Sitting here watching Blackburn v Bolton, I’m certainly happy that we have the man in the studio at the helm rather than the Scottish Avram Grant currently guiding the sinking ship Rovers. I wanted Allardyce to save us from relegation last season, as I have no doubt he would have done. Instead, our owners chose to wait it out and then bring in Big Sam for the promotion fight. The expectation was simple –promotion and it can’t be denied we are where we need to be in terms of position, but is that enough?
Sam had a massive re-building exercise to do, having lost the likes of Parker amongst others, he also inherited a team devoid of belief, cohesion and spirit. I think this an area where Sam has excelled. Julien Faubert, Winsto Reid and James Tomkins were players with shattered confidence last season, This season, they look completely different – now, you could argue they have found their level in the Championship, I would suggest these players will be playing just as well in the Premier League next season, given the chance. And it’s not limited to those players, Noble and Cole are also clearly enjoying their football and with a player like Cole it is crucial as he is very much an arm round the shoulder type and Sam and his team are ensuring that is happening.
The style of play is clearly dividing some fans. There is talk of the ‘West Ham Way’ – well I’ve been watching the Hammers for more than three decades and the West Ham way in the past 10 years has been to get turned over by any club north of Watford, never score from set pieces and sign sicknotes who barely kick a ball. I’m very happy that the West Ham way has not reared its head yet this season and Sam is bringing in a new mentality to the club.
This may seem like a sycophantic piece to Sam, and I’m openly admitting I’m a big fan. There certainly have been forgettable moments, such as the home performances against Bristol City, Burnley and Ipswich and away to Reading, but I also believe you can cannot cure as a big a wound as our club had without some occasional lapses. What’s important is that we show signs of getting out of the old, bad habits we had, and sitting in second place with a team smiling, we are heading in the right direction...
