I can't help but feel that West Ham are trying to fulfill a self-perpetrating prophecy here. A few weeks back, with less matches played than their rivals and only two home games, one against local rivals who've got a bit of a sign on us currently and Liverpool, who we've not beaten since referees last wore top hats, we find ourselves in the lower reaches of the division. "Woe is us - it's relegation" scream the knee-jerkers and, all of a sudden, we start playing like a relegation haunted team; Confidence drains away and top players - not the ones usually open to fans criticism - suddenly start looking second rate. Saturday's game was a case in point.

It was 1-1 after an early penalty was converted by James Beattie for a quite appalling - appalling as in clumsy not malicious - tackle by Julien Faubert (Zola pleast note: This man is not a full-back) on former Iron Matthew Etherington and West Ham had struck back with an unmarked header by Matthew Upson from a Mark Noble corner. It was the second half and the Hammers were applying all the pressure and looking the most likely when Fuller, again, skinned the man many are saying should be England's first choice cente-half and centred for Beattie to again outwit Faubert - or perhaps outmuscle might be a better description - to put Stoke 2-1 up.

This after England's possible Word Cup keeper Robert Green, had managed to kick a ball only five yards and barely in front of Beattie again, in the first half. OK late on, Robert Huth should have been sent off for a deliberate and nasty elbow to Upson but, chasing the game, the Hammers looked panicky and short of ideas and Stoke could well have gone further ahead when Etherington again had a good chance after 76 minutes.

A terrible irony here as, sitting in the Correspondent office in Blagg Acres (?!) , I can see the 2009 West Ham calendar on which October's man - one Matthew Etherington - skips across the grass wearing claret and blue. Of course, the knee-jerkers will say 'we should never have sold him; he gave us width we now don't have' (they are probably right) but these were the same people who last season wanted him out as he wasn't 'consistent enough'. It's a strange world.

My over-riding feeling is that it is still too early to start waving hands in the air. There are signs that the rythym in play is still there and even Tony Pullis said after the game that he expects West Ham to pull away with 'the players they have' so we just have to keep believing and working on things that matter. However, if there is a free agent full back we can pick up then it would help and, if Franco can play for Mexico surely he should be turning out for West Ham now?

It looks bad currently but a few wins can turn it round and there is no reason to see why we can't get them against the better sides as those who we expect to be battling in Premier Division 2.