In recent weeks, any time I’ve written about the progress of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, or Tottenham Hotspur, there’ll always be comments urging me to focus on West Ham and suggesting it doesn’t matter what other relegation-threatened teams do, which was a fair enough point.
Over the last few fixtures, after all, if West Ham kept winning, then our destiny was in our own hands. But later today, as Spurs travel to Villa Park, the Hammers very much require a favour from Aston Villa following our 3-0 defeat to Brentford yesterday.
West Ham Now Need Results Elsewhere
In the main, I was well away from the reaction to yesterday’s sickening result, but I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that many were predicting the relegation fight was now over with title-chasing Arsenal up next.
Certainly, it’s hard to argue the balance hasn’t shifted in Spurs’ favour, but as Jimmy Greaves once said, football is a funny old game, anything can happen. If Roberto de Zerbie’s team can only muster a draw at 7pm tonight, West Ham still remain in charge of their own destiny.
Villa Park Becomes Must-Watch For Hammers
I don’t blame anybody for giving Aston Villa v Spurs a swerve tonight, but personally, I think I’ll be glued to the screen, my fingers crossed that Unai Emery’s team can perform better than they did against Nottingham Forest last Thursday night.
As for Nuno, he’ll be watching as he told reporters yesterday: “It’s going to be a big challenge for all of us with the impact of this tough day. We’ve got to look at other stadiums and see what’s going on.”
Villa making 7 changes has done us proper.
And yet it was in our hands but his stubborn refusal to Play Wilson from the start costs us plenty and he will never change
Until the stupid penalty from Diouf we were still in the game. We finished the first half strong and must have thought a goal was coming and been keen to get at them. That pen giving them 2-0 lead I think made the heads drop.
Let’s not overlook that Forest could lose thier next two games, whilst we may pick up points.
N17 might not win another match, we might already have enough points.
Nobody knows until all 38 games are completed.
If you’d offered me back in January, that with three remaining games to play, we’d be two points above the drop zone, I’d have accepted that scenario.
We were so far behind, so to even be in our current spot is highly commendable.
Onwards we go.
Up the Hammers!
COYI
It’s becoming more and more likely that the premiership top and bottom will be decided on goal difference, if so I’m afraid it’s championship football next season