My earliest memories of supporting West Ham, in the mid-1990s, were of famous victories or draws against the bigger clubs: the time we stopped Sir Alex from winning the title in 1995; Di Canio scoring a brace in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in 1999. That was the West Ham way: perform well for the big clubs, struggle against the minnows. It was even something Sir Alex accused us of.
Cometh this season and that mantra still holds true – slightly. Yes, this season we beat Liverpool and Manchester City at home, both impressively, but to be a pessimist – as I always am – we played both sides at the right time, before they both began to turn their seasons around. What seems to be different about this season is not necessarily results like those, but the fact that we haven’t slipped up against the teams that are struggling. Our only losses have come against Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Southampton and Everton. All are in the top six, bar the Toffees, but they have always been our bogey team.
As I wrote before, we’ve got a tough run of games coming up – Liverpool, Southampton, Spurs, Arsenal away; Manchester United and Chelsea at home. They will all be difficult, but they will be informative in determining just how good a side we are. We have shown so far this season that we have what it takes to grind out wins after playing poorly – take Hull this week, for example. We have shown how we have what it takes to not be a bottom-ten side, having not yet lost to any of them. We have shown that we don’t have to worry about relegation.
Yet what else can we show? A few months back we were being compared to Southampton, and many scoffed at the idea of either one of us being in the top four come May. That was especially true when the Saints hit a run of games against the big sides and lost quite a few. Yet where are they now? They have shown they can test the Premier League elite: 1-1 draw with Chelsea, 2-0 defeat of Arsenal and that impressive 1-0 away victory against Manchester United. They have the metal to wallop the minnows (8-0 against Sunderland) as well as the big boys.
Southampton beat United away for the first time since 1988. How about we rewrite our own history by beating Liverpool next weekend? We haven’t won at Anfield since 1964. Surely it’s time? How about even testing the Saints themselves? We were roundly beaten by them at home 3-;, how about we show that we are just as surprise a package this season as they are? We’d all love to recreate the scenes at the Boleyn when we beat Chelsea 3-1 a few years back and we’d all revel in another victory at White Hart Lane.
Arsenal showed against Manchester City that even if you are missing key players, it’s crucial to work as a team: making a side greater than the sum of its individual parts. If this team really is serious about having transitioned this season, and if the owners are honest when they say they want us to push for Europe, then these run of results gives the club a perfect opportunity to prove just that. Chelsea and Manchester United at home are good chances: neither are playing particularly well away. The four away games – against Southampton, Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool – are teams that are hitting their stride, similar to how we did in October and November.
Let’s hope this February is as good as last year.