Leeds did Hammers a favour yesterday by beating 'Tottingham' 3-1, unfortunately neither Manchester City nor Southampton could oblige in the other results which saw Chelsea move further away and Liverpool move ominously closer. Realistically if David Moyes's boys are going to have any hope of making one of the Champions League slots, they have to (a) win all of the four remaining games, and (b) hope that Leicester continue to self destruct just as they did at the end of last season.
The problem is the fixtures aren't too kind for the Irons, especially the rapidity of the schedule, although to be fair it is the same for all the other clubs in the Barclays Premier League. Everton's visit to the London Stadium is the first of the remaining 'cup finals', their away form has been far more impressive than their home form, which has seen them drop off the pace, but a win for them would put them back in the hunt.
David Moyes doesn't have a particularly good record against his former club, in fact before joining West Ham for the first time it was Played 4, Lost 4. Scored 0, Conceded 8. Ok those statistics include his miserable time at Sunderland as well as his highly publicised unsuccessful stint as Manchester United manager.
Injuries have severely affected Hammers run in, but Moyes will have Angelo Ogbonna back to shore up the defence in tandem with Les Dawson, and he will also have Declan Rice available, although the game might have come a bit too early for the England defender, with the Brighton game being far more likely for him to make his return from injury he picked up while on International duty.
They say if it ain't broke don't fix it, and there is a feeling that the team who blew away Burnley should be retained, with the exception of replacing Issa Diop with the Og. If you found the recent games stressful, then be prepared for another blood pressure/heart rate overload, viewers are advised to turn off their Apple fit bit monitors for fear of them going into meltdown.
By the end of the afternoon, Hammers fans could be dreaming of Europe, or lamenting how close the club came to the 'promised land'. Dream on....Ed
Comments
what will be will be
The fixtures coming thick and fast do not worry me though as the prize in sight will get the players psyched up enough to ignore any tiredness and push on....the pressure is on the spuds who as usual lorded themselves as winners and once again come up short shame eh! and the bin dippers probably one of the worst defenders of the title in many a year....so pressure naaa take each game as it comes and todays should be a good one as both teams need to win..COYI