Paul Merson has suggested that it would be unfair for teams inside the bottom three to be relegated if the season were to be ended amidst coronavirus fears, when writing his column for the Daily Star.
West Ham are currently sitting outside the bottom three because of a superior goal difference to those in and around them in the Premier League table.
If Covid-19 continues to get worse and we are not able to resume football for quite some time, it has been suggested that Liverpool should be handed the title, those inside the bottom three should be relegated and the top two in the Championship should be promoted.
That would obviously suit the Hammers down to the ground. But it wouldn’t be fair at all.
And Merson alluded to that when writing his weekly column for the Daily Star:
“You have to come back and finish the season. You can’t just end it now. That would be wrong. In the Premier League the teams haven’t even all played the same number of games. Aston Villa have a game in hand. If they win it they’re out of the bottom three. You can’t cancel the season now and relegate them. It wouldn’t be fair. Bournemouth are only in the bottom three on goal difference. You can’t just tell them they’re down.”
The fairest outcome will surely be to just resume from where we left off, whenever that may be. Even if it’s in June, July or August.
If anything, it should be next season that is affected.
West Ham have some really tough games still to play. And if they are to avoid relegation, they need to do so on their own merit.
It just won’t feel right if they are handed survival on a plate.
But who knows what will actually happen? There is plenty of conjecture and speculation at the moment, with a lack of any real knowledge or fact.
West Ham, like every other team, will just have to play the waiting game.
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