Hammers blogger Kwame Boakye can’t get enough of the West Ham revival

Newham Recorder: West Ham United's Kevin Nolan celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the gameWest Ham United's Kevin Nolan celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game (Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Fourth win on the spin, top of the form table, most clean sheets in the league and now a point better off than at the same stage last season...what a month February has been!

The decision the board made in sticking by Big Sam is now fully vindicated; all the sides that made a switch at the first sign of trouble are now below us in the league.

If as some fans demanded we’d made a switch and plumped for Glenn Hoddle, Malky Mackay or Roberto Di Matteo would we now be sitting 10th after 27 games? Somehow I just don’t think so.

The win over Southampton epitomised the spirit flowing through this West Ham side. Yes they had the majority of possession, yes they do play some slick footy at times, but ultimately they were all filler, no killer.

The Hammers on the other hand were ruthless when opportunities presented themselves; typified by Nolan’s goal which came after a sustained period of Saints pressure and killed Southampton’s uprising stone dead.

West Ham and it gives me great pleasure to write this are not going to go down; barring a miracle of biblical proportions Cardiff and Fulham will slip through the trap door and the third side joining them will be one of West Brom, Sunderland or Norwich in my opinion.

The Irons can now set their sights on attempting to catch Southampton and Newcastle in the league; the impending return of Andy Carroll can only help as the big Sam’s gang continue to look upwards.

West Ham received a lot of stick for daring to attempt to overturn Andy Carroll’s ridiculous suspension; (how dare someone challenge the FA’s draconian and patently unfair rules?)

Well surely now the club deserves endless praise for getting on with it, accepting the FA’s decision and going on to win all three games Carroll was suspended for. Chico Flores’ play acting cost us our big man, but fortunately it didn’t cost us any points.

A mention now for the Captain...after two sendings off in quick succession, many Hammers, myself included, wanted Kevin Nolan stripped of the captaincy and dropped...5 goals in four games since his hiatus and it seems Nolan is desperate to make up for his indiscretions and prove he is deserving of the West Ham United captaincy.

The skipper is in fantastic form and Everton away next weekend will give Nolan the chance to renew his glorious partnership with Andy Carroll; their phenomenal goalscoring record currently standing at 63 goals in 73 games.

We’re now looking highly likely to stay up, 2/3 more wins will virtually guarantee it and I think we’ve proved two very important things this season; we can win without Andy Carroll and changing your manager when things aren’t going to plan isn’t always the answer.