By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings
David Moyes’ delight following last Saturday’s victory over Atalanta was obvious.
The team were back and working their way up to speed – with the heights of last season clearly in their sights again.
But it wasn’t just the football that Moyes was happy about, he was equally delighted with what he saw from all those who went along to the London Stadium for what was, for many of them, their first real taste of live football for 18 months.
Moyes made no secret of his delight at the reception his team got after such a long absence. “We had 25 or 26,000 here, maybe more, and it was great because so many of them were young ones,” enthused the manager.
“For me, at West Ham, what’s great for me is that all the young supporters are here. You see so many kids in our shirt, which is great to see.”
The club/fans relationship at West Ham has been through some testing times in recent years. Nothing short of toxic on occasions it has to be said. The move away from the Boleyn was a trauma some will never recover from, or so it seems!
Bitterness at leaving our former home will linger forever with them. But David Moyes has set his sights on rebuilding the club and in the process re-engaging with a new generation of fans.
The last 18 months has seen the team grow in confidence and stature, last season reaching levels many of our younger fans have never experienced before in their time as Hammers. Moyes is intent on building the kind of club he shaped during his days at Goodison Park with Everton. Building a family club that can also be a genuine force in the Premier League.
To do that, the manager knows he has to take the fans with him – today’s fans, but maybe even more important tomorrow’s fans – the fans who will be around well into the future, youngsters who have no hang-ups about the past – who look at the London Stadium and see only an iconic arena filled to capacity creating a positive atmosphere the team can feed off and thrive on.
Many of them perhaps have little or no recollection of the fact the London Stadium was originally built for the 2012 Olympic games. That was nine long years ago – in another era for them. Now, as far as they are concerned, it’s the football home of their team, West Ham United, and it’s the place they want to be.
The frustrations of the present transfer market are clear – but what will be will be over the next three weeks – when the window finally closes Moyes will still have a job to do, with or without new faces.
The 2021-22 season has the potential to be massive for us as a club and at the same time massive for us as supporters. The joy on the faces last Saturday was a picture – a picture David Moyes wants repeated over and over again through the coming months.