You can just imagine the thoughts of the TV people who select the games to be shown on domestic television sitting down to decide what to show this weekend. They would obviously be looking towards the top of the Premier League as there is not too much excitement when assessing the relegation struggle at the foot of the table. The points deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest threw those clubs into the mix, but surely it’s hard to see beyond last year’s promoted sides from the Championship making a swift return (although Forest are still involved), unless there are any other surprise points deductions. Manchester City perhaps??
So let’s look at the top 3. Manchester City at Brighton on Thursday night meant that their game at Forest was one destined for Sunday as was the North London derby. That meant the three games to be selected for Saturday TV had to include Liverpool (who were well placed to win the title when the schedules were drawn up) visiting the London Stadium to face West Ham who, at the time (in theory) were well placed to be pushing for a European place themselves via their league position.
But what has happened? Liverpool, favourites in the Europa League lost their invincibility at Anfield collapsing to Atalanta, effectively putting them out of the competition, and then followed this on the Sunday with a defeat at home to Crystal Palace. This week’s loss in the Merseyside derby has put them out of the title race. Palace, Brentford and Everton (14th, 15th, 16th) have all collected more points in their last five games than Liverpool, that’s how poor they have been in recent games.
Unless Arsenal and Manchester City both have a nightmare of a time in their remaining games (which is unlikely to happen) then Liverpool’s chances of the title are over. They are both saying to Liverpool catch us if you can. It won’t happen. Following City’s comprehensive demolition of Brighton on Thursday evening they are now in pole position to claim the title for a fourth successive season. They always seem to come on strongly at the end of the season. That’s what a big squad can help with. David Moyes prefers small squads and would probably prefer an even smaller one than he has got.
West Ham, who reached the halfway point in the league in sixth place with a win at Arsenal at the end of December, are incredibly still in contention to finish seventh; we are eighth just two points behind Newcastle. When I say in contention I mean mathematically of course; in reality it would need a miracle with the closing pack with games in hand and our remaining fixtures and form.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Luton and Manchester City are the opponents in the final four games. Liverpool are having a disastrous end to the season seemingly unable to give Klopp the farewell he wanted, Chelsea were thrashed 5-0 by Arsenal this week, and Luton have won just one of their last thirteen league games. That still doesn’t give me any confidence for our run-in. In 2024 we have won just four times in twenty-one attempts. Three wins in fifteen league games (Brentford, Everton and Wolves), with the other win against Freiburg at home in the Europa League.
No doubt on TV they will be building Saturday’s game up as two teams with a lot to play for (as they always do) when in reality they haven’t. It’s now just a two horse race to be Premier League champions, so Liverpool have nothing really other than a vain hope that Arsenal and Manchester City will both falter. One might perhaps but two of them? And what have we got to play for? Each incremental position in the final league table is worth £2.2 million so that’s about all really.
As the players were leaving the pitch last weekend in South London after yet another poor performance the Palace anthem Glad All Over by the Dave Clark Five rang out. I bought the single to help it to the number one spot in the UK charts where it took over from the Beatles I Wanna Hold Your Hand in January 1964, more than 60 years ago now. Any lingering thoughts of a return to Europe next season are all over and surely it’s all over for our manager too. Everybody knows it’s just bits and pieces of the season left for us now.
There have just been too many embarrassing games in 2023/24. The 4-1 defeat at Villa was poor, but the 5-0 loss at Fulham topped that (7-0 aggregate in two games against Fulham!). What about the tame surrender to Liverpool in the League Cup? Or exit from the FA Cup to mediocre Championship side Bristol City? Eleven goals conceded without reply in a three game spell in February to Manchester United, Arsenal (6-0 on our ground!), and Forest! The 5-2 thrashing at Palace to follow the home defeat to Fulham. For a manager who likes to believe he creates teams that are hard to play against the 63 goals conceded is only ‘bettered’ by the three teams in the relegation places.
I find it amusing to read the various names being suggested on social media as to the manager who will be taking over from David Moyes in the summer. The delay in confirming his departure (or otherwise) is not helpful. No decision is apparently going to be made until after the final game of the season at Manchester City. Surely it would be beneficial for the situation to be made clear before then? Compare this with Liverpool who knew Klopp was going some time ago – I reckon they are well on their way to announcing who will be taking over the vacant slot – it’s sure to be announced before we get our act together. If we win our final games will Moyes be offered a new contract? Are they really waiting for that? Surely not! But I guess nothing should surprise us with the hierarchy at West Ham.
So far there have been more names put forward than there usually are for players we are interested in. Whoever it turns out to be has a massive rebuilding job taking over with so many out of contract this summer, an ageing squad (almost the oldest in the Premier League) especially in defence where there is a lack of mobility to cope with pacy attackers.
What chance a West Ham win in this weekend’s game? It will be our ninth league game at the London Stadium in 2024. How many of the previous eight have we won? Just one – against Brentford. So current home form does not bode well. Let’s look back at previous games against Liverpool. Going right back to 1901 we have faced them 149 times and won just 29. Restricting the record to the 21st century we have won 7 out of 45 encounters and claimed victory just once in the last 16 fixtures. That sole win came in November 2021, the season when we came seventh, and Liverpool were aiming for the quadruple. They had won the League Cup and FA Cup but were pipped by one point by Manchester City in the Premier League and lost in the Champions League final to Real Madrid.
We won the game 3-2. Do you remember the goals? A Declan Rice corner went straight in, although it was credited as an Allison own goal – he claimed he was impeded but the goal stood. Alexander-Arnold equalised from a free kick before a driving run from Bowen sent Fornals through for a low left-footed shot that Allison got his hand to but couldn’t prevent the goal. We went 3-1 ahead when Zouma headed in a corner from beyond the far post. But in typical West Ham style we conceded a second goal a few minutes from the end from Origi, setting up a tense finish, and in the dying seconds Mane had an open goal but headed wide when he should have scored.
Before then you have to go back to the 2015-16 season when we met Liverpool four times, winning three of them and drawing the other. A 3-0 win at Anfield in August (Lanzini, Noble, Sakho) when Brendan Rogers was in charge was followed by completion of the league double the following January when Antonio and Carroll scored in a 2-0 victory at Upton Park. By then Klopp had taken over and we met them in the FA Cup drawing 0-0 at Anfield before winning the replay 2-1 at home with a goal from Antonio, and then in the 120th minute in extra time Ogbonna headed the winner.
We have done the double over Liverpool twice before. Once was in the 1920s which I don’t remember, but in our cup winning season of 1963/64 Hurst and Peters scored at Anfield in a 2-1 win, and I remember Johnny Byrne scoring the only goal of the game in the return at Upton Park. Liverpool finished as champions that season so to take maximum points off them was quite something. We finished 14th. We were just so inconsistent then as we also beat Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham (who finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th) in that campaign yet we failed to beat Ipswich and Bolton who finished in the bottom two places and were relegated.
The 2015 win at Anfield is famous in that it was the first time we had won a game on their ground since 1963! Our home record is a little better, but they have still beaten us here more times than we have defeated them. Form and history both suggest that we can’t win this game. Bookmakers agree with odds of around 9/2 on a West Ham win. Liverpool are 4/9 and the draw is 15/4. What are the chances of an upset?
Under The Hammers 
Hi Richard as always a gre
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