The weekend produced another poor result for a West Ham side with so much promise - but the situation must certainly be worse if you support a number of other teams in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace look dead and buried already. Barring a minor miracle, it would appear they are condemned back to life in the Championship. Saying that, stranger things have happened. But if the regenerating properties of the bubbly Ian Holloway cannot get the lads to click, it is unlikely any other manager can make an impact in such a short space of time.
Sunderland also have a mountainous task ahead of them. Gus Poyet will inevitably get the ball down and ensure the players try and pass their way out of the relegation zone. Again though, the task looks insurmountable. With 15 new players arriving in the summer and two players sent off for appalling challenges at the weekend, they look like a squad in disarray.
This leaves one other team to face the dreaded drop. This period of time up until Christmas will be vital and mercifully for West Ham United, our run of fixtures looks somewhat simpler than some of the other teams. Granted we have Chelsea and Arsenal in our nearish future, plus of course the midweek trip to White Hart Lane for the quarter final of the Capital One Cup.
Aside from that we host Sunderland, Fulham, and West Bromwich Albion before the New Year. We travel to Crystal Palace, Norwich, Liverpool and Man United where, with our formidable defensive away record, even the most cynical of West Ham fans can see a point or two being picked up on the road.
The Hammers travel to Carrow Road in Saturday's late kick off, in what can only be last chance saloon for Canaries' manager, Chris Hughton. There were calls from a number of the yellow and green faithful for his head after the capitulation at Manchester City, where they were drubbed a whopping 7-0. Common sense seems to have prevailed and the footballing gods have deemed the work Hughton has done, worthy of another chance against West Ham.
It would seem harsh to sack him after losing to a Man City team so full of talent and due a big result. However, the defensive ineptitude of Norwich's back four, plus the lack of fight in the dog, has left some fans short of patience.
They are hugely reliant on the doggedness of Robert Snodgrass and sadly big signings like Robert Van Wolfswinkel, have failed to produce results as of yet. This matched with the sale of Grant Holt in the summer has left a bitter taste in the mouth for a number of Norwich fans. The sale of Holt was always on the cards, since he lived up north and rented a flat in Norwich during his time there. But the ease at which this stalwart at the club was let go has reared its ugly head since results have failed to go their way. Holt at 32, could have been argued to be the heartbeat of the club, the man to bring the troops together and rally them in times of crisis. He is now doing that at Wigan, leaving the Canaries a little short of natural leadership; the thing they need most at present.
So, is Saturday's game D-Day for Hughton? It could well be. If Norwich City rally and manage to beat a West Ham team with the fifth best defensive record in Europe, perhaps there will be a reprieve for the much-maligned manager. But if West Ham manage to take advantage of a struggling Norwich defence and put their goal-scoring hoodoo to bed, the yellow and green dream could be over for him.
As much as I like Hughton and hope he is given time, I can't help feel it is a make or break game for him. Such is my desperation for West Ham to cure their net-finding ills, I fear we may be the final nail in the coffin for the highly-respected young manager. My prediction is 1-0 or 2-1 to West Ham. Many pundits are talking this game up as a simple home win for Norwich City. Despite obvious bias, this is too simplistic a way to view the fixture. West Ham have been good on the road, despite the lack of goals. In a lot of respects our away form has far surpassed that of last year. Surely with the quality among the ranks, a goal or two will come our way this Saturday? Not the thoughts Chris Hughton wants to hear I am sure.
If he is sacked, it is looking likely there will be a few other good jobs he can walk into. However, as with so many Premier League sackings, I believe it will be premature and Hughton should be given more time to get it right.
So, a big game for both sides - with much at stake. I am looking forward to it and hope whatever the result, no-one at Norwich City is without a job come Monday morning.
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