Sky sports have decided to feature one West Ham United player in particular this week as the Hammers travel across London to to take on Spurs at lunchtime on Saturday. The article highlights the Hammers’ pretty unsuccessful striker recruitment strategy over the past ten years, rather unfairly placing Niclas Fullkrug at the bottom of the league table of success along with Jordan Hugill and Simeone Zaza.
Describing Michail Antonio, of course the player who tops the list, as ‘the great survivor’, Sky list Mikey’s often quoted statistics and the fact that he’s scored more goals (68) than all of the other strikers signed -combined- since since he joined ten years ago.
I suspect it is more ‘last man standing’ – as others have come and gone, Antonio’s greatest virtue is his dedication to West Ham and the fact that he has never committed an ‘Arnautovic’ like sin and demanded a move away.
In an era when loyalty is ignored and critics are quick to write player career obituaries – I think it needs underlining how loyal Antonio has been to our club and the debt of gratitude we owe him.
It may be drawing towards the end of his Hammers career, he may not be at his prime but as he showed against Ipswich he can still score when it matters. And he’s been a loyal servant to West Ham for ten years. Which is something in this day and age. And for that, we love him.
