West Ham United 25/26 relegation thread

[muskie]

Odds slashed from 5/1 to 7/2.

Watch this space.

I think we're fucked.

[Tomshardware]

We're firmly in it, for sure.

The good thing is that Wolves and Burnley have gone, so just one relegation place to worry about.

Leeds will be the side who we'll be battling with, I suspect, and Nuno has already gifted them 3 points, the useless wanker.

Can't argue with that really.  Those 3 points we gifted them could be crucial come the end of the season.

[Mad Ferret]

I hear Nuno was born in Africa.

Shame we can't lose him for the AFCON.

[zico]

Sorry if already asked but don't we lose Wan-Bissaka and Diouf to AFCON in a few weeks as well?

[Sir Alf]

Its simply down to us, Leeds and Burnley. 

Leeds home form is and will be better than ours unless Jorge Mendes pulls some “rabbits from the hat” in Jan but even if he does Sullivan and owners will still be crying “PSR, we have to sell before we buy”.  All signs point to relegation imo

[Mad Ferret]

We're firmly in it, for sure.

The good thing is that Wolves and Burnley have gone, so just one relegation place to worry about.

Leeds will be the side who we'll be battling with, I suspect, and Nuno has already gifted them 3 points, the useless wanker.

[Sir Alf]

I hate to say I think we are now firm favourites for the drop. The squad weakness and last 4 years of abysmal  running of yhe club by Sullivan and Brady has caught up. You can point to managerx but ultimately 5 in 18 months with different styles and player preferences all due to a complete absence of planning and vision.  Short term, reactive action has led us to not having a squad fit for the PL.     Bring in any manager and they will struggle with still one if not the slowestsquad in the league that lacks the power and sthleticism needed.  

The current disaster started in the second half of 2021/2022 when Moyes squad management of only wanting 14 players started and there was no awareness of the need to build for the future as Sullivan was “dining out” on 18 months of effective Moyesball and us in Europe.  Sullivsn did spend but wasted most of tyat soend with no footballing plan / philosophy or awareness of how the PL was changing to fast, young, athletic players. He continued with his 1990s methods vis agents contscts and getting old, slow players with experience but no thought anout their fit as there was no defined style to fit them to.   Millions wasted and history will show it resulted in relegation

[nychammer]

We will struggle to get anymore points before January. We are woeful. 

we are three adrift as it is and if we can scrape a couple of wins between now and January then we are done for.

[kinglewy]

We will struggle to get anymore points before January. We are woeful. 

[Massive Attack]

I doubt it. We look doomed under this negative Portuguese chump of a manger and with this shocking squad.

Erm, excuse me, could we please try and keep the hatred for the Manager for the designated thread so it doesn't trigger certain posters. Thank you.

[muskie]

Agreed.

[Come On You Irons]

I doubt it. We look doomed under this negative Portuguese chump of a manger and with this shocking squad.

[muskie]

Bottom 3 again, can we get out of it?

[Texas Iron]

I’ve seen all other Prem teams in action on TV…

We are definitely in the lowest 3 right now…

massive improvement on the pitch…in all areas is needed or we will be.relegated…

The blame of course is Sullivan and Brady…Constant piss poor 
management and No  Leadership…

Amateur Barrow Boy Part Tim Football.Club Leadership…

Will ruin the. Lib Forever…Penny Wise…Pound Foolish…
 

[eusebiovic]

If (Big If)  we are still in touch at the end of December we must hit the window aggressively and we need to sign some impact players in the right positions. We basically kind of need a new spine (Defender, midfielder with legs and a striker). We should be scouting out potential now, but based on the way we approach transfers and the fact that 'we have to sell to buy' I can see it being the usual underwhelming stuff.

If anybody comes in then it will be the usual flying by the seat of the pants nonsense in the last 5 days of the January window

I wonder whether Sullivan isnt weighing asset stripping us in January while the likes of Paqueta and Bowen will have more value than when we actually get relegated. Expect the 'Bowen wants to go to Spurs' stories to gain momentum.

It wouldn't make much sense but that would be par for the course taking into consideration his past inconsistency.

Which is why he paid £42M for a midfielder and £20M for a goalie (neither of which stood out) from two relegated sides who stunk the place out the previous season. This at the END of the summer window as well! 

My brain hurts  

[Sweep]

Leeds, Burnley and Wolves all losing 1-0

[nychammer]

Decent assessment Sweep

We will undoubtedly lose not withstanding an act of god like that Burnley fixture 5 or so seasons back when us fans voted the “post” as MOTM

We will be cut adrift properly by Dec Im afraid to say. 

If (Big If)  we are still in touch at the end of December we must hit the window aggressively and we need to sign some impact players in the right positions. We basically kind of need a new spine (Defender, midfielder with legs and a striker). We should be scouting out potential now, but based on the way we approach transfers and the fact that 'we have to sell to buy' I can see it being the usual underwhelming stuff.

If anybody comes in then it will be the usual flying by the seat of the pants nonsense in the last 5 days of the January window

I wonder whether Sullivan isnt weighing asset stripping us in January while the likes of Paqueta and Bowen will have more value than when we actually get relegated. Expect the 'Bowen wants to go to Spurs' stories to gain momentum.

[eusebiovic]

Decent assessment Sweep

We will undoubtedly lose not withstanding an act of god like that Burnley fixture 5 or so seasons back when us fans voted the “post” as MOTM

We will be cut adrift properly by Dec Im afraid to say. 

If (Big If)  we are still in touch at the end of December we must hit the window aggressively and we need to sign some impact players in the right positions. We basically kind of need a new spine (Defender, midfielder with legs and a striker). We should be scouting out potential now, but based on the way we approach transfers and the fact that 'we have to sell to buy' I can see it being the usual underwhelming stuff.

If anybody comes in then it will be the usual flying by the seat of the pants nonsense in the last 5 days of the January window

[nychammer]

Decent assessment Sweep

We will undoubtedly lose not withstanding an act of god like that Burnley fixture 5 or so seasons back when us fans voted the “post” as MOTM

We will be cut adrift properly by Dec Im afraid to say. 

If (Big If)  we are still in touch at the end of December we must hit the window aggressively and we need to sign some impact players in the right positions. We basically kind of need a new spine (Defender, midfielder with legs and a striker). We should be scouting out potential now, but based on the way we approach transfers and the fact that 'we have to sell to buy' I can see it being the usual underwhelming stuff.

[Sir Alf]

Decent assessment Sweep

We will undoubtedly lose not withstanding an act of god like that Burnley fixture 5 or so seasons back when us fans voted the “post” as MOTM

We will be cut adrift properly by Dec Im afraid to say. 

[Sweep]

Looking at this week's games with those around us or who we may reasonably expect to drop back:

• Brighton v Leeds - should be a home win
• Burnley v Arsenal  - should be zero points for Burnley
• Fulham v Wolves - draw might be helpful but expect Fulham to make home advantage count
• Forest v Man U - Forest might get something because Man U are a bit hit and miss, but Cunha and Mbuemo should be too much
• Sunderland v Everton - Sunderland are on fire, Everton starting to stutter

Could be a kind set of results but can't say I fancy us much, we won't cope with Newcastle's physicality.

[RBshorty]

Even if they walked away today. After fifteen years. They would have still made a tidy sum on their “Investment.” Watch Piggies turn into Rat’s. The nano second relegation is confirmed.
COYi.

[eusebiovic]

Isn't his ex-wife Eve Vorley officially appointed as one of the club directors? 

Maybe an accountant or financial advisor on here knows better but surely that must be some kind of a tax dodge or a way to avoid paying for an expensive divorce settlement?


 

[Mike Oxsaw]

He can prime us as much as he wants but he'll be looking forward to average crowds of less than 15,000. I'm convinced of it and half that will be full of the Away end all attending to gloat as fuck and wouldn't blame them in the slightest. 

What will hurt him/his ego more when we get relegated is him not being able to strut manfully around as the owner of a Premier League club.

He clearly doesn't understand anything about the footballing side, but losing the prestige of being a PL club owner, conducting his other business deals on the "impressive"  club premises and handing out palm-greasing PL freebies to "move deals along"?  He'll 100% understand the value keeping of that.

Oh, and he'll finally be forced to show his hand in his belief that the Academy is simply a production line churning out players to shift on as soon as their value matches the clubs current day-to-day cash-flow requirements.

[eusebiovic]

Sullivan is in the property business. Not the football business. Owning us was the cost of doing business. Run us as cheap as he can and flip us when someone daft enough to cough up silly amounts. Now that ain't happening. It's sell what you can. As fast as you can. Pac Man will be off to Brazil in January. Maybe Bowen.? If a top four team comes in with a good offer. (But he will be off when we drop.) We are being primmed for the drop. Championship here we come.
COYI.

So you're saying that Sullivan might look to sell Bowen or Paqueta in January because their value would be less if at the end of the season we are relegated. 

Which makes signing Fernandes for £42M and Hermans Hermits for £20M so bloody nonsensical in the first place!

It wasn't like they performed well in a team that was unfortunate to get relegated. Both clubs stunk the place out last season - they were that far off the pace it's hard to believe it actually happened. 

[Sir Alf]

Last set of posts simply detailing examples of our biggest problem which is recruitment. Sullivan seems to be totally driven by short term cash flow rather than long term value.  Its costing 100s of millions. But because everythimg is leveraged / mortgaged to the hilt against future ticket and TV revenues. So much so, that if we were not to borrow money we wouldnt be able to do any transfer business or pay wages for a season or maybe more?   We have max’d out the credit cards and rely on paying them off via more borrowing and player sales ate now necessary with the TV and ticket revenue to pay off interest and wages etc just to keep remain solvent.  Sullivan and Gold put in £50 million up front and not a penny more has come in capital other than initial share purchases by Kretinsky and Tripp etc

In short, its all a kind of ponzi scheme? 

And back to recruitment, lits a symptom of absolutely no strategy or long term plan. Take the manager situation. 4 in 15 months but look at it over tge Sullivan watch:
Bilic -  higher possession tactical approach
Moyes - low possession tactical approach
Pellegrini - higher possession tactical approach
Moyes II - low possession tactical approach
Lopetegui - higher possession tactical approach
Potter - higher possession tactical approach
Nuno - low possession tactical approach

All these managers wanting players that suit their tactics but also factor in the various recruitment appointments and people picking players across the 15 years of Sullivan: Tony Henry, Rob Newman, Husilos, Steidten, Macaulay and Sullivan, Salthouse, Mackay amongst others.  No joined up thinking or semblance of continuity.  

Hence finally the chaotic running of a club devoid of leadership has caught up.  

I’ve accepted we are down as I can see no way of getting enough points by xmas to use the Jan window to turn things around.  And remember only what a 3rd of the clubs with 4 points at this stage got out of it.