Stuart Pearce insists West Ham are back in the mix for Premier League survival. The former Hammers defender believes his former club can win both their final games and send Tottenham down. West Ham travel to Newcastle this weekend and face Leeds on the final day, while Spurs have Chelsea next Tuesday and Everton on the final day.
Only two points separate the two London rivals, but from a position where Tottenham looked on course for survival, it is back in the balance. West Ham lost to Arsenal on Sunday, but Tottenham failed to take advantage and were held by Leeds on Monday night in a game they could easily have lost.
Pearce's Confidence in West Ham
Pearce, who also served as assistant to former West Ham boss David Moyes, said: "They held in a game which I thought Arsenal would win comfortably, but West Ham showed what they can do. It was a really tight game. West Ham have got to win both games and keep their fingers crossed that other things help them. You never know. But West Ham and Spurs are back in the mix. They are playing with decent spirit now. Their form is not too bad. But as I say, the start of the season has been very costly for West Ham."
West Ham's London Stadium has never been popular with the majority of home fans, while Tottenham's form at their own stadium has been the reason they are in such a mess. Tottenham have yet to win at home in the Premier League in this calendar year. There is a scenario where, if the battle goes to the final day, it could be Everton boss Moyes who ends up saving his old club West Ham. The Toffees are good on the road, and Spurs are awful at home.
Fans Want Entertainment
Pearce insists that, despite everything, West Ham fans just want to be entertained, and there should be no complaint about that. He said: "Listen, in my time at West Ham people would talk about the stadium, the stadium this and the stadium that. But when the fans have something to shout about, that place gets going. I saw it in the European games, their European run, and it is there, make no mistake about it. They just need to be entertained and enthralled by people on the football pitch."
Pearce also believes West Ham have the players and spirit to survive, singling out Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek as vital in their fight. He said: "Over the season, he's been a real bonus, and to be fair, I was there when David Moyes brought him through the door and Tomas Soucek in as well. Those two have got work ethic, they've got the club at heart and everything else. They can hold their heads high."
Nottingham Forest's Future
Meanwhile, Pearce is hoping his beloved Nottingham Forest can finally build again after securing their Premier League status on the back of a chaotic season. He added: "If you have had four managers in a season, something isn't right. It's inherently wrong. Far from ideal. The players' performances have been very start and stop. They've hit some highs, there's no doubt about that, but hit some lows as well. They have to look at themselves as well. There's talent in there, no doubt about that. The key to that is holding on to one or two of these key players. I'm talking about Elliot Anderson, who has alerted a lot of top clubs, I would suggest, with his performances because I think he's been outstanding. Listen, semi-final of a European competition has been good, and I think they've come up against the team who I think will go on to win it, and they eventually knocked them out. Listen, it's an interesting one. They can rebuild again from the Premier League, which is good at least."
Mental Health Advocacy
Pearce has been a long-term supporter of the Pitching In programme, which promotes fitness and exercise to improve mental health. He was at non-league Grays Athletic this week. He said: "I've been working as an ambassador, and Grays have got an initiative to help people come together, do some coaching, and the funding has backed that. This was set up during Covid, so when everything was shut down, I've been involved for about six years, and anything we can do around mental health with fitness especially will be nice. And I might join in myself! Exercise helps so much. It's crucial."
The Trident Community Foundation, established by Entain's award-winning Pitching In programme, has awarded over £700,000 in grants to support projects at Trident League clubs across the country.
