Games in hand

We're West Ham United, we're second in the league! Shame Southampton had to beat Derby and go top but we do have two games in hand. Only I'm trying to think when games in hand were any use to West Ham. They were the perpetual fallback of the hopelessly optimistic during the relegation-flirting years. We clung to those games in hand like an alcoholic claiming there was still hope because he never drank before 10am. Maybe it will be different in the Championship - a win at Blackpool and we're back top. And the Tangerines' defence looked one of the worst in the division at Upton Park - though that probably means they'll be impregnable on Tuesday night.