Thoughts on West Ham 1 Stoke 1 and on a Big Match at Swindon tonight

On form going into the game West Ham should have been favourites. I had this one down as one where three points should have been taken before Lucian Miers reminded me how badly we do against sides from grim Northern shit holes.

Certain readers who live in the truly grim Northern wastelands insist that Stoke is in fact in the Midlands or the South. I find it hard to believe. Stoke used to have coal mines and apparently 24.2% of the non pensioner population live in households where no-one has a job. They elect a donkey with a red rosette, the biggest employer in the town seems to be the State and its most famous living sons include darts legend Phil Taylor and Robbie Williams as well as Lemmy from Motorhead. I rest my case: Stoke is a grim Northern shit hole.

I am open to persuasion that it has redeeming features but that will not include actually visiting the place. Heaven forbid. As it happens I am writing to you from 30 miles away from Coventry. I think for similar reasons it also falls into the same category.

Back to the footie. West Ham went back to the familiar routine of only trying to win for one half. As a result they went into the break 1-0 down and it could have been worse. Fat Sam had a few words and the Irons stormed the second half but against the side with the best defensive record in the Premiership (I exclude Man City since a blind linesman flatters its total) it was always going to be an ask to score two. And so 1 all it finished.

West Ham are now 7th and on 19 points. Given that we still have Reading twice, QPR and Norwich at home and Villa (really looking a good bet for the drop) and Southampton away – six games that should yield anything up to 18 points, getting three more points from the other 20 games this season should not be too hard. Put another way, Villa and Southampton are on nine points and Reading eight. Effectively all three teams need to record three wins and a draw ( 2 for Reading) to overtake us, so lamentable are their GDs and the way all three are playing that is not going to happen until well into the New Year – and that assumes West Ham now just start losing.

Saturday is a big test – away to the Scum ( now 8th). Win that and East London goes wild. I’d settle for a draw but Spurs are better up front than at the back and I sense 0-0 is a very unlikely result. I would settle for a draw but if we only win one game before Christmas please make it be this one (with Defoe red-carded as a bonus).

Tonight, Swindon (3rd) entertain Brentford (9th) in League One. Actually only three points separate the two teams, it is tight at the top so this is a must-win game for Paulo di Canio and his men. Swindon are the form team right now and, at home, you would have to fancy this as a three pointer. Brentford have won just one away game all season but have picked up six draws. An early goal for the Robins might make the match interesting. Otherwise Brentford will just play for the 1 point.

Win tonight and, in the unlikely event of 14th place Crewe winning at Sheffield United, my second team moves into an automatic promotion spot. In the battle of the grim Northern shit-holes at Bramall Lane, my thoughts are with Crewe.