Mark Lawrenson is slowly getting the message…the Hammers are a better team than he has been giving them  credit for.

And at long last he has decided to deliver what many will see as a kiss of death by tipping them to beat Palace this weekend.

After the knocks and snipes for most of the season the former Liverpool defender says  BBC website  things are starting to come together for the Hammers and fancies them at the London Stadium.

Following successive wins he has decided to jump on the bandwagon – well I suppose we might have expected it eh?

He has decided that we will beat Roy Hodgson’s out of form Palace by a couple of goals and predicts a two-nil win which would see us on 21 points and a hat-trick of wins under our belts.

After a unanimous verdict against the Hammers getting anything from Newcastle last weekend this makes a change but are the cynics right: Is this the kiss of death.

Here’s what Lawro has to say:  “West Ham have had back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Cardiff and they are starting to look far more like a team, although Marko Arnautovic’s hamstring injury is a blow.

Crystal Palace will have a point to prove after being beaten by Brighton last time out, but I am going for another Hammers win here.”