West Ham’s recent win at the London Stadium against relegation rivals Swansea was celebrated by the fans and the players as if their side had just won the league.
Cheikhou Kouyate’s rocket right foot strike a minute before the half-time whistle sent the 57,000 strong crowd into elation as the Senegal international celebrated emphatically with those in the front seat and his team-mates. A sense of relief dawned over the east end of London.
The victory was Slaven Bilic’s side first in seven after four consecutive defeats and only their second at home since the turn of the year. It had been a dismal run of form that saw the Hammers fall deep into a relegation dog fight.
After the triumph that was last season, a year in which the Hammers finished 7th in the Premier League with a club record 63 points and again qualified for Europe, 2016/17 has been an anti-climax.
Dimitri Payet’s faux pas, which saw him leave the club in almost unimaginable circumstances in January, certainly hasn’t helped. However, it seems the club has been stuck at an impasse since the end of the last season, and have taken steps backwards rather than forwards as their faithful fans would’ve hoped.
While relegation still looms in the background, the Irons are all but safe. Six more points on the board should do the trick.
And when that time comes, it is back to the drawing board for David Gold, David Sullivan and Bilic as they look to rediscover the kind of form that saw them produce their best ever season in the top flight a mere season ago.
If that is indeed to possible, there are a number of commodities that need to be taken care of before August comes around again…
Top Priority: Recruitment
A lot can be said of the impact of Dimitri Payet’s departure during January. Without a doubt West Ham’s best player of the previous season, his exit and of course the manner of such was a huge shock to the system and would have dented the confidence of all of those around the club.
Things were not right before the Frenchman caught his one way trip back to Marseille, though.
West Ham spent an astonishing £40million in bringing new talent into the club during the summer. Of those 11 players that joined the East London club, few have prospered. Manuel Lanzini has been the pick of the bunch, continuing the impressive form he showed during his loan-spell last season. Arthur Masuaku and Edmilson Fernandes have also been fairly solid additions.
As for the rest? Nauseating. Andre Ayew has represented very little value for money as West Ham’s record signing at £20.5million. Sofiane Feghouli – a man who promised so much at previous club Valencia – has been an absentee for much of the season. Winger Gokhan Tore was out of the squad before Christmas such were his poor performances and, as for Simone Zaza, the less said about the calamitous, penalty-flunking, walking cash piñata, the better.
The situation has been the same at the club for a number of seasons now, where adept signings are few, and wasted ones are plenty – but this summer was without a doubt the worst the West Ham fans have seen.
Whoever is in charge of recruitment at the London Stadium needs to buck up their ideas and either pass on the responsibility elsewhere or start doing a more thorough job.
Medium Priority: Michail Antonio
Besides Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio has been the stand-out performer for West Ham over the past two seasons. The Englishman simply must win the Hammers’ Player of the Year award this time out. The winger/full-back/striker/jack of all trades had contributed nine goals and three assists before he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury earlier this month.
There is a reason Antonio has become such a hit with the West Ham faithful, and it is not just because of his creative celebrations. The former non-leagues footballer’s never-say-die attitude and willingness to play anywhere in order to help his team’s cause is admirable. It is not often you see a man utilised as wing-back get up the field and get on the end of a cross after having started the move himself on the edge of his own penalty area.
Sky sources suggest that talks over a new contract between the club and player have stalled, with the former Nottingham Forest star rejecting the Hammers’ first offer. With fellow Londoners Chelsea sniffing around, it is essential that the saga is sorted sooner rather than later in order to keep one of the club’s key men at their disposal.
After securing a contract for the 27-year-old: decide on a position for him. While he has proven his versatility, it is clear enough for everyone to see that Antonio is at his most effective bursting forward on the wing or playing as a striker. It would be interesting to see just what he could achieve if he didn’t spend half of the season out of position.
Low Priority: Home Fortress
Two home wins in 2017 is simply not good enough. Five for the season is abysmal.
Much was said when the Hammers moved from their beloved Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium last year, with many of the fans disapproving of the move to the 66,000 seater arena. The design, the distance to the pitch, the olympic track and even the dull, sightless walk to the stadium have all contributed to a lack of atmosphere at the new ground this season, which has undoubtedly had an impact on the club’s home form this season.
David Woods, the chief football writer at the Daily Star, described it as like ‘watching Subbuteo’.
Slaven Bilic’s side won nine in total last season, and drew a further seven in comparison to this season’s five wins and three draws – albeit there are still three home games to play.
The London Stadium hasn’t been a fortress, the place opponents feared to come as was the Boleyn Ground last season, and if West Ham are to climb the table once again next term they need to ensure they turn it into what the Boleyn was. Not just a fortress, but their home.
It needs to be a place where players love to play. A place where fans love to come. And a place where good football and a winning mentality thrives.