Wrexham have shown West Ham what they’re going to be up against next season by playing Leeds off the park with some stunning team football.
“West Ham will walk the Championship” is a phrase being uttered by fans of other clubs more than those who actually follow the Hammers.
Since announcing they will be retaining captain and talisman Jarrod Bowen, as well as Tomas Soucek and a host of other key stars, that feeling among West Ham’s rivals has only grown stronger.
West Ham given brutal reality check by Wrexham
Speak to actual Hammers fans, though, and the sentiment is rather different.
There has been a wave of positivity around West Ham despite relegation.
Rangers 0-0 West Ham: Tell us who caught the eye, for better or for worse…
That has been reflected by more than 50,000 season tickets being sold for the Championship campaign.
But most West Ham fans are too long in the tooth to believe they will walk it next season, especially as fears grow over the fact the club is yet to make any new signings.
The Hammers haven’t dropped into the Championship as Premier League whipping boys, far from it.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were the sixth best team in the top flight in the second half of last season, missing out on survival by a solitary win.
Some West Ham fans are feeling confident of automatic promotion, feeling the competition in the Championship is not as strong as it has been in the past.
Stunning Wrexham show West Ham what they’re up against
But stunning Wrexham have given West Ham a reality check by playing Leeds off the park with some unbelievable team football.
With Hollywood backing, Wrexham are expected to challenge for promotion to the Premier League again this season.
Mavropanos returns! Give us your take on Nuno’s latest XI…
So the Welsh outfit will undoubtedly be big rivals for the Hammers.
Any suggestions West Ham will waltz to the Championship title may need to be reassessed, though.
Hammers fans have started to show their frustration at a lack of new arrivals.
The club’s legendary striker Frank McAvennie has predicted a ‘long, hard season’ for West Ham after what he has witnessed in the 0-0 draw at Rangers.
Bowen has sent a clear message that West Ham must be improved following that stalemate.
If that doesn’t get the message through to the Hammers board and Nuno then this video footage will.
Wrexham beat Leeds 3-2 in their pre-season clash at the weekend.
And they scored an unbelievable 17-pass team goal from kick-off which shows West Ham will not have things easy in the second tier next season.
The move, which you can watch in the video below, was finished off superbly by Kieffer Moore and the ripple effect will be felt in east London.
If anyone at West Ham, from the boardroom to the dugout, pitch or stands, feels next season will be a cakewalk, they need to think again – and fast.
Nuno and head of recruitment Nils Koppen need to start bringing players in to improve the team, not just the squad.
West Ham have one final pre-season match, against German second tier side 1. FC Magdeburg on Saturday, before the competitive action begins a week later against Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup first round.
The Hammers face Wrexham early in the season, on September 11th at the London Stadium.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
