West Ham United 25/26 relegation thread

[muskie]

Odds slashed from 5/1 to 7/2.

Watch this space.

I think we're fucked.

[stubbo-admin]

In my opinion, if we get relegated what saves us at that point is our Academy setup. 

The highest profile players in that team as well as the team.collectively when playing in the Cup have shown themselves able to compete below Premier League level.

Casey, Potts, Earthy, Scarles...all clearly capable of playing good level Championship football.

Orford, Kante, Fearon, Herrick, Marshall, Myers...hugely well thought of and you'd expect to adjust seamlessly.

Then there are others....Cummings, Ajala, Golambeckis....that you would expect to come through and would be getting loans next season at that level .

Plus even if we wanted to we won't be able to shift every senior squad members so augment them with a few like KWP, JWP, maybe Guilherme, maybe someone on smaller wages like a Magassa...

...and we have a squad already that won't see us plummet to league one, and that is pretty much ready to go.

IMO we'd compete at the top end of the Championship...the challenge is staying up if you get up...Sunderland look like making a good fist of it but almost none of their squad played Championship football last season. It's a vastly inferior league and a team that smashes the Championship is rarely well enough equipped to survive the Premier League.

So you Yo-Yo a couple seasons....and it's the second relegation that I'd be fearful for.

To be fair, in the Premier Laegue era, we've hardly been a yo yo club when promoted. We've survived 8, 5 and 13 seasons before relegation the following seasons (we are going down this season).

I agree. But if you look at recent history, there's an increasing prevalence of the teams that come up going straight back down unless they do heavy and smart recruitment in the season they come up. 

The teams that go with the core of who they were promoted with go straight back down. 

IMO the landscape has changed and the disparity between the two leagues has grown since the last time we were in the league below.

[Westside]

In my opinion, if we get relegated what saves us at that point is our Academy setup. 

The highest profile players in that team as well as the team.collectively when playing in the Cup have shown themselves able to compete below Premier League level.

Casey, Potts, Earthy, Scarles...all clearly capable of playing good level Championship football.

Orford, Kante, Fearon, Herrick, Marshall, Myers...hugely well thought of and you'd expect to adjust seamlessly.

Then there are others....Cummings, Ajala, Golambeckis....that you would expect to come through and would be getting loans next season at that level .

Plus even if we wanted to we won't be able to shift every senior squad members so augment them with a few like KWP, JWP, maybe Guilherme, maybe someone on smaller wages like a Magassa...

...and we have a squad already that won't see us plummet to league one, and that is pretty much ready to go.

IMO we'd compete at the top end of the Championship...the challenge is staying up if you get up...Sunderland look like making a good fist of it but almost none of their squad played Championship football last season. It's a vastly inferior league and a team that smashes the Championship is rarely well enough equipped to survive the Premier League.

So you Yo-Yo a couple seasons....and it's the second relegation that I'd be fearful for.

To be fair, in the Premier Laegue era, we've hardly been a yo yo club when promoted. We've survived 8, 5 and 13 seasons before relegation the following seasons (we are going down this season).

[stubbo-admin]

In my opinion, if we get relegated what saves us at that point is our Academy setup. 

The highest profile players in that team as well as the team.collectively when playing in the Cup have shown themselves able to compete below Premier League level.

Casey, Potts, Earthy, Scarles...all clearly capable of playing good level Championship football.

Orford, Kante, Fearon, Herrick, Marshall, Myers...hugely well thought of and you'd expect to adjust seamlessly.

Then there are others....Cummings, Ajala, Golambeckis....that you would expect to come through and would be getting loans next season at that level .

Plus even if we wanted to we won't be able to shift every senior squad members so augment them with a few like KWP, JWP, maybe Guilherme, maybe someone on smaller wages like a Magassa...

...and we have a squad already that won't see us plummet to league one, and that is pretty much ready to go.

IMO we'd compete at the top end of the Championship...the challenge is staying up if you get up...Sunderland look like making a good fist of it but almost none of their squad played Championship football last season. It's a vastly inferior league and a team that smashes the Championship is rarely well enough equipped to survive the Premier League.

So you Yo-Yo a couple seasons....and it's the second relegation that I'd be fearful for.

[Prometheus59]

As said before    Sacking Potter wasn’t the answer to the question of a dysfunctional squad and a Board with little ambition beyond mid table 

[nychammer]

Sullivan and the powers that be at the club deserve everything that is happening. They’ve run it like arkwrights corner shop, signing misfit players and managers as self appointed directors of football and what success they have stumbled upon they’ve pissed up the wall on even more bad decisions that have just compounded.

The fans deserve none of it and Supporting this club has been miserable.We so badly need rid of this poison and soon, but he ain’t going to sell up as a championship club with a lower valuation and take the loss. No, that megalomaniac thinks were worth twice what anyone would realistically pay, looking at our assets on paper. Hell want us back in the PL first but I just don’t see us bouncing straight back so we may be stuck with him. That is why staying up this season is so important as there is always a chance he sells as a PL chairman. 

[Texas Iron]

How many millions had they wasted on transfers…

Buy high…Offload Low..

Hundreds of Millions wasted…

Over 50 strikers is just one example…

them many defenders and midfielders too…

Incompetent Chairman playing at Football Genius…

[southbankbornnbred]

And the stadium remains a MASSIVE millstone around our necks.

The worst football ground in England. By a mile.

[southbankbornnbred]

Dare I suggest that’s what’s needed is a Pardew-style rebuild after we go down. We need to base the club around a group of young, ambitious British players who “get” the culture of the place - even if they grew up elsewhere.

All well and good having talented international players, of course. I’m certainly not saying we shouldn’t sign any! But too many of this crop just want the money. They’d just as easily play for Sunderland, Fulham or Leeds as us. The concept and reality of “West Ham” literally means nothing to them.

Train a few times a week, play badly on Saturdays, take the cheque and live the footballer’s life.

[southbankbornnbred]

Too much to say.

Relegation is never the end of us. We’ve experienced it before - several times - and come back stronger. The  question this time is how do you achieve that with near-Octogenarian megalomaniac fuckwit Sullivan in charge on his own?

This squad is one of the worst, most disjointed, over-rated and couldn’t-care-less group of mercenaries we’ve ever had. Too many of them are here purely for the money. We’ve gradually allowed ourselves to sign poor quality hired guns, rather than people who are - or want to be - part of the fabric of this club. They won’t even blink on their way out of the door after relegation, they’ll just move on to the next set of mugs stupid enough to pay them silly money for their limited talent.

Too many of this lot are Championship quality players milking Premier League money out of a clueless ownership.

With a few notable exceptions, nobody really cares. That’s one of many issues.

Bad mistake though it was, it was actually not discouraging to see Ollie Scarles crying after the game, because at least one member of that squad actually gives a shit.



 

[Trilby55]

I was in the pub yesterday with the Sky channel on that covers the results . They showed Bowen trudging off at half time . I honestly thought we would get a positive result out of this . When I saw his demeanour I changed my mind .He looked a defeated man void of ideas and confidence .

[wils]

There is also a possibility of dropping further into league 1. Its not beyond reality that it could happen. Its happened to clubs just as big as us before like Leeds, Sheff W, Forest, even Man C

That's what I was referring to with "Or continue into oblivion"

 

[cup of tea]

Bar some unexpected dramatic turn of events, we are down.

So question is what happens to us then. Bounce back up? Extended run in the championship? Or continue into oblivion with club sinking into bankruptcy?

If Sullivan stays, I suspect it latter is most likely. If he moves on and we move out that stadium then an extended run in the championship is possible. Can't see a scenario where we bounce back up.

There is also a possibility of dropping further into league 1. Its not beyond reality that it could happen. Its happened to clubs just as big as us before like Leeds, Sheff W, Forest, even Man C

[wils]

Bar some unexpected dramatic turn of events, we are down.

So question is what happens to us then. Bounce back up? Extended run in the championship? Or continue into oblivion with club sinking into bankruptcy?

If Sullivan stays, I suspect it latter is most likely. If he moves on and we move out that stadium then an extended run in the championship is possible. Can't see a scenario where we bounce back up.

[Texas Iron]

I hear a Fat Lady singing rather loudly

Oh for someone from the middle east to save us but that wont happen as Sullivan will overprice the shares in a desperate attempt to keep his profit in West Ham intact. We are stuck with Family Sullivan forever it seems 

Sullivan has about 38% ownership…

Jointly the others could vote him out…Kretinsky and Gold family…

[Texas Iron]

Moyes…

Lopetegui…

Potter…

Nuno Espírito Santo…

All within a few months…

Surely a Record of Managerial incompetence…

Sullivan and Brady have ruined this club…

R. I. P.

[Sir Alf]

I hear a Fat Lady singing rather loudly

Oh for someone from the middle east to save us but that wont happen as Sullivan will overprice the shares in a desperate attempt to keep his profit in West Ham intact. We are stuck with Family Sullivan forever it seems 

[cup of tea]

Au Revoir

(Lincoln City enters chat)

[muskie]

Goodnight.

[twoleftfeet]

Gone.

[Sir Alf]

It certainly feels that way Dreaming.  Fragile, brittle sums us up.  But also only having about 7 or 8 players who consistently meet the levels required in the PL and ultimately a very poor squad that had a lot of money wasted on it. Its not improved materially despite the money spent so for me the overriding issue has been disasterous recruitment. Not enough younger, faster, more athletic and physical players has been our downfall. Magassa, Fernandes, Diouf and to a lesser extent Summerville were the profile of player we shoukd have been recruiting 5 years ago.  4 managers have failed to revive our fortunes since 2022 ( conference win masked the league form for a bit ). A fifth wont imo and we just have to hope Sullivan at least listens to Max Hahn or even sees himself that investing in youth and using analysis of player stats has to be continued ( assuming that was the driver for recruiting the aforementioned younger players) . It has a much better chance of reviving our fortunes albeit longer term.   

Championship football will be ok except it means goimg to games more as most games wont be televised. 

The best thing to happen is Sullivan selling up if, as looks likely currently, we get relegated or failing that he steps down from day to day involvement but I suspect he will increase his “dead mans grip” on the club as he just wont be able to accept the huge loss in the value of his asset / shares.  The fan unrest and protests will continue as they should and we will likely spend a longer time than most expect out of the top flight. 

[Keep dreaming]

We will win tomorrow and begin our climb up the league.  

Even with a win we won't climb anywhere.

I'm afraid we will lose this one too. Fragile players, shaky defence, naive Paqueta, no striker and poor management. Festive season indeed!

[Texas Iron]

Lose to Fulham…

W’ere DONE…

 

[mariano]

Hard to argue with any of this. Same mistakes, same chaos, different season. Unless something drastic changes fast, this feels less like panic and more like realism. xalaflix eu   facebim com  miwav  miwav miwav.com miwav.com

[Beef&Tomato]

We will win tomorrow and begin our climb up the league.  

[F 129 Row66]

Personally I believe us to be fucked. I am still optimistc for each game, and think maybe a change in our fortunes may see us through. Not really that optimistic for some kind of improvement but you never know.