West Ham held by QPR as +11 goal difference stands out

West Ham were held to a 1-1 draw by QPR on Friday 9 October, a result that leaves them second in the Championship on 15 points from 8 matches. That is the shape of their season so far: hard to beat, rarely beaten, and not always able to turn control into a win.

The numbers explain it. 4 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat, with 22 goals scored and 11 conceded. Only Swansea have more points, 17 to 15, and nobody in the division has a better goal difference than +11.

What stands out is the split. At home, West Ham have 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Away, they are unbeaten: 1 win and 3 draws from 8 matches on the road. Two draws in a row, 2D, have slowed the pace slightly, but the away record is the reason they have not dropped further.

Jarrod Bowen has 5 goals, level with Mohamed Toure of Norwich and behind only William Lankshear and Cyle Larin, who each have 7.

Can a team with one defeat in 8 games really be unhappy? Probably not. Yet three draws already is a lot for a side with this goal difference, and the gap to Swansea at the top is +7 against +11 — small margins, decided by the games they did not close out.

The table is tight behind them. Middlesbrough are level on 15 points, with Wolverhampton on 14 and West Brom on 14. QPR, the team that held them on Friday 9 October, sit sixth on 13.

Next comes a trip to Lincoln City on Wednesday 14 October in matchday 10. The league itself resumes on Tuesday 13 October, when Wolverhampton meet Bolton — that fixture does not involve West Ham, but it shapes the race around them.