Hi everyone, hope you are all safe and well.
Well, after an eventful summer of sport, the Premier League is about to restart and I for one am counting down the days until we play Aston Villa at the London Stadium on Saturday 17th August.
It is quite exciting as well for me because it is the first time for a while I have managed to attend the first home game of the season as we usually go away on our summer holidays. But this year, the first two home games dove tail our holiday in Scotland so I cane make both the Villa match and our next home game against Premier League Champions Man City.
Added to that, we have the Betway Cup – our final friendly game against RC Celta de Vigo where we will hopefully get the chance to see many of the new signings we have made over the summer transfer window.
And to wet the appetite lets look back at the final game of the 2023-24 season that saw us run home 3-1 winners against a struggling Luton Town, who actually took the lead on 6mins through Albert Sambi Lokonga’s goal.
The sun was shining and the atmosphere was celebratory as finally the future of David Moyes had finally been decided after months of will he/ won’t he be asked to leave at the end of the season. The way the club mishandled this whole affair just confirms to many of us fans how badly the club is run at times. The ongoing situation throughout the season was creating so much uncertainty, both in and around the club and conspiracy theories were abound as to whether Moyes would be given another contract or not.
For my own pennies worth, I said after we had won the Europa Conference League in 2023 against Fiorentina in Prague that Moyes should have been told to leave. It would have been a very fitting end to his time at West Ham having taken us to our first silverware since the 1980 FA Cup victory over Arsenal from a Trevor Brooking header. Considering the mess we were in when Moyes returned for a second stint as manager, it would have been a great send off.
There were signs that all was not good at the club and our increasingly poor results record had been developing since Dec 2022. The style of football we were watching and the poor performances home and away in the Premier League, as well as our awful record in the domestic Cups were not covered over by our outstanding progress in the ECL.
Some of the best football I have seen West Ham play were in those Thursday night home matches in the ECL with 4-0 victory over AEK Larnaca, 4-1 against Gent and of course the 2-1 semi final win against AZ Alkmaar to take us to the final against Fiorentina in Prague.
Big losses against Liverpool, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal showed us that Moyes had lost the team and despite a few encouraging performances in between, there needed to be a big decision made and it finally was after much speculation. I really felt for Moyes, whom I believe had always done what he thought was best for the club and gave us so many wonderful memories. But his time was up log before he was given the news and it’s such a shame to see how the club treated him in those final months.
But we move on, and with Julen Lopetegui now installed as West Ham Utd manager, we have done some amazing business in the transfer market, with the help of Tim Steidten, to secure the signatures of Crysencio Summerville, Nicolas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Maximilian Kilman and Luis Guilherme with more to come before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Exciting times to be a Hammer me thinks and hopefully we hit the ground running with a win against RC Celta de Vigo and then start the new season with a victory over fellow claret and blue Aston Villa.
With the summer sun finally clearing the skies the stadium comes in to view through the trees on my way to the match, and I soak up the crowd scanning around for some interesting shots.
The bubbles were out as the crowd mingled around on the concourse enjoying a pre match drink as everyone settled into the atmosphere and young fans played out their football amongst us all.
After my usual walk around the stadium I make my way to the turnstiles and then into the ground itself.
It’s only when I walk up the steps and finally see the bowl curving around the pitch as the teams warm up in front of us that I start to feel the excitement. I felt we were in for a treat today as the tension of whether Moyes was going or not had been removed and the team owed us a performance and the visitors were almost certain for the drop.
I scan around the stands for anything interesting to capture and find these guys looking over the stands with their flag unfurled stating their claim to be proper Eastenders.
The iconic boxer Frank Bruno is interviewed as the stands begin to fill with expectant fans hoping to be sent home with a victory to celebrate.
The music plays out around the stands as the players of both teams walk out onto the pitch and line up in front of the main stand. The crowd sing and chant with arms held high as bubbles appear and float high above our heads building to a crescendo as the match starts.
But the Hatters threatened to spoil the party and by the 6th minute found themselves ahead and the match pretty much played out until half time without any real threat from the Hammers.
Coufal, one of my favourite players who always gives 110% per match, works hard down the right to snuff out as much of the Hatters threat and to win the ball before arching passes up field. I find him to be quite photogenic as a player as he is always so animated in his play. Some lack of focus in the second shot here.
Young fans in the stands catch my wandering lens as I search for interesting shots whilst the play on the pitch winds slowly down towards half time. Young fans are the future of our club and it’s great to see their passion for the game.
The first half ends and it looks as if this is going to be a difficult day for the Hammers, but this is what we have come to expect throughout the season.
The half time quiz with selected fans offers a brief respite from the match and I must admit to having a go at the questions myself. I definitely wouldn’t do well in this, especially with the quick fire questions at the end. I try to get some depth of field in my shots instead of just capturing the screen. Here the young fan is on his seat and provides some additional interest to this shot.
Gary is someone I know through work and is a West Ham Utd season ticket holder as well. He loves his football and I couldn’t resist taking a shot of him enjoying the match. He will always call out to me when he arrives at his seat.
Lucas Paqueta, so disappointing throughout the season, challenges Luton Town’s Belgian goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to the ball. The issues that surround Lucas has surely had an impact on his performances on the pitch. He was probably the most disappointing player of the season because he clearly has the potential to be one of our most important players but has often gone missing in key games.
Moyes half’s time team talk clearly had an impact as the team came out playing football and on 54th minute James Ward-Prowse receives the ball from Kaminski’s deflected save from Jarrod Bowen’s cross. After a touch he drives the ball through the defence and beyond the static Thomas to level the match.
This is the part of recording the match day experience that I enjoy the most, capturing the reaction of the crowd and the passion screaming out as the ball hits the back of the net. I twist the lens back in and scan around me firing off the shutter in the hope to get decent shots.
There are often arms covering faces but that’s part of the experience I am trying to capture – being in the crowd and not looking in from the outside. It’s a unique viewpoint and a challenge to capture that passion and celebration.
I continue to scan around and once the players have finished celebrating Ward-Prowse appears on the big screen whilst the game resets.
The crowd continue to celebrate as the match restarts and it wasn’t long before we go ahead from a Tomas Soucek’s brilliantly taken first time volley on 65mins.
Although I’m always looking through the lens and getting better at judging when the action is about to get more exciting, the camera throws a curve ball like here as it focuses on the ball as I keep firing away and track the ball going into the net. The players are blurred and the ball is in focus – which kind of adds to the shots I feel, well once you notice that the ball is what is focused!
The crowd react again as I capture some shots of arms up in the air in celebration whilst focusing on the players on the pitch and then swing around pressing the shutter towards the fans behind me in the stands. It is really hit and miss and I have to rely on the camera to help me out here.
Then I swing back around towards the pitch to try and capture the team as they celebrate Soucek’s goal and then his image appearing on the large screen. As the team gather I think of how the image could be more interesting, so I’m moving around to try and capture some depth of field with fans taking photos and celebrating.
Mohammed Kudus could have added a third when he was unmarked in the area but his shot hit the post as the Hammers were dominating the second half whilst the Hatters faded the longer the match went on.
I love capturing the different emotions and reactions of the crowd, and after Kudus missed shot this is a great capture of a fan holding his head whilst Mohammed lays flat out on the pitch after missing his shot.
One of the biggest criticisms of Moyes was his stubborn refusal to utilise the youth throughout his time as West Ham manager, and ironically it was youth that sealed his final home win at the London Stadium. George’s previous appearance was against Fulham that lasted only 6mins as he was stretchered off after a collision with Alvarez.
The incredibly talented George Earthy comes on for Antonio on 75th minute and immediately makes an impact by turning Kudus’ cross into the net the seal a 3-1 victory for the Hammers. His positional awareness and energy out manoeuvres the Hatters defence and the crowd go wild in celebration.
I manage to capture the crowd in celebration as the young George runs off to the right of the goal arms up in the air as the visitors are visibly shaken in their realisation of defeat that will end their top flight status.
George Earthy’s image appears on the big screen and is surely a moment he will remember in many years to come, especially after the way his debut ended just a few weeks earlier.
The match ends in the Hammers favour after a second half that simply blew the visitors away, and the Luton Town players are clearly impacted by the result, especially after being 0-1 up at half time.
Capturing the crowd is a challenge I really enjoy, especially trying to bring some extra interest into the image. Here there is great depth of field and additional interest with the poster held up by fans on the big screen announcing Bowen’s On Fire as the stands roar in chants with arms held high.
It’s personal, the experience of being at the match, soaking up the atmosphere and getting pulled along with the waves of passion and voices of the fans filling the ground. Capturing those more personal moments is a joy and I love this photo of what seems to be a father and daughter together.
As is customary at the final home game of the season, many fans remain behind after the match and wait for the team to come back out onto the pitch for a final lap and for thank the fans from their support.
I love that ‘keep off the grass’ sign with the steward arms folded looking confidently towards the crowd.
It’s David Moyes final home game as manager and the crowd respond to the Thank You David Moyes on the big screen that comes up as the players and back room staff and families start to walk onto the pitch. Opinions were divided about Moyes, but he got a lot of deserved respect in this final appearance at the London Stadium.
I really wanted to capture some decent photos of Moyes and feel I managed to get a nice one of his. relaxed and then this shot of him seen through the folded arm of the fan in front of me. I kept this in colour as it worked a lot better than in black and white.
It was fitting for George Earthy to be awarded young hammer of the year, especially finally breaking into the senior squad, and for Bowen to win Hammer of the Year given that he has been such a key player for us throughout the season.
Some final shots of players with their families – Coufal here playing football with his son. I wanted to take this as I had a feeling he would be leaving over the summer. Then it’s time to leave the stands. I always find this hard to do whatever the result.
The Champions Sculpture depicting World Cup heroes Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Ray Wilson stands outside the London Stadium, moved from its original site opposite the Boleyn Ground in Barking Road is always a great backdrop for a few photos. A family here enjoying the early summer sun after the match.
As I walk around the ground to make my way home, I am ready to capture any final moments of fans post match, and it’s always a joy to see young fans playing football, inspired by their heroes on the pitch.
Players rarely stop these days after matches, many driven home or on to somewhere else, or they just drive away without stopping. Declan Rice always stopped though. I stand and wait for a while to see if anyone does stop and a rare appearance by Antonio catches me as he signs a programme for a young fan. It’s a bit hit and miss capturing decent shots as there are lots of fans trying to get access to the players. But I managed to edit this one enough to make it a good shot.
Take care everyone and hope you enjoyed my much delayed post from our last home game of the 2023-24 Premier League season
COYI!
Dawud
From the Stands 