Forum | General Discussion

The busy bees have certainly been an underestimated force in the Premier League this season, with the majority of Football fans at the beginning of the season suggesting they’d be one of the three to go down, yet Keith Andrews’ side have proved everyone wrong numerous times over.

The Hammers have faced Brentford twice so far this season, both times in the London Stadium, one being the glamorous FA Cup victory on penalties, whereas the other was a dismal, gloomy 2-0 defeat where the Hammers didn’t even pose a shot on goal.

In the reverse fixture, history suggests West Ham haven’t had that good a record at the Gtech, with only one win there in recent times, but that was in the FA Cup, certainly not in the Top Division of English football.

Whilst the Hammers haven’t won there since 1958, Brentford also have been having a torrid time at home, not winning in their backyard since the 7th January against Sunderland in a 3-0 victory.

Both sides certainly have a record they’d like to break, albeit West Ham’s being just a smidge longer than Brentford’s…

Against Brentford, Nuno has some crucial decisions to make, the whirlwind being caused by Wilson, who seemingly could be the favourite to take over Pablo’s position, but our Head Coach is known to not change a winning team. After the Everton game, NES spoke out briefly about how set pieces can change a game, and Brentford were a side to worry about, perhaps an indication towards a more defensive approach, which could easily be achieved by introducing Jean-Clair Todibo.

Todibo & Wilson will likely be the only outsiders to possibly start against Brentford, but then again, they could always be introduced as substitutions, which Nuno seems to have gotten a hold of.

When the Hammers played Brentford back in October, Nuno had tested out playing a left back on the right side, with the right back on the left side and also hadn’t a clue regarding substitutions - it is fair to say that crease has been ironed out, seeing as his judgement appears to be correct more often than not.

In terms of timing, West Ham will face their opponents for the next 3 fixtures ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, the other relegation candidate. This could be seen as an advantage given that if good results were to come our way, it could place a frightful gap between both sides temporarily, but the same could be said vice versa….certainly will be a handful of stressful watches.

Fixture timing, squad situation and the past all are crucial discussion points against Brentford, and it begs the question what will Nuno do come Saturday at 15:00. Both sides have plenty at stake with Brentford fighting for Europe and ourselves fighting for safety.

A tough 90 minutes await, which will be officiated by Craig Pawson on the pitch, where in Stockley Park, he will be assisted by Tony Harrington and Eddie Smart.

Numerous candyfloss rumours have been running around West Ham the past few days, since the crucial win against Everton, regarding the ownership of the club.

Some have been quick to suggest that David Sullivan is out the door entirely, whereas others believe he may INCREASE his stake in the club as Daniel Kretinsky attempts to gain further power.

Since Karen Brady stepped down after 16 years with the Hammers last week, it has ultimately set the fuse alight, and the long burn has begun as the season starts to close. It emerged that Kretinsky seemingly was fed up with having no power within the club and decided that he wanted a change - this sparked him wanting more percentage, and if he were to have a majority stake, he would’ve been able to hold the power over David Sullivan, allowing him to make decisions on his own accord.

David Sullivan might’ve felt threatened from his high horse and entered an agreement with Kretinsky that he doesn’t hold a majority stake, but that they both share an equal percentage, with the Czech billionaire holding the power over employees and other club higher-ups on a gentleman’s agreement rather than paper.

If an equal percentage between the two parties would occur, it would be through the purchase of the late David Gold’s shares.

However, an opposing opportunity that has proposed itself is a new owner… Amanda Staveley.

Rumours are speculating that IF Sullivan’s downfall is imminent, Amanda Staveley’s consortium could look to swoop shares and perhaps buy him out entirely - though that is speculated at this moment in time.

Amanda has had her share of success and has operated at the top levels of football. She played a major role in the Manchester City and Newcastle United takeovers and only brought success to where she’s been, and since selling her stake in Newcastle United, she has been on the hunt for another Premier League club.

At one point, Amanda Staveley was poised to be interested in Tottenham Hotspur, but the idea didn’t prosper into anything more than a rumour and since her interest has cooled, as a deal would be seen as difficult to complete in comparison to West Ham, where a stake could be there for the taking.

All ownership rumours will be up in the air, seeing as what League the Hammers will be in next season plays a significant part, but overall, it would be ludicrous to suggest that something isn’t ongoing behind the scenes.

Whilst the rumour roundup could be a pool of calm water, the sea tends to appear safe before the Tsunami hits.

We don’t make it easy for ourselves… it couldn’t have possibly been a tense 1-0 win, it had to go through a grain of pain before the eventual last-minute heroic goal scored by Wilson, giving us a crucial three points, given Spurs’ victory against Wolves - their first in 2026.

An intense first half kicked us off, both sides battling tooth and nail with a combined 13 shots coming into the break, but none being on target - both teams struggled to sting the gloves of the other side.

David Moyes’ return to the London Stadium saw a classic performance, one where he tried to play us out of our own game by sitting back and countering, which certainly did work in moments, but overall it wasn’t enough to deny us the three points.

Tomas Soucek’s salmon-like header fired us into the lead. Jarrod added two more assists to his tally this season, the first being through the corner placed on Soucek’s head, the second being Wilson’s winner.

In classic West Ham fashion, it wouldn’t be done easily. We attempted the 1-0 up and defend strategy, which, not only doesn’t always tend to work, but it also comes with a warning of ‘immense heart-strain’ - I was contacting the nearby stewards to find where the nearest defib was!

Peak heartache occurred when Mateus Fernandes seemingly handled the ball inside our own penalty area, ultimately leaving fans furious initially, but that emotion changed in a heartbeat, turning into being puzzled at how on earth a penalty hadn’t been given.

Nuno’s side has had far too many moments of luck go the other way; it’s about time something swings the way of the Hammers, but that doesn’t take away from the tomfoolery that occurred. Had that been against West Ham, the fans would be furious.

Though a penalty wasn’t given, sadness-filled eyes as Everton thumped in the inevitable equaliser, but in fairness to Nuno’s side, the players didn’t sulk; they got their heads down and fought. Jarrod’s heroic pass was thought to have been passed by everyone, but Callum Wilson, the freebie, summoned into the middle and tapped it in, sending the fans into heroics as well as Axel Disasi seemingly launching a ball-boy’s chair to the promised land.

The spins in the air from the plastic chair, as well as Soucek, brought the Hammers a crucial three points, one of which keeps Nuno’s side afloat.

Whilst some Hammers fans might be frustrated with Spurs’ result, it’s important to note that doing our job is all that is required from us - the gap could’ve been more, but all fans initially hoped for was a victory against Everton, which is exactly what we got.

Wilson’s touch of magic gets West Ham over the line. The next challenge is Brentford at the Gtech.

West Ham United started the gameweek two points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and has maintained the gap with this set of games.

Spurs’ difficulty defending in the closing stages, something that the Hammers have been victims of far too many times this season as well, fortunately saved West Ham, and we retained being in a position of safety before the Palace match had started.

A draw would be the final result, but three points could’ve gone towards either side - the point accumulated now begs the question, what is required to stay up?

West Ham’s remaining fixtures: Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle (A), Leeds (H).

Spurs’ remaining fixtures: Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H).

Both sides are set to face Everton and Leeds within the last five, and the other three are where the two sides differ.

Spurs have gotten a world of confidence over the new hiring of De Zerbi, whilst the Hammers retain their confidence after having a much brighter second half of the season compared to the first.

Whilst both teams are striving with confidence that hasn’t been translating to wins, and with just a mere five games remaining, the picture is being painted, and it’s emerging that every game is a ‘must-win’ even though that would be disproportionate to suggest, given the track record of both sides.

Whilst it could be close, given the fixtures, West Ham now likely need two wins and a draw, or just three wins in the remaining fixtures, to be confident in staying up.

There very well is the chance that it, rather than unfortunately, comes down to the final day, where undoubtedly each Hammer’s heart will age immensely.

Spurs have had luck on their side with the timing of certain fixtures. Leeds United will likely be safe by the time they play Spurs, potentially playing a rotated side for the FA Cup if they get to the final. The Aston Villa fixtures have fallen in between their two-legged European tie against Nottingham Forest, likely leading them to rotate as well as Wolves, who have already been confirmed to be relegated, after Nuno’s side achieved a point on Monday night… not the best timing!

The general feeling is that it’s do or die against Everton. A victory against Moyes’ side would be a massive boost, even if Spurs were to beat Wolves. The stakes are high against the Toffees, and Nuno’s side knows exactly what is required of them.

It’s time to hold on to our fortune and ride it into the sunshine.