Last season West Ham performed beyond expectation by finishing sixth in the Barclays Premier League, missing out on Champions League qualification by just ONE win. That sixth place earned Hammers a group stage qualification for the UEFA Europa League, a poisoned chalice for many 'smaller' clubs due to the play on Sunday and then on Thursday nature of the competition.
The added games for what was already a paper thin squad threatened to make finishing anywhere near sixth virtually impossible, but here we are, eight games into the League and so far the extra work load has been dealt with admirably, with the club sitting in a genuine fourth place in the league and topping their group in the Europa league.
OK the fixture list has been kind so far, but it is generally accepted that a club's proper league position is defined from matchday eight onwards. Pretty soon it will be apparent as to whether there will be a new beginning, or just another false dawn.
We feel this time is different, because it is obvious David Moyes has a massive point to prove in order to finally get his Manchester United monkey off his back! - LN
