SITTING in nineteenth position – even with three quarters of the season’s fixtures ahead- is not a comfortable place to be for West Ham fans, nor the players or the coach. The worrying trend of ‘losing’ is a habit that is difficult to break and the hammers don’t have a home win since February. However on Sunday they take on a Newcastle side that has had its own problems on the road this season.

It isn’t just about the much-trumpeted ‘hard work’ which every player and coach trots out as if it is something new. Graham Potter might not have been perfect (!) but by appointing a sports psychologist in the summer he recognised that West Ham’s frailties were in the mind as much as the physique.

The recent Mateus Fernandes interview on whufc.com shows that whilst the midfielder may be one of West Ham’s newest, youngest recruits – he’s still just twenty one years old – he’s clued up on the whole mental resilience issue and is only too aware of the pitfalls of negativity or fear around sitting in the bottom three just yet –  having just gone through a torrid relegation season with Southampton.

Relegation veteran...