Manager David Moyes says they aren’t in a relegation scrap. Captain Declan Rice says the same. And yet, West Ham could find themselves bottom of the Premier League on New Year’s Day.
That is dependent on Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Southampton all winning. Unlikely, granted, but the theoretical scenario alone is worrying. A fifth consecutive league defeat leaves West Ham in a perilous position after sixth and seventh-placed finishes in the last two seasons.
Moyes was insistent in his pre-match press conference that, whatever happens, he has the support of David Sullivan and Co. A growing number of West Ham’s fans are losing their faith.