A timely and welcome return for this Hammer?

Gary O’Neil has been out since April with a brutal ankle injury.  So bad was his injury, in fact, that it was thought he may never be able to play again.  West Ham fans remember the injury ordeal of Dean Ashton, whose promising career was tragically cut short after his ankle was injured by Sean Wright-Phillips during training for England.  O’Neil, it seems, has been slightly luckier and had his first match for the development squad on December 6th, playing 45 minutes.  While he is still a ways off from being close to fully fit, it has been suggested that he can be pushing for contention in the West Ham XI within the next month or so, but how much of a boost will O’Neil’s return be for the club?

For a club currently stretched thin with injuries, a return of any player from injury is, to some extent, a boost.  West Ham certainly has it’s fair share of injuries, though Henri Lansbury has made a return, so it’s not all doom and gloom.  But having O’Neil back will certainly give manager Sam Allardyce greater flexibility in the choosing of his team.  Depending on the opponent and the form of each player, he may prefer to have O’Neil on the wing versus, say, a Jack Collison.  Even if O’Neil doesn’t immediately come into contention for a start, having him on the bench will allow Big Sam to give one of our midfielders a much needed rest in the final stretch of the game.

What O’Neil also brings to the team is a wealth of experience, both in the Premier League and in the Championship.  When he was brought to the club under Grant, there were some reservations about what O’Neil could offer, but in the absence of the then-injured Jack Collison, O’Neil filled in admirably. He has decent pace, has decent technique, carries himself well, and can send in a good cross.  With Big Sam’s propensity to play 4-5-1 when the Hammers are on the road, O’Neil’s ability to get forward and offer his support could be a much needed asset for the lone striker.  If he were to develop a good understanding with Faubert one of the other fullbacks bombing forward then West Ham could start to bang in more goals, something we have struggled with these past two matches.

Whether or not O’Neil can push himself into the starting XI remains to be seen, and Big Sam will have to judge that while evaluating training performances.  We can all agree that this is great news for Gary O’Neil, as he had serious doubts as to whether he would be able to keep playing the game we all love.  However, I feel he can genuinely offer Big Sam more options, whether as a starter or a substitute, and given that his return from injury looks set to coincide with January, it looks like we have what might as well be our first winter transfer well on his way.

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