da fazobetai： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da apostaganha： It can be easy to feel as though figureheads at your club don’t care when things are going badly.
This is indicated by the fact Manuel Pellegrini felt the need to say he does before West Ham United faced Chelsea, though when that game ended it was near-impossible to question the passion at the club thanks to David Martin.
When the final whistle blew he sunk to the floor with his face stuffed into the turf. It was only when Ryan Fredericks and Aaron Cresswell picked him up that the rush of emotion he felt was truly visible to the world.
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As the goalkeeper was hugged by his teammates, it became apparent that this was about far more than three points, more than the clean sheet, even more than ending an eight-game winless run in all competitions.
This was about a man making his Premier League debut at 33 years old, having knocked about in the lower divisions for most of his career.
He had just played his first game for his boyhood team, having not expected to ever do so even after signing for them, with his club legend of a dad, Alvin, watching on from the stands.
To put the likelihood of him making this debut into context, following the game, Football.London claimed his original chances of getting into the team were “somewhere between slim to none”
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Growing up as a kid, he will have most likely sung the names of countless West Ham players, so it is difficult to imagine just how sweet it must have felt to kiss the badge on his way off the pitch, with “One David Martin” being sung in the background, before going to give his dad a hug.
He was unorthodox at times during the game, but Martin certainly played his part, making six saves to ensure he kept Chelsea out any way possible.
This was best shown when he palmed away Matteo Kovacic’s effort, blocked Olivier Giroud’s follow-up and then dived at Pedro’s feet to collect the ball, with the fans’ roar and Fabian Balbuena’s shout highlighting how much everyone was willing him on.
Martin summed up his feelings after the game, as quoted on West Ham’s Twitter page: “I got through it, I didn’t let anyone down, I did actually enjoy it in the end, which I didn’t think I would do.”
Hammers fans were absolutely thrilled for him and it can be said that as well as earning the three points, Martin reminded many of those supporters that players do care, along with why they love their club.
In other news, Martin’s teammate was also praised for his performance against Chelsea.