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Hammertime: Draw With United

By Barrett Rouen

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Angelo Ogbonna of West Ham United shows appreciation to the fans after the final whistle during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on November 27, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Angelo Ogbonna of West Ham United shows appreciation to the fans after the final whistle during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on November 27, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Well West Ham did it. They ground out a result against a side better than them.

That’s an important thing to be able to do in football. If you can only play well on your day against sides equal or worse than you you’ll never improve. One of the big things that this year’s West Ham side has been lacking has been character. Against United they showed character, grit and determination. So that should feel very positive.

Strikers Paradise

First things first, what a difference a striker makes. Wasn’t that wonderful? Sakho got one chance during the match and he buried it. That has been such a major issue for West Ham this year that it is impossible to quantify the difference. Too often teams simply have not had to defend against West Ham and been able to commit way more players forward because of it.

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Teams need to fear your strike force. If they don’t you’re already in a bad position. The fact that West Ham’s strike force has been so truly abysmal this season is one of the big reasons that they are currently in 16th place.

As if to make sure the match was in the spirit of the season so far Sakho seemingly injured himself during the match. By the time this goes to publishing we are still unsure as to the nature of his injury but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s for a little bit.

Big Man To Return?

The good news is Andy Carroll is training seriously again and looks to be almost ready to return to the pitch. West Ham will need him if they are going to turn this season around. Carroll though not the world’s most complete striker is a game changer. Simply with his size and ability to bring others into play it will make West Ham more dangerous in the upcoming matches.

If Carroll is fighting defences and playing in Payet, Lanzini and Antonio the season could very well change for the Hammers and they could march their way up the table to a respectable position. It will be difficult but the match aginst United proved that there is still fight left in the dog yet. West Ham need to keep this going. The result against United should build confidence and hopefully they can get some momentum behind them.

The Next Few Matches

The Christmas fixtures are as Sir Alex Ferguson used to say “where the title is really decided”. West Ham are not fighting for the title but they are for survival and this upcoming bit of time will be just as crucial for them. Hopefully they can use this momentum to build a genuine spirit in the camp. Too much of this season the team has been a disjointed group of individuals.

If West Ham are going to find anything to hold on to this year then it must be a united effort. They must band together and find something to celebrate in this season. That thing can probably start with the win against United and end with the team in a respectable position.

Next: 5 Things From West Ham v United

Everything about the draw with United is positive. Let us hope simply that the Hammers make the most of it instead of wasting the opportunity as they done so many times already this season.

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