Exactly one week before Christmas, the bleak mid-winter well and truly arrived in Britain; as the footballing calendar was decimated with frozen pitches, unsafe surroundings and sullen men dragged around packed department stores rather than cheering on their boys.
Still, on the bright side, not long to wait for the match on Boxing Day as many of us will make our way to the game still trying to digest the food gorged the day before and wishing we hadn’t had that extra turkey slice. The festive period is a magical time for all concerned and it’s when the league really starts to take shape; the champions start to get stronger and the top and bottom halves begin to drift apart. But for one team, their festive time is overshadowed by the tag-The team bottom at Christmas- in the knowledge that in the eighteen previous seasons, only one team, West Bromwich Albion, have overcame this obstacle and avoided relegation.
This year it’s West Ham who prop up the league and Sport.co.uk takes a look if the Hammers have what it takes to stay in the big time.
Who’s up Next
If Avram Grant’s men are to escape the drop, then wins have to start coming and fast. However a quick perusal down the fixture list does little to inspire confidence as the Hammers face some daunting fixtures over the coming weeks. Trips to Fulham and Newcastle look like uncomfortable fixtures for a side out of form, as do home matches with both Arsenal and Wolves, who themselves are scrapping for their Premier League lives. Added to this matches Home & Away against Everton- and it really shows up the enormity of the task in front of them. With only a few days to go until Christmas, Sport.co.uk is not in the mindset of upsetting West Ham fans; but it will take an almighty effort and a slice of luck to attain a points return for these games.
The Manager
Replaced Gianfranco Zola in the East London hot seat and you’d have to say, so far, Avram Grant has been a major let down. Let’s face it though what has Grant actually done to warrant being in charge of such a historic Premier League side? To say it’s baffling that both Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce lost their jobs before the Israeli, is perhaps the understatement of the year. There’ll be some who’ll argue that he took Portsmouth to an FA cup final in the face of adversity; yet so did John Gregory, Dennis Wise and Alan Pardew in the noughties as they all got a sprinkle of the magic of the F.A Cup.
Then there was the time at Chelsea, he did of course guide the Blues to the Champions League final and was only a slipped penalty away from actually getting his hands on the crown. Nevertheless, that was Mourinho’s team that was playing and anyone, providing they kept things as they were, could have been a success at that time.
For the majority of 2010 Avram Grant has occupied the bottom of the Premier League and minus the superb CarlingCup victory the performances under him have been mostly uninspiring. The board have given him their backing and he needs to start repaying that faith.
The Players
It seems you can only really hang your hat on one man at the Boleyn Ground these days and thankfully for the Irons the threat of relegation has not affected the form of Scotty Parker. The central midfielder has been truly superb this season, driving the team on from midfield and shipping in with some truly memorable goals. It’s imperative that they hold on to their midfield star in the January transfer window as without him the future looks very worrying indeed.
It’s also high time that some of the more experienced players started pulling their weight. Time Robert Green remembered why he only a few months ago he was considered England’s number one. Time for Carlton Cole to re-discover the form that made him part of Capello’s England and incited rumours of a top four switch. It’s also time for the liked of Behrami and Dyer to start giving something back to a club that has afforded them a career over the past few years.
On paper the players are good enough to stay in the division, but I’m sure people said that about Newcastle and Leeds......
The Board
It would be difficult to not mention the Cockney duo at the helm especially as thus far, the purchase of their boyhood club has none gone to plan for Messrs Gold and Sullivan. The pair’s frugal transfer budget has no doubt contributed to downfall of the club as all and sundry could see they were in need of strengthening at the end of last season. In fairness, were West Ham relegated, it would be safe to assume they are in safe hands given the two David’s tracked record of bringing Birmingham back from the Championship. Nevertheless it’s a crucial few weeks for the owners, with some undoubtedly big decisions that need to be made.
Prediction
Despite constantly being favourite for the sack, the owners do have faith in Grant and they will need to dig deep into those pockets if they want their beloved team to survive.
The players are behind him too and just this week Junior Stanislas came out in support saying: “Everyone is fully behind the manager. People might think the team spirit is not the best because we're bottom of the league but everyone is pulling together.” He added: “We are just trying to stick together and get out of it. Being bottom at Christmas doesn't sound good but the belief is there and it has to be if we want to get out of it."
Positive words from the youngster and if points were won on belief alone then he would have probably just secured his side three vital ones. But talk is cheap and if the first half of the season is anything to go by then it’s difficult to see where West Ham will pick up the points. Scott Parker is key to their push and with him; they have an outside chance. But without him; it’s the Championship next season and Grant’s second successive relegation.
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