WHZ View: Who will win the Hammer of the Year at West Ham?
With nine matches to go, it’s getting to that time of the season in which we begin to discuss and vote for our Hammer of the Year at West Ham.
Last season, the skipper, Declan Rice won the title. He became the first player to win the Dylan Tombides award, the Young Hammer of the Year and the senior Hammer of the Year.
There is no doubt that this campaign will be the hardest to pick a winner in years. The Hammers have flown up the table, and are still in with a shout of finishing in the European spaces.
David Moyes and his squad have been the shining light for us fans, in a year that’s been dark away from football. We couldn’t be more proud of the squad for this season, there are so many that deserve a mention. West Ham Zone have decided to list their top three nominees.
- Tomas Soucek
How can you not love this man? Soucek played a huge role in keeping us up last season and was correctly signed to a permanent deal in the summer.
The big man has scored nine Premier League goals at the time of writing and is our top goalscorer. He’s the ultimate box-to-box midfielder and has a warrior-like mentality.
You only have to look at the Spurs win. Soucek took a nasty knock and suffered a deep cut. He left the field for stitches and played on with blood pouring for the remainder of the game. We loved him before this, but it further cemented his popularity amongst fans.
2. Declan Rice
Last years winner makes a strong claim to regain his title. Like last season, Declan has played in every minute of every game for the Hammers, with some added responsibility.
As Mark Noble has taken a backseat, Moyes elected Rice to skipper the side. He’s done a phenomenal job, leading us up to fifth in the table on the cusp of Europe.
The number 41 is even on penalty duties now. Overall he’s developing into a fantastic leader and player. We want him to stay forever, he’s even an England regular and is a nailed-on starter for the Euros this summer.
3. Michail Antonio
Michail has been performing at a fantastic level for the last five seasons now. Since joining, he’d become somewhat of a utility man, fulfilling numerous roles on the pitch over the years.
This season he’s come into his own, though. With the sale of Sebastian Haller, Antonio has become the only out-and-out striker at the club. His seven league goals are a decent return considering his time out, and he’s picked up five assists which is the most he’s managed yet.
His overall game has improved massively. Antonio has become our main man and is relishing his new role. He’s now just four goals behind levelling Paolo Di Canio’s club record of 47 in the Premier League. It’s only a matter of time until he does, but if it’s this season, he could win his second Hammer of the Year.
In other West Ham news, this Championship star could sort out our defence for years to come.