There is nothing like grinding out a win. A tough, gritty, hard fought display which just sees you over the line and into a narrow victory, is oh so satisfying for me. We all love to see free-flowing football, dynamic attacking play, and of course plenty of goals, but that is not always be possible. Sometimes winning ugly is necessary, and that has been the case with all the great teams there have been in world football.
‘Ugly’ is the word some may use to describe West Ham’s last two wins, over Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion respectively, but to me there was a certain beauty to the process. In both matches, there wasn’t an abundance of chances for the Hammers, and especially in regard to Tuesday nights showdown at the Hawthorns, once the men in claret in blue had gained the advantage in the game, they were forced to defend deep for long periods in order to see out the victory.
Indeed the second-half performance was quite reminiscent of the way in which West Ham won games last season; protecting a lead through hard defensive work from the entire team from back to front. The Irons, depleted by injuries to some of their key men looked tired as the game wore on, and were pushed back by their relegation threatened hosts, who were obviously desperate to get at least something from this match. But they still had the nerve to see the game out, and claim a precious three points.
Those two most recent results leave West Ham in 5th position in the table after 14 matches – enough time into the season to show that their excellent start to the season is no fluke, and that they have the strength to stay in the upper reaches of the table.
So far this season we have seen plenty of guile, pace and power about the Hammers in an attacking sense, spurred on by the exciting new acquisitions of Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia, Alex Song and others. But Sam Allardyce’s team have now shown that they have also retained that steely resolve which has been a feature of his tenure at the club, where plenty of heart and spirit have seen the club prosper in difficult circumstances.
This means that when top players are out injured, or playing against a determined opposition on a cold Tuesday night in Birmingham for instance, then West Ham can still triumph. For me those types of victories are just as satisfying as any other.
