00:00Thomas Suchek has silenced the critics with his standout performances for West Ham this
00:08season, proving many wrong after some initially predicted he could struggle following David
00:14Moyes' departure. Despite early doubts about his future at the club, Suchek has consistently
00:20been a key figure in midfield, demonstrating his importance both offensively and going
00:25forward. His work rate and leadership have been critical for the team, showing that his
00:30adaptability has allowed him to thrive, even as the club has undergone changes. I spoke
00:36to football writer James Jones to get a closer look at Suchek's remarkable form and his role
00:42in West Ham's midfield.
00:48James let's just look at a specific player in Thomas Suchek and let's just start by looking
00:55at his West Ham career, his sort of legacy he's left. I mean, an incredible player, incredible
01:00figure in that European Trophy win. Where do West Ham fans view him, put him on a pedestal
01:08in terms of their modern day players, their modern day real soldiers who went to battle
01:13so many times, so often, under David Moyes specifically? And then, you know, what sort
01:18of impact he's left at the club in his last few years?
01:23Well, I mean, he's one of those players that arrived at the club, no one had really heard
01:26of who he was. And I can't say enough about the player, about the man. He's been a revelation
01:34for West Ham since he joined the club back in 2020. And, you know, under Moyes, his importance
01:43to the team was well documented, you know, his aerial threat, arriving late in the box,
01:48scoring goals from midfield, as a defensive midfielder, almost unheard of some of the
01:53figures he was putting up under David Moyes. But then there was a feeling that when Moyes
02:00leaves, Lopetegui comes in, is he going to be one of the first players to be sacrificed?
02:04Because he wasn't known as being a player that could fit, could play in a team that
02:08wants to, you know, wants to dominate the ball, wants to play a little bit more with
02:11the ball, have more possession, be a little bit more technical in its approach. And there
02:16was a general expectation that he'd be one of the first players to be sacrificed when
02:20Lopetegui arrived. He stayed, but there were signs that Lopetegui would have rathered in
02:27not being in midfield. There was a few games where he was dropped and, you know, had to
02:30come off the bench. But he was in those games where West Ham just looked incredibly disjointed
02:35in midfield. And the moment he's introduced off the bench, suddenly things look a little
02:39bit more calmer in midfield, we're looking a bit more organised. And he ended up getting
02:43back in the starting XI, and Graeme Potter's arrived. Again, everyone thought, is he going
02:47to like Thomas Suchek? Does he fit the system? And, you know, if anything, he's playing his
02:52best football this season under Graeme Potter. So he's been fantastic. And like I said, some
02:56of the numbers he's put up, you know, he averages, he scored 38 goals in 235 games for West Ham.
03:02As a defensive midfielder, that's an incredible, you know, number to put up. You know, he averages
03:07goal contributions every 4.7 games. Again, for a defensive midfielder, there aren't many
03:13defensive midfielders in Europe that will put up those numbers. And, you know, he's
03:18played a game with a bandage on his head because he's put his head somewhere where he probably
03:21shouldn't. And, you know, he took one for the team and he's ended up now having to be
03:25stitched up. And, you know, West Ham fans just, you know, they respect that and they
03:30love a player like that. You know, a lot of the time fans look less, they don't look so
03:37much to the talent of a player and more just the heart and the passion that they give to
03:41the club. And he's, since the moment he arrived, he's really just bought into the overall values
03:46of West Ham United and the fans. And couple that with his performances on the pitch and
03:52the goals that he scores every season and the impact that he has on the team. And you've
03:57got, you know, a modern day West Ham United legend. And I'm sure that when he does leave,
04:02whenever that may be, he will be viewed by many, many fans as a West Ham legend. You
04:06know, he's part of the Conference League winning team, won it in his home country as
04:10well, in Prague, in the Czech Republic. So, yeah, he's a top player and massively underrated
04:18and misunderstood, I think, by not just some West Ham fans, but the rest of the Premier
04:23League as well. I think a lot of people just view him as just another David Moyes, Fellaini
04:282.0, when actually he does a hell of a lot more than that. And I think we're seeing that
04:33now, given that even after Moyes has left, he's been so important to two managers at
04:38West Ham after David Moyes. And yeah, long may that continue for Thomas Succex. We love him.
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