If West Ham are to climb the table, now’s their golden chance

Irons are seven points off the top half

After spending big over the summer, much was expected of a new-look West Ham United this season.

But the Irons have won just two of their first 10 league games. They lost their first four matches and have spent the entire season so far in the bottom half of the table.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have already had to play Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea. They’ve done well to grab four points from those games.

But it means that they’ve already played four of the big six. And so things could be about to improve with a generous run of games coming up.

First up is a home game against Burnley on Saturday. The Clarets won at the London Stadium last season en route to a seventh place finish, but they’re struggling this term.

Then the Hammers are off to Huddersfield Town. The Yorkshire side performed minor miracles to stay up last season, but it appears the demands of the Premier League are now telling on the club, who are still winless this season.

A home game versus Manchester City is the only blip on the immediate radar.

But that fixture is followed by a favourable run of games against Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Fulham.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men have shown glimpses of real promise, with 3-1 wins over both Everton and Manchester United.

If they can produce those sorts of performances more often than not in the next seven weeks or so, then a hatful of points could be coming their way.

It’s been a bruising start for the Irons, and Andriy Yarmolenko has joined Manuel Lanzini as a long-term absentee.