Three wins from their last three games. West Ham have gone from a side that looked completely at sea in their opening fixtures to one that appears, tentatively, to be finding its footing in the Championship. BBC Radio London's Phil Parry summed it up well: the Hammers need to "embrace the chaos" rather than try to impose the kind of structured, patient build-up play that defines the top flight.

That is a more interesting argument than it first sounds, and it is worth unpacking.

A culture shock nobody should have underestimated

West Ham spent 14 years in the Premier League, a division that has grown enormously in its tactical sophistication, its press-resistance and its financial muscle. Moving down to the second tier is not a gentle slide; it is a collision with a completely different footballing world. The Championship is faster in transitions, more direct in stretches, and more physically confrontational in its rhythms. Games turn on moments of individual quality and set-piece delivery rather than on sustained territorial dominance.

Parry makes the point that the early stumbles were partly conceptual: it took time for the squad to genuinely absorb where they were, not just intellectually but in terms of how they actually play on the pitch. Dropping off the press, ceding possession in their own half to draw opponents in, then recycling calmly: these habits are hard-wired into players who spent years in the top flight. The Championship punishes that passivity ruthlessly.

Three wins in a row suggest the penny may be dropping. The caveat, of course, is that three games is a small sample. We do not yet have the numbers to say with confidence that West Ham have genuinely solved this adjustment or simply caught three opponents at the right moment.

What Wrexham bring to this test

Wrexham arrive at the London Stadium on Friday having had a mixed start themselves. They also failed to win any of their opening three fixtures, and at the time of writing have managed only one win so far this season. On paper, that sounds like a soft test for the improving Hammers.

It is not quite that simple. Wrexham carry their own unique pressure: heavy media attention, enormous expectation and a fanbase riding a wave of momentum built over several extraordinary seasons. Parry suggests that attention may itself weigh on the visitors, and there is a plausible logic to that. Clubs who carry a constant spotlight sometimes freeze in the moments that matter.

But Wrexham's players are not naive. They have navigated high-stakes games before, including a potentially record-breaking crowd at the London Stadium according to reports we have already covered. The atmosphere alone will be unlike anything earlier rounds of this season have produced.

The bigger question for West Ham

The real issue for West Ham is not whether they beat Wrexham on Friday. It is whether the mindset shift Parry describes is genuine or temporary. Championship football rewards sides who can operate in both modes: pressing with intensity when the game demands it, and grinding out ugly victories when the game turns scrappy. A club of West Ham's resources should have the squad depth to do both.

The fans, according to Parry, are already responding. Attendances at the London Stadium have the potential to be among the best in the division, and a buoyant crowd on a Friday night under the lights is itself a factor. The home crowd can either paper over tactical cracks or genuinely lift a side; at this stage of West Ham's adjustment, the distinction matters.

Three wins in a row is encouraging. It is not evidence of a problem solved. Friday night against Wrexham will tell us rather more about whether West Ham have truly accepted what the Championship is, or whether this run has simply flattered a side still finding out.

Frequently asked

When do West Ham play Wrexham?
West Ham host Wrexham on Friday at 20:00 BST at the London Stadium.
How have West Ham been performing in the Championship this season?
West Ham failed to win any of their opening three Championship games but have since won three matches in a row, suggesting a gradual adjustment to life in the second tier.
How have Wrexham started the Championship season?
Wrexham also failed to win their opening three fixtures and have managed only one win so far in the Championship this season.