West Ham’s owners laid it on the line for Sam Allardyce this summer. Attractive football, more goals and at least a top half finish in the table was demanded. After a season mostly of struggle last year, with the Hammers spending too much time fighting off relegation and eventually finishing in 13th place, the 2014/2015 campaign was in dire need of improvement.
However, with the introduction of no less than nine new recruits, including three strikers, aswell as former West Ham player Teddy Sheringham joining on board as an attacking coach, the Upton Park outfit have made a very promising start to the new campaign. Sitting pretty in eighth, scoring nine goals in five games in the process, Big Sam is certainly fulfilling the requirements ordered by David Gold and David Sullivan.
Well on course to achieve a top ten finish in the Premier League, the BHammers side have averaged 1.4 points per game so far, meaning they would finish the season on 53 points, a that would have put West Ham ninth last season. Goal scoring has also been impressive, scoring an average of 1.8 goals thus far, meaning if this form continues, West Ham would score 68 goals over 38 games, 28 goals more than last season.Only the top three clubs last season scored more than 68 goals.
This impressive form and goal scoring tally is being helped by West Ham’s two new strikers, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho.
When you think of a West Ham striker under the stewardship of Big Sam you would think a strong target man. However, Valencia is the complete opposite. The forward, who can also play as a winger, is quick, strong, has an incredible leap and a powerful right foot to his name. The £12m signing started his career in his homeland with Emelec, before making the switch to Mexican outfit Pachuca in January this year, where in just 17 outings he scored 12 goals. Valencia, who scored three goals in the World Cup in Brazil aswell as a goal in friendly against England, finally came to everyone’s attention in the Hammers’ recent 2-2 draw away at Hull City, scoring a 25 yard screamer that was clocked at 61.2 mph. Valencia truly has the potential to cause problems with his latest strike partner, Diafra Sakho.
Sakho, a £3.5m signing from French outfit FC Metz, on evidence is not as eccentric as Valencia, but his instinct and class in front of goal is exactly why Allardyce gambled on signing the 24-year-old. Last season in Ligue 2, Sakho produced his best season as a player; scoring 20 goals in 36 appearances, helping his side lift the title, and was voted the Ligue 2 player of the year for 2013/2014. The 6”1 forward has already carried on his form since joining the Hammers, scoring three in four games in all competitions for the club. The Senegal international was a very similar signing to flop Modibo Maiga, which worried many associated with the club. However, after the fantastic previous season in France, Sakho has entered the best league in the world full of confidence and will surely score more important goals in the future.
In West Ham’s penultimate season at Upton Park, it’s very clear that both Gold and Sullivan are planning ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium for the 2016/2017 season. Starting with player recruitment, the days of signing a ’34 year old’ forward for one season have firmly gone, and now the Hammers can look forward to the quality of both Valencia and Sakho in the future.
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