The former public face of Soccer Saturday, Jeff Stelling, MBE has long since migrated to talkSPORT and has just passed his own verdict on the race for automatic promotion from the Championship next season. And it doesn’t make for comfortable reading for West Ham fans.
Few Hammers supporters are amongst those predicting West Ham will ‘walk’ the championship with a record points tally: But just about every bookmaker claims the Irons are odds on favourites. Not Stelling. Nor me.
The uncertainties over the squad that will actually line up come the end of the transfer window on 2nd September mean there’s too much guesswork at present. Without the import of at least three more first team starters, the Irons seem way off the pace which Wolves are likely to set after their shrewd summer of recruitment ( after all, they have had more practise at this relegation – promotion see saw).
As Stelling said on talkSPORT:
“West Ham I’ve got in the playoffs; I think they’ve lost too many and not enough incoming. So I’ve got them in the playoff.
Essential to guarantee automatic promotion: Troy Parrott
“But I tell you what, if they sign Troy Parrott and Jamie Vardy, then I’ll flip that round with Wolves. But that’s an if at the moment.“
You forgot one, Jeff: With Arne Engels also on board the Hammers look likely to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Championship’s finest but as we’ve already seen, their midfield is a creative mess since selling Fernandes and Ward Prowse, Alvarez and Soucek in the same side have already failed as a unit.
Which means Vardy, Parrott and Engels are a ‘must’ to see the Irons compete for those oh-so-coveted automatic promotion places.
when are our games against Hartlepool by the way ? ? might not be long the way some people think it’s going for us . and have you seen the money that wolves have taken in in transfer sales over the last few seasons , extraordinary ! still , let’s see if we can Twist and Shout to the Top x
I just don’t understand all the doom and gloom – i’d love to know why people think Wolves, for example, are going to be better than us. I DO see us walking it for these reason’s…
Jarrod Bowen
A solid keeper
A solid defence with good fullbacks
A good defensive midfield
Jarrod Bowen
A forward who showed on Saturday he can score against this opposition
A manager who has won this league previously with a ‘then record’ points tally.
A few more incomings to fill creative gaps.
Jarrod Bowen
What ISN’T there that makes people nervous? We’ve got two weeks of the window left!!
Regardless of our transfers, I lost all confidence in what Sterling thinks and says, after he stuck up for Moyes
Sterling didn’t turn up week after week and watch the dross Moyes dished up
Thats not uncomfortable reading in the slightest. We shouldn’t be worried about Stelling’s crystal ball predictions. Yes, we need reinforcements. But what Stelling thinks is immaterial.
Sorry mate, still don’t agree with vardy. 6 in 29 in serie A doesn’t inspire confidence and I genuinely think if we can grab one marquee midfielder, one marquee striker, one marquee cb then we become a genuine force in the championship. Look around the team, you cannot compare our first team squad to any other on paper and if we manage to just stop selling (I.e Diouf stays and the crudd still goes) I’d go as far as to say we should dominate over a full season. I understand it’s a lot of games and highly demanding but premier league football is on a different level to championship football and we have more then a handful of premier league footballers at West Ham.