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My Worst Day At West Ham United

It’s funny how the optimist inside of us often surfaces despite all of the available evidence. There was no reason for me to expect a victory against Burnley given our respective recent form and league standings. Sean Dyche is a manager in the ascendancy and ours is one who has failed in his last three jobs and has the lowest basic wage of any manager in the Premier League.

Despite all of the above, I started the day in a reasonably positive mood – David Moyes had spoken during the week about the need to ditch the ‘respect the point’ philosophy and go for the win. There had been rumours circulating that we’d switch to a flat back four and allow Mario, Lanzini, Arnie and Antonio to be deployed to supply our fox in the box Javier Hernandez.

Alas, the reality of the day’s ending was very different to that I’d hoped for and I’m sorry to say that the bloke at the start of the video (me) is of a very different demeanor to the chap at the end of the video (also me). This was the most heartbreaking day following West Ham that I’ve ever witnessed, easily trumping any relegation.

I’d traveled to Cardiff in 2006 and whilst we lost the Cup Final, having grasped defeat from the jaws of victory, there was a pride in performance and certainly a unity amongst fans.  Lionel Scaloni’s ears were probably burning as we discussed the game in some obscure boozer following the game, but I remember there was an air of optimism about the following season.

No such thing can be said about yesterday with everything wrong about the club surfacing at the same time. Make no mistake about it, the football and tactics were poor and David Moyes was outsmarted by a better coach. The subsequent crowd shenanigans will deflect away from that for obvious reasons, but once Dyche had got the measure of Moyes it was game over.

Some fans began invading the the pitch, Mark Noble decided to police the incident himself and can consider himself lucky that Joe Hart intervened. He managed to handle our captain with assured composure and I’m sure Gareth Southgate will be relieved to at least see him catch something during the game.

The fan managed to pick himself up and make a dash for the safety of the crowd, however a couple of the stewards managed to momentarily rouse themselves from their slumber to detain him. Shortly afterwards, another hipster looking chap who may or may not have been called Crispin, made a dash onto the pitch to do something or other. He looked a little bit like Mo Salah, so I was buoyed for a split second – until I concluded that we’d not signed the Egyptian on a temporary loan and it probably was Crispin.

At 2-0 down our manager decided to introduce our best striker to play the old double bluff routine that was so successful at Sunderland, but unfortunately Burnley hadn’t read the script. The Hammer’s defence continued to make Chris Wood look like Chris Ronaldo and the striker who was playing for Leeds last season ran amok. It just goes to show that there are gems to be had in the Championship and this particular one looks even better than Jordan Hugill if such a thing were possible.

As all of this unfolded and Moyes was working out how best to unleash Patrice Evra, a group of fans began to congregate under the directors box. The stewards did little or nothing to stop them and they hurled nasty words, songs and a few coins at the joint chairman. As I understand it a £2 coin struck Sullivan, which whilst violent and uncalled for has handily doubled the transfer budget for the summer.

As the mob swelled Gold, Sully and Brady were advised to vacate their seats in the box and head for the sanctuary of the boardroom, yet there remained a solitary figure overlooking the chaos. West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking sat in his seat dumbstruck and surely trying to work out exactly what had happened to his beloved West Ham.

I’ll leave the rest of my for my video below, but if I jest it’s only gallows humour to mask the genuine sadness I have at what has happened to little old West Ham United.

 

 

About Gonzo

Hammers Chat video blogger @Gonzobignose

13 comments on “My Worst Day At West Ham United

  1. I don’t agree Gonzo about Moyes being outsmarted, Dyche is a one trick pony, a dog that is having it’s day. away from home his tactics do not change, it’s rope a dope. absorb everything wait for the opponent to tire itself out and hope to score on the counter, they did the same to beat the spuds and others. If you are the home team and need 3 points what do you do settle for 1 ? Moyes tried to win the game, yes it didn’t work nut 3 points are better than 1, if you want long term mediocrity by all means do what Dyche, Sam and Pullis have done for years, if not try and exert pressure, we should have been 2 0 up or better after the first half but luck didn’t go our way and Burnley did 100% according to their managers instruction, then we gave them 2 goals… I guarantee if that game happens again next season with Moyes players we don’t lose. The players let themselves down for me, especially Hart but these things happen and have happened too often they can be rectified with the right coaching and recruitment,

    • Mate, as the old saying goes “In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king”. Dyche may well only have one trick but that is plenty enough to see off a bloke without any.

      It’s also worth noting that although your ‘Rope-a-dope’ analogy was intended as a dig at Dyche it’s proved as successful for him as it was for Ali in 1974. I’d imagine David Moyes would give his right arm for a Rumble in the Jungle inspired defensive display following 11 goals conceded in the last 3 games.

    • Dyche is an astute tactician, you underestimate the man. You don’t maintain a 7th spot for this long in this division without guile and good management.
      Burnley , watch the everton and chelsea away fixtures, that was quality football.
      We have spent a tiny fraction of what the rest of you in this league have, and still risen above most.

  2. Spot on commentary guys, this is how the match went for me and the surporters where I sit we all felt exactly the same ! Also as I mentioned in another post that the Ref Mr Lee Mason was not giving us any decisions at all in our favour? And did nothing when we should have been in with a penalty shout and nothing when there goalkeeper was clearly wasting time? But there again he does come from Lancashire as do Burnley ???

    • we haven’t been given ONE pen all season, a bit of perspective required here i think. Virtually every game at Burnley has most of us thinking exactly the same about ref’s favouring the big boys. Believe me, we just don’t get the rub of the greem with officials…ever.

  3. ‘As all of this unfolded and (Mr) Moyes was working out how best to unleash Patrice Evra….’
    That has to be the best line, Gonzo. The best and the worst. Tragic, sad, pathetic.

  4. It’s ok to try to unload the guilt onto our own manager who inherited a very weak squad, but the fact remains that until the crowd trouble we were on top of this game. We lost because our players were badly affected by the fans behaviour on the pitch. Our foreign players were probably terrified by the whole thing, which was directed against our club our players and us.

  5. I first trod the steps of the Old Chicken Run in 1958. Ernie Gregory was in goal and a guy
    call Vic Keeble (Who we lost recently) was catching the ball on his head and dropping it on Johnny Dicks left foot, with unbelievable accuracy. The North bank erupted as the ball hit the back of the net and 40,000 Dockers Stevedors went home happy, after a long weeks toil in the Victoria & Albert Docks. I was just 8 years old having been lifted over the turnstile and over the heads of the hoards to the front so I could see. With my bag of Larkins peanuts in the shells and my new rattle it was just magical.
    We have gone through bad times before, Tevez gate, The Icelandic debacle, even the slur on Sir Bobby allededly nicking some jewellery at a World Cup. The embarrasment of losing to several lower division sides in the 3rd round of the FA Cup,
    None of that comes anywhere near this latest humiliation.
    We have lost our Home, our Identity and our pride. After 60 years my love affair with the West Ham I know has just ‘faded and died’
    I will NEVER be anything but a Hammer, as my Dad before me and his Father before him,
    and my Son & Grandson after me.

  6. Burnley fan here, what a great vlog,
    top notch in fact.
    Just a personal opinion, I believe a huge majority of fans elsewhere will understand your frustration with the current set up. I don’t know the details regarding promises that may have been broken from your club, but just losing Upton Park seems catastrophic . I would feel devastated if we lost Turf Moor. All we seem to get through the main media is arsenal and spurs ad infinitum, so it makes a change for them to have to focus on west ham for a change.Many Clarets ( Burnley) share these thoughts. I hope it can be resolved somehow. We are punching above our weight up here, but its a massive achievement for a small club. Genuinely hope you can pick up the points and maintain your status in the top flight. Best of luck.

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