Opinion from the stands

Can West Ham top their best ever finish in the Premier League?

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When a new manager comes in, there are usually equal levels of excited expectation and anxiety amongst fans and owners.

With Slaven Bilic’s arrival at West Ham, there was certainly a buzz around what the club could achieve, but there remained one overarching fear, and one key marker for success – don’t get relegated.

With the move to the Olympic Stadium next season, the club could not afford to drop out of the top flight, and an early away win at Arsenal immediately seemed to allay any major concerns.

Subsequent defeats to Leicester and Bournemouth however, tempered that belief, and left an element of doubt around the direction the team was heading.


But having hit the magic 40 point mark, the team now finds itself in a position to look up, rather than down.

The somewhat inconsistent results throughout the season mean European football is not as nearly assured as it could have been, but with just a point separating seventh from fifth, there remains everything to play for.

Bilic has already stated there will be no second half of the season drop off under his watch, but juggling the league with a commitment to the FA Cup means grabbing a top five finish may be a hard ask.

The injury situation is hampering selection options, but if the team is to kick on to catch Manchester United, it will need to do better than draw away at Norwich and lose to ten man Southampton.

Any consistent drop off in performances could quickly see West Ham slide down the table, just as quickly as they could climb it.

Realistically, with a fully fit squad, and on the early evidence of the manager’s tactical ability, the club has every chance of catching United, and matching its best ever Premier League finish.

But if the cup campaign continues after the weekend, there may be a decision to sacrifice league points, now safety is secured.

It would certainly be disappointing not to use the early season successes to kick on to at least fifth. But if the result is a cup final and premier league football next year, many fans would probably accept that.

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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.