Hammers stirred not spooked by ghosts

On The Premiership: The Premiership, predictable? Not on Saturday it wasn't. While Manchester United were tripped up by Blackburn and Charlton maintained their vice-like grip on second place, West Ham were upsetting the rag and bone cart by holding Arsenal to a draw.

Even the post-match reactions went against the grain. "Is it a good or bad point?" Arsene Wenger asked himself. "If West Ham can maintain their physical presence, then it will certainly be a good point."

Shock horror. The chagrin was left to the Premiership's sole rookie manager, Alan Pardew. "I'm a bit disappointed. We had chances to win."

Let us forget, for a moment, the obvious implications of this result for the title race, which Chelsea are swiftly turning into history's longest-ever victory parade, and instead celebrate the achievements of the Hammers, who for once are more concerned with celebrating the present than wallowing in the past.

No club revels in its own romanticism quite like West Ham. The club that "won the World Cup" - England's spine in 1966 comprised three West Ham regulars, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst - has been trumpeting its achievements for four decades now, though not always to its own advantage. Prior to the 2004 play-off final, their squad wore T-shirts emblazoned with the legend, "Moore than just a football club". Crystal Palace were roundly cheered by the neutrals en route to a 1-0 win.

Most of West Ham's self-created mythology is pure hokum. That gifted team of the mid-1960s may have helped propel England to glory, but it never threatened to emulate that success in the league. A year after Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy, he was pondering a 16th-placed finish in the old First Division. However, in an era drained dry of romanticism, West Ham's dreamers should be cherished. For all the baloney, there is a genuine sense of tradition at Upton Park. Pictures of former greats adorn the claret and blue corridors; a video of the team's European Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1965 plays on an endless loop in the club museum; the last thing players read before they trot out of the tunnel is a sign that reads: "Welcome to Upton Park. The Academy of Football."

Ghosts hover in every corner of West Ham's home, but Pardew's side has been stirred rather than spooked by their presence this season. The modern-day Hammers are playing the sort of football that would have had their former manager, Ron Greenwood, purring with pleasure, and their achievements are enhanced by the fact that the average age of Saturday's starting 11 was just 26 - a figure boosted by almost 40 years' worth of Teddy Sheringham.

It is rare for a promoted team to carry the attack to top-flight opponents - most cower on their 18-yard line awaiting the inevitable avalanche - but West Ham have dared to be different. Before Saturday's stalemate, the Hammers had plundered 15 goals in six games and were second only to Chelsea in the scoring stakes. Marlon Harewood, a hollow shell of a striker two seasons ago, is still the only Premiership player to have netted a hat-trick. Upton Park is throbbing with excitement.

Amid all the euphoria, Pardew is maintaining an admirably cool head. But if anyone should have a sense of perspective on West Ham's startling early-season form, it is he. A year ago, radio phone-in switchboards were melting under a barrage of calls from supporters demanding Pardew's sacking. He was to be drawn through Whitechapel, executed on Tower Green and his head stuck on a pole above London Bridge as a warning to all those who were considering popping their CV in the post.

Pardew was not entirely blameless. His pompous rhetoric and lack of self-awareness made him an easy target and critics swiftly labelled him football's answer to David Brent. It was Pardew who came up with the idea of wearing those squirm-inducing "Moore than just a football club" T-shirts.

But the former Reading manager has seemingly learned his lessons. The old Pardew would have been shouting from the East End chimney-stacks after leading West Ham to fourth place in the fledgling Premiership table. The new version is far more circumspect. "The test for us will come when we lose, perhaps against a side which we were expected to beat," he said. "There will be a few more hurdles to get over."

This is true, though West Ham have already lost at home to Bolton - not one of the Premiership's bigger fish, for all their impressive recent achievements - and bounced back in style. But Pardew is not the only one praying the Hammers' flying start metamorphoses into a wonderful season. With Chelsea advancing into the distance, every shred of excitement is to be savoured.