OPINION
James Collins’ worry that West Ham lacked characters to pull the team together has been put to bed after Felipe Anderson shared a reason why the club’s form had improved.
The former Hammers defender previously shared that he was concerned that Manuel Pellegrini’s side lacked the characters needed to help them recover after a bad start to the season.
“I worry about the characters,” admitted Collins on BBC 5 Live Sport in September.
“If it’s going really bad, who’s in that dressing room to really grab it by the scruff of the neck and pull the team together?
“You’ve got your core of your British lads, but really, if the going does get really tough, who’s actually there to bring them together?”
However since he made this comments everything appears to have clicked at the Hammers in recent weeks and three good results in the league have followed.
The Hammers have overcome Everton and Manchester United, as well as picking up a hard-earned point against Chelsea, in order to look capable of having a good campaign this season.
While Collins’ worry could still have been argued as it may have been lurking under the surface despite the turn around, Anderson’s latest remarks show that his concern isn’t one that applies to the Hammers situation.
The 5ft 8in tall winger (Source: Transfermarkt) in an interview with Globoesporte provided a reason why the club’s form had improved and heaped praise on the experienced members of the squad in the process.
“When the group closed, we talked and we knew we had a lot of quality in the cast, that we could work with the time, but we were hoping for a better start,” said Anderson.
“Sometimes it does not go the way it wants, but the experience of the elders gave tranquility to the young people to be able to work and to obtain what everyone expects.
“We have to show a good football besides the victories. We can attack a lot, even by the way the coach likes to play. Also for the big investments – myself included. We know we have to give more than the best.”
The attacker’s remarks put Collins’ worry to bed as it clear that Anderson believe the older members of the squad, also known as the strong characters, relaxed the younger players after the bad start and contribute to the Hammers’ recent revival.
Therefore there should be no question marks about whether the Hammers have the characters needed to succeed this season as it’s clear they do after the Brazilian spoke out.
