The bizarre West Ham Premier League fixture list outcome that could hand club serious advantage

November 2nd; two days removed from Halloween, three days off Bonfire Night. It is the anniversary of Marie Antoinette’s birthday, Howard Hughes’ only flight on the Spruce Goose, and the election of former US president Jimmy Carter. It is also the first day of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign that West Ham will play a fixture outside of London. Top up the Oyster Cards, lads.

In a freakish twist of logistical serendipity, the Hammers will contest no fewer than nine consecutive Premier League matches in the capital before finally breaking their Big Smoke residency with a trip to Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 10. Prior to that, they will play Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, Ipswich Town, and Manchester United at home, as well as Crystal Palace, Fulham, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur away.

With seven out of the Premier League’s 20 clubs - a little over one third of the entire division - based in London, perhaps a local run like this is less absurd than it initially appears. That being said, for it to come at the beginning of a campaign, with the dust of a haywire summer still to settle, feels cartoonishly amplified. West Ham could find themselves enacting a scene-for-scene remake of The Warriors, fighting their way from borough to borough, the word ‘Hammers’ hand-stitched into the back of claret leather vests.

Gut instinct tells you that the whole thing could prove to be advantageous for the Irons; a nice, extended period without any major travel commitments, a period in which new manager Julen Lopetegui can properly find his footing and work alongside his squad to establish some kind of rhythm and identity.

But to fully make use of the good fortune that has been afforded to them, West Ham will need to improve in a couple of key areas. For one, their home form last season was middling at best. While the Hammers may have only lost four league matches at the London Stadium, their total of 29 points from 19 outings was only the joint-tenth best in the top flight. Too many draws on home soil cost the Irons, and Lopetegui will wish to amend that as soon as possible.

Then there is West Ham’s away form when facing other London-based Premier League sides to consider. Last term, the Hammers won just two of their clashes with local rivals, beating both Arsenal and Tottenham on the road. That double header aside, the Irons lost to Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Brentford - conceding five goals in three of those matches. Again, it is hardly a record that suggests they are in for an easy ride just because they will begin the campaign on nearby turf.

This is a summer of change at the London Stadium, however, and to that end, Lopetegui will be hoping to fare much better than his predecessor, David Moyes. On paper, the computer that churns out the Premier League fixture list on an annual basis might just have handed him and his side a hefty slice of luck; now it is up to them to make good on it.