Five wins, four draws, and only two defeats across their last eleven matches in all competitions make it clear that West Ham are moving firmly in the right direction. Last night’s victory over Brentford has now set up a FA Cup quarter‑final clash with Leeds United, and the squad’s determination to also secure the club’s Premier League future is evident in every performance.
Nuno Espírito Santo was full of admiration for both his players and the supporters, saying, “You can see the atmosphere, you can see the support of the fans, they so deserve this moment of happiness. I think the boys worked really hard for it, and we deserve to go through. We play with such purpose. In normal time, and in extra time, we’ve been a team pushing.”
His assessment feels spot on. Behind the scenes, assistant coach Paco Jémez appears to be playing a significant role in the team’s evolution. Remarkably, he is still learning English, yet his ideas and principles are clearly being translated onto the pitch. As he recently put it, “Each game we have been building, we have been growing. The results have encouraged us, they’ve made us happy.”
As the nytimes.com put it, “The positivity is spreading through players who had looked broken in the depths of winter, having been seven points adrift of safety when they lost at home to Nottingham Forest on January 6, with just 14 points.” It is this positivity and ‘band of brothers’ attitude that has turned the Hammers from Premier League basket case into the team nobody wants to face.
Several players also deserve recognition over recent months. Beyond the brilliance of Crysencio Summerville, the resurgence of Mads Hermansen has been outstanding. The arrival of Axel Disasi has added steel, while Dino Mavropanos continues to be a defensive pillar. The relentless energy of Taty Castellanos and Pablo has further fuelled the team’s revival.
With momentum building, belief growing, and key figures stepping up both on and off the pitch, West Ham look like a side rediscovering their identity at exactly the right moment. The path ahead will demand the same resilience and unity that has carried them through this recent run, but if the current trajectory continues, the club’s ambitions can stretch far beyond mere survival. This is a team beginning to trust itself again, and that alone makes the weeks ahead feel full of promise.
Next up, Manchester City, COYI!
The current team DOES have considerable potential. But, to realise this potential, we have to stay in the Premier League. If we don’t , we will lose all of our senior – & capable – players eg Bowen, Areola, Wann Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouff, Fernandes, Summerville, Castellanos etc; & you can probably add a good few of our young “breakthrough” players to that list, too. With what we now have, I can sense a very bright future – IF we avoid relegation. Obvious, really !