Phoenix or Turkey? Guest Post by Marcus Green
If you thought West Ham’s chances against Newcastle were slim, then surely the odds of us beating Arsenal tomorrow would be considered anorexic. The Gunners have netted eight goals in their last two games, including a 5-1 stuffing of Sporting on Tuesday night, and will be feeling particularly gluttonous when they visit The London Stadium, where they enjoyed a 6-0 feast last time out. But have our North London rivals been fed a little too much over Thanksgiving, or are we truly left pulling the wishbone apart in hopes of getting anything from the game?
Let me start by saying that I don’t buy into this “new life” being breathed into our season. I was just as shocked as everyone else when we left Tyneside with three points, but that had nothing to do with a lack of confidence in the ability of our squad; rather, it was a lack of confidence in the team wanting to keep Lopetegui in a job. Maybe I was guilty of buying too much into the things I’d read—reports of rifts behind the scenes, players showing disdain when substituted, others advising agents that they want to leave. Or maybe I was reaching a conclusion based on the evidence presented before us.
Victory at Newcastle: Turning Point or Temporary Reprieve?
Our victories up until Newcastle, Ipswich aside, had been largely fortuitous. West Ham’s losses had been typically crushing, with twenty goals conceded across six league and cup fixtures. If I’m being especially harsh, the draws we’d had weren’t without their slice of luck either (although I do prefer to look on them a little more favourably – a last-minute equaliser against Fulham, earning a point despite going behind so early against Brentford, a MOTM performance from Jordan Pickford – what fight, playing to the end, “never say die”). It hadn’t been great, and all signs were pointing to an early exit for the man in charge, especially when he was given the dreaded vote of confidence and two games to save his job: Newcastle away and Arsenal at home.
However, the players went above and beyond to secure a desperately needed victory and, as a result, this expression of “new life” has been seeping out of all pockets. I don’t wish to sound cynical, but why? Not to take anything away from the performance on Monday, but nothing has changed, not really. Not yet, anyway. If we lose to Arsenal, as everyone is anticipating, I am almost certain that the narrative will be as it was prior to our last league outing. It’ll be akin to a struggling television show boosting its ratings for one episode with an A-list cameo appearance before losing the audience once again.
Hammers players worked their socks off for Lopetegui
Why December Fixtures Will Define West Ham’s Season
Even if we do manage to get something from the Arsenal game, I still won’t see it as a corner turned. That can only happen in December. Leicester away, Wolves at home, Bournemouth away, Brighton at home, Southampton away. That’s where we will truly see if our campaign has a new lease of life. Beating Newcastle and Arsenal will count for absolutely nothing if we don’t put the same kind of effort into those five fixtures. It’s the exact same reason why nobody is talking about Arsenal’s recent victory with the same vocabulary as ours.
Despite going on a league run of four games without a win, nobody has referred to Arsenal’s win over Nottingham Forest as “new life”. That’s because it was seen as a return to form, and if West Ham’s December proves fruitless, it’ll unfortunately be a return to form for us too. Until we see that the Newcastle game wasn’t an anomaly, there won’t be “new life” – get ten points from those December fixtures, and I’ll say we’re a phoenix; otherwise, we’ll be as lifeless as that Thanksgiving turkey.
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