Why West Ham can make their last season at the Boleyn Ground one of their best

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It has been well documented that West Ham United are going to be moving to the Olympic Stadium in time for the 2016/17 season. This will be their fifth stadium move, but it will definitely be the most momentous as they have been at the Boleyn Ground, also known as Upton Park, since 1904.

The Hammers will want to go out on a high at the Boleyn Ground and they are still in the FA Cup and in contention for a Europa League place so there is no reason why this cannot happen. The East London side have dealt with injuries to a vast amount of players this season and still managed to remain in the top half of the Premier League.

Here are three reasons why I think West Ham can make this a season to remember for their loyal fans in their last ever season at the Boleyn Ground.

They keep getting valuable points against ‘big’ teams

Since the start of the 2015/16 season, West Ham have beaten Arsenal away, Manchester City away, Chelsea at home and done the double over Liverpool. In those five games, they kept three clean sheets and scored 11 goals.

To put their Premier League double over Liverpool into context, current manager Slaven Bilic wasn’t even born when the Irons last achieved that feat. Furthermore they scored five league goals against their Merseyside opposition for the first time since 1930/31.

They still have to play the current top four: Leicester, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City before the end of the season, so the Hammers could have a big say in who wins the title.

In addition, they should have key players returning from injury in the next couple of weeks which will just make the current team much stronger as the end of the season rapidly approaches.

They are still in the FA Cup

West Ham are in the 5th round of the FA Cup and their next match is against Blackburn on Sunday. In the previous round they beat Liverpool, in their replay, at the Boleyn Ground with a last gasp winner from defender Angelo Ogbonna, which was his first goal for the club.

It’s clear to see that The Hammers care about the FA Cup. In the three matches that they have been involved in the competition this season, they have fielded very good teams. For example, Winston Reid started against Wolves and the two matches against Liverpool, as did Aaron Cresswell.

When interviewed by the club website, the latter stated just how important the FA Cup is to the players and how much he would love to help the Hammers win major silverware. He believes that for him and particularly the other English players at the club, the FA Cup is especially important and has not lost any of its attraction.

His most revealing statement was this: “Everyone wants the best of both worlds I suppose, we want to finish high up in the Premier League and win the FA Cup Final. If you ask any of the lads though, if they had the chance of getting to Wembley but sacrificing a league position or two – I’m sure they would snap your hand off.”

This just shows how vital the FA Cup is to West Ham and their players and they continue to take it seriously and aim to be in the draw for the next round.

Cresswell’s comments came after his manager Slaven Bilic made a similar statement of intent when they beat Liverpool in the 4th round replay. In an interview with BBC Sport, Bilic declared that he would rather win the FA Cup than finish in the Premier League top four.

Actions speak louder than words and his actions have certainly supported his statement, as he has selected a near full-strength side in every cup match to date and he should continue to do so in the 5th round tie at Ewood Park against Blackburn on Sunday.

They are in contention for a Europa League place

West Ham have had a great deal of injuries to contend with this season, so it is important to remember that throughout the whole season, they have never been lower than 10th place. They were only in 10th position for one game, when they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

At this moment in time, the Hammers are in 7th place, level on points with Southampton, who are above them on goal difference alone. With Manchester United’s defeat to Sunderland, both teams are just a point behind the Red Devils. Interestingly, Sunderland will be West Ham’s next Premier League opponents.

If they can defeat Blackburn in the FA Cup on Sunday, they will be more confident for their game against the Black Cats and they could move even closer to Europa League football at the Olympic stadium next season.

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