Yet another weekend of misery for Chelsea has precipitated a lot of discussion about Jose Mourinho’s future. The madness, the changes, the indiscipline and above all the defeats are surely worth a lot of column inches, but what about West Ham?
Amidst the despair at Chelsea after losing a London derby, what about the euphoria at West Ham? After all, they clinched their sixth win of the season to bring them to third in the table, only two points behind Manchester City and Arsenal. Only City have scored more goals than Slaven Bilic’s side.
That might come as a bit of a shock. We all know about West Ham’s start to the season – they’ve beaten Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and now Chelsea, so they’re clearly on form. But throughout each of those games they’ve sat back for parts. They’re a team who like to play on the counter, drawing the opposition out before hitting them on the break. And with players like Victor Moses and Dimitri Payet you’re always going to be dangerous on the break.
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But it’s still worth remembering that the Irons have scored more goals than any other team aside from a Manchester City squad replete with arguably the best forward line outside of Barcelona and Madrid. Even without Aguero and Silva, City still have the ability to unlock defences – though not United’s, it seems.
So instead of speculating on Jose Mourinho’s future, let’s speculate a little bit on West Ham’s future.
But first a little bit about the past. The club that claims, partly with tongue in cheek and partly in morbid seriousness, to have won the World Cup in 1966 has always been thought of as one of the most stylish in English football. Up until the reign of Big Sam at any rate. Like impressionable Bond Girls, lots of fans who were converted to following the Irons in the 1960s and 70s were charmed by a side that were suave and sophisticated.
But, like James Bond, West Ham were taken more seriously back then than they have been for the past 20 years or so. Until now. Third in the Premier League is not to be sniffed at, of course, but I do wonder if West Ham can dream even higher than that.
Next season the Hammers will move into a new stadium. But not just any new stadium, the Olympic Stadium. One of the most iconic stadiums in Britain, no less. It’s a place stored away in the hearts of British sports fans who, at the very mention of the name, hark back to Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Jess Ennis. Some great British sporting moments happened there, so it’s an honour just to play there.
With the new TV deal for the Premier League, club owners aren’t afraid to spend some money. But looking at West Ham, what they’ve spent it on – Payet, Moses (on loan), Jelavic – and how they’re doing in the league so far, they look to have done some of the wisest business of the summer window.
But all of this is short-term. What matters is the long-term growth of the club. And that’s where it gets really exciting.
No one expects West Ham to qualify for the Champions League this season, no one even expects them to qualify for Europe. But their progress does look familiar.
Back in 2007 when Thaksin “Frank” Shinawatra took over at Manchester City it was the precursor to something great at the club, like the act of buying a lucky dip before actually winning the lottery. There was optimism, City went on a great run at the start of the season and were still in the top four by Christmas.
But results went sour and they tailed off, before sacking Sven Goran-Eriksson, being taken over by Abu Dhabi gazillionaires and becoming arguably the strongest side in English football.
None of that would have happened, though, if it weren’t for a perfect storm.
City’s fanbase has always been big (the highest ever attendance for an English domestic club game took place at Maine Road in 1934 for an FA Cup game against Stoke) and it’s always been passionate. So when the council had to decide what to do with the stadium for the Commonwealth Games, they ended up giving it to Division 1 City. It was by no means a straightforward call – City had to demonstrate that they could fill it sufficiently and it wasn’t an easy sell for a club in the lower divisions. Some may say they never have filled it!
Then the new owners came in. But it wasn’t just a random club they picked. The Abu Dhabi United Group picked a club with a great stadium, a large fanbase, a solid history, and a Premier League platform to build upon. City are also based in a deprived part of East Manchester and the new owners set about redeveloping, building facilities – including schools – which the local area’s residents can use, even giving the building contracts to local people. There was so much for the new owners to sink their teeth into, and it was a juicy bite.
The club ethos of City, the position they were in when they were taken over, and even the socio-economic area in which the club is based is very similar to that of West Ham. The prestige of owning a Premier League football club, if you’re super rich, hasn’t changed over the years, and the idea of owning a London club with the potential for such a wonderful future is surely something that must excite a billionaire somewhere. West Ham are an already much-loved club with a history, a style and a solid place in the hearts of the local community. And from next season they’ll have the stadium.
West Ham are having the sort of revival that James Bond is having. Back on the big screen around the world, Bond is bigger than ever. West Ham may soon find themselves in the same situation. They’ve stirred interest and shaken up the Premier League.
Now if only they can charm a billionaire to back their hunt for glory…
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