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Lack of consistency doesn’t bode well for West Ham’s survival hopes

| 15.12.2016

Just five points separate last year’s Premier League champions and bottom-of-the-league Sunderland. And with that in mind, we’re expecting at least one surprise name to find themselves in the bottom three come next May. Unfortunately for West Ham, it’s them.

It’s been a manic few months for the Hammers. They were one game away from reaching the group stages of this year’s Europa League, and were targeting a top six finish in the league after an impressive campaign last year.

But a lack of world-class arrivals in the summer, combined with a move to the London Stadium which has yet to see much joy has left Slaven Bilic’s men in dangerous territory.

He’s been there or thereabouts at the head of the Sack Race market for several weeks now, and inconsistency in the league is the main reason for that.

So far, the Hammers have played 16, won four, drawn four and lost eight – already equalling the amount of defeats they suffered in the 2015-16 campaign.

Between them, their six strikers have managed just two goals, while at the other end of the pitch, only two sides have conceded more than them.

Bilic did well to keep hold of Dimitri Payet in the summer, with a whole host of clubs expressing an interest in the France international.

But was he sold a false promise?

The Hammers spent just over £50m on transfers in preparation for this season. That looks like a decent figure on face value. But 11 new faces arrived, and that averages out to roughly £4.5m per-player.

On the plus side, Payet is still there, and that means there’s still hope for fans this season.

And with the winter transfer window just around the corner, they’ll be hoping the board will spend big and bring the right players in.

The 10/1 on offer may suggest the Hammers could be safe this season. But, all things considered, it actually represents good value.

What do fans think? Where can you see West Ham finishing this season? And is Bilic the right man to take the club forward?

Have your say in the comments section below!

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing

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Author

Alex Apati

Alex has been with the Ladbrokes PR team since 2017 having previously worked for the news department. From sparring with Peter Fury to talking interviews on the Duke and Duchess' baby names, he's covered a range of sports and novelty events.

A frustrated West Brom fan who is no stranger to an oche, Alex is originally from Dudley, although he's worked hard to rid himself of the Black Country twang.