BT Sport Saved The Best Till Last

The Broadcasters of West Ham United's final game of the Barclays Premier League project restart have finally been named as BT Sport, the announcement ends the confusion there had been regarding this crucial fixture, the significance of which may have slightly waned for Hammers fans, given their team's confirmation of survival following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Wednesday evening, but it is a game of massive importance for the visitors!

Bt were always going to broadcast this fixture, which will be on BT Sport 2, essentially because they are based in the Queen Elizabeth Park or whatever it is called now, their offices are actually connected to the London Stadium and access to their studio is gained via the tunnel that runs under the Stadium itself.

Many fans will be relieved at finally being able to watch a game that doesn't have a fear factor involved, they will also be joyous that the match commentator will not be Alan (I hate West Ham) Smith, his hatred of all West Ham and his whining about the club's players would be the perfect platform for him to 'gush' about Jack Grealish and Villa's other 'fine' players, unfortunately Watford or Bournemouth fans will have to endure his vitriol.

This Sunday's game will be of acute interest, obviously to the Villa fans desperate to see their team pull off a miraculous relegation 'great escape', but also to David Moyes, the Hammers hierarchy and to the fans who will be watching the 'new look' West Ham. The recruitment of young and hungry players has become David Moyes' mantra, one which the club's owners love to hear, finding talented lower league players has always been one on the Iron's manager's best traits, and he has made it clear how he intends to proceed.

There may well be one or two players under the microscope, players who don't fit the Moyes template who will find themselves for sale to the highest bidder, Anderson, Yarmolenko and even Seb Haller could find themselves with e new club as soon as the beginning of the transfer window, there is interest in all three players with Haller being the most likely as Monaco hover. You might ask your self how it is that tiny Monaco always seem to acquire superb players and then sell them on, usually for a large profit? The reason is very simple, because the principality is tax free for high earners, Monaco can lure players by offering salaries that are essentially double that can be earned anywhere else in Europe due to no tax or national insurance being deducted.

David Moyes already knows he will have to sell in order to buy, but the Covid-19 financial fall out will make teams think twice about large expenditures, the £45 Million laid out, most of it in one massive hit, for Sebastian Haller now looks eye wateringly high, the club may have to retain him in order to wait until the market becomes more favourable to sell, unfortunately he has hardly set the world on fire since his arrival from Eintrecht Frankfurt and looks like a player worth only half the amount paid.

Sunday should have been a celebration in front of a packed crowd, all of them wearing claret and blue for one reason or another, hopefully the lads will put in one final performance on a par to the recent run of superb results, and ironically if Bournemouth win and Watford don't get three points Hammers would be in the unique position of having 'relegated' all three teams that go down, starting with the demolition of Norwich, followed by the game that essentially sank Watford. Victory over the Villains would more than likely send them down, who would have thought that both Aston Villa and West Ham would have been in a relegation dog fight, given the vast amount of money both clubs spent in the transfer market. - Ed