Latest Opinion

Throughout the football season, KUMB Editor Graeme Howlett pens a weekly column for Echo Newspapers. Join us as we take a look back at the highs and lows of the 2014/15 season, with our eyes today firmly affixed on October 2014...

Column #7: 5 October 2014

West Ham breezed past a hugely disappointing Queens Park Rangers at the Boleyn on Sunday afternoon to record their third Premier League win of the campaign.

An own goal from Nedum Onuoha and a second from the prolific Diafra Sakho helped the Hammers ease to a comfortable 2-0 win against the league's bottom club - a victory that lifts Sam Allardyce's team into seventh spot above the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton.

Given that Big Sam is currently working without key players like Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Cheikhou Kouyate - and with West Ham having faced Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United already this season - a return of 10 points from seven games represents a very promising start to the campaign.

Key to that has been the form of striker Diafra Sakho, who has now scored in every one of his five starts for the club. The 24-year-old - who cost the Hammers just £4million back in August when signing from French Ligue 2 champions Metz - is already proving to be one of the bargains of the season.

The club's leading goalscorer in 2013/14 was Carlton Cole with a tally of seven goals. It was that lack of firepower that left the club facing an anxious final few weeks of the season before relegation was finally a mathematical impossibility.

Conversely, it is the introduction of the likes of Sakho, Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate that is largely responsible for United's change of fortune this season. The team has scored 12 goals in their opening seven fixtures; it took them until the final day of November to achieve that last season!

Disappointly, there were still pockets of 'fans' determined to spoil the day by booing substitute Kevin Nolan when he replaced Zarate with a quarter-of-an-hour left to play.

Whilst he may be showing some signs of ageing, the 32-year-old has been a good servant to the club and it's deplorable than some so-called West Ham supporters would choose to boo him (something that almost certainly relates to him being Sam Allardyce's closest ally amongst the playing staff).

However, it has always been thus at West Ham; those who can remember tell tales of even Bobby Moore being booed towards the end of his career at the club. If folk can boo arguably the greatest English footballer of all time, it's unlikely anyone will ever escape the attention of the terrace hecklers.


Column #8: 12 October 2014


Whilst the continuous international breaks we have to contend with in the Premier League these days can be rather irritating, especially if a team has built up a head of steam, it's always better to enter one having secured a victory.

And that was the case for West Ham last weekend as they enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win over newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers - a victory that took the Hammers into the top seven and just a single point behind fourth-placed Man Utd.

Make no mistake, it's been a thoroughly encouraging start to the season for Big Sam and his boys who have taken ten points from their opening seven fixtures. Importantly the new signings all appear to be bedding in nicely and Diafra Sakho, for one, has proved a sensation, scoring in each of his five Premier League starts so far.

The club's summer policy of concentrating on youth has proved largely beneficial. Players like Diego Poyet (19), Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, the aforementioned Sakho (24) and Aaron Cresswell (all 24) all have their best years ahead of them and can ensure West Ham remain a Premier League force for years to come.

Meanwhile the capture of 27-year-old Alex Song - even if it is only on loan and for the duration of one season - was an inspired move; the former Arsenal midfielder had fallen out of contention at Barcelona but appears to be revelling in playing regularly once again.

So positive are things around the Boleyn Ground currently that constant clarion calls for the instant dismissal of Sam Allardyce have mostly abated. There's even been talk of Allardyce earning a new contract upon the expiration of his current deal, which runs until next summer. That possibility would have been anathema to many, less than three months ago.

The Hammers have the opportunity to extend their decent start to the campaign when they travel to another newly-promoted team, Burnley, next Saturday. The Clarets have drawn four of their opening seven games but, crucially, are still searching for their first win.

Not so long ago that would have been a match many Hammers fans would fear; West Ham's propensity to do a club in trouble 'a favour' has often proved our downfall in the past. But things are very different now - and anything less than three points will be viewed as a disappointment.


Column #9: 19 October 2014

It's nosebleed time for everyone at West Ham following back-to-back wins that have taken Sam Allardyce and his merry band to fourth place in the Premier League.

Goals from Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Carlton Cole were enough to snare all three points at Turf Moor on Saturday against a Burnley outfit perhaps low on quality but full of energy and enthusiasm, as one would expect from a Sean Dyche team.

For former Metz forward Sakho it was a sixth goal in as many starts since arriving in England for a paltry (in football terms) £4million via the French second division, where he was top scorer last season. That's just one less than the club's highest scorer, Kevin Nolan, managed in the entire 2013/14 programme!

Sakho's partnership with Ecuador international Valencia has proven crucial to United's solid start to the campaign. Both possess pace and a keen eye for goal and between them, they are responsible for eight of the Hammers' 16 goals so far this season.

15 of those 16 efforts have come in the Premier League, which represents a vast improvement upon last term. By comparison, and as a yardstick by which to measure the team's improvement, it took until Boxing Day for West Ham to score as many in 2013/14.

The last time a West Ham side was present in the top four at this stage of the season was way back in 1998, when Harry Redknapp was still in charge of the club. And whilst there's still a long way to go, there's little doubt that the team has been totally transformed from that which struggled to shake off the spectre of relegation last time around.

Although new players such as Alex Song and Cheik Kouyate have improved the squad immeasurably since being drafted in, the old guard are still playing their part too. Mark Noble, a rare breed these days having remained with just one club throughout his career made his 200th Premier League appearance for West Ham at Burnley and will make just as many more in future.

And whilst stalwarts such as Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan might struggle to retain a first team spot this season, what great options they are to have come from the bench in the closing minutes of a game.

* Expect to see the words ‘litmus test’ used extensively by the media in the coming days. Next up for West Ham come reigning champions Manchester City.


Column #10: 26 October 2014


It's hard to believe that only three months ago we were waking up to the news that West Ham had been beaten by both Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC following a disastrous summer tour of New Zealand.

Yet fast forward to October and Sam Allardyce's happy Hammers find themselves rubbing shoulders with the nation's elite having beaten last season's league champions Manchester City 2-1 at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday courtesy of strikes from Morgan Amalfitano and Diafra Sakho, scoring his seventh goal in as many starts since moving to London.

And whilst the Hammers certainly rode their luck at times - City hit the woodwork twice and contrived to miss a couple of sitters that on any other day would have left the net bulging - there was nothing lucky about the win which took West Ham to within a point of their more illustrious opponents.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini was gracious in defeat, accepting that his team were second best for much of the game. Meanwhile Allardyce was left to fend off gushing praise from celebrity Hammer Russell Brand, who interrupted Sam's post match TV interview to plant a kiss on his cheek!

That moment encapsulated the mood around the Boleyn Ground right now. Having already beaten last season's top two - Liverpool having also left Upton Park empty-handed earlier in the campaign - confidence is high in the camp and there's a palpable air of optimism every time they step out onto the field.

Key to that is the form of Enner Valencia and strike partner Sakho, whose story is beginning to echo that of a legendary Hammer.

Back in 1986 a virtual unknown by the name of Frank McAvennie replaced the crocked Paul Goddard, going on to score 26 vital goals as West Ham achieved their highest ever top-flight finish (third place). This year Andy Carroll's long-term ankle injury meant a replacement was necessary and Sakho, like the blonde Scot before him, has taken to English football like a fish to water.

With Stoke (a), Aston Villa (h), Everton (a) and Newcastle (h) to come in November there's no reason why the Hammers can't consolidate their current lofty position in the next few weeks. And whilst hopes of a Champions League spot come next May might be a tad unrealistic, despite West Ham's sparkling current form, there's no reasons why a top six place should be considered unattainable.

* Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.

* Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the highlighted author/s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of KUMB.com.