West Ham relegation prediction made by supercomputer after Brentford loss
West Ham United’s hopes of staying in the Premier League this season have been predicted after their 1-0 loss to Brentford on Saturday.
The Irons are at their lowest ebb so far this term despite Graham Potter replacing Julen Lopetegui in the London Stadium dugout last month, with back-to-back defeats seeing them slump to 16th in the table.
Even amid the dirge of dismal results under Lopetegui, the Hammers only fell as low as 15th for one week back in October, and Potter hasn’t been able provide the uptick of form required in East London.
That 1-0 loss to Brentford, which saw Potter’s side trail from the fourth minute onwards, leaves them just 10 points above the drop zone and looking over their shoulders for the first time this season.
West Ham relegation prospects predicted by supercomputer
With 13 games of the Premier League season remaining, the Hammers should still have enough in the tank to stave off relegation with a 10-point buffer already in place, but a late top-half push looks unlikely.
The Opta Analyst supercomputer’s final predictions reflect this as of its latest update on 17 February; the Irons having a 38.9 per cent chance of ending the season in 16th place and 20.1 per cent for 15th.
The Analyst’s expected points table suggests that Potter’s side will finish with 42.52 points, with a mere 0.93 per chance chance of relegation ahead of Wolves, Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton below them.
A 14th-placed finish is also seen as having a 12.7 per cent probability, ahead of the 11.7 per cent likelihood of dropping to 17th, with Opta’s statistics implying that the Hammers will stay up comfortably.
West Ham ready to draw line under season to forget
Although he was appointed early in the January transfer window and thus had several weeks at the helm to try and reshape his West Ham squad at the London Stadium, few will point the finger at Potter for their poor form.
The 49-year-old may have won his first Premier League game in charge of the Hammers against Fulham, but that’s as good as things have got for Potter, with no more wins on the board and three defeats since.
Though they’ve so far avoided the one-sided hammerings which became all too common in Lopetegui’s short reign, performances are still to show many, if any, signs of marked improvement under Potter.
A tough run prior to the March international break pits the Irons against Arsenal, Newcastle and in-form Everton, as well as relegation-threatened Leicester, suggesting things could be about to get worse.
The make-up of Potter’s squad – to which the blame can be laid at Lopetegui and Tim Steidten’s feet – won’t change much before the summer comes, and fans are hoping it arrives as soon as possible.