Forum | Non-Football Related

David Moyes has transformed West Ham in just under two years, from relegated threatened battlers to a team with genuine top six aspirations and with an eye on the top four! Chasing success on FOUR different fronts requires a lot of careful man management, a feat that Moyes is coping with rather well at the moment.

As a consequence of now being referenced as 'high flying hammers', the pressure is on to maintain the club's upward trajectory, part of the pressure is to select teams that are capable of (a) getting a result, but also (b) of providing entertaining football for the club's burgeoning fan base both domestically and globally.

Having seen imperious displays by Alphonse Areola and Issa Diop playing for Hammers B team, or the Manchester United away team as it is now more commonly known, there has been a clamour for both of these superb players to be included in Moyes starting line up to play Villa this Sunday afternoon.

We are talking about a totally new and unique situation for long suffering Hammers fans, one in which they suddenly have a thoroughly decent first team as well as an incredibly competent B team and even a good C team! Of course with having so many good players at his disposal David Moyes needs to tread carefully, but this group he has assembled ARE NOT prima-donnas, they are a team.

With all that said, expect few if ANY changes to last Sunday's starting line up in the victory over Tottingham, perhaps Vlad the Impaler will replace Ben Johnson? Although Johnson has performed magnificently while deputising for the Czech International who was, 'taken out' during one of Hammers rare defeats this term.

It should be remembered that the club travel to play Genk in Belgium of Thursday for their EUEFA Europa League Cup game ahead of a 'mighty clash' against Liverpool at the weekend. - Ed

With things going so swimmingly for West Ham at the moment, there will surely be many Hammers fans revelling in their team's success while gloating at their London rivals lack of it. News of impending large scale investment has not gone down well with fans at Tottingham and at Arsenal to a lesser extent.

The one element that had always been in the North London clubs favour has been Hammers lack of resources, whenever the 'Noisy neighbours from the East End stuck their heads above the parapet, they were quickly knocked back down by the spending power of their competitors.

Despite this chronic lack of funding, The Moyesiah has somehow managed to get the Irons constantly punching way above their weight, last season's top six finish is now looking less like a fluke and more like a planned development. High profile victories in the 'useless' Cup have given Hammers a new global profile that the club previously lacked.

Topping their group in the UEFA Europa Cup as well as currently sitting a genuine fourth in the Premier League, West Ham are a club on an upward trajectory following a relentless transition process overseen by David Moyes. Bit by bit the deadwood has been cut out and replaced by a younger more invigorated group of players who have NO fear, an essential element for any team with topflight aspirations.

However before gloating too much, be mindful of the fact that Tottingham were in the Champions League final as recently as 2019, which has probably shown just how far their fall from grace has been! Kretinsky's investment and possible long term involvement eventually leading to a full take over, has been met enthusiastically by fans, but there is always the potential for pitfalls in any new situation.

As a rule, Premier League clubs DON'T make much money, least ways if they want to keep up with the all the others, at best they are a tax write off vanity project for incredibly wealthy owners, nothing more than a play thing. So Kretinsky's motives might be viewed as questionable, how does he intend making the club profitable is a principal line of enquiry. In the short term that is absolutely impossible, however with judicious investment and attention to growing the club as a global brand, it would eventually be achievable.

Until the details of any deal are legitimately available, we would suggest you hold your horses with the Schadenfreude, after all look how undignified and unmagnanimous Tottinham fans have been to West Ham over the years. Be careful, Schadenfreude can have a habit of biting you on your Asp!-Ed