Editor: The hard work starts now as West Ham eye brighter days

If someone had offered me an eleventh placed finish for West Ham in August last year, I would’ve bitten their arm off. How we got there from defeat in our first game away at Chelsea to victory at Turf Moor against Burnley, however, wasn’t quite what most of us would’ve had in mind but that’s where we finished.

There were more ups and downs this season for us than I’ve ever known but credit to Slaven Bilic and the players for finding a way to drag ourselves away from the mire on a few occasions this season. If we can get through a whole season with just half the amount of injuries we endured this season, surely even the most pessimistic supporter would agree we’ve every chance of finishing in the top half of the league next season.

But in order to kick on, we need to have a positive summer transfer window. Last year’s, on paper, looked all right before the first ball was kicked but it didn’t take long for the likes of Zaza and Tore to disappoint. You only have to look at the “Best of the Rest” mini-league within the top flight to see how close the teams are below Everton.

This is our third summer annual and it follows our best ever season where we gained even more readers, subscribers and followers on our social media platforms. Of course, none of this would have been possible without such a brilliant team of writers. They truly are a wonderful bunch, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their excellent work this campaign. Enjoy the summer.

David Blackmore
Editor-in-Chief

---