After a season in the depths of the Championship, Big Sam guided the Hammers back to the big time at the first attempt, via the play-offs.
A Season later and a great season has established West Ham as a mid-table side in the top flight.
As a West Ham fan myself, I find myself asking; where do we go from here...
Although, it was a fantastic season for the hammers, which also saw the signings of some excellent new players, most notable Mohamed Diame and Andy Carroll (on loan), it was a season that predictably inconsistent.
It was a season that saw us take all 3 points against Chelsea, and but for 2 horrendous offside decisions, would of seen us do the same against both Manchester clubs. But it was also a season that saw us lose 3-0 to both Swansea and Sunderland as well as lose to a very poor Reading. This up-and-down form continued. The Irons won convincingly at home to fellow new-boys Southampton 4-1, only to lose the following week to Wigan, who were again enduring another season fighting relegation. (Spolier alert: they went down this time)
Along with this West Ham found themselves on the losing side after taking the lead against teams such as Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton.
Despite all this, a strong, 10th place finished is what was achieved, crucially avoiding relegation...
It would be fair to suggest then then that what West Ham United need is some consistency and along with that a little bit of back-bone. Something we lacked last year was the ability to see games out. I would find myself resigned to the fact we were going to lose, despite the fact we were winning after 70 minutes. Predictably, we would go on to lose those games.
Perhaps this comes down to building a squad with a little more strength in depth. Although the likes of Matty Taylor and Gary O'Neill's efforts haven't gone unnoticed as a fan, I also find myself wincing a little when they come on. Is this the kind of player that can replace the tireless efforts of Diame or Noble and hold onto a lead against a top 6 team. Unfortunately, I don't believe it is.
Squad depth, will come with time. This is just something we have to be patient with.
Not only where we aggravatingly inconsistent, but we also lacked any real goal threat. I don't remember the last time I looked at the starting XI and thought 'Yeah, he's going to score today, next week and the week after'. Andy Carroll has done a fantastic job for West Ham, and he has won all us West Ham fans over. He is always a handful for defenders, but is he going to get you 20-25 goals a season? I don't know. Another thing I can't remember us having, is someone that with so much flair that even a touch of the ball gets the crowd standing up in anticipation, maybe it was a young Joe Cole. This is not a typical trait of a big Sam player, but you never know, Jay-Jay Okocha anyone?
So what we need is a little bit of grit, determination and pride with a pinch of goal threat and a sprinkle of excitement. Where can we find all of that?
I am by no means a huge fan of Darren Bent. But one thing you can not argue with, is that he scores goals. It is reported that Aston Villa re looking for a sum of £5m for Bent. This, in my opinion, would not be bad business. Darren is 29, and will get you 15 goals minimum if he plays regular football. One thing he doesn't do is run himself into the ground hustling defenders, winning aerial duels and tracking back. But hey, that's what big Andy is for.
Other than Darren Bent, I'd love nothing more than to see us take Romalu Lukaku on loan from London neighbours, Chelsea. The thought of Andy Carroll and Lukaku charging forward is enough give any defenders in the world nightmares. This is a frontline that is pure strength and pure power. Lukaku is a monster of a centre forward and although he is physically similar to Carroll, he is much more of poacher in front of goal. West Ham lacked a regular goal scorer last year, this is something we all saw Lukaku do week in, week out for West Brom last year. Another Chelsea striker attracting interest from West Ham, is former player, Demba Ba. With Lukaku deemed as one for the future by boss Mourinho, Ba is the striker at Stamford Bridge that will be deemed surpluss to requirements. Ba would be a great addition to the West Ham strike force and would play off Carroll superbly.
It has been reported recently that West Ham United have expressed an interest in Liverpool and England winger, Stewart Downing. Downing would not a bad signing for us, he has all the attributes of the type of player that would benefit us, with a great crossing ability in his locker. Personally I believe a better choice of player who would do a similar job for us would be James Milner. However I don't think I would be alone in thinking that I would much prefer us to chase a winger who has a better eye for goal, with more pace and a lot more flair. I would love to see us pursing either a loan or permanent move for either Manchester City outcast Scott Sinclair or Barcelona's Afellay instead.
Signing these kind of players who will provide a constant threat and will run at opposition full backs will allow us to keep the pressure on teams right until the 90th minutes, thus helping us to see out games we are winning.
I would expect big Sam to bring in a couple of loan signings and another on a free transfer at least before the season starts, with possibly another 1 or 2 here and there before the window shuts. Expect a golden oldie...
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