An absolutely unthinkable Millwall switch could be on the cards for West Ham and it doesn’t bear contemplating.
Both West Ham and their oldest, fiercest rivals Millwall made really poor starts to their respective seasons in the Premier League and Championship.
But while Millwall have steadily improved, West Ham failed to find any sort of form or consistency.
With 23 of this season’s 38 Prem games played, West Ham have won just five. And that has left the Hammers in the relegation zone and David Moyes clinging to his job.
All this despite spending £185m on nine players in the last two windows – nearer £250m when you include the summer before that too.
It is the kind of money West Ham’s arch rivals Millwall could only dream of spending.
The Met Police are probably quite thankful that West Ham and Millwall are rarely in the same division so intense is the rivalry.
The 1988–89 season is the only campaign both West Ham and Millwall have been in the top division of English football at the same time.
And with the Hammers establishing themselves as one of the core Premier League clubs bar a couple of relegations over the last 30 years, that statistic has remained unchallenged.
Yesterday Hammers News highlighted the frightening parallels between the current campaign and the relegation season under Avram Grant in 2011.
If there were any doubts before, West Ham’s pathetic, lacklustre 2-0 surrender to Spurs at the weekend confirmed they are facing a massive fight to stay in the top flight.
That means an absolutely unthinkable Millwall switch could be on the cards for West Ham and it doesn’t bear contemplating.
Given their own issues this season, Hammers fans may not have taken much notice of the goings-on in the Championship this term.
Well Millwall are right in the promotion mix, sitting in fifth place with just two defeats in their last 11 league games.
While automatic promotion looks beyond Gary Rowett’s side, they will be extremely confident of a play-off spot from the position they are in.
But rather than licking our lips at the tantalising prospect of West Ham vs Millwall derbies in the top flight of English football for the first time in what will be 36 years, Hammers fans are instead worried about being in the division below their sworn enemy.
At the time of writing it is a very tangible prospect indeed given the contrasting trajectories of both clubs.
Let’s hope West Ham can turn this dismal season around and welcome Millwall into the top flight so we can have some fun – and play our part in sending them straight back down!
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