West Ham’s season-opener against Newcastle is a must-win

“Must-win” games are usually associated with end-of-season showdowns where the three points would be crucial in order to achieve a specific goal, however, West Ham face one much earlier.

With West Ham kicking off their season at home to Newcastle on Saturday, many would turn their heads at the mere thought of that cliche phrase being brought up without a ball having been even kicked.

After the dismal summer, the Hammers have had in the transfer market, though, only a victory against a Magpies side – who have been extremely active in the summer window, bringing in the likes of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser – would help ease the tensions that have been so prevalent at the club since Grady Diangana was sold to West Brom.

The Diangana sale was questionable enough in itself, but the club have, as of yet, failed to reinvest the money that his departure brought in, and it has been reported that David Moyes is still drawing up a list of potential targets, despite the transfer window having been open since late July.

This all points to a lack of structure at the club, with no real plan being in place in regard to bringing in personnel. This is in stark contrast to potential Premier League rivals in the coming season, such as the aforementioned Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa – all who are pushing to improve their squads.

Another factor which could contribute to this being a must-win game is the horrendous run of fixtures that West Ham face during the first two months of the season, as they take on six of last season’s top eight in consecutive matches.

The Hammers have not been averse to a shock result over the years, but logically such a run of games will likely yield a minimal amount of points. This points to the opening-day fixture against the Magpies as the game that may get the club off the mark not only in terms of points but psychologically also, with greater challenges only around the corner.

In what has the potential to be a long, gruelling season for the Irons, gaining three points on Saturday would go some way to boosting the morale in the eyes of the players, but perhaps even more importantly, the disgruntled fan-base.