Perhaps it’s a bit trite to describe West Ham United as happy Hammers at the moment, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that the East London club is sitting pretty in fourth going into the international break.

Sam Allardyce’s side is unbeaten in five games, winning three and drawing the other two. That run hasn’t gone unnoticed as ‘Big Sam’ and the prolific Diafra Sakho were handed the Manager of the Month and Player of the Month awards for October respectively.

The standout result in this streak was a thoroughly deserved 2-1 victory against champions Manchester City. Allardyce would also have been pleased with a battling draw against Stoke at the Britannia, with his side coming back from two goals down. Only the 0-0 result against Aston Villa could be considered two points dropped, but even then there’s the silver lining of a clean sheet, only the second of the season for West Ham.

After 11 games West Ham is on 18 points just above Swansea City on goal difference. Contrast this with last season when they were languishing in 16th with just 10 points. What’s the reason for the turnaround in fortune? Simple, the answer is goals.

West Ham has scored 19 goals this season so far, 10 more than in the previous year. Their defense is slightly more porous conceding 14 times this season compared with just 11 last term after playing the same number of games.

The defensive side of the game can be worked on but the fact that West Ham is going out to win games rather than just looking to grind out points is paying dividends. Given the inconsistent form of the so-called bigger teams West Ham and Allardyce are well within their rights to target a top eight finish.

Best performer: Stewart Downing. The English veteran has experienced something of a renaissance since being allowed the freedom play in more central areas. His form has seen him earn a recall into the England setup and thus far Downing has scored two goals and garnered four assists this season.

The decision to play a more attacking style this season has benefited Downing and the players around him are complementing his game. At the moment he’s having his best season since 2010/11 when he was Aston Villa’s main man.

Most Improved Player: Aaron Cresswell. There are a couple of names that could be thrown in. Stewart Downing is an obvious choice, Winston Reid has picked up his form after having a relatively shaky start but it would be remiss not to recognise the contribution of Cresswell.

It’s a bit misleading (perhaps even unfair) to say that he’s West Ham’s most improved player given that he has been consistently good and been an ever present in Allardyce’s side. Cresswell has made the transition from Championship football to Premier League level with a minimum amount of fuss, a feat not to be scoffed at. He already has two assists to his name and if he continues his development a call-up to the full England International setup cannot be discounted.

Injury Concerns:

The international break has come just at the right time for West Ham. Andy Carroll has just returned from injury so Allardyce can use the off-time to manage the big striker’s recovery. Of Carroll’s reintegration into the first team squad Allardyce said:

“We must not think he is ready, which he will do because all players do. It is about me having a firm strength of mind and saying, ‘You are in pre-season. If I put you on any quicker and you get injured again, then it will be my fault, not yours.’ I am not willing to do that because the squad we have is working fantastically well.”

Winston Reid is nursing a thigh injury so he won’t be able to play in New Zealand’s upcoming games against China and Thailand. Having this time to recuperate rather than playing international matches half way around the world will only be beneficial for the Hammers.

Having a fully fit squad in a busy December period will be crucial for West Ham.

January Transfer Window:

The January window may be more of a case of West Ham retaining talent rather than recruiting more players. Loan signings Carl Jenkinson and Alex Song have been playing well for Allardyce so if West Ham can secure them on permanent deals it will be a coup for the club.

Equally, Winston Reid will be coming into the last six months of his contract. The temptation will be to cash in on him if he refuses to sign a new deal. However, it may be in West Ham’s best interest to keep Reid until the end of the season even if they do risk losing him on a free. Finishing as high up the table as possible should be West Ham’s goal rather than cashing in on their talent.

In terms of back-up West Ham could do worse than trying to recruit Celtic duo Virgil van Dijk and Scott Brown. It’s a question of adding quality and not quantity and the pair will increase Alladyce’s options.

Marseille’s André Ayew, who is out of contract this summer, has been linked to the club as well and could beef up a formidable attacking unit.

Managerial Grade: A. It would be easy to praise just Sam Allardyce for the upturn in West Ham’s fortune but their success has been down to key personnel working together to improve the club.

The owners David Gold and David Sullivan made it clear that they expected the Hammers to play in a more attractive fashion. To that end Teddy Sheringham was brought in as an attacking coach and the move appears to be working extremely well.

The transfer policy has been sound and sensible with new signings such as Diafra Sakho, Aaron Cresswell and Enner Valencia performing really well. This West Ham squad is well-rounded and there are more options available to the coaching staff.

It would be unfair not to recognise Allardyce’s role in West Ham’s good start too. Having the owners playing a more direct role in football matters on paper sounds like a recipe for disaster but ‘Big Sam’ has taken everything in his stride and has delivered on the request to play dynamic, entertaining football whilst ensuring that West Ham are sitting comfortably in the right half of the table.

Weaknesses:

On the face of it there doesn’t appear to be too many obvious weaknesses. The squad is settled and well-balanced. The team is playing good football and results have been positive.

Ideally, West Ham would be shipping fewer goals so Allardyce will need to figure out how to retain his team’s attacking verve whilst at the same time tightening up at the back. If he solves that conundrum then West Ham will be well set for the second half of the season.

Team Rating:

3.5 out of 5 – Had West Ham secured a victory against Aston Villa a rating of 4 out of 5 would not have been unfair. That said it’s been good to be a Hammers fan at the moment but the question is can the team keep it up?

Best XI:

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