West Ham need to improve to push for European football place

By Simon Hayes on March 5, 2008 1:36 PM |

Tagged with:

WEST HAM’S horror show against Chelsea has threatened to derail their season, and they need to get back on track quickly.

Saturday’s (March 1) 4-0 drubbing by the Blues at Upton Park dented the Irons’ hopes of securing a UEFA Cup spot and with games running out they desperately need to start picking up points.

Manager Alan Curbishley was as disappointed as the fans after the Chelsea game, which saw ex-Hammers Frank Lampard and Joe Cole find the back of the net.

He said: “It’s not nice when you have to sit there and watch that and the fans have to. They’ve come in with great hopes and we’ve gone and blown it again, really. We picked up a result last week [against Fulham], but we desperately needed to put two together to try and climb up the league and it hasn’t happened.”

If the club fail to make it into Europe it may well be because of their patchy home form. Despite wins over Liverpool and Manchester United the Irons have dropped vital points against Wigan, Bolton, Reading and Birmingham at the Boleyn this season.

Curbishley has bemoaned the injuries that have decimated his squad but as the run-in intensifies – with just nine games left after last night’s game at Liverpool – every point claimed will be crucial.
It’s a situation recognised by left-back George McCartney.

The Northern Ireland international told the club’s website: “It has been a long season. We have got to try and take as many points as we can. We want to try and get in Europe.

“It does begin to catch up on you coming towards the last couple of months but it is the same for
everyone. We have got a big enough squad to cope. It is just a matter of everyone digging in for the rest of the season.”

Things don’t get any easier this week with an away trip to White Hart Lane on Sunday (March 9) to face a buoyant Tottenham side. The Carling Cup winners are much improved under Juande Ramos and they will be looking to close the eight-point gap between them and West Ham.

simon.hayes@wharf.co.uk