The first few weeks of the season are always a bit ‘bandwagon’.
Early results can be a little deceiving, with teams up and down the division searching for full fitness and rhythm, allowing for some under the radar sides to creep up the table and generate much optimism.
Few predicted anything other than defeat for West Ham at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Sunday, but the Hammers turned in a mightily impressive performance to expose the weaknesses in the Gunners’ unit, and it’s fair to say that the 2-0 win has generated a great deal of positivity in the east end of the capital.
But was it just a flash in the pan? We at Football FanCast don’t think so, and here are FIVE reasons we’re expecting a genuinely impressive season from the Irons…
So much quality
The financial power of the Premier League is now well and truly coming to the fore.
In previous season’s only the very elite would have been able to snap up Ligue 1’s top assist-maker, but now, no disrespect to the east Londoners, West Ham are also able to compete.
The Hammers used their Europa League qualification – albeit the qualifiers ended their tournament before it truly began – to lure in some proven quality, with Dimitri Payet certainly the standout signing. A champions League runner-up in the shape of Angelo Ogbonna has also been snapped up, while Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria had long been talked about as one of Serie A’s top emerging talents.
Beyond the additions West Ham have Mauro Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Aaron Cresswell and Diafra Sakho in their ranks, too. With such quality, there’s no reason that Europa League qualification, and maybe even a top four push, is out of reach.
The Slaven Bilic effect
The atmosphere at Upton Park has been a little toxic over the course of the past few years. Even when results were positive, Sam Allardyce was by no means a popular figure, with his direct brand of football and mannerisms irking many of the Hammers’ faithful.
Irons fans were ridiculed by some for wanting more, with the ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ line being wheeled out, but in Bilic they have a manager more in tune with what the supporters crave.
A cult hero in East London during his playing days, Bilic wears his heart on his sleeve – as his Europa League qualification antics displayed – and this sort of emotion and passion, although cliché, has re-forged a relationship between the touchline and the stands. As well as that, he’s a tactically switched on coach, as shown at the Emirates Stadium, who seems to have a real ‘buy-in’ from his current squad.
Emotion
Emotion in football cannot be discounted. Although those who follow the stats will boil it all down to numbers and odds, occasionally just getting carried away can be enough to help exceeding expectations – just look at Liverpool’s ‘we’re gonna win the league’ antics in 2013/14.
With West Ham now in their last season at Upton Park, donning a retro home kit, with a club hero in charge, there’s a real sense of nostalgia surrounding matters, and with the crowd firmly behind the team, which is full of quality, who knows what’s possible.
Depth
As well as the aforementioned quality of the XI, West Ham have plenty of depth. Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia are both injured, but when they return they’ll give Bilic another two quality options up front, while in defence James Collins was on the bench at Arsenal and Carl Jenkinson will provide another right-back option when available to play.
16-year-old Reece Oxford’s emergence as a capable first-team defensive midfielder is also encouraging, and could allow Bilic to go with a 4-4-2 diamond regularly after an extremely promising debut.
Free of the European burden
Yes the Europa League qualification exit at the hands of Astra Giurgui was embarrassing for the Londoners, but the burden of Thursday night football and a potentially very tricky group has been dodged.
There’s a definite correlation between dips in domestic results and playing Europe’s second club competition, so the removal of a host of Thursday night fixtures is a positive from a glass half-full perspective.
Supporters of the club would have wanted continental football in their last season at Upton Park, but, in truth, West Ham may be better off without it.
