West Ham need a miracle of Tevez proportions

Newcastle United's Loic Remy celebrates scoring his sides second goal as West Ham United's James Collins stands dejected during the Barclays Premier League match at Upton Park, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday January 18, 2014. See PA story SOCCER West Ham. Photo credit should read: Stephen Pond/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. Maximum 45 images during a match. No video emulation or promotion as 'live'. No use in games, competitions, merchandise, betting or single club/player services. No use with unofficial audio, video, data, fixtures or club/league logos. (Image: PA Archive/Press Association Images)

Another chance to secure back to back Premier League wins has gone begging just like every other opportunity that went before it. It’s time to face facts...we are going down; barring a miracle of Tevez proportions we are heading back to Championship.

The performance against Newcastle was truly pathetic, yes they’re a better team, with superior players, but in the first half we didn’t compete with them at all, it was like a training session: attack versus a very shaky defence.

All the grit, fight and determination displayed in Cardiff was replaced with the all too familiar lethargic, meek and lazy performances that have become the hallmark of a season which is looking frighteningly similar to Avram Grant’s 2010/11 death march.

I cannot believe the predicament we find ourselves in. Our only signing so far has been a League One centre back, where are all the signings we were promised? Granted the window is still open but as is becoming increasingly obvious no-one wants to join West Ham. Our increasingly slim survival hopes rest solely on our injured players returning and making the kind of impact collectively that a certain aforementioned Carlos Tevez did back in 2007.

We still after a season and a half under the 13th highest paid manager in world football have not achieved back to back Premier League wins; if this statistic doesn’t change we will be relegated. We have 18 points from 22 games and yet to stand any chance of staying up we will need at least 22 from the last 16 games...with our home and away form as poor as each other where are those 22 points going to come from?

The last time we were relegated from the Premier League back in 2011 it wasn’t for one single reason, it was a multitude and it does seem history is indeed repeating itself; there is no solitary reason for where we are; there are so many different factors: injuries, under-performing players, a manager not doing his job properly, failing to secure adequate back-up for Andy Carroll, the signing of Andy Carroll in the first place, failing to deliver on the promise of new signings early in the January window, thinking the squad was stronger than it was; I could go on...

It feels as though we’re in the process of sleep walking off a cliff; I’m not convinced anyone can wake us up from this mission of self-destruction.

The one question I’d love answered is why? Why are West Ham United always in this position? Ever since the club went down in 2003 our recent history has been a succession of relegation fights and promotion battles, why are lessons never learned? Why are warnings never heeded? A London club in the Premier League whose attendances rarely drop below 34K shouldn’t perennially be struggling just to stay afloat.