‘Put it right’ were the words of star Ben Johnson as he vows to end the West Ham curse against bogey team Brighton but his comments lack conviction.
After throwing away a 1-0 lead and missing a host of gilt-edged chances to lose at Man United in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night, West Ham’s attentions now turn back to the very pressing matter of Premier League survivial.
The 4-0 thumping of Forest last weekend has breathed new hope and life into West Ham’s battle to beat the drop.
And results elsewhere have finally gone West Ham’s way over the last week, including a major double boost last night.
David Moyes and his players must now look to continue their momentum knowing a positive result could lift the Hammers as high as 13th this weekend.
The only problem is our unlikely nemesis Brighton stand in the way.
There is no way to sugar coat it, West Ham’s record against the Seagulls since their promotion to the top flight is abysmal.
In 11 Premier League games between West Ham and Brighton since they came into the top flight in 2017/2018, the Hammers have failed to win a single match.
The Hammers have lost five and drawn the other six and suffered a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at the start of the season.
Surely that run has to come to an end at some stage for goodness sake.
‘Put it right’ were the words of star Johnson as he vows to end the West Ham curse against bogey team Brighton but his comments lack conviction.
Speaking in an interview with West Ham’s official website after the defeat to Man United Johnson said he wants to end the Hammers hoodoo when it comes to Brighton.
But his comments sound more hopeful than full of belief, saying things like ‘hopefully we can win” and “we want to give them a good game”.
I know our record against Brighton isn’t great but they’re hardly Real Madrid or Manchester City for crying out loud.
“It’s really frustrating (the loss to Man United), but we’ve got to move on,” Johnson told whufc.com.
“We’ve got a game in three days and we’ve definitely got something to build on…
“Brighton is a game we’re definitely looking forward to.
“We want to make right all the results that haven’t gone our away against them in the Premier League over the years.
“We’re going to compete as hard as ever and give them a really good game. Hopefully we can be on the winning side.”
West Ham have to believe they can go to Brighton and get back-to-back wins. It would change the complexion of the remainder of the season and really put pressure on our relegation rivals, who have some tough fixtures this weekend.
Come on Ben let’s see a bit more conviction – the Seagulls are a decent side but they’re no world beaters.