Gabby Agbonlahor and Jamie O’Hara joke about West Ham United with Tottenham jibe
Gabby Agbonlahor has listed nine teams that he feels are better than West Ham this season after the 3-2 defeat to Brentford on 4 November, with Jamie O’Hara making Tottenham comparisons.
The former Aston Villa striker claimed the Hammers are no more than a mid-table team, even if it sounds harsh to say, as he accepts fans won’t be happy to hear it.
This was followed by O’Hara, an unashamed Spurs fan, laughing at the position West Ham find themselves in compared to his side as he joked: “We can’t all be Tottenham”.
The pair were speaking live on talkSPORT [4 November, 18:32], as Agbonlahor shared: “The European stat [longest unbeaten run], they’ve done well.
“I understand what you’re saying, they should maybe have different records; the best record in this competition, the best record in that competition, I understand that of course.
“I do agree with you as well, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Villa, Brighton, Man United, Newcastle, there’s eight. We’re not even putting Chelsea in there as maybe nine. I don’t think West Ham finish above any of them.
“So I would say you’re a mid-table team. It sounds bad, doesn’t it, when you say mid-table team, you don’t want to hear it as a fan.”
O’Hara then chimed in: “There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s mid-table, we can’t all be Tottenham, you know? We can’t all be Tottenham.”
Is a mid-table finish enough for West Ham?
A perceived overachievement for the Hammers in recent years may have skewed fans’ expectations. Two top-eight finishes saw the Hammers consistently in Europe, and last season’s trophy success distracted from the league finish, but a tenth-placed finish wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The Hammers finished 14th last time out, but the Europa Conference League success papered over those cracks. The level of the squad has improved since then with the summer recruitment, but can they compete with that list of teams?
Manchester United and Chelsea have been underachieving, Brighton’s form is up and down despite their strong league position, but some of West Ham’s results have not been good enough to earn a top-ten finish, let alone anywhere higher than that.
Defeats to both Everton and Brentford in the last two games have dampened expectations among fans, and frustrations are beginning to build as a result of their poor displays.
In other West Ham news, Agbonlahor has slammed one Hammers star.