Goal.com’s HARRY SHERLOCK is one of the fastest rising talents in the football media. 

And yesterday he was back at the Boleyn reporting the Irons for the first time since last season.

He could barely believe the difference and in this feature pays particular attention to the new Hammers attack triumvirate of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Mauro Zarate.

He comes to the conclusion that they “dovetailed brilliantly” and that their pace and dynamism is just “scary.”

And all this this from a Spurs supporter!!!

Sam Allardyce was told  in the summer to get West Ham playing attacking, incisive football at the Boleyn Ground.

The word came from on high, with owners David Gold and David Sullivan expecting a top 10 finish from a capable, if somewhat flawed, squad.

Allardyce then set off on a summer trolley dash, recruiting, among others, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Alex Song whilst the Davids looked in the direction of their former Birmingham loanee Mauro Zarate,

And, boy, are West Ham reaping the rewards!

Formerly unknown quantity Sakho may grab the headlines but Zarate and Valencia both turned in performances of the highest quality against QPR on Sunday.

Granted, QPR are possibly the worst teams seen at Upton Park for many a moon but the form shown by the new-look attacking triumvirate left us all drooling.

They dovetailed brilliantly; Steven Caulker began the game marking Valencia, then had to monitor Zarate and, finally, had to handle Sakho. He didn’t manage to do any of those three tasks effectively.

The pace and sheer dynamism of this front three is scary. An oft overlooked attribute that all good strikers simply must have is the ability to bring others into play and Valencia did that expertly against Harry Redknapp’s outfit.

He dropped off, laid the ball into feet, peeled off, dragged defenders down dark alleys and could have scored – turning a fine Stewart Downing cross wide in the first half.

He would have deserved the goal; he is a bundle of energy and has proven this season that his superb showings for Ecuador at the World Cup were no flash in the pan.

Zarate, meanwhile, is your typical Argentine striker. Few countries can produce such ruthless and nasty forwards. For Carlos Tevez, read Mauro Zarate.

Tevez would torment defences during his time at the Hammers, his stocky build allowing him to simply brush off defenders en route to goal.

Zarate is slimmer but possesses similar upper body strength. He is deceptively muscular, as Sandro found out to his cost in the first half. Playing in a withdrawn role – the No.10 role, surely the zenith of Allardyce’s tactics this season – he influenced the play from deep, sending dangerous cross after dangerous cross into the box.

He is blessed with the ability to shift the ball from foot to foot and can make defenders like Rio Ferdinand – showing his age, at last – and Caulker look foolish with his trickery.

Sakho loves playing with the pair. Few knew who he was when he rocked up at the Boleyn in the summer. Yet he is arguably the stand-out of the three.

His goal record so far is astounding and should be grabbing more headlines. If it weren’t for Diego Costa at Chelsea, he would be.

He played with a smile on his face on Sunday and scored an excellent goal, evading his marker with a shimmy in the box before heading into an open goal following a hooked James Tomkins cross.

It effectively put the game to bed at 2-0 and Sam Allardyce later hailed his summer signings, explaining that he felt he had signed two “real goalscorers” in Valencia and Sakho, while crediting the influence of Zarate.

And lest we forget, Andy Carroll is injured. Yet his return will pose more questions than answers. West Ham are playing well and thoroughly deserved their win over QPR. If we’re honest, they also deserved at least a point at Manchester United last week.

Allardyce has introduced a diamond system – something he believes is bringing the best out of Stewart Downing – and Sakho and Valencia are a natural pairing, with Zarate in behind.

Carroll doesn’t fit into the system. A big, lumbering striker, he needs balls slammed into his head if he is to make a significant impact. The ‘new’ West Ham don’t  do that.

See the boos for a ‘hoof’ from Aaron Cresswell during Sunday’s win if you need evidence. One fan cried that ‘this is football, not rugby’ after a particularly airborne passage of play. The score at the time was 2-0.

The introduction of a player like Carroll would signal a tactical shift, and may also see bums shift off seats. Zarate, Valencia and Sakho are a potent attack and should be the first three names on the team sheet. Carroll is, at best, a plan B.

Kevin Nolan is too. The former captain was introduced from the bench but his presence jarred with West Ham’s performance. He is a man who thrives on knockdowns and there weren’t ans for him to run onto in the second half.

Carroll may soon find himself sitting alongside his best mate on the bench. Zarate, Valencia and Sakho, though, must be allowed to continue to play together.

They will thrive if given time on the pitch and, for West Ham, that can only be a good thing, even if it means sacrificing the club’s record signing.