There is a lot to like about West Ham United at both ends of the pitch these days; just ask Upton Park icons Tony Gale and Frank McAvennie.
Gale had a front-row seat for Tomas Soucek’s latest thumping header and Callum Wilson’s stoppage time winner on Saturday afternoon; the Hammers overcoming the heat of late-April and the pressure of a relegation dogfight at home to Everton.
A fizzing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall volley moments before Wilson’s 92nd minute limb-whirler, though, would deny Konstantinos Mavropanos, Axel Disasi and Mads Hermansen a sixth clean sheet in ten Premier League matches.
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Furthermore, Soucek ended Mavropanos’ run of four successive victories in Hammers News’ Man of the Match polls.
Yet, if the former was the best player on the pitch during a win which maintained West Ham United’s two-point advantage over Tottenham Hotspur, then the Greek giant was not far behind.
Tony Gale lauds Dinos Mavropanos’ West Ham United revival
“He’s shown a bit of composure that he never really had until the last ten games at West Ham, really,” said Gale, and he would know being one of the finest centre-backs in the club’s history.
“[Mavropanos] has become a bit of a cult hero.
“He was so poor but has suddenly come with a few goals, showed a bit of composure, and has become a much better player than he was.”
Forget cult hero; if Mavropanos adds another goal and a couple more clean sheets to his growing collection over the final four matchdays, the previously maligned centre-back may be bordering on legendary status.
Frank McAvennie likes the addition of Pablo and Taty Castellanos
McAvennie enjoys the two-man strike partnership introduced by Nuno following the January signings of Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, but he could not look beyond the former Stuttgart and Arsenal powerhouse.
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“West Ham, brilliant,” McAvennie, who scored 60 goals over two spells at Upton Park, says on his Let Me Be Frank podcast.
“They’ve got the boy, Mavropanos. Now, he’s one of the stalwarts. He’s now the main guy. He’s a colossus back there.
“They’re playing two players up front now,” the former Scotland international added, switching his focus to those leading the line. “I mean, how often do we talk about this? It’s not rocket science.
“Get the ball in the box, play two strikers!”
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