Alexander Pearce looks at this season’s transformation of the Hammers’ results and performances…
Whisper is quietly but there is a sense of great optimism around Upton Park of late. Last Saturday’s superb 2-1 win over champions Manchester City has the Hammers sitting in fourth place and it’s their best start to a season in 24 years.
The fans feel they are back to playing the ‘West Ham way’ by adopting an attacking and entertaining brand of football that is getting the desired results.
A change in tactics has got the best out of the likes of Stewart Downing who has been brilliant in his new role at the top of the midfield diamond.
The Hammers also had an excellent transfer window by bringing in Aaron Creswell, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Alex Song. This has added some much needed pace and skill to the squad and the performances have spoken for themselves.
Sakho in particular has grabbed the headlines; bought for just £4.7 million he has become just the second ever player to score in his first six appearances in the Premier League.
But behind him Alex Song has been just as impressive. Before Saturday’s clash against City manager Sam Allardyce described Song as West Ham’s Yaya Toure and hailed the work he has done linking up with the front men who have scored the goals. Song was at it again on Saturday by supplying a pin-point through ball down the right that opened the defence up and led to the opening goal.
After finding himself behind the likes of Xavi and Iniesta at Barcelona, Song made the decision to leave the Nou Camp. Eyebrows may have been raised when he signed a loan deal with West Ham despite bigger offers on the table, but he’s already become a fans’ favourite in East London.
West Ham co-chairman David Gold admitted the club were already looking at trying to make the loan deal permanent. On Twitter he wrote: ‘Yes it’s possible, we have to wait and see. dg’ when asked if they were looking at tying up the deal.
Other supporters have also expressed their hope they will see the Cameroon midfielder in a West Ham shirt next season.
Loyal Hammers supporter Ryan Haigh said: ‘I love the partnership between him and (Mark) Noble, they’re both leaders and great holding midfielders. I love the desire from both of them but as much as I would love to see Song with us next season I just don’t see it happening.’
Lewis Hughes and Bruce Hack were both at the match on Saturday and were full of praise for their team.
‘It was a great performance and a quality atmosphere. We’re playing really well at the moment, we didn’t give Man City time with the ball and really made them work whilst our own passing was excellent. Song was brilliant in the midfield, he won that battle all day,’ Lewis said.
‘Yeah, Song was brilliant, (James) Collins was great at the back also. But with Song he can play the through balls, and our strikers are so quick we always look dangerous. It is a big change from last year,’ Bruce added.
Quite what the future holds for West Ham is still anybody’s guess. Football has that habit of being unpredictable.