HOW many times have West Ham supporters looked at a Premier League table since Monday night? It will be in the millions, if not the tens of millions. Just another glance, just to check. There they are, on top of the world. Six points and eight goals. West Ham United in association with the David Moyes redemption story. If last season was an adventure, 2021-22 has started as a fever dream. It can’t last… can it?
Chelsea, the European champions and many people’s Premier League title favourites, have had 26 shots from open play in two games this season, conjuring a league high 3.6 expected goals from those chances. West Ham have exactly the same figures, which represents the sort of value for money that you normally only witness on shopping channels. Chuck in xG from set-pieces, because this is a drilled David Moyes team after all, and West Ham are at least 0.99 ahead of any other team in the Premier League this season. 0.99 problems but a high-functioning multi-threat attack ain’t one.
This weekend Moyes’ team take on Crystal Palace at the newly-atmospheric London Stadium. The game should be huge vindication for Jarrod Bowen, who chose east London over south London when he moved to the Premier League from Hull. At the time West Ham seemed the chaotic choice but Bowen seems to have hit the bullseye when it comes to timing. Palace are one of only three Premier League teams who have not scored in either of their two games so far, and with a new manager and half a new squad to integrate, West Ham’s chances of taking three wins from three for only the third time in top-flight history (after doing so in 1958 and 1983) are high.
West Ham have more PL goals than Arsenal, Spurs, Palace & Chelsea combined this season. Seems good.
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) August 23, 2021
So what happens if West Ham defeat Palace as expected? What can we surmise from history? Well, only two teams in English top-flight history have won their opening three games and still gone down that season. Carlisle United were the first to do it, in 1974-75, in one of those weird one-off seasons some clubs spend in the top-flight seemingly to provide new pub quiz content. The other side were Manchester City in 1982-83. A different time.
As mentioned, West Ham have started with three wins out of three twice before in the top-flight, along with 36 other clubs, a figure that’s perhaps a little higher than the average person, accosted in the street and asked this very specific question, would guess. Of course, the giants of English football have opened with three successive wins. Liverpool 11 times, Everton 12 times, Manchester United 13 times. But there are also the other names, the names that make up the fabric of Our Game, the names that should be remembered, albeit calmly and not in a way that weaponizes nostalgia.
So let’s salute Burnley in 1966-67, their fast start powered by late summer memories of England’s World Cup win before they slowed to a 14th place finish. Let’s salute Charlton in 2005-06 who ended 13th and saw their manager Alan Curbishley resign under the pressure of fan demands to “get into the UEFA Cup”. Careful what you wish for. Let’s salute Coventry in 1992-93, at the very start of the Premier League. Where next for Coventry City? The top six? No, they came 15th. Let’s salute Portsmouth in 1932-33 and Southampton in 1998-99 and Watford in 2018-19. Let’s salute them all.
Yes, it’s a marathon not a sprint but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the sprint.
Find more of Duncan’s insights at www.theanalyst.com
