West Ham are in a fight with rivals Spurs and Nottingham Forest to avoid relegation to the Championship, but would it really be all that bad?
West Ham and Nottingham Forest have Premier League survival in their own hands as they sit above 18th placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs are relying on the Hammers and Tricky Trees slipping up in the last five games knowing they would have to then take advantage.
Relegation has been painted as a Doomsday scenario for clubs since the advent of the Premier League.
VAR announcement one of the big positives to relegation for West Ham, Spurs and Forest
Falling off the gravy train would clearly be hugely damaging to West Ham, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest financially.
It shaves at least £120-150m off income – although some of the blow will be softened by parachute payments.
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Demotion to the Championship is viewed as a complete disaster and a fate almost worse than death – but is it really that bad?
There are at least three big positives to relegation for West Ham, Spurs and Nottingham Forest if you look hard enough.
Arguably the best thing about playing in the Championship next season will be the fact there will be no VAR.
VAR is almost universally hated by fans of all Premier League clubs and talks have been held to introduce it to the Championship for next season.
But the good news for West Ham, Tottenham and Forest is that there definitely won’t be any form of VAR in the second tier next season.
BBC Sport says the idea has been ‘closed for the foreseeable future’ and is unlikely to be resurrected by the clubs in a year’s time.
Winning most weeks and expanded play-offs should reassure Hammers, Spurs and Forest
Fans of Prem clubs often say how refreshing it is to play in the domestic cups when there is no VAR.
It would be football back to how it is meant to be played for the club that does drop.
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Another major positive to being relegated is winning most weeks.
Whoever falls through the Premier League trapdoor out of the Hammers, Spurs or Forest will be favourites to bounce straight back.
After two years of woeful performances and results at West Ham and Tottenham, the feeling of winning week in, week out will become very enjoyable for all involved.
And if the Irons, Spurs or Forest don’t get the wins required to go back up automatically, there is another major positive to being in the Championship next season.
The play-offs have been extended to include six teams instead of four from next season, meaning clubs all the way down to eighth place will be in with a shot of promotion to the Premier League.
It acts as a massive safety net for big clubs like West Ham, Tottenham and Forest who do drop down and have to go through a massive period of adjustment.
Other positive factors to relegation:
- New grounds
- Cheaper matchday experience
- Much-needed enforced squad clearouts
- More youth players involved in the first team
- Weed out senior figures who have failed the club
- Potential new ownership
Relegation run-in remaining fixtures:
| Team | Remaining fixtures (Opponent + H/A) |
|---|---|
| West Ham United | Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (A) and Leeds United (H) |
| Nottingham Forest | Sunderland (A), Chelsea (A), Newcastle United (H), Man United (A) and Bournemouth (H) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds United (H), Chelsea (A) and Everton (H) |
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