Millwall claim dropped on 'terrible' rivals West Ham - Dockers derby return may be on the horizon | OneFootball

FLW's Millwall fan pundit has his say on West Ham's current situation and whether the Dockers derby is on the cards in the near future.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

For West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo, it's been far from the ideal start for him after inheriting Graham Potter's side in the early stages of the season.

With the Hammers struggling for form and points, it's no surprise that relegation shouts have loomed over their name in recent weeks after going six games without a win in the league.

And with it being Newcastle United next on the Premier League calendar, things aren't getting any easier for them either.

With reality setting in for the Irons that they could well be making a return to the Championship for the first time since 2011/12, this could well mean a reintroduction of the Dockers derby, which has been absent for almost 14 years.

As for Millwall, their form has been quite the opposite to their bitter rivals as they currently sit third in the Championship table and on a four-game winning streak.

With the Lions very much on the up, there's a chance that the bitter rivals could meet again come the 2026/27 season, or failing that, take each other's spot in their respective divisions.

"Would be nice" - Millwall claim made on West Ham and the possibility of the Dockers derby in 2026/27

With West Ham's necks currently below water in the top flight, Millwall fans certainly won't be feeling sorry for their local rivals after having to endure times of hardship themselves over the last decade while they watched their rivals win a European trophy in 2023.

Lions fans will be feeling it's their time to get a one up on the Hammers, and this season looks to be panning out as the perfect opportunity to do just that.

However, for Football League World's Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, he saw this coming for West Ham prior to the season kicking off and would look forward to a Dockers derby day if it were to come to fruition.

Lucas said: "They're [West Ham] having a terrible season, aren't they? And I predicted them to go down at the start of the season to be honest.

"I think a few of my friends probably thought it was just me being bitter and not liking them, but their midfield particularly gave me real cause for concern at the start of the season, and it continues to now.

"They don't have legs in midfield, they don't have anyone who can break up the play properly, and they're incapable of dictating the play if they want to be a bit more possession-based.

"The managerial situation obviously didn't work out with Graham Potter. Nuno, it seems like they've said they're going to back him in January, but he needs to get some results by then. You know, you can't just lose every week until then. They're not going to give him £50m or £100m to spend to try and keep them in the league.

"It's a bit of a messy situation. I mean there's every chance of a derby next season, isn't there? Which we haven't had for a while. It would be nice.

"Obviously, we've played [Crystal] Palace a few times in the last few years now. Obviously, Charlton are back in the same league in terms of those closer London rivals, but the Charlton rivalry is so one-sided anyway, so it doesn't matter so much.

"I think it's nice to have those sorts of games. They mean more for the fans. They should mean more for the players at times. I know it's the same three points if you're in the same league but those bragging rights and everything that comes with it.

"It's entrenched within the values of the clubs in terms of these two. So, yeah, there's a real chance."

Millwall could be an outsider shout for promotion to the Premier League if injuries are kept at bay

For Millwall, they have very much been a club stuck in the same cycle of mid-table/lower-top-half finishes for a while now, having entered their ninth consecutive Championship season.

With the Lions reaching the height of eighth-place on four of those occasions, they have consistently flirted with the idea of the play-off spots, but just haven't been able to break into them.

This season looks like their best opportunity to achieve that feat, however, given the current squad Alex Neil has at his disposal combined with the fans' backing and desire to churn out results on a consistent basis.

Obviously it's early days, but if they are to continue in the same vein, then they certainly cannot be ruled out as promotion contenders.

FLW's Millwall fan pundit, Lucas, believes that the club could mount a promotion charge in the second half of the season, but a key factor will be whether they are able to keep injuries under control.

Lucas said: "Given where we are particularly with the amount of injuries we've had, if we can now keep a significant portion of the squad fit, which I know we have a few players who are out long-term again, in terms of the likes of [Josh] Coburn, Will Smallbone, obviously Lukas Jensen is not quite back yet, and [Dan] McNamara is not quite back in a matchday squad yet, he's back training.

"We've still got people out, and hopefully we can mimimise the injuries to the rest of the group while they're out, and then have a real go in the second half of the season.

"I think I've said before that we're notoriously better in the second half of the season anyway, so if we can be in and amongst it come Christmas, then I'll be more confident that we're going to make a real go of it this year.

"Things do feel slightly different. We feel like a team that actually know that we deserve to be in there at the moment, rather than a team that is lucky to be up there and punching above our weight.

"We're not talking about it like that. We've been just outside the play-offs on a good number of occasions now since we came back up to the Championship, so there's no reason for us to feel that we're impostors up there or anything like that.

"Let's just have a real go at it now, and make sure we give ourselves the best chance, and then there's every chance we could be playing in a higher league than West Ham come next season."