Demba Ba Is The Man To Save West Ham

When Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba joined West Ham in late January, following the collapse of a proposed move to Stoke City, many doubted his bullish claims of saving the club single handedly. But following a stunning, two goal performance against West Brom at the weekend, fans and pundits alike have been forced to reconsider their opinions of the Senegalese international.


Ba made his debut last weekend against Birmingham City at Upton Park, and within minutes of his arrival struck the post in what would be the closest shot that West Ham had to scoring in that game. Encouraged by Ba's impact as a substitute, Avram Grant elected to deploy the forward from the start, in a new look striking partnership with Carlton Cole for West Ham's next match, a relegation six pointer, away at West Bromich Albion. Grant's faith in the former Bundesliga star was rewarded early in the second half as Ba swept home a tidy finish, to propel West Ham back into a game which they had trailed three-nil at the break. But Ba's finest moment of the match was still yet to come. Having helped West Ham to claim another goal, this one scored by fellow striker Cole, Ba helped himself to a goal made stunning, not just by the difficulty of the technique needed to execute it, but by the significance it may have in West Ham's bid to survival. Ba's 83d minute sliding volley completed a remarkable comeback from West Ham which had looked impossible following Winston Reid's own goal just minutes before the end of the first half. Pessimistic West Ham supporters will point to yet more evidence of the Hammers' defensive frailties following their terrific come back against West Brom, but the majority of the claret and blue clad, Upton Park faithful will realize the importance of Ba's brace, not just in the context of the come back, but in the context of Ba's fledgling West Ham career.

Can Demba Ba keep West Ham up?

How many more goals can we expect from the former Hoffenheim man?