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Just over halfway through the season, sixth in the table and unbeaten in eight matches, it all looks good for West Ham as they go to Bournemouth tonight.
Rewind 12 months and there was a similar air of optimism at Upton Park, with Sam Allardyce’s West Ham on 33 points, one more than this term.
But it was at this point last season that the wheels fell off. In the remaining 18 matches, Allardyce’s team managed just three more wins to finish 12th.
So, the question to West Ham captain Mark Noble is why shouldn’t the same thing happen this time?
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“One of the main factors last year was that the manager and his staff’s contracts were up at the end of last season, as was also the case with some of the players,” said Noble. “There were a lot of rumours that Sam wasn’t going to be given another contract.
“We obviously knew we were safe as well and if I’m honest, we took our foot off the gas. Also, with the games we had played and the effort we had put in to reach that position last season, I don’t think our squad was strong enough to maintain that momentum.
“It was an accumulation of all those things which resulted in us having a poor second half of the season. The main aim had been to have a solid Premier League season and we knew by Christmas we had virtually done that.
“This season is different. First of all we have a bigger and better squad. There is also a different feeling around the club and especially with the fans. I was the first one to say, when I knew Sam wasn’t staying, that what he did for this club was phenomenal.
“We had been relegated when Sam arrived and we know from previous experience that if you don’t get back into the Premier League straight away, it becomes a massive ask.
“Now, with the impending move to the new stadium and the players we’re signing, I think that worry has receded.”
Can Slaven Bilic, the man who replaced Allardyce, maintain that feel-good atmosphere at West Ham? “I’m pretty sure, if you said to our chairmen, that we would be sixth with 32 points, they would have been on their hands and knees celebrating,” says Noble, the club’s longest-serving player, who has a testimonial on March 28.
“I said to the gaffer the hardest games will be against teams from the bottom half of the table. Bournemouth, for example, came to our place earlier in August and surprised us. We gave away some silly goals and lost 4-3.
“We’re eight unbeaten now though and we’ve played some top teams during that run so we go into the game with a lot of confidence.”
Dimitri Payet, fit again following his ankle injury, is expected to start tonight, as is Michail Antonio.
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