Hammers finally click in a comfortable home victory against Premier new boys Ipswich Town
I hope everyone is safe and well.
Well, I love my Lego and was given one of those Hammers themed football shaped 3-D puzzles to do, not Lego but similar and to be honest it’s proving to be tricky to complete. I can’t seem to get my head around the instructions – they seem confusing compared to Lego sets – and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve just dismantled it to start over. Just can’t seem to get the foundation pieces right to make sure it all comes together as I build each layer of the football. The individual pieces are way smaller than ordinary Lego, and that’s making it even harder to complete. The delicate pieces need more careful handling and my chubby fingers are struggling.
JLo has his work cut out building a winning team from the players at his disposal, not just bringing existing players round to his tactics and style of play, but also bedding in the new players and some of whom were not his choice during the summer transfer window it seems. The various pieces of the puzzle to get the team gelling and playing to their full potential may not all the ones that Julen himself would have chosen, but they are the pieces he has to put into a winning formula. He needs to get the foundation set up quickly to start that building process.
With stories coming out of discontent amongst players who are upset about being subbed off early or at half time, and those finding JLo’s style of management difficult to adapt to, we hear that agents have been speaking to the owners about the feedback they have been getting from their players and if our poor form continued, surely the manager would have been under some pressure. The Premier League is a results business, and although the season is 38 games, pressure soon builds up if the team are not performing well on the pitch.
Comparing our form with other teams who have also installed a new manager and a lot of new players there will need to be some forensic analysis as to who picked which players and why because some of the money spent may have gone to waste. A tricky situation Lopetegui finds himself in as he navigates the early stages of what will surely prove to be a difficult season. If only there were some clear instructions to follow to help the manager and his team put all the pieces together so we can see progress on the pitch and importantly points on the board.
I was excited about the match as I walked to the London Stadium with my youngest boy. I had a feeling we would win despite Ipswich Town’s good showing from the previous week managing a draw against The Villains. Somehow, I believed things would start to click this week, even without Alvarez and Fulkrug in the starting line up.
I arrived later than usual for the match as my youngest had cricket training so it was a quick drive back home before grabbing my camera bag and collecting the boy’s lunch and snacks and off to the stadium. It was a bit of a rush and we managed to meet my brother outside the turnstiles and then into the stadium to take our seats before the ref blew his whistle to get the game underway.
The sunshine threw sharp shadows across the crowd filling their seats in the stands with the players of both teams warming up on the pitch. Mood was high, bubbles were blowing on the slight breeze and as the pitch cleared fans threw down their predictions for the match. I had is to win 2-1 with Kudos and Bowen scoring.
As the music blared and the players returned to the pitch for the pre match line up the crowd sang and chanted, now was the time for a performance that will give us all some hope after a torrid series of results. You could feel the emotion pouring out from the crowd – COYI!
The black balloons from the Hammer Utd concessions and ticket price rise protest made their presence felt as they floated high above our heads as the teams settled into their positions for the match to start.
And what a start it was, with Ipswich kicking off the match they soon had a throw in and from there we were able to get the ball through midfield and on to Bowen, who nutmegged woeful Phillips with a pin point pass for Antonio to slot home – 1-0 West Ham with only 48seconds on the clock. Have we been practicing this kind of start juts like Brentford have?
The euphoria didn’t last long unfortunately as our defensive frailties were exposed again when Delap was afforded time and space to fire a shoot home beyond the diving Areola. 1-1 and I hadn’t even sat in my seat! Breathless stuff, but despite the disappointment of a quick equaliser from the visitors, we started to get a hod on the game. It also seems that VAR is working in the background and then posting up the outcome on the large screens.
I wanted to give a shout out to Todibo, who for some was MOTM, I was watching him more closely in the first half as he was playing closer to where our seats are. His forward run from the box where he takes out several players from the visitors, including Phillips, before passing to Antonio was a joy to watch. He is confident going forward and was solid at the back and gives us plenty of options when on the counter. He is settling in nicely into defence and the team and has a great pass on him as well.
After Soucek had a shot cleared off the line by Dara O’Shea as Ipswich lost possession in their own penalty area, it was only a matter of time before we took the lead and such a perfect time to do it just before the break. Kudus reacts quickest after Antonio’s headed effort comes off the cross bar to restore our lead and what a goal celebration!
It was a perfect reaction from Kudus after being substituted at half time last week and this is the kind of performance you want to get out of our key players. Whatever happened in the dressing room at half time at the Brentford match, Kudus did what Julen surely wanted him to do – prove he can up his game, and he did and could have scored a hattrick. Kudus was close for MOTM as well.
Half time could not have come sooner for The Tractor Boys and it was clear we were up for this match and ended the half in ascendency. Half time entertainment reminded me of when we took the boys to Peppa Pig World when they were younger. An image popped up on Facebook memories this week from that visit, they have grown up so quickly. Anyway, I did better with the questions about character names from Peppa Pig than I did from the football quiz. Lol
The players came out for the second half and anticipation was high for more of the same in the next 45minutes or so and we were not to be disappointed.
If you give Bowen, who is out of the England squad for the upcoming National League matches for this week’s International break, too much time and space with the ball on his left foot, it will surely end in a goal. Ex Hammer Ben Johnson made a total mess of a back pass that gave the Hammers a chance to take the match beyond the visitors. Bowen was another player who responded to dissapointment with an outstanding performance. Everything was clicking for us, very little was going the visitors way and we could sense a confident victory.
Bowen had his mojo and was proving a handful for the visitors, and a lobbed ball for Kudus as he darts behind the defence goes close to making it 4-1 for us. Antonio, Bowen and Kudus were ripping it up at will; Bowen the quiet leader who does his talking with the ball, Antonio with endless pace pulling the defence apart and Kudus with his little turns and burst of pace that make such a difference to our attacking play.
Where have the team been the last few weeks?
The black balloons reappeared with fans seemingly providing an endless stream to keep the stewards busy, with some inevitably finding their way onto the pitch during the match. They are becoming more prominent at each home game.
Bowen steps up to become provider for an easy tap in for Paqueta to finish the match, who then celebrates with Bowen by ‘cleaning’ his left boot. 4 goals, four difference celebrations by four different goal scorers. No wonder the crowd were celebrating and the atmosphere was rocking. Here are Simon and Elaine enjoying our 4th goal.
We were actually hoping for a 5th as the Hammers have yet to score 5 goals at home since moving to the London Stadium, but it was not to be.
It was a nice touch by Lopetegui to sub Kudus off before the end of the match so he can enjoy the appreciation of the home crowd, as did Antonio when he was subbed, leaving the pitch to the chant ‘Antonio, Antonio, Antonio, Antonio!’ This is exactly what we want and it’s the perfect match to photograph with goals and plenty of action on the pitch.
I managed to capture this young fan doing the Hammers sign as the match came to an end.
The game played out with Ipswich unable to get back into it and resigned almost to a thumping away defeat, which leaves them 1 point above the relegation zone. The Hammers climb a couple of places to 12th after all the matches have been played with a few results going our way.
Leaving the stadium I was watching the crowds walk passed the opened doors as I am always trying to get a better photo of this scene, and this guy just walked across my view as I fired off some shots. I actually really like this and it is a slightly different take on when I’ve tried to capture this before.
The low sun in a clear sky provided some sharp shadows and I do love a good shadow and some contrast in my photos. I just started shooting my shutter as I walked out of the stadium turning left to capture the shadows. The glare of the sun is not so easy to capture but if my lens is in shadow I can get some decent photos with a little editing.
I followed this group of fans, holding the camera down low and in shadow to get this shot. I like how the sunlight glares out one of the fans faces. The light and shadows add real drama to both images.
Me and my youngest walked home very happy with the result, the performance and the win will surely be a much needed boost to Julen and his team but also to the players, although we have yet another international break. Let’s just hope all those players who will be representing their national teams return fit and we can finally push on in our next fixture away to Spurs on 19th October.
Take care everyone.
Dawud
From the Stands 