Match verdict
Stoke City 2 Irons 1
So in the end there was nothing but disappointment – err no, not true actually.
What I saw at Stoke this afternoon was a team that should have been physically and emotionally drained after a colossal Tuesday night game and all the drama surrounding it off the pitch.
What I saw at Stoke this afternoon was a team who for much of the game were stroking the ball around like a new found friend and creating enough chances to win five games.
And despite the incredible rigours of that match against Manchester United not one of them left a thing on the City pitch this afternoon.
In the end we didn’t take those chances but that was as much down to Potters keeper Shay Given who made some remarkable saves and an off colour Diafra Sakho who certainly should have put a second away and tied up the game.
West Ham’s brilliant players – with Michail Antonio again showing the way – surely gave Roy Hodgson the heftiest nudge in the world ahead of the European Finals.
No Payet, no problem was my cry in the first half as we dominated Stoke but once again could not secure a comfortable lead but it became a little more problematical in the second and in the end we were beaten by a team who showed that the thought of summer sun loungers had never entered their heads.
Now the excitement goes on to beyond the end of the season as we await the FA Cup Final which if United can win will supply us with a passage into Europe.
Whether a European campaign is what we need next season as we adjust from homely Upton Park to the grandeur and luxury of the OS is something I’ll address later on.
All that needs to be said for now is that despite the fact we still don’t know the outcome of the Euro mission, this has been the greatest season many of us can remember.
We signed a new manager who like many of the fresh arrivals was unproven at PL level yet they have gone on to perform wonders and give us a brand of football that this time last year we couldn’t have imagined.
I personally say a huge thank you to Slav, the players and the two Daves. That we feel disappointed not to have made Europe today is an indication of a near miracle that has been performed during a wondrous season.
COYI
I’m immensely proud of our players throughout the whole of this season.Why wouldn’t I be.Its the best season for me since 85/86 by a mile 🙂
STAND UP LOUD & PROUD TO BE A HAMMER……
It has been a fantastic last season at our old ground & we can now look forward to another fantastic season at our new one. I am already looking forward to next season.
I believe that this is the best article that I have read so far. Thank you, Hugh. + 42. 😀
I still cant help but think that Stoke City had some kind of invisible force shield in front of their goal. 😀
We lost, but some of the football we played today was breathtaking.
Hi guys,newbie.Thanks for this article,it really does express how i have felt this season.So much joy & enjoyment watching mine & everybody elses favourite football team.Europe or not this season will live long in my memory.I am finding it totally staggering to read some of the negativity & displeasure about this season & our achievements.This mentality with some fans that we have done nothing more than last season blows my mind.Do they have amnesia & have forgotten the abject mess we were for the last half of last season.There were maybe many mitigating circumstances but you need to be clueless about football not to have enjoyed this season.
I read on Wetpants people saying they feel let down by Slaven & the players.What complete & utter W#nkers.I feel sorry for some of the good guys on there.These total tossers are the reason they get the stick they do.Deservedly so when aimed at the morons that think the boss & players have let them down.I do sincerely feel sorry for the real West Ham football fans who use that site who have those idiots on there with them.
Well said Stan..and a great Article Hugh as always !! YES i was disappointed at the whistle
BUT on reflection What A season…Well done Slav Well done boys.. WELL done the board.
If we had half the luck Leicester had ( and that’s not a Knock I’m glad they finally won it) we’d have been right in the mix..HERE’S to next season COYI
Im so happy to find that site, cause wetpants seem to be a perfect place for arrogant self-centered primadonnas. Love the simple friendly and HONEST atmosphere on C&H. hats off to Hugh! COYI
Are you kidding.Bilic & the players let us down? How did they work that out then? It’s difficult to work that one out or maybe I’m missing something lol
haha… Rick, perhaps you forget that we have a very low IQ, you can’t understand what scientists have in mind… you just have to believe without asking any question. lol 😀
Lol Matte.If having a high IQ makes you come out with bolloxs like Bilic & the players have let us down i will stick to my very low IQ 🙂
Seriously doubt bout their IQ. Ability to say stupid things using sophisticated grammar constructions doesn’t make one smart. XD
What does sophisticated mean? 🙂
Lol xD
Personally, I’ve nothing to add, I’m absolutely on the same page as you Hugh.
Proud, happy and optimistic, it’s just how I feel. 😉
It is the way we should all feel.Maybe some of our fans preferred how they felt at the end of last season.As I said it’s mind blowing some of the negativity I have read.They are the type of fans who deserved our regular relegation battles & times in Div2/The Champo.
100% agreement,the most entertaining football played by our team for 20 years,
Some of those lads had nothing left to give and you can ask no more,we showed such class until that final shot or header,
Any won slagging off our team or management no nothing about football,they should be ashamed of themselves,but their mentality means it will never sink in,
They need to head North and support their God of boredom,
We can still get to Europe and if there really is a god in football it will happen,
Just hope the players watching that would consider joining our great club can see how exciting it would be being part of our club,
Thanks for a great season
Taking Leicester to one side, you need to learn to walk before you can run. We have shown that we are ten times the side we were last season. Slav & the players have let us down?? With three games to play we still a good chance of CL football & how many seasons have we gone into the very last game with a place in europe still up for grabs? If manure do us a favour then we will still have that chance. Go back 12 months we were in freefall & lucky we only went as far as 12th. Slav, his team & the players have done us proud. Ask anyone in August what would they be happy with come May I guess 99% would have expected less than we got. 2016/17 season I can’t wait.
Dress it up anyway you wish but the fact is we are left waiting for MU to do us a favour, otherwise we have come up short again after promising so much.
With so many top teams stumbling so badly, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the underdogs, Leicester grabbed it, we didn’t that’s all there is to say
Enjoy what we did not moan about what we didn’t. Maybe we didn’t win games we should have but we did win some we shouldn’t. We can’t do anything about what other teams do so who cares?
Canchaz, its disappointing we lost but we were the second best team in the league this season, given no help by referees except when we were already in the clutches of the Europa, we have been denied 15 points by shocking refereeing not to mention the 6 games in a row starting with Everton and including the first FA cup tie with Utd where we were denied 8 of those 15 points and had we won all of them we may have won all the subsequent games, the team today left everything out on the pitch if that is not good enough for you then I am not sure what you want, Stoke were lucky helped out by poor defending and some poor finishing on occaisions, I won’t be disappointed if we miss out on this Europa league but I would want the FAPL and referees held to account for their negligence in officiating or possible corruption, I don’t believe 8 to 10 times for 1 team against and 8 – 10 times in favour for 2 or more teams (Man Utd / Leicester) is coincidence I think it should be a sacking offence and their should be an enquiry.
Sorry I for one really enjoyed this season, some classy football, a gem in midfield, couple of work horses as well, defenders were alright better with ginge, goalkeepers were good and not so good, young up and coming players plus Antonio who gets better going forward every week, I don’t need Europe next season , I would like one as good as this season
Canchaz I don’t know how to say this politely but shut the f#ck up.I havnt been on here for more than 3 or 4 months but all I have ever read from you is negative posts,telling people how you ‘said all along’ or generally just being a pessimistic bore.I wont bother dressing this up any way…You are a miserable turd.If you can’t take anything from this season or you havnt enjoyed it I feel really really sorry for you.
As for coming up short AGAIN please explain to me in our recent history when we have been in a position to come up short in the first place????
lol canchaz, your chronic pessimism makes me smile… honestly I don’t think this has been once in lifetime opportunity… If the same thing had happened last year, yes, I would agree with you. But not this year: this is only the beginning, not the chance of a lifetime… you should see things in perspective, Slav had less than a year on the job and look what he did… new country, new league, new players and best result we have had in the past ten years, even in terms of entertainment. You write “after promising so much”… well, I tell you “Slav exceeded my wildest expectations”. 😉
Fans like canchaz depress me.I’m bloody glad he doesn’t sit next to me in the ground i would have climbed on to the roof & jumped off by now.
lol 😀
This is our future as West Ham supporters I think.I have a good mate who has been a ST holder at Man.City for over 40 years,he said some of their fans are a complete pain these days.Forever grumbling & throwing tantrums when they don’t win ONE game.He said he would go back to being at Maine Rd in a heartbeat if it ment they had fans who were how they were back then.Don’t get me wrong he loves the trophies they have won,he can’t stand some of the fans & what they have become though.A look into our future possibly.I hope not I really do 🙁
Great season but there is no escaping the fact that in the end, despite all the injuries and dodgy refereeing, if had won the games against Swansea and Stoke we’d be in the Champions League. Most of us had those games down as wins, including you Hugh! So near and yet so far. Fantastic however to be discussing this stuff after the dross at the end of last season.
absolutely proud of each and everyone of them but i have to say my hammer of the year has to be slaven what a gentlemen in every game never a bad word what so ever even congratulated stoke today. this man will win for us believe me he has his first season under his belt now so i will be watching next season Europe or not and i just know we will get something next season under this stunning manager. anyone want to argue against that lol
all the best guys have been reading here for like forever always good and good people
Ray
That’s it the seasons done & dusted.Now it’s time for me to work my nuts off over the summer to replenish my bank account & go again next season all guns blazing haha.This season has been brilliant as a fan,following the team over the country has been 99% entertainment & fun.I want to forget about the Spuds game,I am trying hard to imagine it never happened at White Sh1te Lane & I was fortunate enough to not be able to make the Newcastle game up there either.I ain’t going to dwell on the moaners & negative people,all i can say is that the away support we have taken over the country has been the best.I have seen lads i havnt seen for 4 for 5 years who have caught the Slaven bug & want to watch us again no matter where we are.That’s what this season was all about,getting the enjoyment back as fans,we got it big time.If fans like Canchaz & others only want to look at a league table to judge our season good luck to them but if they had been supporting the team on our away days then they would have realised our season was about far more than that & how proud we were as fans watching & supporting this team.Thanks Slaven,we didn’t choke,we didn’t bottle it,you didn’t let us down,the players didn’t let us down,this season was the business,thanks for so many great days out COYI
PS I stand by what I said last week,i still hate some of our f*cking fans,they are delusional cheesie bellends 😉
And in one post you’ve summed it up Rads, 1 year of of attacking football and great atmosphere home and away outweighs 4 years of total ******** and negativity.
I agree. Great post! COYI
The fans you hate ** are not fans at all ** most are delusional,,look at me, insecure** hard men** ( well perhaps not that hard ). Me, if they win, great, if they lose tough****end of.
Seriously lads I can’t support us in such a cold calculated way as Chaz,it is all much,much more to me than hard facts & cold analytical statements.Each to their own but Chaz doesn’t get it from what I can see.He is is or was probably a traffic warden 🙂
Pmsl, Cheesie Bellends,loooool.You just almost sent my mouthful of bacon butty across the room,lol.Some fans are never content with their lot but that isn’t my problem,let them be miserable w#nkers.Their loss if they didn’t have an exciting season.
It’s a little bit of a shame really** but we topped the 60 points that I forecast back when Slav took over,,and when you think about the chances that went begging ??? Well “”” that’s football,,, but never the less?? I am a well pleased long term fan. 1963.
Brilliant season – not just for West Ham but for the whole of the Premiership. Great to see the old order being shaken up by the likes of Leicester.
My only regret – the fact that, but for 4 or 5 atrocious refereeing decisions in the latter part of the season (you know which ones I’m talking about), I have no doubt at all that we would have a Champions League spot.
Never mind – still 50/50 shot at a Europa place, an amazing new stadium and – most importantly of all – a fantastic squad ready to take the league by storm next season.
COYI