With eleven games remaining in this gripping – for all the wrong reasons – Premier League season, West Ham fans may be forgiven for looking ahead and wondering where the wins are coming from to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.
In reality of course, with a two point deficit, West Ham ‘simply’ need to win one more game than Nottingham Forest to stay in the top tier.
However the OPTA supercomputer has been at it again, looking at all possible permutations at the foot of the Premier League – and along the way has revealed the expected points totals and positions of the bottom six.
On the face of it, it doesn’t make good reading for the Irons. Relegation is Opta’s grim Irons’ prediction with West Ham accumulating just 35.84 points and finishing in 18th position, as reported by the Yorkshirepost.co.uk who take great delight in seeing their own Leeds United predicted to finish in a creditable 15th position.
Ignoring the mathematical impossibility of obtaining .84 of a point, West Ham finishing as predicted on 35 will put them four points behind Nottingham Forest who are predicted to finish with 39.63. So, in a nutshell, West Ham’s real target to stay up is likely to be 40 points.
With just 25 points in the bank at present that means 15 points from the last eleven games: Five wins. Which doesn’t sound impossible on current form.
Call me a super OPTAmist and forget the super computer: Former Hammers’ hero Joe Cole and I may have nothing else in common but we clearly share the same positivity:
“I look at them and go, ‘I think they’re going to get out of it’. I think they will. I’m happy to put my neck on the line now — I think West Ham will stay up.”
Good man, Joe.
Is it usual to have a bus parade if achievement is to avoid relegation? 😊
This team of stalwarts, with captain Bowen driving will deserve it, if it happens (don’t wish to tempt fate).
I’m serious, it would be a damn good reason for a party because come the end of the season anyone WHU related will have deserved it! C&H please contact the appropriate people with this suggestion – thanks!😁
There are two ways of looking at our fight for survival and it is almost a head v heart situation. Looking at West Ham in isolation, the head says we need 40 points and that is unlikely, however the heart says that on current form, and assuming Pereira struggles like his predecessors, it is very possible that West Ham could win one more game than Forest, and it could go all the way to May 24th.
Does the super computer take into account the fact we seem to be a much better team now than the one from earlier in the season. We are currently in fact one of the form teams of the division.
We are better sometimes and never for 90 mins. Not feeling pessimistic, but my dread is injuries to Summerville, Bowen, Fernandes, Taty, AWB,… because we few/no like for like replacements.
I’m hopeful, been hopeful from the start, never given up the ghost, but feels precarious, like a balancing act on a tightrope, or tiptoeing through a minefield.
I agree. I think 40pts will be the line this year and that will mean 4 wins and 3 draws from our last 11 games.
We do have the ability to get that but we will need a lot of luck or Spurs continuing to drop like a stone!
Yes I believe 40 points will keep us up too …
I can only see Forest getting another 11 points ….
We need to beat Everton , Wolves and Leeds at home
And get 6 points from Fulham , Palace and Brentford away
Anything from Liverpool , Man City , Arsenal , Villa and Newcastle will be a bonus ….
Yes, well said , Joe. But, you could be totally unrealistic. We are playing well, & if we had enough time & games we could well make up the deficit. But, there are eleven games to go & we are two points behind Forest; & we are even further behind the other teams at the bottom ie Spurs & Leeds. All of these teams, except Spurs, are playing well & picking up points , too – & they are starting from a position where they already have more points than us. In view of this, making up a two point deficit on Forest (or even more against Leeds or Spurs) is going to be damn difficult. I totally hope that we do it but, at the moment, I am shxxxing the proverbial bricks. If we survive, we will have had to play out of our skins & have been very fortunate !