The Great Escape 2.0? Can Nuno Espírito Santo channel the spirit of 2007?

West Ham United’s ‘Great Escape’ in the 2006-07 Premier League season was one the most dramatic survival stories in English football history. This followed a season that saw us finish 9th and reach the FA Cup Final, narrowly losing to Liverpool—a result that still haunts every fan.

Expectations were high for 2006-07, especially after the jaw-dropping signings of two young Argentinians: Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Everyone looked at these signings with pure disbelief.

As I write this, West Ham are currently struggling and languishing down the bottom of the Premier League – 19th in the league, four defeats out of five games, three points gained and a -eight goal difference.

Managerial Turmoil and the Potter Exit

We have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup… Graham Potter’s final game in charge was a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace… Potter was sent to answer questions at the Friday press conference only to be sacked the following day, with Nuno Espirito Santo being appointed as the manager.

There are of course some parallels between these seasons. Ultimately the team is struggling and at the moment, it looks like we lack any leaders to potentially pull us out of this, albeit we are only five games into the season.

2007: The Curbishley Intervention

Back date to the 2006-07 season, the Icelandic Consortium… had taken over the ownership of the club and Alan Pardew was sacked after a disappointing start to the season. Maybe the players and staff were complacent after the success of the previous season.

Alan Curbishley was appointed in December 2006. Curbs seemed like the safe choice to save West Ham from relegation. He did but it wasn’t plain sailing. West Ham had started well with a 1-0 home win over Manchester United… However, we continued to struggle, including a 6-0 away defeat in the rain, on New Years Day, at The Madejski Stadium to Reading. I was there standing in the away end thinking: “This is it…”

The Crucial Shift: Tevez, Leaders, and the Spurs Defeat

However, January did bring some hope with some well-established, experienced players signing for the club: Lucas Neill, Matthew Upson, Luis Boa Morte… On paper, we had some leaders here and therefore optimism grew. Unfortunately, by March 2007, West Ham were bottom of the Premier League with just 20 points from 29 games and we looked doomed.

Nevertheless, there was one game in March that somehow appeared to galvanise the team. A 4-3 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. Carlos Tevez had scored his first goal for the club, jumping into the crowd celebrating – a fine free-kick. A young Mark Noble (who would be in tears at the end of the game) also scored… Yes, a defeat but it seemed to shift the mentality of the players. In addition, welcome Carlos Tevez. What followed was truly incredible.

The Miraculous Run to Survival

Under Alan Curbishley, the team pulled off a miraculous recovery. They won seven of their last nine League games. This included a 1-0 win over Arsenal in April, with Bobby Zamora scoring the winner… The first team to win at The Emirates.

The roller-coaster of a season continued however with a 3-0 away defeat to Sheffield United (relegation rivals) and a 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea. In late April, our fortunes shifted, with a 3-0 win away at Wigan Athletic… The Friday before the game, news spread that the club had avoided a points deduction but were fined £5.5 million. A brilliant win over our relegation rivals was hugely significant.

Then on the final day, Carlos Tevez scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Manchester United, in the rain at Old Trafford and West Ham had performed ‘The Great Escape’ which will forever be etched in the club’s history.

Hope in Nuno: Finding the New Tevez

The 2006-07 season was a roller-coaster. Unfortunately, the two managers that have come in haven’t been able to build on some of the foundations laid down. However, the issue I have is that any good foundations laid tend to be ripped up by the current owners and we do not appear to have a clear direction.

Nuno Espirito Santo comes in, at a time where there is unrest at the football club, protests against the board are once again happening. It is his job to find leaders in that dressing room and concentrate on getting results for West Ham United Football Club. The players have to step up, like players eventually did in 2007. Let’s just hope we never have to write about a relegation or even another ‘Great Escape’. In Nuno, we have to now trust.