Can we panic now?

I reflect on another bad day at the office as the Hammers sink to a 3rd straight home defeat

Our youngest boy played in the Mayor’s Cup, an annual cricket competition held in one of the local parks. He didn’t have a team for the competition, so he joined anothergroup of boys with two of his friends to play in the U13 matches.

He loves his cricket and has just joined a new club and was buzzing from the training the night before. Unfortunately that club did not enter the competition so had to join a team of players he hadn’t met before.

Despite his best efforts, and given the fact his team were unprepared having not played together before, they lost every match. My wife went to collect him at the end of the competition as they were handing out trophies and medals to the winners and runners up and our boy was understandably disappointed. He was gracious in defeat but you could tell he was thoroughly miserable about the whole thing. Too right as well. HIs excitement at being part of the competition and getting the opportunity to play cricket continued his high spirits from the night before.

When I got back home from the match I shared my miserable experience of watching the Hammers get taken apart as we continue a difficult start to our season. New players, new manager, same outcome? There’s a lot of chatter about how we haven’t improved since last season despite an excellent summer transfer window, but the performance was a worry – it felt disjointed and the players didn’t seem to know each other – much like our son’s cricket team. We didn’t stand a chance against a solid Chelsea side that gave no prisoners, especially against a team lacking any fight.

Before the match, the sun was out, the mood was up and expectations high as fans piled into the stadium enjoying the last throws of Summer before the Autumn chill starts the change of seasons. As we settled in our seats, greeting familiar faces and catching up, there was a real sense of optimism floating around like the bubbles that floated around our heads.

I’d returned to my trusted Canon DSLR and had been happily snapping away before the match without worry about how many exposures I have left. Although I was mindful about not taking photos of everything. I wanted to walk around to the Stratford end of the stadium to meet the Hammers Utd team handing out the black balloons and collecting for the food bank, but I ran out of time.

We all sang and chanted as the teams walked onto the pitch, players taking their positions waiting for the ref to start the match. 

COYIs rang around the stands as arms are held high before fans settled into their seats to watch the game. I love this part of the match day experience. 

I was caught up in the excitement of seeing the team, trying to get some interesting shots of fans and the players and stadium all in the same frame. 

I had my coffee by my feet, camera on my lap ready to go.

But before we could sip any more coffee, or take a bite out of an over priced pie or under done hot dog, we were 0-1 down. Shocking defending after pressing forward, with Chelsea catching us on the counter and Jackson slotting the ball between Areola’s legs. 

There was no pace at the back, no desire to even press in defence or put in a tackle, a lack of concentration with a huge gap between the back three and midfield and a goalkeeper nutmegged so easily. You just knew this wasn’t going to be a great afternoon of football for us.

The mood boiled over as two Chelsea fans were sitting just a few seats away from us and the stewards were called to remove them. 

It got a little heated but once they left their seats we were able to watch the Hammers get more into the game.

The fans stood and clapped for a minute as they remembered young Hammer Elliott Eley, who sadly passed away aged 11 from a rare genetic disease that affects the digestive and immune system, for which there is currently no cure. Elliott was club mascot at the Villa match, walking out onto the pitch with Captain Jarrod Bowen and was invited to the training ground in the summer. I wonderful touch to have Elliott come up on the screen and to see Chelsea fans standing and clapping out of respect as well.

With Save Our Concession black balloons being bounced around the stands, we watched yet another soft goal almost a repeat of the first, with Jackson again beating Areola after some shocking defending from another Chelsea counter. We looked out numbered at times and it felt like we were watching a training ground match. The ease with which the visitors skipped past us was like watching someone play FC 24! They had done their homework, we hadn’t and it showed. Give me that controller!

It wasn’t working for us and Julen brought on Soucek for Rodriguez, and we seemed to have a bit more about us once the formation changed. To make such early changes in the team and formation you have to wonder what was Lopetegui thinking before the match? It clearly wasn’t working for us and changes needed to be made early. On the one hand, we need a manager that is prepared to make the changes when needed, but why were they necessary so early on? The back three had Alvarez and Mavropanos and with Rodriguez in midfield we were exposed for pace. Defending starts from the front, and recovery from attack was slow, leaving gaps that the visitors exploited.

A penalty shout was turned down after Summerville had gone to ground from a tussle with Wesley Fofana – an explanation of the VAR decision came up on the screen regarding the penalty decision a little later, which leaves questions over the rules themselves. Not a sustained holding to warrant a penalty? The crowd were right to react. Are refs under pressure not to give penalties this season? It seemed unfair and an opportunity taken from us to get back into the match.

Kudus had the ball in the net only to be ruled out for offside and Bowen forced a save from Robert Sanchez – some rare shots on goal from the Hammers in a match we were chasing.

The half time whistle couldn’t have come sooner and It was a chance to chat about how desperate we seemed although the team did manage to show some composure as the first have came to an end. 

Stories were swapped about holidays and work as we soaked up the warmth of the sun and wondered what Julen needed to do to get the team gelled. Surely by now we should see some progress? 

There was some relief with a new half time challenge, called Wheel of Fortune, that finds another way to test our knowledge of West Ham. It was great to finally chat with my brother about what’s been going on in our lives since we last met. But the mood amongst the fans was one of disbelief. There needed to be some signs of the players wanting to have a go at least.

I enjoy the game better when we are playing towards the Bobby Moore stand as I get to have closer views of the players, which means I can get some actions shots. 

Kudus is always an exciting player to photograph, he offers so much to the team, and along with Summerville and Bowen, he was probably one of the few players putting in a shift against Chelsea. 

Bowen definitely seemed out of sorts and off the pace and surely some of the chances he would have put away on any other match in the season. 

Paqueta has issues, and you can see when he plays now he is not the same player he was before the betting scandal came to light. He tends to hold the ball too much for me anyway and gets himself into all sorts of dead ends as the opposition close him down and regains possession. 

It was no surprise that Carl Palmer scored, with the exact same counter attack we struggled with in the first half. Chelsea were afforded way too much space and time on the ball. As a team, you will always get punished in the Premier League playing like this, whoever your opponents are.

Any period of possession we had was probably down to Chelsea taking it easier rather than us upping our game. What surprised me was the amount of crosses into the box despite no one ever getting their head on the ball. Sanchez just took these crosses in his stride. We rarely threatened and even if the game had gone on for another hour we still wouldn’t have scored. There was little to excite in the second half and not much to be photographing either. 

You have to be baffled by the substitutions, what must Ings be thinking, especially after grabbing a draw with a late equaliser against Fulham last weekend? Antonio and Soler couldn’t bring anymore to the team and when we need to bring Cresswell on, you know we’re not looking to raise our game much. 

Fans were leaving their seats, in fact I think many of these who left early just didn’t return to their seats after the restart. 

The empty spaces increased as the match wore inevitably on to a new West Ham Utd record of three consecutive home defeats for the first time in the clubs history.

I peeled myself away as the last fans left the stands, with a couple of players waving to the crowd – I like that even in defeat, and it will always be the same players who stay and thank the fans, despite the performance. The visitors revelled in their local derby victory, with fans singing and celebrating whilst home support came out into the moody atmosphere to make their way to the station.

I’ve struggled to get a decent shot of fans trying to find their names on the founders wall, the light is pretty scarce but I keep having a try. My latest effort with a lot of editing!

Those who remained around the stadium after the game for a drink and a chat provided obstacles for younger fans playing kick about on the concourse.

I felt like going straight home but wandered around the stadium taking a few shots of visiting fans taking pictures on their phones with scarfs held high and the stadium murals filling the background. 

Many people had decided to go home rather than stay and enjoy a drink or some post match food. 

There were a few fans being interviewed post match and I’m sure there will be a lot of analysis of the performance and whether we are going to struggle this season or see the team settle as Julen’s tactics begin to take hold and the team start to gel and show us what they are capable of.

I took some shots of the scarf sellers and made my way down to the car park to see if any players driving out of the stadium would stop for the fans who waited patiently for them. 

A young boy celebrating his birthday waited and jumped up when a player came out – he could tell which player it was by their car and had been down to the training ground several times. 

Most players drive on, but Soucek tends to stop and sign autographs and I managed to get a shot of him. It’s a bit of a crush at times, everyone trying to get a selfie and autograph and I’m just holding my camera up and snapping away hoping for a decent image.

Then home whilst reading the match report and catching up on comments on social media. 

Very little positives from the match and much to worry about. So as Ronald Weasley asked “Can we panic now?” in a terrified voice as horrifying arachnids circled him and Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest in The Chamber of Secrets, do we need to panic now? It’s early days and not so much the defeat because losing to Man City, Villa and Chelsea is not a disaster in itself, but it’s the manor of the defeat that is a worry. 

Added to that our crushing exit in the Carabao Cup at the hands of Liverpool by the same scoreline they beat us last season – the vultures are definitely gathering around Lopetegui and his staff. There needs to be a reaction and very soon otherwise we will be locked in a desperate relegation battle this season.

Onwards and upwards.

Hope everyone is safe and well.

Dawud