Tomas Soucek has been the breakout star of the Premier League season, scoring eight goals as West Ham chase an unlikely European place, and it’s hard not to begrudge his rise.
While Sean Dyche turns off the television and makes his family endure another round of ‘Lookalikies’, we’ve always considered Word Association to be a superior filler of time.
Say the Czech Republic and there’s a good chance any answer will be centred around cheap beer, stag-dos and a rich cultural history.
Ask someone of a West Ham persuasion and their mind will likely wander back through a rich tradition of Czech footballers that have represented the club.
From Ludek Miklosko, Andy Cole’s nemesis who was serenaded by geographically-challenged Hammers fans as hailing from ‘near Moscow’, to Tomas Repka who became a cult hero at Upton Park as the angriest footballer of all time, West Ham have been served well by players from this corner of Central Europe.
Enter Soucek. The 25-year-old midfielder has been a revelation since moving from Slavia Prague in January 2020, initially on loan before a £19.1million fee was agreed last summer, and his form has invited comparisons with Marouane Fellaini.
This does Soucek a slight disservice. While both share the distinction of goalscoring midfielder fronting an overachieving David Moyes team, the Czech Republic international offers more than thundering headers, wild hair and even wilder elbows.
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