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 has had little choice but to embrace attacking football with the Hammers in a dire predicament
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.
Couldn’t attend the game tonight. Put my ticket in the ticket exchange a few hours before kick off and it sold within 3 minutes. A few games ago I couldn’t make a game and nobody wanted my ticket.
Didn’t we get a new coach in who is known for his attack minded approach? Isn’t that when things started to turn?
Another positive – United have not won at the London stadium since 2021 🙂
As one who lives in the USA, trust me when I tell you that you have no perception of “dreadful public transport” unless you have lived here in the land of exaggerated grandiose narcissism. Over there, you actually have Public Transport, over here they are still trying to figure out what that is and how to make it profitable.
Sounds like Wales, Ray. Wales doesn’t do roads or public transport. Still trying to spend the money on cycling and walking. Using flat maps to help with their deliberations.
Sold out as man utd fans have bought them up. I was talking to 4 of them at a work event last night who are down from Scotland!