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What happens to West Ham if they’re relegated?

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Winston ReidIf the hapless Hammers’ bubble bottoms out and bursts at the end of the season, what happens?

Well, the usual – We will blow more bubbles. Even in times of struggle, West Ham has always been a club which prides itself on growth, resilience and bloody-mindedness.

A few seasons ago, many fans could not imagine life after Scott Parker. We had just been relegated under the bumbling Avram Grant, and the departure of the man who had provided the midfield steel and inspiration to the rest of the squad seemed like the last straw.

And yet, with Sam Allardyce and his swathe of new recruits, West Ham United rebuilt itself into a solid defensive unit and won promotion via the play-offs at first time of asking.

The team went on to secure a top ten finish, and we as fans were still there to celebrate it. In reality, very few of us bailed on the team through the low points, and we won’t do it this time.

With many of us looking nervously at our league position and the number of fixtures remaining, now might be a good time to consider the development of the club no matter which division we happen to be playing in next season, because we all know we’ll be supporting the club anyway…

1) Continued development of Winston Reid. It’s no coincidence that our run of clean sheets ceased when the Kiwi international was injured. Reid has continued to improve and when on the pitch, organises the back four into a tight defensive unit. A player we need to keep regardless of the outcome of this season.

2) Mark Noble as a future Captain? He might have only got the armband in the enforced absences of Allardyce’s right-hand man, Kevin Nolan, but the Canning Town-born midfielder certainly looked well in it. Hopes for Noble to finish up one day as a one-club man are widespread and well-founded.

3) Promising youngsters. In spite of a horror result in the FA Cup, there some solid prospects in the ranks: Elliot Lee continues to score goals for fun in the reserves, Leo Chambers and Jordan Spence have continued to gain experience with first-team minutes or out on loan and look capable of making the first team in years to come.

4) Our move to the Olympic stadium. Despite the dismal turnout for the most redundant game of the English football season, we have the fan base to get our new home bouncing. With the deal to move to the Stratford stadium complete, there is little doubt it will develop the club moving forward.

5) We’ve got at least one more season of Adidas making our kits. Sure, the team performances may not make us proud to wear the colours in the street, but the kits do look blooming sharp!

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A lifelong West Ham supporter, Kevin is a journalist and editor from Essex now based in Sydney. Defying the time difference, he watches every game, and keeps a close eye on everything happening with The Hammers.

8 comments

  • Danielson says:

    The three youngsters mentioned above are the future of west ham along with reid and morrison. Be nice to see them get some more 1st team experience.

  • ClaretandBlueArmy says:

    A few seasons ago we just made the play-off places to gain promotion from the championship but we had a premier league squad and at times made hard work of it (to be fair every team raised their game against the Hammers – we were after all the biggest draw in the league). If, and it is a big if, we go down, we will still need to keep hold of some of our experienced players to blend with the youngsters mentioned if we are to repeat the feat of coming back up at the first time of asking (forgotten about Forest already ?), that is a tough division to get out of, just as hard as staying in the Premiership. Fingers crossed aside from the two new ones, our injury problems are starting to clear up – just in time for the run in – we need to be safe before the last two games against Spurs and Man City !!

  • Danielson says:

    Again I agree with above. I think its fair to sum up west hsm as a good championship side but not quite prem quality. Vaz Te was amazing for us in the lower division. Scott parker has not particularly stunned since becoming a prem player. Lets hope it doesnt come to that, we def need some serious signings if we do survive.

  • gazza says:

    again if we all stand together as a solid unit on the pitch and roll our sleeves up im sure we wont go down, add to that them two loan signings and just maybe we can live to see another season in the premier league, once safe get rid of old wood and build team worthy of the new stadium. hammer 4ever

  • m ramsey says:

    Scott parker I wouldn’t have him back lets move on not back ,don’t want spurs scum rejects in the side and all this bollocks about hoddle, fuck off!

  • wolfie says:

    Reid,Morrison if we can keep him,Lee ,Spence,Chambers,Tomkins are the clubs future,along with Noble and a couple of older players we can re-group and grow again.It’s what we do
    WE ARE WEST HAM.

  • JB says:

    West Ham relies far too much on Jussi Jaaskelainan & Adrian to keeps out the goals. They and the team could keep out far more but get exposed far too much from a lack of defense cover and Jussi & Adrian have to make far too many saves than what they should be expected to. The defenders have to lock in with Winston Reid, now that Winston is about to return, and make the back air tight. Kevin Nolan, Ravel Morrison & England international Joe Cole have to push up the support for the strike force of England internationals Andy Carroll & Carlton Cole, with Maiga & Ricardo Vaz Te as back up. They have a complete team of 11 midfielders, with just 5 being selected to play enough. Sam using just the one striker is how he seemed to want West Ham to play, but I hope he uses 2 strikers per game from now on. With no honors or European qualification gained and with the team hovering in relegation territory, there’s nothing to play for except avoiding relegation, which with the team they have, they should be OK, but I don’t know who would stick around for next season or who could tempted to sign for them? Andy’s contract is a 6 year deal at £100,000 per week. Now that he is fit, maybe they should sell him at the end of the season, only so that they can pay off their debts and keep the Boleyn ground stadium, which they could move back into if they don’t have a successful team while being tenants of the Olympic stadium. They do not have to sign a 99 year lease to move in there, nor do they have to sell the Boleyn ground. Nobody has to do anything in life. West Ham needs to negotiate on their terms. They do not have to negotiate on the terms of others. A 5 year lease for the Olympic Stadium is enough. If just a 5 year lease was acquired, West Ham could then lease the Boleyn ground to Leyton Orient for 5 years and if things don’t work out in Stratford, West Ham could then move back into the stadium that they own. No, the whole stadium thing is looking like a disaster. Put the whole stadium deal on hold for the time being!

    • JB says:

      After 23 games of the 2010/11 season West Ham had 20 pts. After game 24 they had 21 pts. After 25 games they had 24 pts. After 27 games they had 25 pts. After game 29 they had 31 pts. After game 30 they had 32 pts.
      What got West Ham relegated in 2010-11, was that after game 30 they lost the next 5 games. They drew game 36, giving them 33 pts, but lost the last 2 games, meaning they lost 7 & drew just 1 of their last 8 games of the season being 1 pt from 24. In other words they totally folded and lost their nerve at the end of the fight!
      Game 23 at Chelsea is next, so if we go into game 24 on 18 pts & bottom of the table, this, unless we get (a) point(s) at Chelsea, is the fight that West Ham has on their hands. Are we all going to forgive & forget our past failings of this season, along with whoever is to blame? & STAND 100% UNITED BEHIND OUR TEAM & CHEER THEM ON FOR THE FULL 90 MINUTES OF EACH & EVERY GAME THAT REMAIN OF THIS SEASON. THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS. IS EVERYONE UP TO IT? NO MORE BOOING OK??

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