**With an FA Cup quarter final just days away and the Hammers ultimately finding themselves one game away from Wembley, this has sparked an interesting debate among supporters as to whether they would rather stay up or win this seasons FA Cup.**
There are seven games still to be played in the Premier League. It has been a long, largely miserable and emotionally draining campaign for everyone associated with West Ham United. Supporters had reached a point where they had lost all hope and were convinced the club was dead and buried, heading for life in the Championship.
An improvement in performances and an upturn in results since the Hammers kicked off their FA Cup campaign back in mid January has seen Nuno’s men record just three defeats in their last 13 in all competitions. This form has given them a puncher’s chance of breaking out of the bottom three and avoiding the drop. It has also seen them book their place in the FA Cup quarter finals, having won three from three in the competition, including that dramatic penalty shootout victory over Brentford.
Whilst there is still a nail biting end to the season to come and West Ham certainly aren’t in the clear yet as far as the league goes, the fan base is relishing this weekends cup quarter final and the prospect of being just one game away from Wembley. Supporters have a right to get a little carried away and dare to ask: what if?
It feels like the first season in years where the Hammers have been handed favourable cup draws on paper, which naturally lends itself to the thought that this could be the year where something special happens.
The FA Cup is a competition in which West Ham has a rich history, it is where the club has achieved some of its historic highs. Should they get past Leeds this weekend, the players, coaching staff and supporters will collectively start to believe that this could be their year, and why shouldn’t they, stranger things have happened in this sport we all love.
Going all the way in the FA Cup this season would be special, having not reached the final in over 20 years or lifted the trophy in 46 now, it would create a memory that fans young and old would cherish forever. It would also be a second trophy in just three years, heights the club has not reached in decades.
But, the Hammers are still faced with the very real threat of relegation, starting next season in the Championship and ending their near 14 year stint in the top flight.
If they do not find a way out of the bottom three, even if they were to lift the FA Cup, the celebrations would quickly fade out and the reality of the club’s predicament would dampen the mood.
With factors like the club’s recent financial accounts in mind which showed massive losses, the financial situation would likely make for even more grim reading should the Hammers drop out of the top flight, especially with the further losses they would be hit with.
Alongside the mass exodus of players and inevitable near complete rebuilding of the first team squad, there may also be real uncertainty at the helm of the club as to whether the current ownership model would remain the same or whether the likes of Sullivan and Kretinsky would sell up and new faces could walk through the door and lead the club into its next chapter.
In a debate format, supporters often discuss the idea of FA Cup glory, potentially at the expense of the club’s Premier League status, versus remaining a top flight team for another year. There’s no denying lifting the FA Cup would be special, but if it is between that and remaining a Premier League side, avoiding relegation has to be the priority.
The bigger picture is what has to be taken into account here, and with that in mind, breaking out of the bottom three and staying in the Premier League is undoubtedly far more significant and valuable to the club’s long term future.