West Ham’s European adventure seems to be hitting a rough patch. The Newcastle defeat was a major blow, and now they find themselves in a five-horse race for the final European spot in the Premier League.

• This is the reason I’m concerned about the Hammers’ prospects:

Crude Timetable: Despite winning the Europa League, our path is far from easy. Bayer Leverkusen are no slouches and are overwhelming favourites for the tie , and the fight for a top-seven finish presents a daunting challenge.

Points Mountain to Climb: West Ham needs at least 12 points, which translates to four wins, from their remaining eight games. That’s a tall order considering they face Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City.

Enemy breathing down our necks: We are significantly disadvantaged because every team we face has at least one game in hand.

Goal Disparity Deficit: If the two teams are level on points, Newcastle’s larger goal differential (+12) may prove to be the decisive factor. Still, there’s a ray of optimism. One can recover points by winning games against Wolves, Fulham, Palace, and Luton. But West Ham seems to be asking for too much given the difficult schedule they have left. Perhaps a deep run into Europe is a more achievable goal. But given the competition, even that seems unrealistic. Fans of West Ham, we may need to prepare for a season without playing in Europe. The prospect of an unprecedented fourth straight campaign appears to be dwindling quickly.