OPINION: Why our season really starts at Southampton

I’ve never had the pleasure of watching our beloved Irons live in person. I nearly did in 2014 when West Ham United, Newcastle United and Sydney FC all took on the Wellington Phoenix here in New Zealand for the Football United Tour of 2014.

When West Ham United took on the Phoenix, the Irons were defeated 3-0 and although it was only a pre-season friendly, there was some upset that the Irons lost to the local lads. However, we did manage to win our second game (after a 1-0 loss to Tottenham) in the 14/15 season.

Look at the 2015/16 season when West Ham United were away to the Emirates to take on Arsenal. We ended up with a 2-0 win away, over a side whom looked better than us by a long shot. Yes, we lost the following two games, but if we look to last season, we had an opener against Chelsea, which was lost 2-1 to the home side, but a 1-0 win against AFC Bournemouth raised the mood again.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

See, we may lose on the Premier League opening weekend against some fierce opposition, but we manage to pull it back in time for the second game of the season. Yes, the 15/16 season is a little different as we beat Arsenal at home (West Ham the first to win at the Emirates, I might add), but we do have the power to pull back another strong performance the following week.

That’s why I’m fairly optimistic about our trip to Southampton this weekend as it’s the second game - a game where we can pick up our first three points and have a great chance at playing brilliant football.

As we prepare to welcome this game, we need to keep in mind that a 4-0 defeat is rough, especially to a team like Manchester United, however it does allow us the opportunity to work as a team and gain 3 points from a good weekend out.

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