The football season is well under way and the Premier League is proving to be as exciting as it always is, for one team in particular it's been one of their best starts to a season.
Obviously I am talking about the team that I've followed through thick and thin - West Ham United. Last season, I criticised the manager Sam Allardyce on this very blog, but to be honest what he's done this season is absolutely brilliant. From inheriting a pretty awful squad when he took over in June 2011, to "just scraping promotion" according to one TV 'pundit', to being joint 6th in the Premier League is quite a fine achievement.
Almost every West Ham fan and football pundit expected West Ham to go up automatically last season, but as usual with West Ham, things are never simple. The club went to Wembley and beat Blackpool 2-1, ensuring an instant return to the Premier League.
Big Sam was a bit ambitious in the transfer market, buying Matt Jarvis from Wolves for £10 million and loaning in Andy Carroll from Liverpool. He brought in nine other players, as well as selling nine. Most of the 11 players he brought to the club have been integral to the success the team has enjoyed so far and unlike QPR's summer signings, West Ham's new signings have gelled with the existing members of the squad very well and I believe that is why West Ham have been so good in their first 8 matches.
West Ham have stormed ahead of Reading and Southampton - the 2 other teams promoted along with West Ham last season. There is one simple reason why this has happened - West Ham are a 'Premier League team' and Reading and Southampton are quite clearly not.
Things have changed dramatically for both Reading and Southampton. Reading are currently 19th in the Premier League with 3 points, without a win and lacking any sort of threat in front of goal.
Nigel Adkins' men have the opposite problem - they let in too many goals. The defence is woeful and although the Saints have scored 4 against both Manchester teams this season, they conceded 6 against them and in total they've conceded 24, which simply isn't good enough in the Premier League.
It's totally different for West Ham, they have a strong defence, which you would expect from an Allardyce team, as well as having an attack that is capable of scoring goals. Today's game at home to Southampton proved that.
Bringing back the combination of Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan was a masterstroke from Allardyce, the two players are good friends and Carroll's decision to go to Upton Park msut have been heavily influenced by Nolan. They feed off each other really well, as we saw in the 3-0 win over Fulham in September and Andy Carroll moving to West Ham permanently isn't out of the question.
The start West Ham have had has come as a surprise to many, but what isn't suprising is that Gary Lineker and co aren't making too much of a fuss about it all.
TB 2012.
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