With Southampton slipping in recent games, West Ham have temporarily taken over the mantel of the most surprising team in the Premier League this season.
The Hammers are enjoying their best ever start in the league and are currently in fourth place after enjoying a magical 24 hours in third spot. Even the club's theme song I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles is being sung with some gusto these days by the fans at Upton Park.
Much of their success goes down to manager Sam Allardyce, someone who over the years is more used to suffering brickbats than receiving bouquets.
Allardyce has long been criticised by fans and pundits alike for his alleged preference for the long-ball style of play, although he denies that is how he likes football to be played.
He has also been on the receiving end of verbal attacks for his team's style by a number of managers. When West Ham held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier this year, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho called the Hammers' performance "football from the 19th century".
But Mourinho will complain about anything when he doesn't win. Last week's defeat at Newcastle was the fault of the ballboys, according to Jose.
Allardyce seems to have been around for ever, and in a way he has. His playing career, as a classic "big centre-half", goes back to 1973 when he played his first of what would eventually be 198 games for Bolton Wanderers.
He was, as one would imagine, not a particularly graceful footballer to watch. One of his opponents in those days, Dave Bassett remarked rather naughtily: "Sam was a ball-playing defender. If he wasn't with the ball, he was playing with your balls."
Although he spent much of his time at Bolton, Allardyce played for eight English clubs in all, until he became Preston manager in 1992.
He has gone on to manage seven clubs, with considerable success, but not without controversy.
After just missing out on promotion with Blackpool in 1996, he was abruptly sacked and did not take it well. "It was cold, calculated, pre-planned," he said of his ouster.
He enjoyed a successful spell in the Premier League with Bolton, twice guiding the Trotters into the top 10, with the sixth place in 1995 the club's highest-ever finishing position.
But Big Sam was desperate to win a few trophies and chose to leave Bolton for Newcastle United. He said at the time: "I've had praise… but I want silverware. I'm determined to get it before my days are over."
The move to Newcastle in 2007 did not work out. Although the team was about mid-table, the hard-to-please Geordie fans were unhappy at the team's style of play, which they said involved too much long ball.
It got to the stage where Allardyce was being greeted at St James's Park with chants of "You don't know what you're doing" by the home fans and that was the last straw for Sam . He soon left Tyneside "by mutual consent".
Allardyce was to enjoy a reasonable time at Blackburn Rovers, but with the team in 13th place was abruptly sacked in 2010. It was a decision Sir Alex Ferguson called "absolutely ridiculous".
Despite his success with West Ham, earning them promotion back into the Premier League in 2012, Allardyce still took some stick from the fans unhappy with the style of play. Last season he faced posters reading "Fat Sam Out" and he must wonder what he has to do to mollify the fans.
In attempt to improve the fans' perception of West Ham's style of play, former ace striker Teddy Sheringham was hired to "improve the club's goal tally" and the Hammers do appear to be playing more attractive football these days.
"I think we are winning a lot of people over,'' Allardyce said recently. "You always win them over if you start winning games."
It is no secret that Allardyce would love to get the England job and twice he has been in the running, after the departure of Sven-Goran Eriksson and then Fabio Capello. But that 'long-ball' criticism kept surfacing and scuppered his chances.
Allardyce once commented rather wistfully on the apparent preference in England for foreign managers: "If my name were Alardicci people would probably think I was the best thing since sliced bread."
Big Sam always cuts a striking figure on the touchline, chewing gum, tie usually askew, and appearing generally harassed. He once commented "I can't help the way I look. I suppose some people will always think of me as a big ugly centre-half who doesn't know about the game's finer points."
One common observation is that he looks like the local butcher.
But for all his tough appearance, Allardyce admits he is just a touch vulnerable when it comes to watching his teams play.
"I love football and all the build-up to a game, but I absolutely hate match days," he once said. "I wake up with a knot in my stomach and it never goes away until the final whistle."
One suspects Allardyce was speaking for many modern managers.
Most pundits don't believe West Ham will last the pace and point to two tough Christmas fixtures, away to Chelsea and home to Arsenal. However the Hammers' immediate concern is today's away trip to Sunderland. Three points from that and their London rivals will definitely start taking them seriously.
It will also be interesting to see whether the modern-day Mourinho has finally managed to work out how to overcome Big Sam's '19th Century football'.