Month from hell and a crucial points target

By regular top CandH blogger Rich Sprent

The football month from hell begins as of this Saturday!

You need no reminding but we have games at Sp*rs,  Manchester United,  Manchester United again midweek in the League Cup. Then it’s back home for Arsenal and then off again on a visit to Anfield.

The players should not need any encouragement to be on their game for these fixtures. These are the games that sort the men from the boys. If we are serious in wishing to compete with the top six then we have to at least match them. A minimum return of 4pts should be seen as  acceptable.

The League Cup fixture is a bonus. There’s no doubt that the game v Chelsea has been the highlight of this miserable start to the season with many agreeing it was the first time that the London Stadium ‘felt like home’.

The cup game at Old Trafford is an opportunity for success in one of the cups. It’s a fixture that must looked at as one that needs to be won.

Confidence is key. For the most part the players are the same as those who went toe to toe with Premier League last term. The cavalry, in the form of strikers Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll, are reportedly in the frame to play some part from Sp*rs (Sakho) and Arsenal (Carroll) onwards. So it’s down to the manager to instil belief and confidence (and not a little tactical nous) in this under performing team.

With the season we’ve had so far it would however, be no surprise to come away with absolutely nothing from any of the fixtures.

A poor 4 or 5 results from the month of hell leads would lead us on to the next set of games under enormous pressure. That following set should look very winnable to a side wishing to compete.

Burnley and Hull City at home in the same week. Then Swansea and Leicester away over the Christmas week before the New Year’s clash home to Manchester United.

I’m laying down my expectations of a minimum of 15pts and through to the next round of the League Cup from this run of games. Fifteen points from the 27pts on offer. Anything less will be a failure.

January then rears. The rumour mills have begun to spin (did they ever stop?).  Every day adds to the list of the players that Dave, Dave and Karren are looking to buy.

Of course, history shows us that the owners don’t like buying players in January. They themselves have stated that the value isn’t there.

They are habitual dabblers of the loan market. At this time of year, with one or two notable exceptions, their dabbles have been nothing short of abysmal.

The fans may well be excited at the prospect of West Ham again being linked with multi-tens of million pound strikers and maybe even a competent right back. History is screaming at me to not hold my breath.

There is of course the anticipated clear out. Gokhan Tore, being sent back to Turkey to save on his wages. Goal- shy Simone Zaza is on course to be returned to Italy. Again, saving on wages and dodging the £20m sword of Damocles swinging above the West Ham transfer warchest.

Diafra Sakho is still linked with West Brom in a £16m move. Any future West Ham squad involvement could be easily argued that it is to prove his match sharpness and durability for the move.

Arbeloa, reportedly unhappy with Slav at not being selected for the Palace game is now reportedly surplus to requirements. Who else?

None of the newbies have impressed and must be in danger of being given a ticket out of Stratford International. Of course this doesn’t mean that these players won’t come good. Pedro Obiang, one of the success stories of this poor start, failed to convince everyone last season for instance.

Many fans will be getting their calculators out and punching the big numbers on the money flooding in to that much media hyped warchest. Look how much we have! Spend it! Spend it Dave!

Of course history shows us that the Dave’s don’t like spending it in January. There is an argument that they don’t like spending it all. Another argument follows that the money just ain’t there to spend. That the club simply doesn’t have the cash flow to compete despite large numbers being bandied around by DS in his many interactions with the media.

Whatever your point of view is, any expectations of big moves being made in January look to be nothing but false hope.

After all, we were sitting high up the table at Christmas the past two years. This didn’t prompt any squad strengthening to kick on and challenge for anything. Why would this year be any different? Whether this was (is) club (owners) policy, a lack of ambition or simply a lack of available cash can only be conjecture.

If we’ve failed to secure the 15pts that would give us a respectable total, 26pts, come January then who would want to come to us anyhow? We’d be well and truly up to our proverbials in the relegation mire. And that would give the owners a real set of issues.

The panic of a relegation fight in our first season in the London Stadium was never on the cards.

And of course there’s the Payet question. David Sullivan’s repeated statements that he will be a West Ham player for years to come ring a little hollow.

If we fail to start competing in this league come January then why would he want to stay? He is hot property. If we fail to match his ambitions then who could honestly blame him for wanting to go and better himself?

If those 15pts aren’t secured then there’s little doubt that it would be discussed to cash in on him to try and save the season.

If we are knee (or worse) deep in the mire come January they may be looking at a replacement manager. And any new boss would undoubtedly want funds to right the ship.

 The views expressed here are solely those of the blogger and are not neccesaraily shared by ClaretandHugh