Teddy Sheringham warns West Ham they cannot afford complacency

Former England and West Ham United striker Teddy Sheringham has warned his old club against complacency despite their recent surge up the Championship table.

After a sluggish start to the campaign, the Hammers have turned their fortunes around with five victories in their last six matches. 

However, Sheringham insists the Championship’s unpredictable nature means momentum can shift instantly if teams drop their guard.

“Are West Ham going to run away with the Championship now? I don’t think so,” Sheringham told Hajper.

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Consistency

“This is what happens in the Championship. You have a good month, you find yourself propelled up the table, but they stuttered at the start of the season.

“Now all of a sudden they’ve won five games out of six and are looking very good, but they could just as quickly start looking a bit dodgy again.

“Someone else will have a good month and they’ll come flying past everyone else.

“West Ham and other clubs like Swansea City just need to keep up that continuity in what they’re doing because it’s all about consistency in the Championship.

“You can have bad spells and good spells because all the teams are ultimately at the same level.

“Anyone can beat anyone else, and even if you’re in the bottom half you will pick up points from teams in the top half.

“The bottom team can beat the top team.There’s no room for complacency. 

“West Ham will have to grind out a result against QPR. If they can do that, they can be off to the races again.”

Great start

Turning his attention to standout individual performers in the second tier, Sheringham praised Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear following his explosive start to the season.

With six Championship goals already under his belt, Sheringham believes the youngster is demanding international attention.

“Goals get everyone listening and looking at you, and Will Lankshear has been unbelievable since he’s come in at Middlesbrough,” Sheringham explained.

“He’s already got six goals in the Championship, and he’s having a great start to the season.”

Given Lankshear’s clinical form, Sheringham urged England management to consider giving the young forward a chance at senior level to see how he adapts to leading the line.

“When you have a striker who can score goals like that, he’s going to be on the radar of all the big clubs and the England manager too for what he’s doing at Middlesbrough, so why not let him take the step up and get involved?” Sheringham added.

“Let’s see what it looks like when he’s leading the line for England instead of Harry Kane, because that might be what the future looks like.”

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