THE TEAM bottom at Christmas is relegated.

Only one team has ever defied that famous Premier League 'rule'. But West Ham will have to become the second if they are survive this season unless they beat Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and Wolverhampton Wanderers lose at West Bromwich Albion with more than a three-goal swing.

The Hammers will have to stage a sensational comeback in the second half of the season if they are to avoid becoming the latest victim to the law of relegation from the top flight.

West Brom, when under the management of Bryan Robson, are the only club to have clawed their way out of the relegation zone having been rock-bottom of the table at Christmas back in 2005.

And even then the Baggies had to rely on a dramatic last day of Premier League action to beat the odds and beat the drop, at the expense of Norwich, Crystal Palace and Southampton, when they were red-hot favourites to go down.

West Ham boss Avram Grant is only too aware of the league's history. He has already helped prove the theory correct during his time at Portsmouth last season, when they were sent tumbling back in to the Championship after propping up the table entering in to the festive period.

He is determined to buck the trend this time with the Hammers, although he appeared resigned to occupying 20th place when the 25th rolls around. “It is one more challenge to show that it is not like this,” he said after mulling over yet another defeat, this time at home to Manchester City on Saturday. “I think the next month will be very important for us.”

The next month will indeed be very important for Grant and West Ham. Their next five games read Blackburn (a), Fulham (a), Everton (h), Wolves (h) and Newcastle (a). A haul of two wins and at least a couple of draws on the road is surely the minimum requirement for Grant and his players from that series of fixtures if they are to remain in touch with the rest of the division.

Unsurprisingly, the Israeli manager is already targeting the January sales to bolster a squad that has suffered from imbalance and injury problems throughout the first half of the campaign.

A cool £10million from owners David Gold and David Sullivan should do the trick, admitted Grant.

“With £10m we can do a lot, we can make the team much more stronger, even though January is not a good transfer window,” he added after Yaya Toure and David Silva had masterminded a 3-1 win for City.

“We need to see this week about the injuries. There are a few players who we don’t know whether they will recover or not and it will affect our decision in January.

“But even if everybody is fit, we still need to be stronger in two or three positions.

“If the owners could give us £10m it would be great.”

Wishful thinking, it may be. But a transfer warchest could be the only present Grant receives this year, in what is likely to be a Christmas without much festive cheer.