Forrest Gump Spurs record gives West Ham great hope ahead of the crunch London derby in race for the European places.
West Ham go to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur for what promises to be a huge six-pointer in the race for the Europe.
David Moyes and Spurs boss Antonio Conte are looking to chase down Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in fourth spot. And today’s clash between West Ham and Tottenham could be pivotal in pursuit of that Champions League place.
West Ham of course have two shots at securing Champions League football. If the Hammers win the Europa League they will automatically qualify for Europe’s top competition next term.
And the brilliant win over Sevilla on Thursday night put the Hammers one step closer with a quarter-final against Lyon now on the horizon next month.
Securing a Europa League place in the league would be another successful season for West Ham.
And finishing fifth or sixth will secure that if the FA Cup is won by Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool.
A seventh place finish would result in Europa Conference qualification – a competition Spurs know all about after being kicked out in its inaugural season for failing to fulfil a fixture against Rennes.
West Ham have had the better of meetings with Tottenham in recent seasons and beat Sunday’s opponents 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in October.
Moyes’s boys were however knocked out of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals 2-1 at Tottenham back in December.
West Ham are without the brilliant Jarrod Bowen right now which is a huge blow for Moyes for such a big game.
And Tottenham’s deadly duo Harry Kane and Heung Son min have really clicked back into top gear under Conte.
So it will be far from easy for West Ham to continue their excellent recent league form against Spurs.
Forrest Gump Spurs record gives West Ham great hope ahead of crunch derby
The Forrest Gump Spurs record gives West Ham great hope ahead of crunch derby, though.
Classic 1990s movie Forrest Gump is perhaps most famous for this line from its titular character played by Tom Hanks:
“My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
And Tottenham have been nicknamed Forrest Gump of late because that saying is very much true of Conte’s inconsistent side.
As Forrest Gump said life is like a box of chocolates for Spurs fans who never know what they’re going to get from one game to the next.
At the start of the year Tottenham beat Watford then lost to Chelsea, beat Morecambe then lost to Chelsea, beat Leicester then lost to Chelsea again – this time in the league – the beat Brighton and lost to Southampton.
Spurs then set a remarkable loss-win-loss record which has earned them their Forrest Gump moniker by losing then winning for eight games heading into the London derby with West Ham.
After losing to Wolves Spurs beat Man City only to then go and lose at Burnley. Tottenham then beat Leeds and lost to Middlesbrough, beat Everton and lost to Man United and – crucially for West Ham – beat Brighton in midweek.
So if Tottenham are true to their Forrest Gump record then it gives their next opponents West Ham great hope.
After all the focus on the dramatic inconsistency of Conte’s side the match will now probably serve up a draw!
But West Ham may well take that away from home after their recent exertions.
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