The five West Ham players set to make a huge impact this season
Our last season at Upton Park is going to be a massive year for all concerned.
The club, the staff, the fans, and of course, the players.
Having made a fairly decent start to the new season and completed some impressive deadline day deals to cap off a productive summer in the transfer window, there are a number of player we should expect to have a huge impact at the Boleyn Ground this season.
If these lot are on form then we should be in line for a pretty good farewell season before moving home.
So here my five selections of West Ham players who will be making a huge impact on West Ham United this year…
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Winston Reid
Often found out of position and was constantly half a yard slower than everyone else, his confidence was low and his performances were well below what was expected of him.
But the fans stuck by him. He knuckled down, worked hard and soon became one of the top centre backs in the Premier league.
He soon entered West Ham folklore with a late winner against arch rivals Millwall in February 2012.
A few other clubs were taking note of Winston’s great form, most notably Liverpool. This may have turned his head a bit and he subsequently took his eye off the ball at West Ham, so to speak.
But he showed his loyalty, a rare trait in footballers nowadays, by signing a new six-and-a-half-year deal with the club in March of 2015.
At 27-years-of-age, when he’s fit and in form, he is likely to be one of the first names on the manager’s team sheet, week in week out.
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Michail Antonio
A few clubs were keeping tabs on him but it was West Ham who snapped him up on transfer deadline day.
As a West Ham fan, he was more than happy to come to the club.
Having scored 16 goals in his brief spell at Nottingham Forrest, the club and the manager saw enough potential in him to splash enough cash in order to bring him to the club.
Having rarely been booked and never been sent off, he looks a perfect choice to excite the West Ham fans. And at 25-years-of-age, he should have his best playing years, at our club.
There have been many players from the Championship who have made the step up to the Premier League and failed to live up to expectations.
Can Michail Antonio make the step up? From the clips I have seen of him in action, I believe he can. He’s quick, he’s nimble, can turn on a sixpence and has a fierce shot on him.
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Mauro Zarate
After a decent first few games, he quickly fell out of favour under Big Sam when it became obvious he didn’t fit into Sam’s hoof ball style of play.
Zarate is the type of player who likes to run at the defence or feed off loose balls in and around the box but under Big Sam, it was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
He was subsequently loaned out to QPR where he played only four times.
Now back at West Ham, he has had a fantastic start to the new season, culminating in a great goal in the first game of the season away at the Emirates.
He puts himself about and makes it hard for defenders to defend against him.
At 28-years-of-age, he should be at his peak now and we should have him for his best years.
A fresh start under Slaven Bilic could be just what he needs to kick on and have a huge impact on our 2015/16 season.
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Andy Carroll
The hefty price tag that took him from Newcastle to Liverpool seemed to affect him more than he would like to admit. But since joining West Ham for £15m from Liverpool, he has looked, when fit, a class striker.
When he plays, anybody who knows anything about football can see that he puts a shift in. When defending, he’s back making his presence felt and putting himself about, making a nuisance of himself.
When attacking, he is everywhere. Making intelligent runs in to the box or hassling goalkeepers and defenders trying to make half a yard to get his head on the ball or to get a shot away.
But far too often for himself, the club, and the fans, he’s spread out on the treatment table, rather than out on the pitch where he’s needed most.
Since doing his medial ligaments in his knee in February, he hasn’t kicked a ball in anger. He could make his comeback against his former club Newcastle in mid September.
He was a regular in the redtop newspapers falling out of night clubs with his mates with a different girl on his arm, but since he has settled down and become a father, he seems to have calmed down a lot and got his priorities in order.
People seem to forget he is still only 26 as he seems to have been about for years. So if he can stay clear of injuries, keep his head down, graft for the team, I think he can be a great influence on the rest of the players and have a positive input at the club and have a great year.
I hope I’m right.
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Mark Noble
A West Ham boy through and through, he would bleed claret and blue if you were to cut him. The tears he shed during the great escape year were as genuine as you would ever see. His passion and love for the club is there for all to see.
Since the departure of Kevin Nolan, he has been relishing having the captain’s armband on merit, and not only when Nolan isn’t playing. Stepping out from Kevin Nolans shadow has done him the world of good and the proof has been in his performances so far this season.
His goal against Liverpool was superb. The way he opened his body up to slot the ball in the bottom corner was simply pure class. The red card he received was a joke but has since been rescinded, and rightly so.
At 28-years-of-age, he has a few good years left in him yet. How he is constantly overlooked for an England place is one of life’s great mysteries.
One would think if he was playing for a top four or more ‘fashionable’ club, he would have a decent amount of England caps already. But all he can do is keep putting in performances and maybe he will get a well deserved call up.
But one thing is for sure, this season is his season to shine and I think he has the ability and skill to have a superb season for West Ham United.
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