Harry Redknapp hails Craig Dawson impact at West Ham
Former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp has hailed the influence of defender Craig Dawson for the Hammers this past season.
The likes of Jesse Lingard, Vladimir Coufal, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have earned deserving praise for getting the Hammers into the top six, but one man who’s gone under the radar has been Dawson.
The Englishman has been like a rock at the heart of the Hammers defence – complementing Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop usually individually and sometimes in a back three as well.
Redknapp, who in February made Dawson his signing of the season [The Sun], may have changed his stance about that label four months later.
But, he has continued to wax lyrical about his performances in the West Ham jersey.
He told West Ham Fan TV, “Craig Dawson, that was the signing of a British manager, only a British manager could have made that signing, because nobody else would have looked at him.
“He [Moyes] knew that he was a proper player, proper bloke, he knew that he would come in and do a job, head it, no big thrills, get on with it, he scored a few goals as well.
“To take him on loan from Watford where he could not get in the team and to bring him in at West Ham it was an amazing signing and he was so important to what West ham achieved.”
Underrated cog in our defence
Redknapp is right. Dawson has been an exceptional performer this past season and hasn’t got nearly half the recognition he actually deserves from fans and the media.
It seemed like his best days for behind him as he couldn’t get a game at Watford. Moyes showed faith in him, and Dawson has delivered on it tenfold.
While goals are important to get you wins, it’s equally essential that you have a reliable custodian at the back ensuring that the attacking players are free to get on with their jobs without having to get back to avoid the concession of goals.
He’s also been a tremendous leader both on and off the pitch and we’re delighted to have him donning the number 15 for us.
In other West Ham news, ‘Club insiders insist’ – Report shares David Moyes claim on West Ham future amid Everton links
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.