'One of most important' in West Ham's Premier League history

It was another case of Tomas Soucek to the rescue for West Ham at the weekend.

Soucek has been criticised by some, with supporters seemingly feeling he remains a symbol of David Moyes' negative style of play in a season where a new manager has been tasked with making the Hammers more easy on the eye.

But Soucek's impact must not be underestimated - and he should go down as one of the most important players in the club's Premier League history.

His goal against Brentford was his 34th in all competitions for West Ham and his 45th goal involvement since signing for the club in 2020. He has hit double figures for goals twice, which is impressive enough for a defensive midfielder.

His 29 Premier League goals have won the club 25 points over the past four-and-a-half years, with six of his goals coming after the 80th minute of matches.

And then in Europe, he has made more appearances in continental competition than anyone else in the club's history (32). He also scored the all-important first goal in that famous victory over Sevilla.

Soucek is not the best passer of the ball and is gangly in appearance, but his ability to arrive late in the box is second to none, while the ground he covers makes him an important pair of lungs in midfield.

Last season, for example, only Dejan Kulusevski and Pascal Gross covered more ground than Soucek in a single match, with the Czech making up four of the top 10 games for distance covered (Oracle via Premier League)

So what he lacks in flair and trickery, he makes up in effort, desire and goalscoring ability.

That is why those West Ham supporters who want to see the back of him need to put a bit more respect on his name.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham