West Ham have received a saving Grace from relegation as the BBC makes a big claim which will come as a huge relief to fans.
West Ham are in the thick of the tightest Premier League relegation battle for years.
Just four points separate the nine clubs from 12th to 20th with West Ham vs Southampton one of three massive relegation six-pointers this weekend.
It is the least amount of points between the teams 12th and 20th at this stage of the season in Premier League history.
Football data experts Opta recently published a percentage calculation on the chances of each of the survival rivals being relegated.
It carried good news for West Ham, who Opta stated are the second least likely to drop behind Leicester.
There was bad news for Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth as they were named the three favourites for demotion.
With speculation swirling about David Moyes and claims there is a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room, fans are understandably concerned the Hammers might be destined for disaster.
Especially given they are one of the three clubs currently sat in the relegation zone.
But West Ham have a saving Grace from relegation as the BBC makes a big claim which will come as a huge relief to fans.
In fact it is a saving Gracenote for the Irons.
Because BBC Sport has collaborated with data specialists Nielsen’s Gracenote to study the statistics in order to judge each team’s probability of being relegated based on their remaining fixtures, giving them a percentage chance of survival.
According to the BBC and Gracenote, 39 points will guarantee safety this season. For West Ham that would mean five wins or the equivalent in the remaining 12 games.
That seems a big ask given the Hammers have only won six in the 26 matches so far this season.
The good news is Gracenote agrees with Opta, stating that six of the nine clubs have a higher percentage probability of relegation ahead of West Ham.
West Ham have just an 18 per cent chance of relegation from the Premier League. Leicester (17%) and Palace (10%) are the only sides Gracenote believe have a better chance of survival.
This report also makes Forest, Saints and Bournemouth the favourites to drop.
The stats show 36 points will give West Ham a 75% of staying up while 37 points gives a 93% chance and 38 a 98% chance.
Here’s what the Gracenote report has to say about West Ham.
West Ham have finished sixth and seventh in the past two seasons but find themselves in the bottom three and fighting for their top-flight survival.
They have more games left than any other team in the bottom half but will face a hectic schedule as they also have a two-legged quarter-final in the Europa Conference League with a two-legged semi-final to come if they advance further.
Five of West Ham’s remaining matches are against teams in the top six, but they also still have to play the bottom two – Southampton and Bournemouth – as well as relegation-threatened Crystal Palace, Leeds and Leicester.
Gracenote fact: Only the Premier League’s top seven teams have had more goal attempts this season than West Ham’s 342. Only five of the top seven plus Chelsea have conceded fewer goal attempts this season than West Ham’s 309.
Still to play: 2 Apr Southampton (h), 5 Apr Newcastle (h), 8 Apr Fulham (a), 16 Apr Arsenal (h), 23 Apr Bournemouth (a), 26 Apr Liverpool (h), 29 Apr Crystal Palace (a), 3 May Manchester City (a), 7 May Manchester United (h), 13 May Brentford (a), 20 May Leeds (h), 28 May Leicester (a)
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