Retaining the club’s Premier League status is huge. After languishing for virtually half of the season within the relegation zone, West Ham now sit two points above the drop with four to play. The outpouring of relief from off the pitch come the final whistle against Everton shows how much ‘survival’ means to fans.
The spectre of a Leicester City – type full from grace looms if the Irons suffer relegation – huge losses, boardroom turmoil and players being sold left, right and centre is enough to give fans sleepless nights.
As supporters, we sometimes believe our club’s survival in the top tier means more to us as fans – suffering our lifelong affliction – that to the players who will just move on if relegation condemns the club to the second tier: Pretty much exactly what happened to the side who were ‘too good to go down’ in 2003/4.
However Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen has made an extraordinary claim that survival in the Premier League is even more important to him that that special night in Prague in which he scored the winner in the dying moments and West Ham picked up their first silverware since 1980:
Reported in the nytimes.com:
“West Ham avoiding relegation would mean more than winning Conference League”
“”Bowen, 29, has been key to West Ham’s revival, having registered 10 goals and 11 assists across 38 appearances. The winger memorably scored the winner in the Conference League victory against Fiorentina in Prague, Czech Republic. But the England international believes West Ham retaining their top-flight status would surpass that achievement.
“That’ goal scorer Jarrod Bowen believes pulling off the Great Escape 2.0 would mean even more than the ECL trophy
“I think it would because of the circumstances, the season it’s been the pressure that being captain brings,” Bowen told The Athletic following the victory against Everton.
“Being captain is a massive honour but the situation that we’re in, it falls on your head and rightly so. I’ve been here a long time (since January 2020) and people look at me for answers.”
I suspect it will have demanded far more of West Ham’s favourite son, should the club engineer the ‘Great Escape2.0‘, than the run to the Conference League final ever did in 2023.
The last two seasons have been a brutal, bruising physical and mental assault course for the skipper who will deserve every plaudit if his leadership helps the Hammers pull off what, just back in December, looked impossible.
And he’ll also deserve a bloody good rest!
I don’t personally agree that we would become a Leicester of course it’s possible but it’s equally possible with our academy we could rebuild and possibly be better.
Surprising comment by Bowen, truthful no doubt because we looked all but gone in January and it’s been an amazing push since then from all at the club.
Still 4 games to go let’s keep the fight and hope for things to go our way.
Good rest ,???….. I’d love Jarrod to make it to the World Cup Final