West Ham fans have spent the last few months nervously comparing the form of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and the Hammers as the relegation battle as played out this season.
It seems to every Hammers and Tottenham fan now that the reality of Leeds and ‘Forests recent battling wins means that relegation is now a two-horse race, between east and north London sides with five games to go.
Not true, according to the standard.co.uk. In an astounding article today, author Oli Gent suggests that the door is wide open for a new candidate to drop down and join the slugging match before the end of the season: Newcastle United. Their article, based on Sky’s pundits predictions, will make for grim reading unless you happen to be a West Ham fan:
“Forget West Ham, new Tottenham relegation rival revealed as run-in predicted”
Ashton the Sky Sports pundit believes Newcastle will be dragged into the relegation fight
..suggesting that Eddie Howe’s Magpies are in such a free fall that they are likely to be swept up into the relegation meleé before the season finale:
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“Now, however, Jamie Carragher and former Irons striker Dean Ashton believe there is another team that should be looking nervously over their shoulders as the season reaches its business end. That team is Newcastle United, who slumped to a fifth defeat in their last seven in all competitions after their 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth over the weekend.”
Surely not. The Magpies sit on 42 points: Nine more than West Ham and eleven more than the Spuds.
“On Monday Night Football, the pair issued their respective game-by-game predictions for the relegation candidates, from Forest to Spurs. The pair’s predictions showed that, on those results, Newcastle would be projected to finish 17th, one place above the dreaded dotted line. Both pundits predicted Spurs to finish 18th, which would see De Zerbi’s men drop into the Championship.”
Which somehow shows West Ham picking up eleven points from their last five games to finish above Newcastle’s current total of 42. It’d take pretty spectacular implosion from Newcastle to plummet, stone like, without a point in those last five games. Would that it came true!