IT IS OFTEN TRUE THAT TWO PEOPLE WITH OPPOSITE OPINIONS CAN USE THE SAME SET OF STATISTICS TO BACK UP THEIR ARGUMENT. IT DEPENDS HOW THEY PRESENT THOSE STATISTICS.  

Bearing that in mind you can, if you want, completely ignore what I'm about to say and flick through to an advert for Hammers pyjamas or the Amazing Adventures of Herbie and Bubbles or whatever. But West Ham under Glenn Roeder have performed better than the class of Redknapp, 2000-2001.  

With six games of the season to go, the Hammers are already a point better off than the end of last season and have a good chance of a top ten finish for the fourth time in five seasons. Three of those games remaining, including today's derby with Charlton, are at Upton Park, where the Hammers under Roeder have already won nine matches, three more than last term. West Ham's third goal against Ipswich last weekend, scored by Jermain Defoe, was the team's 25th at home, an improvement again on the previous year's haul. Had enough? 

Admittedly, I'm not banging on so loudly about the away form, but the fact that Roeder is still in charge is an achievement in itself, having begun his first managerial campaign in the Premiership as joint favourite with Stuart Gray, then at Southampton, to be first to lose his job. But in reality, his appointment was never seen as a temporary measure by the club. 

With a new man in charge, supporters want to see an immediate improvement in a team's fortunes on the pitch, and ultimately that is how any manager is judged, but new training methods, altering player routines, shuffling the backroom staff structure, reorganising the squad and changing the personnel within that squad are not things that can be implemented overnight.  Perhaps more time is needed to see just how successful the quiet revolution has been, but the early signs are promising. 

When a manager appears to deliver his post-match verdict to the press, it is not so much like a presidential address you see in the films, but more like being dragged in front of the headmaster to face an awkward grilling, even though you are not sure why. There have been some difficult times too for the new boy, very difficult - the memories of Everton away followed by Blackburn, don't so much spring to mind as lurk there permanently, sticking their tongues out - but I have been impressed by what I have seen in the den of the press rooms. There is an assured confidence in Mr Roeder's manner and his generally well considered answers to questions give the impression that the man actually knows what he is talking about. 
 
By his own admission, he is not a "plate chucker", or from the Gordon Strachan school of touchline dancing, but then if your boss came up to you nose to nose and screamed abuse in your face every time you made a mistake, would he get the best response out of you?

Yes, there's a long way to go before any real judgements can be made. Yes, everybody including the manager himself will be looking for a better all round season next time out. But to finish in the top ten this season would be good. Very good. So start the party now and sing your hearts out.