Fernandes, and I do wonder whether we will see a big-name departure this summer. Of course, we know we need to shift some players – I have a beady eye on you, Kilman – but who’s going to buy a player whose value is through the floor?

The Crucial April Run-In

We’ve got Wolves, Palace and Everton coming up. How do you think we’ll do? WHR: I think we need seven points minimum. I think we will beat Wolves and Palace, but struggle against Moyes’ in-form Everton. No excuses now, we need wins. Let’s hope that Summerville is back after the international break – a lot will hinge on that.

DJM: We need a minimum of five points and ideally six or seven. We will probably get four. Any less and we will need Spurs to work their reverse magic.

MW: I feel it’s three tough fixtures. Everton are fighting to get into Europe so will certainly be pushing for all three points. I feel we can get something out of the Crystal Palace game but also that Wolves could be a bit of a banana skin as they will be playing for pride. I’d love to say six points from those three games but if in a month’s time we’ve gathered four and are above Spurs and I’ll be happy.

GH: These are interesting fixtures and will be well fought. I honestly don’t know how we will do – but I do think that two wins minimum are required. And that is a minimum. It will not be easy, you can make a case for us winning them and just as easily make a case for us losing them too.

Title Winners, Europe, and the Relegation Scrap

Do you think Arsenal will be able to get over the line and win the title? Who do you think will get the European places, get relegated from the Premier League and get promoted from the Championship?

WHR: Arsenal will win the league, in the most boring fashion possible, but I do think they will get it over the line. My Premier League top 7 are Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Villa, Liverpool, Liverpool, Everton. As for relegation, I think Wolves, Burnley, Spurs and from the Championship, Coventry, Boro, Southampton will be promoted.

DJM: Declan will finally get his first Premier League title and he deserves it as he is the difference between winning it and running up short. Relegation is absolutely fascinating. A draw on the final day with Leeds keeps us both up at the expense of Spurs. Yum.

MW: I find no joy in Arsenal winning anything so I was delighted that they lost the League Cup. They have Manchester City still to play and that could reduce the gap further in the league. I feel they’ll just get over the line but it’s gonna be tight. I would be delighted if they lost in every competition but the chances are they probably won’t and they come away with one trophy at least. I feel that the two Manchester teams and Aston Villa will make it into the Champions League and I have a sneaky feeling that Everton will get there too. As for relegation, definitely Burnley and Wolves. I think it will come down to our last game of the season against Leeds to determine to final place. Win that and Spurs will get relegated. I don’t think a point will do. As for promotion from the Championship, Coventry virtually there, I think Ipswich will pip Middlesbrough to the automatic place then it’s a free for all. Who knows Ryan Reynolds’ team could actually be playing Premier League football next year.

GH: I think Arsenal will win the title, but I think that it will be closer than it currently appears. As for Europe – the two Manchesters, Villa, Liverpool look like good bets. I think Chelsea will also come good and the likes of Everton and Brentford will fall short. In terms of relegation, Burnley and Wolves are down. I still believe we have enough in us to survive, although my confidence was knocked against Villa. I do think Tottenham are a shambles but probably will bounce now Tudor has gone. That leaves Forest and Leeds – either of whom could easily slip. If pushed, I’d probably say Forest’s Euro exploits may be a problem for them over the coming matches, but we’ll see.