West Ham United 25/26 relegation thread

[muskie]

Odds slashed from 5/1 to 7/2.

Watch this space.

I think we're fucked.

[Sir Alf]

We have been a candidate for being relegated most seasons in my life time ( 65 - 70 years ). We have finished top 8 in successive seasons only a handful of times across the last 70 years.  We have never reached our potential like say Villa, Everton ( pre PL era ), Spurs ( pre PL era ), Chelsea, Arsenal the North West clubs etc and that is now even more difficult in the TV money / commercial revenue era football has been in for 25-30 years.

Sullivan and Gold wanted / do want success but their hubris/egos/narcissism meant they over promised and  under delivered. But that is because, in the current era, football clubs are a business more than anything else. A brand not the factory teams of the industrial age that were lost forever in the 80s. Cearns, Pratt, Brown all underachieved because they wouldnt spend. And that was a huge factor back then.  Since the 90s its about making the most revenue and spending it well and where long term planning and a business approach matters much more.  

West Ham are in fact a failing or failed business. Our latest relegation has come because of what undermines most businesses regardless of industry. Lack of leadership, insight, long term planning and above all else the ability to listen to others.  Success comes from that and executing a well thought out long term plan.

Sullivan and Gold, want / wanted football success for West Ham but simply did not, do not and will never have the leadership qualities, foresight, vision, insight, know how on how to achieve it. Sullivan tbf has spent money but because of the aforementioned issues its all been wasted and totally ineffectual. 

This season its finally caught up. The xmas period was where we accelerated towards what will very likely be a relegation season. This Jan transfer window was the last chance at trying to avoid something that really traces back to the second half of the 2022/23 season in the league under Moyes.  The PL has got stronger every season and we have relied on there being 3 weaker teams. That has been the strategy. Short term, make it up as you go recruitment, spending. No modern infrastructure ( organisation and fixed assets ), an owner who has been totally left behind and unaware what needs to be done to modernise the club and / or simply refuses to cede control.

If a miracle occured and West Ham survived, it would be nothing more than a one season or short term reprieve. Sullivan is incapable of learning because he doesnt think he makes mistakes. His narcissism tells him its eveyone elses fault.  

We fans, of course, will keep supporting the club as its an emotional tie to our past, our families, heritage etc. We just have to hope some multi billionaires with business sense or sense enough to get in professionals and experience, buy the club before we die.  Sullivan will pop his clogs eventually so there is hope.

Only thing we can all do is try to outlive him but until then be prepared for more underachievement and disappointment. 

[threesixty]

Looking at fixtures again we probably have 6 fixtures we can win from the remaining games. Palace look like they could win between 3 and 6 as well based on form. The more I look at it we’d have to go on an unbelievable run and Palace can’t win more than 2 of their remaining games for us to be survive. I just don’t know if that’s possible… it looks crazy. 

we really have to forget about drawing any games and just go for a win all the time. Draws will not be worth it for us. 
 

[Manuel]

Was shocked at how bad Palace were, and Brennan Johnson is a shocking footballer. A small lifeline here maybe, IF we beat Burnley we are likely to be 3 or 4 points behind the 17th placed team, or teams.

We have to go to palace  and beat them to stay up 

I believe they have two upcoming home games against Wolves and Burnley, but they were shocking today.

[threesixty]

Interesting that of the teams from Palace (14th) down us and Forest have the best form from the last 5 games. 
from a projection point of view it looks more like it’s between us and Palace/Leeds and not Forest. And if we continue with our 5 game form we will stay up. 

I suppose normally the transfer window is where you can change form or you change manager to change form. Our transfer window has been pretty positive really. 

I think I’ve got over yesterday and trying to take the positives. No point in being negative really. If we can play how we played in the 1st half against the Burnley’s etc we will be ok. 

my only worry is that our whole form is dependent on our 1st team players. Losing Todibo is a massive blow as I just don’t see anyone slotting in to play as good as him (esp not Kilman). 

I think Nuno’s big decision is whether he should repurpose someone like soucek to play CB rather than Kilman. That would be bloody brave of him but I just don’t trust Kilman in our defence. 

Thats being said had this type of positivity when we went to wolves and I can’t believe we got done over there like that. It’s the hope that kills, it really does.  

[Tomshardware]

We aren't dead and buried yet but fail to beat Burnley we will be.  

[nychammer]

Was shocked at how bad Palace were, and Brennan Johnson is a shocking footballer. A small lifeline here maybe, IF we beat Burnley we are likely to be 3 or 4 points behind the 17th placed team, or teams.

We have to go to palace  and beat them to stay up 

[Manuel]

Was shocked at how bad Palace were, and Brennan Johnson is a shocking footballer. A small lifeline here maybe, IF we beat Burnley we are likely to be 3 or 4 points behind the 17th placed team, or teams.

[Fauxstralian]

Forest & Palace draw
Leeds v Forest on Friday , again a draw might be best 
But we MUST win at Burnley to keep those two anywhere near close

[Metroplex]

We are 6 points behind Leeds and still play them at home last game of the season. Win that game and we are only 3 points off the pace.


 

Eh?

[gpike]

Palace Forest 1-1 best result for us keeps them both in the mix. Palace were woeful 

[Far Cough UKunt]

We need more or less to win one in every two which is a mighty tall order.

We will definitely have to score a bare minimum of two and possibly three goals to win as we always concede regardless of the opposition.

 If we can't beat Burnley then it's game up if we do then the Man united game becomes a key fixture and one that could if we win see us back in the mix.

My head says yes but head says we won't be playing PL football next season.

We need someone to go into freefall to help us out.

It's all ands ifs and buts, in my view we're down, especially with crackhead at the helm.

[Gary Strodders shank]

We need more or less to win one in every two which is a mighty tall order.

We will definitely have to score a bare minimum of two and possibly three goals to win as we always concede regardless of the opposition.

 If we can't beat Burnley then it's game up if we do then the Man united game becomes a key fixture and one that could if we win see us back in the mix.

My head says yes but head says we won't be playing PL football next season.

We need someone to go into freefall to help us out.

[Nutsin]

We are 6 points behind Leeds and still play them at home last game of the season. Win that game and we are only 3 points off the pace.

As disappointing as yesterdays result was we have definitely improved under Nuno. 

It’s still all to play for but we have got to learn how to close games out. 

Gonna be a nervy couple of months, usually one team goes on a bit of a run hopefully that’s us. Although I wouldn’t bank on it.

onwards and upwards !

[AKA ERNIE]

We are done now , just can't see 6/7 wins from last 14 games.
 

[gpike]

Palace equalise forest down to 10 men

[ragingbull]

1-1 Forest down to 10 men.

[the coming of gary]

Forest winning

 

 

Next Friday night is Leeds v Forest.
more points for someone
.

[gpike]

Think we will know by the end of the window if the club thinks we have a realistic chance of beating the drop. 
If we get a CB and hopefully a new keeper we could still have a chance as we are now getting goals but can't keep them out. If we don't make another signing or two we are done

[nychammer]

Who cares if we get relegated? Couple of enjoyable seasons playing in the championship, new players, new manager and hopefully new owners.

We’ll come back, we always do. 

serious?  The bollocks we'll be left with after being asset stripped in the summer will struggle to stay up. 

Our future?  Read Stoke, Coventry, Sheff Weds, Sheff Utd,  Birmingham, even Luton - and they own their own grounds and don't carry hundreds of millions in debt - we've about found our new level, if we're lucky.

[twoleftfeet]

Who cares if we get relegated? Couple of enjoyable seasons playing in the championship, new players, new manager and hopefully new owners.

We’ll come back, we always do. 

[Eerie Decent]

We ain't catching anyone, the positivity on here before yesterday's game, for a team with the worst defence in the league (a league that includes Wolves) is astounding.

We have the shittest centre backs in the league, the best of the 3 is now gonna miss the next 3 games, the keeper can't catch a football. Some of the bollocks I've read on here about our past successesful relegation scraps 20 years ago ffs, beggars belief.

[cup of tea]

The live table with Forest winning means with GD we are now effectively SEVEN points from safety. We ain't getting out of this now unless Leeds and Palace have a complete meltdown

[stubbo-admin]

Forest winning

Frankly at this point we're more likely to catch a Palace potentially in free fall than Forest who have the squad and harmony of environment to pull away.

[Leonard Hatred]

Forest winning

[nychammer]

The Crying shame is that we have the semblance of a squad more than capable of staying up. Jimmy eventually getting to his best, Bowen back at it, the new signings, Fernandez, Wilson - more than enough to stay up.

The problem is the manager. How many games we been ahead and we thrown it away with poor if not plain suicidal tactics.

To Sullivan and co:   If Nuno stays we WILL go down, we are heavily fucked. This old dog ain't learning any new tricks. If we get Harry (yes i know....) or someone else (and I dread to think who else Sullivan would sanction)  in NOW then we have a small chance because no other cսnt throws a game like we did yesterday after we've just played out best half of football in years

Jeez-a-loo! If Nuno is an old dog who ain't learning any new tricks what is 79 year old Harry Redknapp?

Did you not see how it went for him at Q.P.R and Birmingham? The latter was his last job in 2017. Why don't we just exhume the corpse of Joe Kinnear and prop him up in the dugout? 

Once upon a time he was really good as well.

at this point id throw the dice on anyone