Where can West Ham finish this season?

This Sunday is thankfully the final day of the West Ham season. The Irons travel to Burnley and will try to finish this difficult season with a high note, and even though they can’t finish in the top half, they can still come damn close. And that alone is a bit shocking.

I know the Irons are 3 points behind 9th place West Brom and 10th place Bournemouth, but because Bournemouth play 11th place Leicester, no matter the result of that game, one of those two teams will finish in front of the Irons. They can however catch West Brom in points with a victory, but it will take a massive victory for the Irons over Burnley, and a humiliating loss for the Baggies against Swansea to do it, because West Brom are ahead by 11 goals on the tiebreaker, which is goal difference. 11th is possible if Bournemouth beat Leicester, but a top half finish is just far too improbable to happen.

West Ham could also far as low as 16th with a loss. If West Ham lose to Burnley, and Crystal Palace and Stoke either win or draw, and Watford wins, the Irons would fall to 16th place, and the miserable 2016-2017 season would have a fitting end.

But that misery does not just belong to West Ham.

Looking back on this season, the Premier League has been a massive letdown. Chelsea ran away with the title, even though Spurs gave them a decent run for their money near the end, and everyone else was disappointing. Manchester City and Arsenal, who some considered title contenders, are fighting for the final Champions League spot, and Manchester United went unbeaten for 26 games, but only moved from 6th to 6th in that span.

Yes. They were unbeaten for 26 games. They did not move in the table.

If Southampton wins their final match, they will end the season on 49 points and finish in 8th place. The last time a team finished in 8th place with less than 50 points was West Brom in the 2012-2013 season. This will be the 3rd time it’s happened since the Premier League began in 1992.

After the success of last season, West Ham supporters will surely look back on this season with disappointment. But despite that disappointment, a few more bounces go their way and a few more draws become victories, and the Irons would be sitting in 8th place. That’s not such a bad season if you ask me.

But I feel it says more about the Premier League in general than West Ham.