West Ham are cruising – make no mistake about it.

Everything looks rosy for the Hammers for the first time in years and with the club only months away from a lucrative move to the Olympic Stadium, Slaven Bilic’s side haven’t picked a bad season to turn on the style and perform.

A 5-1 dismantling of Blackburn Rovers last weekend shows just how far the side have come in recent years, and after the victory, a poll on The Times’ website suggested that the Hammers are the favourites out of all the London sides to progress furthest this season.

But, why are things so good at the moment?

Arguably the biggest factor is the form that they are showing on the pitch. They sit seventh in the league… and that doesn’t come around as a fluke.

But their recent show of awesomeness was in the FA Cup, where they ever-so-comfortably despatched Championship outfit Blackburn. Dimitri Payet was as scintillating as ever, but the form of Emmanuel Emenike would have been extremely pleasing for the Hammers’ coaches – the Nigerian scored his first two goals for the club.

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That brings us onto the next point: signings. West Ham are playing so well and have such a good set-up at the moment that they can attract world class talent to Upton Park. The signing of Payet was good enough, but in players like Emenike they have proven Champions League class in their ranks.

You have to remember that the ability to attract these players is invaluable, for both success on the pitch and in the academy and the youth teams. It brings the standard up to such a level that you have to play out of your skin to impress and that when you get the chance to play with the first-team, you’ll be up against the best.

The move to the Olympic Stadium is also a massive factor in West Ham’s imminent growth. Whilst many Hammers fans will be sad to say goodbye to their beloved Upton Park, few believe an upgrade is a bad thing. If Bilic wants to fulfil the fans’ Champions League aspirations, the new stadium is important. It gives them that 45,000 seater arena that can compete with any in the league and if the atmosphere can be transferred across, it will be a pretty difficult place for away sides to visit.

Slaven Bilic is also one of the quiet reasons the club have done so well this season. He has a wealth of European managerial experience and he has quietly gone about his business, staying out of the press and improving the ranks wherever and whenever he can. His name is rarely mentioned, but that is a massive tool in his arsenal – he stays off the radar. Unfortunately, if the Hammers keep on pressing with their push up the table, he could become a target for a European heavyweight.

But who’s to say that West Ham aren’t only five years away from becoming this heavyweight? Everything is in place for them and they need to keep the good form rolling.

After that, who knows?

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