As we roll into another set of pointless international qualifies, where clubs risk losing their big name players to injury I think it is a good time to look at our start of our season.
The Irons have picked up 11 points from their opening 7 fixtures and they sit in 8th place in the Barclays Premier League table having won 3 games, drawn 2 games and lost 2 games to me that represents a pretty respectable return to the “big time”.
On the pitch the Hammers have only put in one dire performance which was in the away trip to Wales where we got ourselves in trouble and ended the game with a 3-0 defeat with howlers from James Collins and Jussi Jaaskelainen practically gifting the Swans a win. So from that put of view one bad performance out of seven is not too bad and the playing staff and management staff can tick that positive off the list.
We flew out the blocks at home with 2 back to back home wins, where at times the football on display was magnificent, Fulham at home in particular. It definitely appears to me that Sam Allardyce has got a squad together that will fight tooth and nail for West Ham and it is refreshing to see, long gone have to day where the Hammers would go 1-0 down against a top team and roll over and get hammered 3 or 4-0. Under Allardyce we look strong and determined as a unit and we have a bunch of players who know there role and they do it well. I think some of the credit for this has to go to captain Kevin Nolan, who can be criticised for going missing in games but his captaincy is one thing no one can grouch about he is one of the finest leaders we’ve had at this club and put previous captain Matthew Upson to shame. Under Sam and Kevin the squad has a strong bond and you can see that in the performances, you only have to look at when the team scores a goal nearly every player goes off to celebrate.
Off the pitch Chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan are still fighting for the Olympic stadium to help transform the Hammers into a bigger club and attract much need investment into the club. Gold tweeted that he expected a decision in the very near future regarding the tenancy of the stadium in Stratford. Now having visited the stadium for the Olympic Games I can tell you what an amazing venue it is and the surround area of it. You can also whip up quite a noise in there you only have to watch highlights of Mo Farah and David Weirs races to know that. Is it made for football though? I’m not entirely convinced. If the plans are closely stuck to and there is to be retractable seating on the track then maybe it could work, and after my nightmare journey home from Upton Park on Saturday on the tubes I must admit a move to the stadium appealed to me at 9 o clock on Saturday.
Poor Sam Allardyce is still labelled as a long ball merchant by pundits and opposition fans and occasionally West Ham fans. It irks me when opposition fans tag us as hoof ball rather than football I’ve seen nearly every game, whether it’s on the TV or live and the mixture or short and long passes are well thought out and mastered. I read an interesting piece in the Mail by Neil Ashton who said “Take a look at these statistics and see whether you can spot a trend: Real Madrid 67. West Ham 65. Barcelona 59. At first glance it is difficult to think of a single reason why Sam Allardyce’s team could possibly be mentioned in the same sentence as two of the biggest clubs in world football.” Those numbers show the number of long balls those 3 clubs have played so far this season. You don’t hear opposition fans having ago at Mourinho for his style of play do you? You’ve got to use what you’ve got in the most effective way possible to get results and when you have got Andy Carroll who can win everything in the air you’re going to punt the odd ball forward to him. It just makes sense.
Speaking of Andy Carroll what a summer window the Hammers had, it saw us smash our transfer record bringing in Matthew Jarvis for £10.75 million, the surprise arrival of Yossi Benayoun on deadline day and as mentioned above the big one Andy Carroll arriving on loan. Its suffice to say it was one of the best windows I’ve seen in my lifetime and I tip my hat to the owners and manager alike who continue to improve our side.
Jarvis has had an up and down journey since his arrival down south, he faced criticism from Big Sam early on in his West Ham career saying he was not immune from being dropped just because his West Ham’s record buy. But for me game by game he is improving he made an impact of the bench against Sunderland to help the Hammers grab a last gasp equaliser and then put in a great show against QPR where he bagged his first goal in Claret and Blue. I think he is going to be a top player for us in the future with his crossing and set piece delivery and although we may have paid over the odds for him his assist could prove that that fee could be worth every penny in the long run.
As for Carroll, you can see why managers and opposition players are worried when they see him on the team sheet he is tenacious he hassles and harries every ball and wins everything in the air. His debut against Fulham was one of the best debuts I’ve seen in my time, he caused havoc and was involved in nearly every goal before limping off injured. Against Arsenal he was one of the best players on the pitch again and he was just as good in defence as he was attack, blocking shot and heading clear danger from Arsenal set piece. I firmly believe it’s only a matter of time before we see Andy’s first goal in Claret and Blue.
Sam Allardyce has received some stick in his time, not helped by his outburst calling the Hammers faithful deluded but after this impressive start he has won the majority over. Its simple win games of football as a manager and the grumblers will go away and that is exactly what Big Sam is delivering. It may not be pretty at times but it is effective and for me he is our best manager in a long time.
In Big Sam we trust.
Come on you Irons!
Tweet me @Bowdenwhu
