This weekend West Ham welcome Sheffield United to the London Stadium. After two successive defeats we will be hoping that we will see a return to the form that had us threatening to break into the top four a couple of games ago. Ahead of the game I spoke to Sam Parry of the Sheffield United Blog Dem Blades to discuss the season past, present and future.
Hi Sam, before we start, let’s recognise the elephant in the room: you’re not going to have a go at me for the almost forgotten act of West Ham failing to dot a couple of i’s and cross a few t’s in the signing of Carlos Tevez in the season you were relegated, are you?
It might be better that I plead the fifth on that one. Not to stop myself from having a go at you, but because the whole of that period – crappy as it was that the FA dealt with the matter with all the backbone of [insert invertebrate here] – was an era I’d rather not dwell on. Let’s focus on the here and now.
Good answer! Now that’s been dealt with, at what stage last season were you confident that you would be promoted?
Honestly, it was January. At least, January was the month where I turned my back on any superstition and confided in my partner in crime at Dem Blades (also called Sam) that ‘I have a feeling’. West Ham have recent enough experience of life outside the top-flight to know what that feeling is like. You just know. It was heart confidence over head confidence.
What’s the biggest difference that you’ve noticed in the Premier League in the years you’ve been away?
I wouldn’t have been asked ten years ago to write for a West Ham publication. Then again, I hadn’t finished my A-levels either. There’s a serious point in there somewhere; the internet’s gone flippin mad in the time we’ve been away. The predominance of online, colourless, hyperwaffle, packaged into tidy SEO bundles, is astonishing.
(If you were hoping for an answer about the football in there, here goes: it’s just as competitive, the players are slightly quicker and they tend to have more facial hair.)
You’ve certainly been through a few managers since that relegation 12 years or so ago. Tell us a bit about Chris Wilder, and how he compares to the others.
He doesn’t compare with the others, they contrast with him. I guess one thing that is worth pointing out to opposition fans is that he is nothing like Neil Warnock. One: he is a proper fan. Two: he is a proper modern manager. Three: he only knows success.
You’ve had a couple of excellent results, as well as a couple of disappointments. What have been the highlights and lowlights if the season so far?
I can’t really count many lowlights. We played better than Southampton and lost 0-1. We had a great second half against Leicester and lost 1-2. We were brilliant against Liverpool and Dean Henderson, our keeper on loan from Man United, dropped a clanger. All disappointing but not lowlights, it’s been a great season. The highlight for me, even though it seems like ages ago now, was our first game of the season where Billy Sharp scored his first top flight goal.
From what you’ve seen so far do you think Sheffield United are equipped to stay in the Premier League? In what position do you think you will finish the season?
YES. 15th.
Which players are going to have to be at their best if you are to have a successful season?
The whole of the back five are crucial really. Enda Stevens – our player of the season to date (closely run by Oliver Norwood) – is a very important cog in the wheel at left wing-back. Jack O’Connell and Chris Basham, our wide centre backs, spend a lot of time overlapping and getting themselves close to the opposition’s box, so they do a lot more running than your average player. They’re crucial to our system.
Are there any areas of your team that you still think need improving come January?
It’s hard to tell. We’ve had a lot of players since league one and the same again from last year in the championship. I’d like to see us sign some younger players, but that might be risky. If we aren’t firing on all cylinders then we’ll have to sign another stirker.
Which West Ham players, if any would you like to see pulling on the red and white shirt of Sheffield United and why?
Can I be frank? I don’t really pay attention to any other teams. I’m a cultural Blades more than I am PL fan. From the bits I’ve seen on MOTD, I like the look of Haller a lot.
Who at this early stage of the season are your picks for the top four places, in order?
From top to fourth: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester.
Who are your favourites for relegation?
18th to Bottom: Norwich, Newcastle, Watford
How will Sheffield United line up against West Ham on Saturday? Team/formation
It’ll be 3-5-2. The same back three as forever. Norwood, Fleck, Lundstram in the middle. I think Wilder will stick with the same two up top, David McGoldrick and Lys Mousset.
After beating Arsenal last week, are you confident you can follow that up with a victory on the road? Prediction for score?
I am actually, yes. At least, I wouldn’t take the draw if you offered it. If we score first, I can’t see us losing. That’s no slight on West Ham, but I’ve watched our back five make proven top-flight goalscorers Aubameyang, Mane, Salah, Firminho, Callum Wilson appear anonymous. I don’t see why that changes this weekend, but you never know. Anyway, I look forward to the game. I will be there, you might notice me, I will be the bloke tutting if a pyro goes off.
Ha ha! Well many thanks to Sam for his time and comments. You can understand his confidence, it reminds me of how I was feeling 3 weeks ago. But I think West Ham will be fitting on all cylinders for this game, and a 3 – 0 victory will return us to the top half of the table, and will make my return flight from a weeks sunshine in Croatia a more enjoyable one. COYI