West Ham managed to retain their place at the top of the Coca Cola Championship with a battling 1 -1 draw against fellow promotion candidates Southampton at Upton Park recently.

The fact that Sam Allardyce’s men managed to gain this point after playing the majority of the game with 10 men makes their performance even more impressive.

West Ham are 1 point ahead of Southampton in the race for the Championship title, with Cardiff city only 4 points adrift after a 3 – 1 home win against Peterborough United.

West Ham managed to retain the core of their squad even after relegation from the Premier League, so they easily have one of, if not the, best squad in the Championship.

They also have an experienced, knowledgeable manager in Sam Allardyce, and things seem to be well in place to ensure that they jump straight back up to the Premier League, their rightful home. When the Upton Park faithful find full voice, it can be one of the best atmospheres in the English game, and the Premier League has missed the enthusiasm of West Ham’s supporters so far this season.

However, West Ham were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently with new acquisition Ravel Morrison being charged by the FA as a result of homophobic message that came from the player’s Twitter account.

Morrison is widely considered to be a sensationally talented player, and the Hammers could have got themselves a top player for very cheap, but with a dodgy track record, it will require some of Allardyce’s top man management qualities to help convert Morrison’s obvious talent into consistent performances.