Ahead of this afternoon's game against Aston Villa on the final day of the Barclays Premier League, Hammers fans will be in the unique position of NOT fearing the outcome. For the first time in this truncated and topsy turvy season, one group of viewers who wear claret and blue will be able to watch the match with absolutely no fear, whereas the other group will go through the Mill, and then some!
Results don't lie, and the reasons Villa, and up until Tuesday's draw at Manchester, West Ham, have been involved in such a relegation scrap lie far earlier in the season. Both clubs spent big and unwisely, newly promoted Aston Villa 'splurged' out over £150 Million on new players in an attempt to hit the ground running, instead they flailed and sank. Hammers did exactly the same, spent big and got little in return, both clubs have now 'reviewed' their player acquisition template with the emphasis on young hungry players, from these shores if possible.
Villa came up through the play offs, as did West Ham and both clubs have achieved plenty in the past but little ever since, it should be remembered that the Villains won the European Cup. They did so on 26 May 1982 in Rotterdam, beating Bayern Munich 1–0 thanks to a Peter Withe goal.
This afternoon's visitors to the London Stadium have picked up seven points in their last three games including their crucial victory over Arsenal, so they have the inertia and also know that if they win they stay up, anything less than a win will leave their fans properly in the 'squeeky' zone as they wait for the results of the Watford and Bournemouth games.
For once today's game will be an enjoyable experience for Hammers fans, win, lose or draw, but the truth of the matter is neither team should have been in the league's basement in the first place, especially West Ham! Next season things must improve, and any attempt at getting 'exotic' should be rebuffed immediately, steady progress is what is called for, and no more trying to be billy big bollocks with the big boys.
Until, or unless the club is sold to extremely wealthy owners, the best fans can hope for is mid table safety and a good cup run or two, bearing in mind this season's travails that seems quite an attractive proposition. By around 6PM we will know which club sees West Ham as heroes or villains- Ed
Comments
Felt good to watch the game
Felt good to watch the game knowing we weren't going anywhere although I was hoping for a better performance so we could send them down. I prefer Bournemouth to Villa. We were nowhere near our best though even Rice's passing was often overhit and we were sluggish in the final 3rd. Time to now get rid of the lazy bastards who really put us in this position in the first place