10 things that could happen if we fail to achieve promotion

With Reading confirming their promotion to the Premier League last night and Southampton moving further clear of ourselves following our stumble at Bristol City, the prospect of another season in the Championship is very much a possibility.

Even the most pessimistic of West Ham fans will surely bus hoping for us to step up and achieve promotion via the play offs but as we know from our home form this season the players don't always perform well under pressure. I just hope that the players can deal with the pressure and use it in a positive way.

Here are 10 things that could happen if we fail to achieve promotion:-

1. Sam Allardyce leaves.
From the very beginning of his tenure, Big Sam was always aware that failure to bounce back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking may very well cost him his job. Despite joint chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan backing him whether we get promoted or not, you feel that if we do fail to go up his job would most certainly be under threat, not to mention the the incredible pressure and expectation next season.

2. Vaz Te moves on to a Premier League club.
Undortunately it's something we're used to at West Ham, signing a quality player but failing to keep hold of him when a bigger club comes along shortly after. At £500k he was an absolute bargain and in my opinion, the second best January signing in England behind the prolific Newcastle no. 9 Papisse Demba Cisse. To lose Ricardo would definitely be a blow as he's been exceptional since arriving at Upton Park and he would be a massive player for us next season in our hunt for promotion.

3. Kevin Nolan leaves.
If Allardyce was to leave in the summer, depending on where he goes I would imagine that Kevin Nolan going with him wouldn't be an impossibility. Having worked under him at 3 different clubs including our own, the two definitely have a good relationship and you have to assume that Allardyce coming here was one of the deciding factors in the midfielder moving down to East London.

4. Paulo Di Canio comes in as manager.
After such an incredible start to his managerial career being on the verge of the League Two title, the Italian is attracting a lot of attention in the Swindon dugout. The only problems may be that it could be a step too far too early in his career as far as his development as a coach is concerned and he may well want to build on his promotion team and see how far he can take them.

5. Julien Dicks is brought in as a coach.
Julien Dicks was a fan favourite to say the least in his time at Upton Park and many, if not all hammers fans would surely welcome him with open arms. He has recently begun his UEFA A coaching course so we would know that he's well qualified and one thing that's for sure is that he would be at a club he truly cares about.

6. There is a mass overhaul.
If a new manager is brought in, whoever it is, they may well do what Allardyce did when he first joined us and begin a mass overhaul of players to build his own team. We signed a lot of 'Allardyce players' (players built like a brick s**t house!) when he took over and as a result many players who were not suited to his style left - 19 in total. If a new manager was to come in I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar sort of re-building process to suit the new manager's style.

7. We go on a spending spree.
Of course we could always go in the opposite direction and spend money on players who we believe could take us to the promised land and whom would be interested in building towards the Premiership with a new team. If this happens, as well as keeping the best of our current squad I believe that we would be certain to gain promotion.

8. Pablo Barrera returns.
The Mexican has been somewhat forgotten this season and despite his failure to cement his position in our squad under recent managers, I think he is a very decent player. Under the right management and with the right role and team mates around him he could very much become a key player for us, given the chance. He's a proven player at international level, most notably scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win against USA in the CONCACAF cup final.

9. Jordan Spence gets his chance.
The young defender has spent all of this season on loan in the west country at our midweek opponents Bristol City where he spent most of his time last season minus a brief recall and spell in the first team. The youngster is highly rated at West Ham and his versatility - he can play anywhere in defence - could be a vital asset with George McCartney's future and the left back position very much undecided.

10. We simply carry on where we left off.
Obviously it is likely there will be change in the summer, but the question is, how much? We could simply stick with Big Sam, sign a couple new players, let a couple go and try to keep the spine of our current team. If we were to show the same away form as we have this season and improve our home form we would most certainly be favourites to gain promotion, especially if we started well and gained some momentum early on in the campaign. In my opinion, this is the most likely scenario for next season as Big Sam appears to have the backing of the board.

It goes without saying that I hope we do go on to win the play offs and these situations are irrelevant, however, these are some changes that I believe will all very much be a possibility if we are still a Championship club next season.

COME ON YOU IRONS!