West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady believes the Hammers must learn to play with more grit when they take the lead in Premier League matches.
Writing in her column for the Sun, Brady was lamenting the fact that Slaven Bilic’s side have lost 22 points from leading positions this season, and she feels they need to take a leaf out of the book from old Arsenal teams:
“Winning regularly by a lone goal was the feature of the Arsenal Invincibles that rival supporters grew to hate. But it was a sign of inner confidence and all-round grittiness. Evidently, we need more of it.”
The 0-0 draw against Everton last weekend certainly showed a steelier side than we’re used to but there is a long way to go before anyone can say that the club’s season long problems in defence have been resolved. The Hammers have conceded 54 goals in 34 Premier League matches this campaign.
The experience of centre backs Winston Reid, Jose Fonte and James Collins in a three man backline has no doubt helped matters but they will be up against another stern test on Saturday when they face Stoke City at the Bet365 stadium.
