As pre-dawn rising Black Friday shoppers concerned about missing out on that all-important holiday gift might say: It's never too early to panic. A sentiment echoed by the West Ham United board this week in posting a message on the official team website designating Saturday's encounter with Wigan as the "Save Our Season game."
Hammers fans will no doubt be relieved to know that three points Saturday against the Latics and suddenly everything will be well in their world again. So, no need to let those pesky worries about relegation when Easter rolls around spoil the upcoming Christmas and New Year's celebrations then.
It's a lovely thought but a completely absurd notion. The real message here isn't to the fans -- though it's a nice touch to see 5,000 tickets being put on sale at discount prices for the game to boost attendance -- but to manager Avram Grant: Win soon or pack your bags.
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady is one of the sharpest executives in football. In the 1990s, she helped revive a long stagnant Birmingham City in the face of a barrage of negative press and the deep-rooted sexism of English football culture. The Blues bounced around between the Championship and the EPL during her tenure at St. Andrews, so she's well versed in relegation battles and the financial pressure that places on any club.
Along with the plea to the fans, Brady gave Grant a lukewarm vote of confidence after the Liverpool loss last week (saying that he'll definitely still be the team manager at Christmas), forced out assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic and reportedly visited the West Ham training ground this week -- an unprecedented move.
But what does that achieve? One giant bubble of tension descending upon Upton Park when everyone can least afford it, that's what. West Ham sits bottom of the Premier League and is on a nine-game winless streak. Sure, things have gone south in the East End of London since the appointment of Grant just before the start of the season, but he's an experienced manager who has handled the egos of Chelsea and the carnage of Portsmouth with aplomb. He has much greater skill than he's been given credit for. The Hammers are anchored to the bottom of the table but are only five points adrift of safety with half the season remaining and plenty of other teams around them playing some very dodgy football.
What Brady and the West Ham board need to do is look to focus on the January transfer window. In 2003, Brady's Birmingham City made one of the great season-saving signings of all time, bringing in Christophe Dugarry on loan for the stretch run and he responded with five goals in 15 games, a huge factor in the Blues' survival story.
Are three points Saturday critical for West Ham? Sure, but they are to every team. The really critical thing is to give a tried and tested manager unconditional support in November and deliver him a SOS in January -- a striker who can Score On Sight. Karren Brady did that during her Birmingham City days. It's what she should be concentrating on now with West Ham.