Whether it is through design or desperation, West Ham’s playing style changed dramatically with the first arrivals through the door in the January transfer window. Hammers fans sat back in amazement as not one but two forwards were recruited – Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe arrived to a fanfare and high hopes that the Sullivan-era striker curse would not bite back.
The results on the pitch have been impressive: Four wins out of five and Hammers fans are struggling to get their heads around the attacking football which their defensive manager Nuno has suddenly adopted.
And it is fair to say fans are loving it.
One look at the e-ticketing page in the club web site is enough to tell all: Compared with the pre-Christmas games in which thousands upon thousands of unsold seats went begging, tonight’s late 8.15 pm kickoff is, to all intents and purposes, sold out.
Nuno Espirito Santo poses with Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe
Nuno Espirito Santo has had little choice but to embrace attacking football with the Hammers in a dire predicament
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Yes. its one of the biggest games of the season against Manchester United but the stark difference in playing style over last year has evidently resonated with West Ham fans who appear to have responded to the new brand of attacking, fast flowing even exciting football by getting behind their team in its hour of need.
As Nuno himself said only yesterday:
“West Ham fans’ support has “been amazing and very supportive; Let’s try to get this energy tomorrow because we need them.” (whufc.com)
Irrespective of protests and boycotts, West Ham’s supporters appear to have voted with their feet and decided – belatedly – that ‘Nuno’s new era’ contrasts so wildly with the dreadful two years of Potter and Lopetegui that they’re prepared to brave torrential rain, dreadful public transport and the usual hours and hours of queueing in the middle of winter to support their club: An upset tonight and ‘Great Escape II’ fever really could start to break out.