HAMMERS midfielder Valon Behrami has a message for the club’s supporters: We still believe and so should you.
West Ham’s nightmare start to the season continued at Stoke on Saturday, Gianfranco Zola’s team losing 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium.
But Switzerland international Behrami claims the belief is still there, despite the prospect of taking on one of the Premier League’s in-form sides, Arsenal, at Upton Park this Sunday.
“It (the belief) has to be there because if we don’t believe in what we’re doing it’s going to be a long season for us,” said the 24-year-old midfielder.
“Everything can happen in a big game like this. The focus is totally changed. We know Arsenal are a great team and one of the best in Europe, but we believe in what we’re doing and want to win the game.”
The players would be forgiven for having had the spirit sucked out of them by now. The team have just one win to their name in the league so far this season, and while some of the performances have been deserving of more, the points are drying up.
Behrami knows things must change, and fast, as the Hammers remain second-bottom of the table with just five points.
One thing the midfielder knows that can help the situation is a passionate crowd getting behind the team and creating an intimidating atmosphere for this week’s opponents.
However, he believes it will be up to the players to inspire the supporters when the Gunners come to town.
“I think the team has to lift the crowd. If they see that every player challenges and runs, it’s easier for the people to get behind you. But if the team is not giving 100 per cent, the crowd won’t be happy and feel encouraged to give their support, so it’s down to us, the players.”
Certainly, they will all have to lift their game if they are to take something from the match this weekend. And that means eradicating the sort of mistakes that are costing the team so dearly.
Julien Faubert’s clumsy challenge on ex-Hammer Matthew Etherington on Saturday signalled the concession of a second penalty in as many games, after Matthew Upson had made a similar misjudgment against Fulham two weeks ago.
“The performance (against Stoke) was good,” added Behrami. “We challenged for every ball, but made some little mistakes and that’s why they scored two goals. But if the spirit of the team is like this and stays positive and we work hard, we should be okay, because we have 30 games still to play and have 90 points available.
“If you play eight games and have just five points, you have to be worried. But if the performance is good you can see something positive. “We know the next game against Arsenal is going to be tough. But we musn't think about that.”
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