It’s been a funny old week.
One very poor performance against a deadly rival has spread a bit of panic amongst us.
Are we a one man team? Have our tactics been sussed out? Is it the end of the world as we know it?
The answer to all the above is no.
When we take a couple paces back and look around, the claret and blue world is actually not three bad at all.
After a smidge over a third of the way in to the season we’re sixth with 21 points.
Would we have taken that before a ball was kicked in anger at the start of the season?
Too damn right we would.
If we were to replicate the results so far in the other two thirds of the season we would end up, despite having lost 12 games, with around 60 points. That, last season, would have landed us in 6th or 7th place.
Will we take that?
Too damn right we will.
I’m feeling a bit sorry for Slaven Bilic and the team at the moment. Bilic came in to the job in a different position from the majority of recent incumbents.
He was the overwhelming choice amongst us for the job, and we have all welcomed him with open arms.
His West Ham connection and pleasant, honest personality meant he could walk down Green Street on day one of his employment knowing he was truly wanted in his job.
The same cannot be said about many of his predecessors.
Since we said goodbye to our favourite wheeler dealer, Mr Redknapp, no one has been afforded the love Slaven has received.
Glenn Roeder was in the right place at the right time to step up from reserve team coach, his name would not have featured on any of our lists of potential new managers.
Alan Pardew struggled for a long time after his arrival to convince us he was our man, again he would have been far from the top of our lists at the time of appointment.
Alan Curbishley came in with some favour due to his club connections, but the lack of a sparkling personality or track record of exciting football meant there was nothing like ‘Slavenmania’.
Gianfranco Zola, although a charming man, had the stigma of being a Chelsea man along with no proven record at the top level.
Avram Grant. Don’t. Get. Me. Started.
And Big Sam, well you all know how welcome he was.
And here we are with Slaven. Rightly given a bigger welcome than the previous six put together.
But there was always going to come a point in time when the honeymoon period came crashing to a halt. And that was last Sunday.
Have we suddenly thought he may not be the right man? Of course not.
The level of his success in the first 12 games had tickled us all under the chin and we got a bit cocksure. He should have taken those first 12 games to get himself settled in, with our expectations low to allow for him to tinker with the side until he got it working.
But what did he do? He went and got it right from game one and tore through our expectations like a wrecking ball.
If the Tottenham game had been the first of the season we’d have patted Slaven on the head and told him not to worry. It takes time to get things right.
But he had messed with our expectations. We were slightly dizzy and disorientated by some of the previous results.
But when we step back and take it all in we have to be happy.
And if you don’t believe me have a look at the bottom of the table. We are nowhere near it and our name is not Aston Villa or Newcastle United.
Keep calm everyone.
COYI