It’s been ages since I went to an away match. QPR if my memory serves me right. So long ago that Rangers have gone down and come back up again and Andy Carroll was actually fit enough to kick a football without needing a few months off to recover. I’ve seen plenty of matches at Upton Park since then, but for some reason, I haven’t had a road trip in a while.
So with the added attraction of Fish and Chips in a part of the world where they know how to do good Fish and Chips, it was time to hit the highway and head to Hull. Which is easier to get to, than get back. A combination of slow moving lorries on the A15 and the closure of the A1 at Newark has left me slightly bleary eyed as I write this blog.
But then what is a little sleep deprivation when I can say, and about 1500 others can claim too, that I/We were there the night that Enner Valencia arrived on the Premier League stage? What a goal! What a moment! What a player! They haven’t stopped exhausting his praises on Sky Sports News HQ all morning and I’m not surprised. It was a truly brilliant strike, the likes of which I haven’t seen from a West Ham player in a long long time. Goal of the Season? I can’t see it being beaten I really can’t.
It was a shot that took me back to Julian Dicks debut in 1988. The memory may be hazy on this one but I distinctly remember a few murmurs in the Leppings Lane End that afternoon as to just who the hell was this guy that John Lyall thought was worth £300,000? One run from the edge of his own box before rattling the crossbar from 30 yards out convinced me that here was a player I could get to like. Same with Valencia, who we know a bit more about than the younger Dicksy, but a player who grew in confidence after the goal and who, fingers crossed, can play a massive part in the rejuvenation of my team.
Because here is a team now, and I’m sorry about this but I’m about to get on the soapbox of optimism, here is a team that has the all the ingredients to be the best squad of players we’ve seen in Claret and Blue for some time. We’re not the finished article by any means but what I saw last night made me feel a damn sight better about my team than I did after leaving Upton Park on the opening day of the season.
In no particular order Valencia, Sakho, Cresswell (although that throw in was appalling) Jenkinson, Kouyate and Zarate are the right signings. To the extent that when he recovers from his injury I don’t see how Kevin Nolan forces his way into the starting eleven. To be fair I didn’t see how he forced his way into the starting eleven for long periods last season, but even though Zarate didn’t have the best night, we weren’t carrying him in the way that I think the side have carried Nolan on far too many occasions recently.
I haven’t mentioned Amalfitano as he didn’t play long enough to really assess where he fits in and I haven’t mention Song either. There was a moment just after he came on that the Hull fans starting chanting “You’ve only got one Song!” They could have been referring to Bubbles or they could have been talking about our new number 30, I’m not sure. Either way we may only have one song but do you know what, that’s all we need on both counts. Rarely have I witnessed such a calming influence in a West Ham midfield. He wanted the ball, he knew what to do with it. His awareness, his composure, his willingness to take responsibility was so so impressive.
I’m told that his arrival went down very well with the rest of the squad. Well his arrival on the pitch went down very well with me last night and as much as I can see Valencia grabbing the headlines, Alex Song is the missing piece of the puzzle for me that we desperately need. A perfect replacement for Diame, who we knew was going to score last night, although we didn’t have to hand it to him on a plate.
Like I said, we’re not the finished article but I saw last night a transition. A team that as the match went on, started to play football the way we as West Ham fans like to see the game played. I remember interviewing Sam on BBC London 94.9 when he first got the job and I admitted to him that with his reputation he wasn’t my first choice as manager. He laughed and told me that he would do his best to make sure West Ham played attractive football that the fans wanted to see. Well it’s been a long time coming Sam but finally I get the feeling we have the players to make this happen.
We’ve all been to Hell and back at times in the past couple of seasons, after a trip to Hull and back, I’m feeling a lot better about my team.