If someone had told me I’d be enjoying something beyond the day out on the booze on a matchday at the start of the season, I’d have been floored. It didn’t seem possible under the previous ownership and manager, but we’ve got a renewed vigour now.
I also didn’t think I’d feel so positive coming away from a game with a point when we deserved all three.
My expectations going to West Ham weren’t high. A lot of my fellow match-goers described the game as a free hit – we’d dragged ourselves out of the relegation zone and couldn’t go back into it this weekend no matter the result, so anything better than a loss was just a bonus.
I didn’t expect us to run them ragged, though.
As the next away game after Leeds away, the atmosphere was never going to be quite as amazing, but it was still corking. Unsurprisingly, we took the opportunity to wind Zouma up with inflatable cats and multiple chants.
The London Stadium is easily my least favourite venue in the Premier League. It’s clear that it wasn’t built as a football stadium and it never should have been taken over by a football club. For the first time here, I was in the upper tier, and the differentiating levels of noise was something I wasn’t expecting.
It was clear that the lower tier was a lot louder and more raucous than where I was sat (bah humbug), but what was really strange was that, although I could tell the atmosphere down there was amazing, I could barely hear it.
You could still tell, though, that we’re a fanbase with a renewed energy. There was barely a moment of silence for the whole 90 minutes from our end – even if some of it was muffled.
Now, onto the match. I thought everyone was excellent again, arguably except for Krafth. But we don’t have high expectations of him and many of us were disappointed to see his inclusion in the 25-man squad. He’s still improved under Howe, but considering we’ve seen master of the position Trippier in there for a few games, he had Dan Burn-sized boots to fill.
We were buzzing to find out on the way to the match that Burn had kept his place despite Lascelles being fit. The latter has had a really poor season, but put in his best performance by a mile against Everton. But Dan Burn’s debut was arguably better than that.
He was an absolute powerhouse on the pitch once again, and his stats were insane. 100% of his tackles won, he made 78 touches, seven clearances, and won seven of eight duels. In terms of passion and commitment, he’s up there with fellow Geordie Steven Taylor, but he’s more talented than Tayls was in his final few seasons here.
Isn’t it class to see a Geordie on the pitch just smashing players about for fun? The Mags are back, and I absolutely love it.
Matt Targett also had another cracking game, with 80 touches and 12 crosses. The performance of these signings gives me complete confidence in both Howe and our owners. It’s funny that supporters of other clubs are both claiming that these players are rubbish signings but arguing that we’re buying safety at the same time. The salt is unreal.
Give me solid players like this any day of the week. Especially because we’ve been shocking in defence until they came in.
It’s also so good to see the Willock from last season that we know and love come back. Nobody could criticise his performances earlier in the season when we found out he was playing through injury (classic Bruce), but his confidence looked shot. The goal was scrappy, but I hope it gives him an extra boost to continue with these fine performances and maybe even net a few more.
Overall, we were definitely better than the team going for a Champions League spot. I’m used to feeling aggrieved after games like that, but instead I’m just buoyed. It’s more than I expected, and now we’re mostly turning performances into results.
Up the mags.
