Despite a 0-0 draw at home to Aston Villa on Saturday, West Ham United fans left Upton Park with the sense of optimisim in tact.

Last season a goalless draw at home would have been greeted with derision and boos ringing out from all corners of the ground, but this is a different West Ham both on and off the pitch.

That said, there is no doubt the Hammers should have beaten a poor Aston Villa side. As the final whistle blew you couldn't quite believe the game had ended in a stalemate, especially given the clear-cut chances the hosts created and wasted in the second half.

The draw against Villa also saw the return of striker Andy Carroll. Much debate has been had regarding where exactly Carroll fits into this new system, and I have had many a discussion about the merits of having such a player in our squad.

Some have spoken about selling Carroll which I think would be utter madness. The fact is we need a big squad to compete and not just a squad of any type of player, but a squad which has quality.

When Carroll was brought on late in the game against Aston Villa you could clearly see the Villa defence panic as Carroll heaped chaos upon the away side.

Last season most West Ham fans bemoaned the lack of striking options available to Sam Allardyce, with the hapless Modibo Maiga and inconsistent Carlton Cole utilised up top. It was no surprise that scoring goals was a major problem.

This season the club have an abundance of striking options with Diafra Sakho (pictured left) and Enner Valencia proving success stories thus far.

But it would be unrealistic to think these players won’t have a dip in form, or suffer injury. To now have Carroll waiting in the wings shows how far the club have come regarding the squad’s depth.

This quality is shown throughout the squad with players such as Mauro Zarate not even able to get onto the substitutes bench.

With the way results went at the weekend, West Ham remain in fourth place. With the next game against Everton on November 22 it will mean that the Hammers will go into mid-to-late November occupying a Champions League place.

Whilst no one expects West Ham to finish in that position, the fact this is currently being achieved is a massive positive and has changed the whole feeling around the club, which was so desperately needed.

The Hammers now go into the international break with their confidence in tact but know beating Everton in a couple of weeks will require a top performance at a ground where they don’t usually come away with much.

In fact you have to go back to December 2005 to find West Ham’s last victory at Goodison Park on a night where an own goal and a winner from Bobby Zamora saw West Ham taste victory.

This season so far has been about how West Ham are rising to new challenges and showing that they are progressing and changing.

There would be no bigger change in fortunes if maximum points are to be gained away at the blue half of Merseyside.