West Ham forward Michail Antonio has called on fans to keep supporting the club as they look to turn the tide at the London Stadium.
With poor performances on the field, and plenty of issues off the field and among the fractious fanbase, the last few months of the season will prove to be crucial in West Ham’s recent history.
With five of the Hammers’ final eight games due to be played at the London Stadium, fans will need to put the past behind them and support the team if they harbour any chance of retaining their Premier League status.
David Moyes took his squad to a warm-weather training camp in Miami last week, and Antonio insists it brought the squad closer together, a major positive in trying times for the club.
However it also highlighted the need for support from fans in their fight against the drop. Speaking to Standard Sport, Antonio addressed the West Ham fanbase, saying;
Don’t give up on us. The situation we’re in now, we’re going to need them – it’s not just us in the situation, it’s them as well. We’re all in the situation together so, keep fighting and keep pushing together.
Going away got the boys to gel together, to bond. Every day you can come into training. You can come in [and] not be seen, not really speak to players.
We kind of had a bad vibe going around because we’re not winning games.
The gaffer thought to take us away to change the mood, get a bit of sun in the system, play a couple of bonding games and come back to kick on and keep going forward.
Antonio himself has struggled with injuries this season but last season’s Hammer of the Year scored twice in a fundraising friendly against Dagenham and Redbridge on Wednesday, while January signing Jordan Hugill was also on target.
He will hope to continue that form into the final run-in of the season, with the Hammers’ Premier League status hanging in the balance.
