Hammer and Nails
Being a West Ham fan must not be an easy chore.
It is a tough job, supporting any team, playing any sport. Each team goes through its tough patches, weathering out the crests and the troughs, and the journey of a fan often resembles that of an endless roller coaster. During the journey, you oft think that you would have been better off spending all of your money on the carousel, but you find that while thinking of removing the seat belt and jumping onto the safety net is surely an option, it is not something you want to do. The adrenaline and the attacks have become an addiction, of sorts.
Supporting West Ham must be quite similar, in many ways, except that the ride these fans are on have useless operators, and most people by now have white hair because of the tension that these people experience on a day to day basis.
The year is 2015. British managing world's very own umbrella man, Sam Allardyce, who has been at the helm of the Hammers for four eyes, has stepped down, having guided the team from the Championship and to 12th place position in that time span. Croat Slaven Bilic is appointed, having been, for a very brief period, linked with the Manchester City job. This is a historic season for West Ham, for this is their last season playing at Boleyn Ground. Next season they will shift bases to the London Stadium.
Bilic spends nearly £48 million on transfers, bringing in some good players, mainly Dimitri Payet, who would attain cult status amongst West Ham supporters on his way to winning the club's Player of the Year gong, while going on to be nominated for the 2016 PFA Player's Player of the Year award, before departing in acrimonious circumstances half a season later, and Manuel Lanzini, nickamed "La Joya", the jewel.
Thus began the 2015-16 season for West Ham. It was as good a start as they could have hoped, and that is where the problems began. In hindsight, it is easy to dissect and complain about how the various situations were handled. However, at that point, it wasn't easy. West Ham finished the season in 7th position, with a club record 62 points, having beaten the likes of Liverpool (twice), Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City. It was a glorious season which culminated in them qualifying for Europa League football again, due to Manchester United winning the FA Cup. With a new stadium to look forward to next season, West Ham fans could sleep tight.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
There are a lot of things David Gold and David Sullivan, West Ham owners, can be criticised for. Ambition isn't one of them. To signal the start of a new era at a new stadium, armed with the likes of Payet and Lanzini, they decided to fish for a better quality of trout. Goals, or the lack of it, was identified as an issue to be fixed, and the club decided to target Alexandre Lacazette, then of Lyon, Michy Batshuayi, then of Marseille, or Christian Benteke, then of Liverpool. They were reportedly willing to spend more than £40 million for one of these, a fee that would have eclipsed their club record transfer fee.
They were unable to sign any striker, let alone the aforementioned three.
Lacazette decided to stick with Lyon for one more season before moving to Arsenal for around £47 million, Batshuayi moved to Chelsea that same season for £33 million, while Crystal Palace snapped Benteke for an initial fee of £27 million.
The closest thing to a striker West Ham acquired was Andre Ayew, from Swansea City, for a club record £20 million. He departed after a season and a half.
West Ham began their season abysmally, losing five of their first six games. They found some semblance of form during the Christmas period, winning five of their six games, only to be a dealt with a knife in the thorax. It was announced that Payet, their star, did not want to play for the club any more, with a move to Marseille being mooted. Their "OM Champions" Project had caught his eye, and Marseille wanted him to be the flagbearer. He finally got his move, with West Ham richer by £25 million, but under more pressure than ever.
They ultimately finished 11th that season, a tumultuous season at their new stadium.
The next season began quite similarly to the previous one, with the owners trying their very best to get a big name in the club. This time it was Sporting Lisbon's (now at Real Betis) William Carvalho.
William has been the quintessential Premier League transfer rumour. A Euros winner with Portugal, every big club has been linked with him at some point, with no success. West Ham decided to have a go.
What followed was a messy transfer drama, with controversial comments being made by both parties, to the extent that the saga became more hilarious than ever. Sporting wanted his release clause of £40 million to be met, something West Ham were extremely reluctant to do. However, they did spend big. Stoke City's Marko Arnautovic arrived at the club for £20 million, while a proven goal scorer in the form of Javier Hernandez was also brought in, from Bayer Leverkusen, for £16 million. Other signings inlcuded experienced right back Pablo Zabaleta on a free, and Joe Hart, on loan.
Despite this strengthening, West Ham won only one of their opening six games. Bilic was sacked in November, with West Ham in relegation zone, and David Moyes arrived. Under Moyes, the Hammers managed to finish 13th. But this was a season which would perhaps be remembered for the pitch invasion by West Ham fans during a match against Burnley, in which missiles and throat slitting gestures were aimed towards the executive seats, were the owners sat.
Moyes departed, and West Ham appointed Chilean Manuel Pellegrini. One of the better decisions to have been made by the West Ham board, Pellegrini arrived as a Premier League winner, and with him he brought some calm into the club caught in a vicious storm. Under his guidance, West Ham also experienced one of their better transfer windows.
Felipe Anderson was the big one. The Brazilian arrived from Lazio for a club record £34 million, and he, alongside Issa Diop, the central defender who was brought in for £23 million from Toulouse, represent savvy business for West Ham, with them having poached two good young players who still have room to develop. Jack Wilshere, on a free, also attracted attention. Other players included Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko, Paraguayan centre back Fabian Balbuena, and Uruguayan midfielder Carlos Sanchez. In total, West Ham spent nearly £95 million this summer, more than Manchester United and Manchester City.
Despite losing their first four games, it was almost a question of when and not if with Pellegrini and the team that he had assembled. Playing, more often than not, a 4-4-2 with a solid defense and a well constructed attack, even though their midfield might be functional and nothing more, West Ham drew against Chelsea before trouncing Manchester United 3-1, a game which would kickstart their campaign.
According to understat, expected points puts West Ham 13th in the table, one below the position they are currently occupying. However, the lack of a defensive midfielder, and a proper midfield for that matter, would be nice. Benjamin Andre, of Rennes, at 28, is not a long term option. However, in 17 starts in Ligue 1, he averages 5.4 tackles and interceptions, a defensive monster, while also managing 2 goals and 2 assists. A more rogue option would be 20 year old Nicolas Dominguez, of Velez Sarsfield, who manages 4.8 tackles and interceptions per game, with a pass accuracy of 83%, while also managing 3 goals and a assist in 15 games.(stats courtesy: whoscored)
West Ham, after a long time, seem to have finally found the right path. Perennial entertainers, both on and off the field, West Ham's involvement in the league, if nothing else, has guaranteed entertainment. May that continue.
It is a tough job, supporting any team, playing any sport. Each team goes through its tough patches, weathering out the crests and the troughs, and the journey of a fan often resembles that of an endless roller coaster. During the journey, you oft think that you would have been better off spending all of your money on the carousel, but you find that while thinking of removing the seat belt and jumping onto the safety net is surely an option, it is not something you want to do. The adrenaline and the attacks have become an addiction, of sorts.
Supporting West Ham must be quite similar, in many ways, except that the ride these fans are on have useless operators, and most people by now have white hair because of the tension that these people experience on a day to day basis.
The year is 2015. British managing world's very own umbrella man, Sam Allardyce, who has been at the helm of the Hammers for four eyes, has stepped down, having guided the team from the Championship and to 12th place position in that time span. Croat Slaven Bilic is appointed, having been, for a very brief period, linked with the Manchester City job. This is a historic season for West Ham, for this is their last season playing at Boleyn Ground. Next season they will shift bases to the London Stadium.
Bilic spends nearly £48 million on transfers, bringing in some good players, mainly Dimitri Payet, who would attain cult status amongst West Ham supporters on his way to winning the club's Player of the Year gong, while going on to be nominated for the 2016 PFA Player's Player of the Year award, before departing in acrimonious circumstances half a season later, and Manuel Lanzini, nickamed "La Joya", the jewel.
Thus began the 2015-16 season for West Ham. It was as good a start as they could have hoped, and that is where the problems began. In hindsight, it is easy to dissect and complain about how the various situations were handled. However, at that point, it wasn't easy. West Ham finished the season in 7th position, with a club record 62 points, having beaten the likes of Liverpool (twice), Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City. It was a glorious season which culminated in them qualifying for Europa League football again, due to Manchester United winning the FA Cup. With a new stadium to look forward to next season, West Ham fans could sleep tight.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
There are a lot of things David Gold and David Sullivan, West Ham owners, can be criticised for. Ambition isn't one of them. To signal the start of a new era at a new stadium, armed with the likes of Payet and Lanzini, they decided to fish for a better quality of trout. Goals, or the lack of it, was identified as an issue to be fixed, and the club decided to target Alexandre Lacazette, then of Lyon, Michy Batshuayi, then of Marseille, or Christian Benteke, then of Liverpool. They were reportedly willing to spend more than £40 million for one of these, a fee that would have eclipsed their club record transfer fee.
They were unable to sign any striker, let alone the aforementioned three.
Lacazette decided to stick with Lyon for one more season before moving to Arsenal for around £47 million, Batshuayi moved to Chelsea that same season for £33 million, while Crystal Palace snapped Benteke for an initial fee of £27 million.
The closest thing to a striker West Ham acquired was Andre Ayew, from Swansea City, for a club record £20 million. He departed after a season and a half.
West Ham began their season abysmally, losing five of their first six games. They found some semblance of form during the Christmas period, winning five of their six games, only to be a dealt with a knife in the thorax. It was announced that Payet, their star, did not want to play for the club any more, with a move to Marseille being mooted. Their "OM Champions" Project had caught his eye, and Marseille wanted him to be the flagbearer. He finally got his move, with West Ham richer by £25 million, but under more pressure than ever.
They ultimately finished 11th that season, a tumultuous season at their new stadium.
The next season began quite similarly to the previous one, with the owners trying their very best to get a big name in the club. This time it was Sporting Lisbon's (now at Real Betis) William Carvalho.
William has been the quintessential Premier League transfer rumour. A Euros winner with Portugal, every big club has been linked with him at some point, with no success. West Ham decided to have a go.
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| Arnautovic has taken over as the talisman |
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| Manuel Pellegrini |
Moyes departed, and West Ham appointed Chilean Manuel Pellegrini. One of the better decisions to have been made by the West Ham board, Pellegrini arrived as a Premier League winner, and with him he brought some calm into the club caught in a vicious storm. Under his guidance, West Ham also experienced one of their better transfer windows.
Felipe Anderson was the big one. The Brazilian arrived from Lazio for a club record £34 million, and he, alongside Issa Diop, the central defender who was brought in for £23 million from Toulouse, represent savvy business for West Ham, with them having poached two good young players who still have room to develop. Jack Wilshere, on a free, also attracted attention. Other players included Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko, Paraguayan centre back Fabian Balbuena, and Uruguayan midfielder Carlos Sanchez. In total, West Ham spent nearly £95 million this summer, more than Manchester United and Manchester City.
Despite losing their first four games, it was almost a question of when and not if with Pellegrini and the team that he had assembled. Playing, more often than not, a 4-4-2 with a solid defense and a well constructed attack, even though their midfield might be functional and nothing more, West Ham drew against Chelsea before trouncing Manchester United 3-1, a game which would kickstart their campaign.
According to understat, expected points puts West Ham 13th in the table, one below the position they are currently occupying. However, the lack of a defensive midfielder, and a proper midfield for that matter, would be nice. Benjamin Andre, of Rennes, at 28, is not a long term option. However, in 17 starts in Ligue 1, he averages 5.4 tackles and interceptions, a defensive monster, while also managing 2 goals and 2 assists. A more rogue option would be 20 year old Nicolas Dominguez, of Velez Sarsfield, who manages 4.8 tackles and interceptions per game, with a pass accuracy of 83%, while also managing 3 goals and a assist in 15 games.(stats courtesy: whoscored)
West Ham, after a long time, seem to have finally found the right path. Perennial entertainers, both on and off the field, West Ham's involvement in the league, if nothing else, has guaranteed entertainment. May that continue.
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