West Ham now a joy to watch

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce did some great work in the transfer Market last summer and it has played off with his teams good form this season

West Ham defeated Swansea 3-1 at the Boleyn Ground yesterday to move up to third place in the Premier League table.

A double from Andy Carroll and a Diafra Sakho strike were enough to cancel out Wilfried Bony’s opener and clinch three points for the Irons.

Turnaround

The turnaround in West Ham’s fortunes from last season’s dire campaign is just incredible.

For the last few seasons the Hammers had played Sam Allardyce’s usual direct style of football, which seemed to frustrate the Irons fans, especially when it did not prove that effective producing just 40 top-flight goals for the team from the East End in last season.

Irons boss Sam Allardyce was seemingly issued with the ultimatum of improve the style of play or find employment elsewhere by the Hammers owners in the summer. I have to admit I like Allardyce and his no-nonsense approach, even if his football style could at times be described as industrial.

Allardyce does not completely lack the ability to produce footballing teams, but at most of the clubs he has worked he has not had the resources to produce teams that play with a footballing swagger.

Mixed-up

West Ham this season so far has been far easier on the eye to watch. They have not all of a suddenly become a team that will pass opposition teams off the pitch, but the style of play is definitely less direct.

Yesterday’s victory was achieved by direct football, with mountain of a man Andy Carroll at the centre of everything good produced by the Hammers. West Ham does now have to flair players who can get fans off their seats and their style is now a good mix of passing and direct football.

Exciting

West Ham’s fans main gripe about their team under Sam Allardyce was not so much the style of play, but the lack of excitement in their teams play. I am sure the Hammers fans went home happy yesterday after Carroll had destroyed the Swans defence.

I think most Irons fans would accept scoring three goals a game, however those goals are scored. The three goals from the Hammers yesterday were achieved by good old-fashioned centre-forward play by Carroll.

Unplayable

There is no centre-forward like Andy Carroll in English football when he is on form. The big Geordie is simply unplayable when fully-fit and firing. His sheer physical presence can upset the best of defences and Swansea just did not have an answer to the England international.

There is no doubting his potential or his ability, but Carroll has been so unlucky with injuries throughout his career. Injuries have stalled his career and hopefully he can now stay fit and performing.

Dangerous

Another player who is just back from injury is bargain of the season contender Diafra Sakho. The Senegalese striker now has six goals in nine Premier League appearances for the Hammers since his summer arrival.

He has looked very lively and threatening to every defence he has come up against in the English top-flight so far since his summer arrival. He could forge a very profitable partnership with Carroll or even Ecuador striker Enner Valencia up front for the Hammers.

The Irons striking options are far superior to those of last season. They now have four international strikers in Carroll, Valencia, Sakho and also Argentinian forward Mauro Zarate, who has been unable to force his way into the starting line-up due to the form of the likes of Sakho and Valencia.

Depth

The good thing about West Ham at the moment is that they seem to have good alternatives and options in every position. They actually have decent cover for all the vital positions and have real quality within their squad.

Shrewd

Last summer the Hammers recruitment drive was a resounding success. The likes of Sakho, Valencia, Aaron Cresswell and Alex Song have all played a big part for the Irons this season. Their success in the transfer market shows that a club does not have to spend a fortune to improve their team.

Sam Allardyce had a reputation earlier in his career for pulling off some shrewd moves in the transfer market and he has done it again this summer with most of his summer captures proving to be good buys so far.

Outsiders

The Irons are currently outsiders to finish in top four of the Premier League at odds of 25/1. I am sure that Hammers fans are just enjoying the ride at the moment.

Even if they fail to finish in the top four or six at least the Irons fans will be happier with the brand of football on offer at the Boleyn Ground these days, because their team are superb to watch and it is a joy to watch for neutrals.

What are West Ham’s realistic expectations for this season?