Blind Hammer looks at contingencies for relegation.
At the time of writing we have slumped to our 5th successive defeat against Arsenal. Our ineffectual defence is conceding regularly 2-3 goals a game against even struggling sides and we have some ominous fixtures approaching the end of the season. Currently we will not be expected to take any points in our home games against Tottenham and Liverpool and even Everton will be favourites to take all 3 points at the London Stadium. Our last fixture will be against Burnley who over the season having provided tough opposition for everybody in the league at home. Swansea this weekend and Sunderland away provide our best hope for salvation.
Relegation is not by any means a certainty but it is now most definitely a possibility and we will have to cope with that if this is what transpires out of this calamitous season.
The stark fact of relegation is an emotional horror which we have had to cope with before. We can turn away from it and use terms like unthinkable, disastrous and catastrophic but some planning and assessments will have to be made. It may feel like the end of the world, but it will not actually be the end of the world and positively planning to bounce back will be the order of the day.
Certainly the squad would need drastic surgery. The problem is that some of our high wage earners, specifically Carroll, Ayew, and Fonte will struggle to attract transfer interest from other clubs given the massive wages that they currently draw. Newcastle appeared to have successfully gambled by retaining most of their Premiership Squad and it may be that certainly in relation to Carroll there may be mileage in West Ham adopting a similar strategy. In relation to Ayew and Fonte the best approach may be seeking loans elsewhere to reduce the wage bill.
All efforts should be made to retain Lanzini; it is unlikely though that he will agree to perform in the Championship, especially as he has already indicated an interest in returning to Argentina. He is another who may reluctantly have to be let out on loan.
Above all the jewel in the Crown is Antonio, who is not only our most potent force but also has recent Championship experience which may be vital. A Payet like agreement to ask for one more season, with a release in January if there is no prospect of promotion may have to be agreed.
Players like Cresswell, Noble and Read, all of whom have Championship experience will need to continue leadership roles at the club. Possibly a rethink on extending Collins presence would also be justified.
If there is to be any silver lining in the spectre of relegation it is in remembering how the experience of playing at Championship level actually helped develop players like Reid, Noble and of course Tomkins. Oh how we could do with Tomkins now! We should remember that prior to relegation last time Read was not the stalwart of our defence that he was to become and was very shaky in our relegation season.
There will be similar opportunities for player development in the Championship. Players like Byram, Fletcher, Oxford Burke, and possibly others like Samuelson may all have the opportunity to develop games which can see West Ham return to the Premiership as a younger and stronger squad.
The other silver lining may actually be the London Stadium. When all is said and done the Stadium is only costing West Ham £2.5 million a year, possibly reducing in the event of relegation. This will cushion West Ham from some of the massive financial hit which will arise from relegation.
The final question is whether we could trust Bilic to bring us back. Gold and Sullivan famously backed Steve Bruce after Birmingham were relegated. He rewarded their faith by leading an immediate return to the Premiership. Should they have similar faith with Bilic?
Sadly my instincts are that Bilic has got too many crucial judgements wrong. He has made several wrong judgement calls in crucial matches. We desperately needed to stop conceding goals but he bafflingly picked a team packed with attacking players against Hull. His transfer judgements have been pretty poor. There is little doubt that the recruitment of both Ayew and Fonte, for example, were not just sanctioned but urged by Bilic. They do not look like players worth a combined £28 million. Above all for over a year now West Ham has conceded over 2 goals a game. It is not sustainable to develop a successful team based on scoring at least 3 goals to win a game, even in the Championship. I think Bilic knows his future at West Ham will be decided in the next 4 or 5 weeks and this is probably how it should be.
COYI
David Griffith