Craig Dawson was absolutely immense for West Ham United against Watford in the Premier League last night.
The 31-year-old originally joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Watford in October 2020 at a cost of just £1 million. West Ham then made his move to the London Stadium a permanent one for a further £3 million in the summer of 2021 (The Sun).
£4 million for the no-nonsense, tough-tackling centre-back now seems like an absolute bargain.
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Dawson has received stick from some sections of the Hammers fans for his perceived lack of ability on the ball.
He’s just not a fancy player is he. Perhaps if his name was Craig Dawsinho then fans and pundits would respect him more!
The job that the experienced centre-back has done for West Ham has been nothing short of brilliant over the past 16 months.
David Moyes deserves huge credit for having the courage to bring Dawson – someone who had endured back to back relegations from the Premier League, to the London Stadium.
And the 31-year-old was in brilliant form once again last night against one of his old clubs, Watford.
Craig Dawson stood out for West Ham against Watford
The 31-year-old has been such a reliable, dependable member of Moyes’s squad this season.
He has stood in for Angelo Ogbonna with aplomb since November.
And last night, he put in one of his best performances in a West Ham shirt. Sure, sometimes the long balls he plays don’t always find their target, but his basic defending and willingness to put his head and body on the line really has been incredibly impressive to watch as a fan.
Stats
Against the Hornets, Dawson made one tackle, one interception and one clearance. He won six aerial duels and had 74 touches of the football. The 31-year-old recorded a completion rate of 85.3% from 68 attempted passes (Who Scored).
His incredibly brave interception with his head late on in the game last night summed up everything that he is about – courage, heart, passion, commitment and immense bravery. Dawson really does leave absolutely everything on the line every single time he takes to the pitch.
He deserves more respect than he gets from some West Ham fans.
Whatever you say about Craig Dawson, nobody can ever accuse him of not trying his absolute best for this football club.
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