West Ham United are in the relegation zone under Sam Allardyce, but what can the Upton Park side do to stop the rot?
West Ham United
League position: 18th (18 points)
Goals conceded: 33 (14th=)
Shots conceded per game: 17 (18th)
Percentage of shots conceded from outside box: 47% (9th)
The defensive stats above suggest that West Ham United should not be in 18th place, but the Hammers have failed to score in ten of their 22 Premier League games, which has certainly not helped their league position.
Sam Allardyce’s quest to sign a striker has resulted in the re-signing of Carlton Cole, who he released last summer, with Andy Carroll only proving an expensive mistake at his second successive club so far.
West Ham’s biggest concern is that they have lost 14 points from winning positions – more than any team in the Premier League – and gained just a single point from a losing position, which is again worse than any other side.
The Hammers have certainly had injuries throughout the season, and particularly in defence.
At centre back alone, James Tomkins has had four separate injuries this season, Winston Reid has been out of action since November and James Collins has had hamstring issues.
Oh, and Roger Johnson’s terrible.