This ‘big club/small club’ debate, a do-si-do to assign near-meaningless labels, nevertheless has a way of creeping, insipidly, into the mind. What, exactly, makes a club big or small? Revenue earned? Attendance garnered? Trophies raised, as angel trumpets play, toward the high heavens? Whether or not Mario Balotelli has skulked around in your jersey? Who knows? Manchester United comfortably lead the Premier League in terms of revenue, but then, what do their gargantuan shirt sales in Asia really mean when their city rivals enjoy the sugariest of daddies in Sheikh Mansour?
Does Newcastle United’s relative financial health mean much when they wallow so pitifully, in the doldrums of the bottom three?
In terms of stadium capacity, Newcastle and Sunderland both have larger grounds than Liverpool or Chelsea, not that that means an awful lot. Aston Villa have the seventh largest stadium in the league, but then they fill it at a lower percentage (just under 80% filled last season) than any other top flight club. As for trophies, well, let’s remember that Wigan won the FA Cup and were relegated in the same season, and if Leicester City win the Premier League this term, one wonders – with acute melancholy – whether, in spite of tangible triumph, they’ll even be able to retain their stars over the summer.
The longer the discussion goes on, the less clear it becomes. There are, though, some tentative indicators of an upward trajectory. And, for what it’s worth, West Ham United, as they squint into the golden light that shines down from the mountain top, appear to be taking clear strides towards that hallowed zenith.
Big clubs don’t sell their best players; this is a fair assertion. Rarely do you see the European footballing aristocracy palm off their studs, outside of situations that involve world-record setting bids. And certainly it is true to say that this is a common practice among the lesser clubs, where handsome offers are readily accepted, and players, sadly, are so quick to have their heads turned. So, with that in mind, it would have been comforting for those involved with the Hammers to see their best player, Dimitri Payet, sign a heady contract extension a fortnight ago. His new deal, earned off the back of only 19 league appearances, is set to keep him at the club until 2021. At age 28, Payet is now tethered to his adoring masses in East London for the remainder of his prime.
West Ham's win % in the Premier League this season:
With Dimitri Payet: 50%
Without Dimitri Payet: 14.3%Crucial. pic.twitter.com/xmqve8JYca
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 9, 2016
In light of the fact that West Ham have consistently filled their ground, with, on average, more than 98% of the seats at the Boleyn occupied every home game last season, the move to the Olympic Stadium can only increase the stature of the club. With the threat of relegation completely obliterated in Slaven Bilic’s first season as manager, capacity crowds are anticipated in 2016/17. The board have announced reduced-price ticket packages to smooth the transition and the response has been encouraging; David Gold announced on Twitter that the club has applied to expand the capacity to 60,000 to meet demand. As much as this entire arrangement has riled West Ham’s rivals, as shady as the circumstances that surround it are, they aren’t shady enough to blot out the glinting future this deal promises.
So, what more can the Hammers do to quicken their stride, to more speedily clamber up to that top tier? As next season’s Premier League television rights roll in – glasses of water trembling cinematically everywhere as it does – the board will have ample funds to deepen – and refresh – the squad. First and foremost, Manuel Lanzini must be secured on a permanent deal. The Argentinian’s injury woes this season, in a strange way, have helped West Ham’s cause in this regard; he has been able to show his sparkling talent only in short, sweet bursts, keeping other suitors from getting too hot under the collar. He is being wasted in the UAE, and the Hammers would do well to be hasty in rectifying this.
Secondly, the club must make some tough decisions over the future of Andy Carroll. The striker, who is injured once again – thankfully, not seriously this time – has a contract that runs until 2019. Three more years of knack-and-knock Russian Roulette is a future only a masochist would welcome, and so, even if a heavy financial loss accompanies it, there must be a club onto which he can be offloaded. His style can be devastating, but is clearly not one that meshes with Bilic’s Plan A, and with talk of Michy Batshuayi arriving from Marseilles over the off-season, something has to give.
West Ham fans, generally speaking, are a cautious lot, reluctant to declare new dawns too quickly. This season’s success has been received much in the same way a rescue puppy might take its first ever loving caress. They aren’t used to the easy life, and the injuries, and resulting fluctuating league form, have kept them honest. But even this pessimistic bunch have been unable to resist a small, hopeful smile at the thought of things to come.
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