Played 15: Won 6. Drawn 5. Lost 4.

December 8th 2015, points gained? 23.

Now where do we start? Positives? Negatives? Well, let's look at the fixture list and remember how it looked on 17th June 2015. Remember the sinking feeling as a West Ham fan when all eager in anticipation for the new season, a new start, a new manager, new optimism... All to be greeted with the first three away games of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Personally, on the morning of the fixtures release for the 2015/16 season, I can't be alone in looking at the newly released list and wondering how many points we would be able to accumulate from the home games, the 'easy' games.

How wrong. How very wrong. The Europa League saw us disappear in a puff of smoke as if by magic. It was so quick and left us all in a slight daze, we all had the same questions. The main one... Why? Great question at the time. Although, looking back now I think the way we allowed ourselves to leave the competition was a smart piece of tactical play by our new 'fan's choice' manager, Slaven Bilic. 

Image sourced from The Telegraph

The Europa League Qualifying rounds are hardly worth mentioning anymore, but they did give the squad a solid pre-season. The squad had a great chance to prove who was worthy & who, pretty much, didn't stand a chance. Players used in the pre-season such as Joey O'Brien and Elliott Lee have seen minimal first team action at all this season due to the high calibre of personnel available to Bilic. It's hard to see if Lee will ever crack the first team, he has also recently joined Blackpool on loan, again playing in League Two (the division he failed to make an impact upon last season) and O'Brien is simply an Allardyce last resort in dire times of need (thankfully, not experienced yet in this season). Reece Burke left to gain some valuable first team experience with League One side Bradford City and Diego Poyet attracted the attention of Championship Side, Milton Keynes Dons. The 'dead wood' was also removed between the final day of the 14/15 season and the end of the transfer window; Carlton Cole, Kevin Nolan, Modibo Maiga, Guy Demel and Matthew Jarvis (on loan to Norwich City, but at least he can't keep moaning about lack of chances). Matthew Jarvis is an exceptional case, but I will cover that soon. 

Into the squad came; Angelo Ogbonna, Stephen Hendrie (finally), Pedro Obiang, Victor Moses, Manuel Lanzini and of course, the marquee signing of the summer, Mr Dimitri Payet. Some very smart business conducted by Davids Gold & Sullivan, Slaven Bilic and the rest of the backroom staff who made the transfers possible. Alex Song & Carl Jenkinson also arrived back at the club where they spent the 14/15 season on loan. Carl Jenkinson is another curious case which will be covered another day, but how can a player look so impressive in one season and then look the complete opposite the next? Again, a discussion to be had another time.

So, August 8th 2015, Saturday has finally arrived and football, is back. Of course West Ham fans are still kept waiting for the inevitable first day humiliation away at the Emirates Stadium due to Sky Sports fixture interference. Arsenal have only brought in one player thus far, but what a player to bring in, Petr Cech, the Chelsea 'keeper made the trip across London and had given Arsenal fans hope of 'the extra 12 points a season' he would 'guarantee'. They were also still hoping for the one huge piece of business from Arsene Wenger, a striker (they're still waiting).

The opening day results didn't throw out too many shocks or surprises; Manchester United and City both won, Sunderland are still useless, Liverpool won and Swansea are still proving difficult to beat by holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw.

Fast forward to the 9th August, match day has arrived for the loyal Claret and Blue Army. Turning up in the thousands that is now an expected scene at away games for West Ham, the sea of away supporters entered the turnstiles, not expecting a win, but hoping the lads could come away with a 'sneaky' 0-0 or 1-1 draw. Far from it, lads, far from it. A 2-0 win and we're in dreamland after the first weekend. Home defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester were a tough pill to swallow, and then we come to our game at Anfield. The usual "50-odd years" comments about how long it has been since we won a game there. 1963 to be exact, 52 years. And what a day for the away side once again, West Ham were underway within just 5 minutes, Manuel Lanzini pressing the defender into a mistake, not giving up on the cause (I find it hard to believe that a team playing under Sam Allardyce & fielding players such as Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole would've given that much commitment) scored on the 3 minute mark to set the boys on their way to a well deserved 3-0 away win to wipe the slate clean at Anfield. Lets hope we don't have to wait that long for the next one now they're playing so much better under Jurgen Klopp!

Image sourced from The Daily Star

Winning ways were fully resumed at Upton Park for the next game, a hopeless Newcastle side held us to only 2-0, but what a night under the lights. Attacking, end to end football, the best chances falling to, and being taken, by West Ham. It's as if Dimitri Payet's excellence and class was made to be exhibited on nights like this, using the floodlights as his own personal spotlight to showcase exactly what an incredible player he is.

Next? Manchester City. Now, Manchester City are a club with incredible supporters, yes they have gained the extra 'fans' due to the increasing success of the club, but prior to the money, they were very much a club like our own. The fans wouldn't ever have much to enjoy, though they still continued to offer their fantastic support to the team, home and away. West Ham hadn't ever beaten City at the Etihad in the Premier League, we all remember that special night in the FA Cup when Dean Ashton scored 'that goal' to send us to the semi-final! But still no win in the Premier League and only a little under 2 years since the horrific 6-0 League Cup 'surrender', there we were again, a new West Ham. Lining up in this season's all-navy third kit, they newly crowned 'away day specialists' did us proud once again, taking the lead away from home yet again, a stunning Victor Moses drive from over 20 yards out, beat Joe Hart and found the bottom right-hand corner. Diafra Sakho scored once again to secure the three points and ensure that Kevin De Bruyne's strike counted for nothing, West Ham had done it away from home once again, 2-1 and sitting pretty in the Premier League table.

In the following weeks, we struggled to maintain the winning form that we'd started to become accustomed to and couldn't beat Norwich at home, nor Sunderland away, both games ending 2-2 and quite frustratingly so. At least we have what we asked for; 'The West Ham way' is up and running once again! Beating the teams dominating in the league and then struggling to beat the teams around or below us in the table.

Crystal Palace away and Chelsea at home were much more like the team we had started to see in the beginning of the season. A magnificent display from Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini at Palace & the whole team's committed performance at home to Chelsea made up for the two dithering draws.

Image sourced from squawka.com

Watford away? Let's forget that one. Andy Carroll, please don't EVER attempt a Cruyff turn in your own 18 yard box again! Everton at the Boleyn next. Lukaku again. How will we ever stop this man from scoring against us? Seven goals in his last seven games and he doesn't look like stopping! Never mind, we didn't lose, which I was expecting and Lanzini's goal was possibly the best of the season so far. Tottenham away is also another day worth forgetting. What a miserable birthday I had this year! But again, Lanzini is still at it, another goal, very well taken at that, but unfortunately counted for nothing other than his own record.

November coming to an end and we face West Brom at Upton Park. Arriving at the ground remembering the shambolic performance we gave in the FA Cup at the Hawthorns last season under Allardyce, what a horrible day that was. But we're a different team now, I thought. We've got a better manager now, I thought. Well, the first half was brilliantly crafted football, slick passing, ambitious attempts at goal and only one goal to shout about at the break. But what a goal it was! "Upper 90's" is the phrase I've heard before now and that's exactly where Mauro Zaraté curled this free kick, opposite side to Lanzini's wonderfully placed effort against Everton, but equally out of any goalkeeper's reach, even the best goalkeeper in the world would've struggled to stop either goal from hitting the back of the net! But, as the 'West Ham way' has well and truly returned to grace us in the final season at the Boleyn, the boys made it difficult for themselves in the second half. Of course a team managed by Tony Pulis were never going to be planning calmly in the dressing room at half time over a cuppa! Their first half performance was well below par, so the second half was bound to be all West Brom. As predicted, they piled on the pressure & Ricky Lambert's shot was turned in very unfortunately by Winston Reid's arm it seemed. But again, at least we didn't lose, and we have stopped the rot for the second time in the same month, but still no win.

Image sourced from the BBC

Manchester United away was on the agenda last weekend. West Ham were aiming to become the first side in the Premier League to beat Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United away all in the same season. Man Utd haven't been looking like the team they should be, Van Gaal has boarded up the home goal, but they also aren't scoring and 'superstar' Wayne Rooney hasn't looked the player who was supposedly being looked at by Europe's top teams not so long ago. Lots of great chances fell to both sides who, on another day, would've put them all away and the game would've ended at any scoreline. As lady luck would have it, we were fortunate enough that the home side couldn't hit a barn door. Lucky really as our strikers were looking like they had the same sort of luck!

We face Stoke at home on Saturday. Not a team we would like to be facing with our injury list now boasting; Payet, Lanzini, Moses & Sakho. Three players who would be in the starting line-up immediately if they were fit. Stoke also made Manchester City look stupid in the early kick off last weekend, so if they fancy turning on the style again, be prepared to see a very 'Allardyce-looking' West Ham. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm quite worried about this game. I really do rate Zaraté, and as soon as the duration of the Payet injury was announced, I was immediately hopeful that Zaraté would be the man Bilic chose to cover for him. I just fear that Payet's consistency was all too much to take for the fans because we don't really have any other player who has 100% performances week in, week out. Okay, maybe Lanzini, but he's now on the injury table for SIX WEEKS!! Wow, how's your luck West Ham? Just beginning to look like a side ready to crack the top 6 and really make a go for it and then we lose 4 influential players.

Prove me wrong, West Ham. Please go out there and hit a few past Stoke and bring them back down to earth with a bump! Also, the atmosphere at home to West Brom was diabolical! This isn't the Upton Park I have grown to love, it's down to us, the fans to make this final season special! 

Prediction? Bore draw. 0-0.   Prove me wrong boys, please.




This entry was very long, purely because it was something I have been wanting to do, but never did because I thought nobody other than myself would be interested. But I shall be continuing the blog & offering my opinions on the games, the club, transfers, and possibly other topics depending how many people read this. Let me know what you think if you've found my blog & what you think I could add or do differently, your feedback will be appreciated! Also, let me know where you're reading from! Will be nice to know how far across the globe I can reach! Also, a possible YouTube channel to come... Depending on the success of the blog.

Thanks for reading! #COYI