West Ham’s surge up the League to within touching place of Manchester United in sixth place has been built on the dodgiest of early results of Manuel Pelegrini’s reign of course.
But the manager’s words from those early days when things could not have been worse are written deep in the old memory banks as the anxiety and downright fear dominating the thoughts of most.
Never can an experienced manager have received so much worried and needless advice about him having to stop playing with a high line whilst he had an untried central defence but the man was not for turning.
And those words: “This is not an experiment and we will continue to playing this way” are among the most significant I can recall from a Hammers boss in recent years.
That is what you get for a top manager, experienced Director of Football and a clued in back up team on something like £10-£12 million a year.
Now Pellegrini has recalled those early days repeating that neither he or the squad had any doubts about teh way forward.
He said: “I think that the players always believed from the first game in what we were doing.
“During the pre-season we were working in one way and even when we didn’t have the results, we continued talking exactly the same and working the same way, so I never felt that they had any doubt in the worst moment.
Now, with good results, of course the trust increases.”
It’s a top feeling as the lads go about their business with a manager who knows exactly what he is doing.
COYI…and bring on Watford
You get the feeling with Pelle that he is absolute in his vision and will never be defensive. He has the good grace to humour those who panic and question him – and listen when they might be right – but will calmly go about his business regardless. It’s so refreshing to have such a cool head at the helm. Long may it continue.
Echo Mr BL in his analysis of the transformation in class, quality and sheer professionalism we are witnessing and enjoying. It’s not ONLY four wins on the bounce. That’s icing, that’s ‘bunce’. What is truly heartening is the feeling that we have a coaching team who have taken (been given?) room to express their coaching and footballing leadership with the owners keeping their distance. Long may this last.