West Ham United 25/26 relegation thread

[muskie]

Odds slashed from 5/1 to 7/2.

Watch this space.

I think we're fucked.

[fraser]

I think we are going down with our goal difference; it's 6 points from safety 

To be fair if we win two and the other teams lose two that erases the goal difference. I don't expect us to.. But.. 

[Westham67]

I think we are going down with our goal difference; it's 6 points from safety 

[Massive Attack]

I find myself thinking that everything's kind of normal.

Lose to Man City and Liverpool? Don't we always?
Both teams to score, one goal in it v Villa? Yep.
Draws with Brighton and Bournemouth? Well yeah...

So, Fulham next....we mostly beat them, even when we are crap.
Brighton home .... almost always a draw
Wolves and Forest.... we usually win at least one
Spurs away.... wouldn't be the greatest upset if we did 'em...

I agree, we played ok v Villa and were unlikely to get anything v man city. 

What's not normal, and what I think has sent everyone in a meltdown is there's now a 5 point gap. I think we have to beat forest and wolves, not just one.

And just as importantly our approach to games and how the in-game management has been handled by Nuno. He has helped create that gap that wasn't there before he rocked up.

Now the Club has decided to stick with him when we have a week till the next fixture so it's now highly unlikely they'll ditch him should it get worse until the Forest Home game due to the close concentration of fixtures arriving in quick succession. They're all must win games now for Nuno instantly and let's hope he works better under intense pressure to get instant wins beginning with Fulham. No more room for manoeuvre. Make sure to take cover though should it blow up in spectacular fashion as it won't be pretty for Sullivan and Brady if he cannot manage it.

[honky cat]

I find myself thinking that everything's kind of normal.

Lose to Man City and Liverpool? Don't we always?
Both teams to score, one goal in it v Villa? Yep.
Draws with Brighton and Bournemouth? Well yeah...

So, Fulham next....we mostly beat them, even when we are crap.
Brighton home .... almost always a draw
Wolves and Forest.... we usually win at least one
Spurs away.... wouldn't be the greatest upset if we did 'em...

I agree, we played ok v Villa and were unlikely to get anything v man city. 

What's not normal, and what I think has sent everyone in a meltdown is there's now a 5 point gap. I think we have to beat forest and wolves, not just one.

[Sir Alf]

I will be pleasantly surprised if we survive. I just dont see a squad of real scrappers who will work themselves nto the ground everyday, lay their bodies on the line. We will need imho 2 strikers not one and they have to be good finishers or at of on of them. We also need a strong, athletic and aggressive leader at CB. I also think we need another centre midfielder with legs who can cover the ground because we will get injuries and only have players like Soucek, Guido and Irvine to come in ( I would prefer Earthy, Kante and Fearon but managers always seem to go for past reputation / experience ignoring the fact they are just too slow for todays PL). 

Im mentally prepared for the Championship now and only interested in the future, recruiting younger players, promoting more U21s and seeing the back of the mercenaries

[boleyn8420]

The biggest problem is that the manager only knows how to set up to not lose football matches and not with the mindset of setting up from the start to win matches. If we drew every match until the end of the season, which we won't as he loses before a ball is kicked against the so called big teams, we would only have 32 points, relegated. Also, everyone banging on about the transfer window, why? The latest rumour is Strand Larsen from fucking Wolves, the team with 2 points, 9 goals in total of which he has scores err 1. Yep, that would really be a major coup wouldn't it. We need laughably 9 wins, almost a 50% win ratio from the remaining games, not very likely is it.

[Rossal]

Next 5 games decide if we stay up or not.  Not writing us off yet but feels like we would need to double our wins tally for the season next 5 games which seems hopeful. 

Got to beat Wolves and Forest.  Lots of games coming up with a small squad. 

Nuno rotation and subs will probably mean Wolves away Irving and Rodriguez will start .Forest at home Hermadsen will be right back. 

We can hope, but for me after Spurs away we'll know if we're down for defo. 

[Sweep]

I find myself thinking that everything's kind of normal.

Lose to Man City and Liverpool? Don't we always?
Both teams to score, one goal in it v Villa? Yep.
Draws with Brighton and Bournemouth? Well yeah...

So, Fulham next....we mostly beat them, even when we are crap.
Brighton home .... almost always a draw
Wolves and Forest.... we usually win at least one
Spurs away.... wouldn't be the greatest upset if we did 'em...

[Cambiron]

Relegation could be good. Maybe we could win some matches down there 

I've enjoyed every season in the Championship/old Div 2. I have rarely enjoyed a season in the Premier League/ old Div 1.

We have been toying with relegation most seasons since 1977. It's the West Ham way!

[eusebiovic]

It's not an impossible task in fact far from it looking at the performances against Newcastle and  to some extent Villa however I do question whether we have the right manager for the battle ahead and also the character and leadership in the team to get us over the line when we need to really dig deep.

Another centre back is essential and a centre forward who can hold the ball up to compete with and complement Wilson.

I'm not to convinced with Nunos assistants and back room staff.as although Potts and Robson are West Ham through and through (well the former at least) it smacks a bit of the cheap option that's been forced upon him.

I would like to see the likes of Neil Macdonald coming in to add some nous and experience for the fight ahead.

As others have alluded to the next three home games are vital for our survival prospects.



 

"I would like to see the likes of Neil Macdonald coming in to add some nous and experience for the fight ahead"

Jeez a loo! 

I think I'd prefer Michael McDonald at the very least he would have a much better chance of getting a tune out of this rabble especially all of the various configurations of the Doobie Brothers at centre back.

[Fauxstralian]

Sir Alf
Any reason you are planning on a 10 man team next season?
Are you keeping a place open for yourself?

[Gary Strodders shank]

It's not an impossible task in fact far from it looking at the performances against Newcastle and  to some extent Villa however I do question whether we have the right manager for the battle ahead and also the character and leadership in the team to get us over the line when we need to really dig deep.

Another centre back is essential and a centre forward who can hold the ball up to compete with and complement Wilson.

I'm not to convinced with Nunos assistants and back room staff.as although Potts and Robson are West Ham through and through (well the former at least) it smacks a bit of the cheap option that's been forced upon him.

I would like to see the likes of Neil Macdonald coming in to add some nous and experience for the fight ahead.

As others have alluded to the next three home games are vital for our survival prospects.

 

[Sir Alf]

Totally agree. Start the preparation for next season, in the championship, without Bowen, Paqueta, Todibo, Areola, Diouf, AWB and possibly Fernandes too although we should do everything we can to try keep him imo.  

Mayers looked promising yesterday so we have one team potentially looking something like :
———————— Herrick
KWP ——— Mavro —— NEW CB  ——— Mayers
————- Magassa —- Potts  —-
 ——— Earthy ———Summerville
——————- NEW CF ———

Obviously players like Orford, Fearon, Kante, Cummings others etc would or could feature too.  
 

[Hello Mrs. Jones]

If we are still adrift by mid January then we should just rip the plaster off and play the kids in preparation for the inevitable 

[Sir Alf]

Best to assume we are going down and any thing else would be a gratefully refeived, unexpected bonus.  Its us, Burnley and Wolves for the drop. 

As everyone says, we need to win 3 or more on the trot with a team that always concedes and has only one goal scorer to rely on.  Then we habe to have any transfers thru the door in the first week of Jan.  highly unlikely. We all know it. Fair play for those in denial or the eternal optimists but sooner reality is faced, the better. 

[boleyn8420]

Unfortunately, 3 out of the last 4 games are at home so that's a problem irrespective of the fact we have got 3 points from the lastc18 and have a negative  useless manager. And we all know how the Wolves away game is going to go, their only win of the season. So 4 games maybe 3 points with 3 home draws, no wins, again. No clean sheets. We need 9 wins to get to 40 points. As we have 3 wins in 17 or 17.64% I can't see us getting 9 or 47.36% in the last 19.

[THUNDERCLINT]

Unfortunately the numbers say we are already buggered. In the last 10 seasons, no club 5 or more points above the relegation zone after 17 games has been relegated.


 

Which is why I said we HAVE TO WIN the next 4.

7 points isn't enough.

[Massive Attack]

Unfortunately the numbers say we are already buggered. In the last 10 seasons, no club 5 or more points above the relegation zone after 17 games has been relegated.


 

And yet the Club continue with Nuno.

[Westside]

Unfortunately the numbers say we are already buggered. In the last 10 seasons, no club 5 or more points above the relegation zone after 17 games has been relegated.

 

[Massive Attack]

They have to have players through the door on 1 January. Waiting for 'value' will most likely be a false economy and our fate will be sealed before players turn up.



 

It could already be too late to convince good one's even on the 1st Jan now. Such a dire desperate situation.

[Sweep]

Wolves have been a three point leg-up for every club bar Spurs and Brighton. We can't afford to mess that up.

Then beating Fulham and Forest would be double value as they are among those we have most chance of catching.

They have to have players through the door on 1 January. Waiting for 'value' will most likely be a false economy and our fate will be sealed before players turn up.
 

[El Scorchio]

We need back to back wins which needs us to have a run of relatively kind fixtures.

Fulham (h) / Brighton (h) / Wolves (a) / Forest (h) / Spurs (a) is that run of fixtures.

Whether we stay up or not will be decided by mid-January with those results and the success or failure in sorting out the weaknesses in the squad in time for the tougher games.  At least two forwards (striker and left winger) and a CB needed.



 

This, this, and thrice this. 

In 6 games time we'll know our fate one way or another.

Yup absolute must wins now. That was a pretty tough run of fixtures we’re just out of and we have to take 7-9 points minimum from these next four even if someone loses all their form we are basically 10 points back from most of them and basically relying n someone’s arse falling out as well as our form picking up. We are almost having to hope for a golden bullet player to rock up at the start of the transfer window. 

This is a very bad season in this division to be poor as there are only two other poor sides as opposed to most seasons when there would be plenty more sides on 15-16 points at the moment. Everyone is up in the mid to low 20s which is a bit unusual. Yes it’s unlucky but we need er should have been in this situation in the first place- thanks Sullivan. 

Draws aren’t any good any more. 

[stubbo]

We need back to back wins which needs us to have a run of relatively kind fixtures.

Fulham (h) / Brighton (h) / Wolves (a) / Forest (h) / Spurs (a) is that run of fixtures.

Whether we stay up or not will be decided by mid-January with those results and the success or failure in sorting out the weaknesses in the squad in time for the tougher games.  At least two forwards (striker and left winger) and a CB needed.


 

This, this, and thrice this. 

In 6 games time we'll know our fate one way or another.

[Massive Attack]

The problem we have is Nuno has royally fucked up form leading up to the window opening where better players will not want to arrive now we are getting cut adrift. That was Nunos responsibility to keep us with those above us but now it's turned in to a disaster situation. Can't blame players for not joining a seemingly doomed situation that's worsened since he took over from Potter. Games like Leeds, Brentford, Bournemouth are the types of games he should have gone hell for leather to capitalise yet he chose to dick around when we couldn't afford that luxury. Only got himself to blame now for the hole he's partly dug himself. 🕳 

[GBHammer63]

I reckon we will stay up,but only just
We are definitely playing with a bit more fight than under piss poor potter 
Yes I'm always an optimist and no doubt the miserable fuckers on here and doom and gloomers will rip into me 

Unfortunately if we do just scrape up, next year will be commencing with exactly the same ambition. The geniuses know no other way, they find it impossible to even admit they possibly could have made a little misjudgment or two over the last 15 years.