After the sheer misery of those defeats against Brentford and Leeds, the air around West Ham felt toxic. The collective mood was dark, and the knives were starting to come out. Fast forward a week, and back-to-back victories against Newcastle and Burnley have suddenly changed the complexion of our season. My immediate, slightly sarcastic response was, “Champions League here we come,” but in all seriousness, that shift in momentum is vital. It’s typical West Ham, isn’t it? Just when you fear the worst, the lads pull a performance out of the bag.
The Forced Tactical Reshuffle
Let’s start with the Newcastle game. On the face of it, a difficult fixture, but I was quietly confident because Newcastle don’t travel particularly well, and that proved to be the case. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck to force a change, and ironically, that luck came in the form of injury. I think the injury to Oliver Scarles in the Leeds game forced the manager’s hand and initiated a tactical reshuffle. I wasn’t a fan of Nuno playing players out of their preferred positions, and it certainly wasn’t helping our results or performances.
Callum Wilson: The Crucial Focal Point
The most significant change, in my view, was having a recognised centre-forward in Callum Wilson. We only expected 60, maybe 65 minutes out of him in both games, but he gave us a crucial focal point. That presence meant the opposition centre-halves actually had to defend someone, occupying them and providing us with an out-ball. It allowed us to play forward, hold the ball, and get the rest of the team up the pitch. Seeing him bag a goal against Burnley was the icing on the cake. Even if Wilson only gives us 65 minutes going forward, he’s a proven goalscorer who needs barely a half-chance, and he’ll be using this international break to continue to build on his fitness. After beating Newcastle, getting three points against Burnley was non-negotiable. Anything less would have meant one step forward, two steps back. Going into that pair of matches, the absolute minimum we had to aim for was four points – a draw against Newcastle and a win against Burnley. To secure six is a great return and makes everything look rosy again.
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda: The Pressure That Shaped Our Season
Now, we have to talk about the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” moment. If we’d managed to sneak even a point from those dire Brentford and Leeds games, we’d be in a much better position now. But then again, if we had picked up points, would the manager have been forced to change things up for the Newcastle game? We’ll never know. The pressure from the results and maybe that forced injury change combined to shape our season, hopefully for the better.
Potts and Todibo: New Confidence in Key Areas
The most positive consequence of the change in personnel has been the introduction of Freddie Potts sitting in front of the defence. I had the privilege of watching him a few times on loan at Portsmouth last season, and what he’s doing now is exactly what he was doing then. It’s natural for him. Every side needs mobility in midfield now – that’s a minimum requirement – and Potts provides that. The majority of people were crying out for him to be in the side, and he’s grabbed his opportunity with both hands. As for the defence, seeing Todibo have a run of games alongside Kilman has been interesting. He looks more comfortable and confident now than he did in the Brentford game, where he looked nervous every time he went near the ball. We’re still vulnerable at the back though, and we’re certainly not a side that expects a clean sheet, but success breeds confidence. When you get a few results, you start doing the basics well again.
The 16-Man Game: Upcoming Gauntlet and Substitutes’ Impact
The international break comes at a good time. We return to face Bournemouth, who have just lost two on the spin. The pressure will be on them at home, and if we can go there, keep it tight, and get their fans on their back, we might just have an impact. The rest of the run-in to Christmas looks tough – Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Man United – but as I always say, we need to worry about ourselves, attack the next position, and see where we can cause some carnage. But it’s going to be a squad effort as we fight to clear ourselves from relegation trouble and we’ve seen the impact of the subs recently with Soucek bagging two goals in two games. He may be limited in other areas, but he can get you a goal when it’s tight. The manager has to be smart and utilise the five-sub rule effectively – it truly is a 16-man game now. Heading into the international break with two wins in a row is a massive psychological boost. We have more fight, more desire, and a clear idea of what’s expected of us. We need to keep up this points tally, especially against the teams around us, but for now, the two wins have given us the kick-start we desperately needed.
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