Castellanos and Pablo: West Ham's new Hartson and Kitson

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsLiverpool vs. PSG ReactionsIraola to Leave BournemouthDe Laurentiis InterviewTop 15 Goalkeepers RankedMan Utd StumbleAnalysisCastellanos and Pablo: West Ham’s new Hartson and KitsonTaty Castellanos celebrates his first goal against Wolves with Pablo Mark Thompson/Getty Images Share full articleIn West Ham United’s latest battle against relegation, forwards Taty Castellanos and Pablo are reprising the roles of Paul Kitson and John Hartson. It was midway through the 1996-97 season when Kitson and Hartson arrived, at great expense, to score 13 goals between them, helping Harry Redknapp’s team pull clear of danger. Fast forward almost three decades, and the impacts of Castellanos and Pablo are being described in the same way after signing in January.    Castellanos, the 27-year-old who joined from Lazio in January, has five goals across 16 appearances and although Pablo, 22, has not scored since moving from Portuguese side Gil Vicente, his work rate has been just as important.  Despite costing a combined £43.5million (€50.5m/$59.6m), the duo arrived to little fanfare, but it is proving money well spent. Following last Friday’s 4-0 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time since March. Castellanos scored twice in 99 seconds, and Pablo registered an assist for his strike partner’s first goal. West Ham, who are two points above 18th-place Tottenham Hotspur, have earned 18 points from their past 11 league games, winning five, drawing three and losing three. The win over Wolves was the first time two West Ham players (Konstantinos Mavropanos and Castellanos) scored twice in a league fixture since Kitson (three) and Hartson (two) combined to inspire a 5-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday in May 1997.  It is unusual for a modern Premier League team to play with two strikers — and Hartson believes Nuno’s tactical switch from a 4-2-3-1 has paid off. “Credit to Nuno for changing the formation because a lot of teams don’t play 4-4-2 anymore, which is a great shame,” the former Wales striker, 51, tells The Athletic. “West Ham are still down there but these two strikers have been the difference makers. It can be tough joining a club midway through the season, especially when you’re in a new country like Taty and Pablo, when the language barrier could be tough. But they’ve brought energy. Credit to Nuno for getting the best out of them. “Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville have been outstanding recently, too and they’ve formed a good understanding with Taty and Pablo. I hope they work on their partnership more than me and Paul did. I want them to be better than us, so in 20 years, fans will be calling it the Taty and Pablo partnership like how they fondly remember me and Paul.” Like Castellanos and Pablo, Hartson and Kitson joined when West Ham looked near-certainties for relegation. Before their arrivals, the club were in the bottom three, having won five of their first 25 league games and failed to score in 10 matches. Left-back and captain Julian Dicks was their joint-top scorer, with three goals (tied with midfielder Michael Hughes). Florin Raducioiu, Iain Dowie and Emmanuel Omoyinmi were among the attacking options, but the lack of potency prompted the additions of Hartson and Kitson. Hartson joined for a club record £3.2million from Arsenal, with Kitson moving from Newcastle United for £2.3million — substantial fees at the time. They scored on their home debuts in the thrilling 4-3 victory against Tottenham and never looked back. West Ham finished 14th, with Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest relegated.  “Me and Paul never practised anything on the training ground,” says Hartson. “How we played together came naturally. I was at a West Ham function recently and although it was almost 30 years ago, people came up to me, thanking me for helping keep the club up. I’m very proud of that, and the partnership me and Paul had. “The game everyone remembers is the win against Sheffield Wednesday. Paul scored a hat-trick and I scored twice and we finished the season comfortably in the end. When we joined, we were raring to show what we could do. I came from Arsenal — I just couldn’t get past Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp. Paul couldn’t get past Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand at Newcastle. It was a blessing in disguise because we formed a special bond at West Ham.” Castellanos scored his first goal under Nuno in the third-round FA Cup win against Queens Park Rangers. In February, before the goalless draw against Bournemouth, the head coach praised the forward’s impact. “We’ve been lucky to have him,” Nuno told the club’s website. “He’s brought a lot of good things to the team — energy, hard work, goals and the way he plays football.” Castellanos and Pablo’s performances mirror the influence of Bowen and Tomas Soucek six years ago. They were also signed in the winter window and played key roles in helping West Ham avoid relegation under David Moyes. Axel Disasi, the Chelsea loanee who also arrived in January, has thrived alongside fellow centre-back Mavropanos but it is the role of the front two that has made the biggest difference, according to former midfielder John Moncur. The 59-year-old, who made more than 200 appearances for West Ham between 1994 and 2003, played with Hartson and Kitson. Moncur still watches Nuno’s side regularly and has been impressed with their performances “I was at the Wolves game and shouted ‘hallelujah’ when Taty scored the first of his two goals,” says Moncur. “I thought he was starting to lose confidence after he went a few games without scoring. That goal would’ve done him the world of good. “His playing style is similar to Kitson because he runs off defenders, he doesn’t give them any peace and is good in the air. His technical ability is closer to Kitson and Pablo is more like Hartson. He holds the ball up well and just needs to get a goal. “They have a long way to go as a partnership but there are encouraging signs. We probably won’t see the best of them until next season, providing we’re still in the Premier League. It’s thanks to them that we’ve improved massively under Nuno. They’ve given us another dimension.” West Ham have not played in the second tier since 2012. With six league games remaining, Hartson has high hopes his former club will remain in the Premier League. “I’m quite confident West Ham will stay up,” says the former striker who watches from a distance in Edinburgh, Scotland. “The two strikers look confident and you can tell they’re up for the fight. Joining the club midway through a relegation battle says a lot about their character, which would’ve rubbed off on their team-mates. “The finish line is in sight and the players can’t afford to go missing. They need to understand that people behind the scenes could lose their jobs if the club gets relegated. The supporters will suffer and it would be a long way back because the Championship is a tough league. But credit to Taty and Pablo because a lot of fans have a lot more belief (they can stay up) because of them.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Roshane Thomas is a staff writer who covers West Ham United for The Athletic. Previously, he worked for the Sunday Times and talkSPORT. Follow Roshane on Twitter @RoshaneSport