Hammers poor form continues as fans boo players off the pitch after frustrating draw to relegated Saints
Results matter, whether you’re relegated from the Premier League already or hovering above the drop zone with nothing to play for.
Results matter because fans want to have something to cheer about.
Results matter because good form breads confidence that brings the best out of the team.
Results matter because fans react positively and this creates a real atmosphere inside the stadium.
Results matter because you want to know the players are up for the fight, are ready to battle for every tackle and wear the shirt with pride.
Potter’s magic wand seems to have lost its power as our season limps painfully to a close with another poor performance in front of a despondent home crowd who booed the team off after the final whistle.
How do you inspire a team of players, many of whom are not good enough to play at this level, into showing some passion and fight that at least demonstrates they respect the fans who come week in, week out to watch these games home and away?
I put this poor result on Potter because the changes he made in the final 10mins or so of the game took away what little wind we had in our sails. We invited more and more pressure from a team bottom of the league spurred on by their travelling supporters who clearly wanted it more than us and sensed they could get something from this game.
The team and the manager deserved the reaction they got from those fans still in the stands as the final whistle blew. We just couldn’t close this game down and no wonder no player stopped to greet young fans who waited patiently for a photo or autograph outside the stadium after the match.
Many of those who wore the claret and blue for this game should be rightly ashamed of themselves.
The season cannot end quick enough.
I actually had high hopes for this match, and felt that although the Saints were confirmed as relegated, they would not be able to put up too much of a fight against a team off the back of such a battling performance against Premier League champions in waiting.
I’m trying to get a few interesting angles from my shots of fans before and after the match. Here waiting in the shadows of the poles as fans walk between them towards the security checks. It took quite a few goes before having a shot I thought I could use.
I actually managed to go straight through security without anyone checking my battered camera bag, maybe my distracting banter is working better as the season go on!
Here the stairs up to the concourse offers a great composition added with the bright light on this sunny Spring day and a few fans making their way up breaking the pattern of the steps.
It was actually very busy once we were around the stadium itself, with fans already queuing to get inside the ground, and a few fans still outside enjoying the sunshine. This seemed like a great shot of a fan with two young boys sitting and waiting to go inside.
And of course, the usual photos fans take of themselves against the West Ham Utd logo on the outside of the exterior wall.
Inside the ground and there is a buzz as fans gather to their seats waiting for the game to start.
At last, Fullkrug starts and we were wondering whether we would get to see him in the starting 11. He has been in good form recently and we were hoping for another good performance for this match. The fans chanting and singing bring us up to the start of the match.
As I mentioned before, the strong light from the afternoon sun is a bit of a challenge for these kinds of shots, you cannot use a flash to fill in the darker shadows and reduce some of the high contrast, so a bit of editing is needed in Lightroom to get the detail out.
The crowd watch over the game as I decided to focus on Coufal since he was the replacement for injured Wan Bissaka. I actually quite like Coufal, he has been great servant for the club and at times a crucial player for us.
I like how he gets forward, can pull out a cross or two and gets back to perform his defensive duties and knows how to get in for a tackle.
He received a yellow card for this tackle on Manning and I worried he would get another one given how he was throwing himself into his task at times.
I felt he was fortunate not to get another card for this tackle on Fernandes, and so close to the penalty area as well.
The visitors were having their chances as well and it was clear without composure in front of goal, the Saints were not going to score, but there were warning signs for us, especially as we were playing our typical first half average pub team style that we have been adopting recently.
On 38 minutes the crowd respectfully responded to the image of the young and talented Dylon Tombides who died so tragically at the young age of 20 on 18th April 2014 of testicular cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and anyone who knew Dylon well.
The half time whistle could not have come any sooner and the crowd were not happy with the performance they had just sat through for just over 45minutes. It felt like watching paint dry without the excitement!
I managed to capture a beautiful moment between and father and his daughter as she fed him popcorn from his hand. Wonderful.
The club continues to bride fans into renewing their season tickets for the 25/26 season and here we have a fan receiving a signed shirt as a reward to securing their seat for the next season. The points offer for early renewal was ridiculous – given how many points I have I’d still not get anywhere near being able to buy away match day tickets.
The teams returned to the pitch for the second half and there was an expectation that we would come out fighting like we have on so many occasions since Potter became our manager.
The team seem to wake up for the second half and it wasn’t long before Bowen found the back of the net with a superbly curled shot into the top corner after collecting Fulkrug’s pass.
Some neat interplay between Paqueta, Bowen and Kudus with scarce chances missed, and after 15minutes the home side faded as the visitors started to take control of the game.
Fullkrug did have the ball into the net, but it was disallowed for handball, although we all throught it was surely the winner in a game that was becoming scrappy.
We lacked any purpose going forward, and even corners came to nothing as Southampton just brushed aside our attempts to increase our lead and seal all 3 points.
It was a deeply frustrating match to watch, and one of the worst performances I have seen this season at the London Stadium. But I found a few moments to capture, such as this young lad playing with his cap with his dad.
Carlos Soler should have tried to score from this position given that the Saints keeper, Ramsdale, was off his line. But as seems to the the West Ham way, players stop, cut inside or just run into opposition players instead of trying to create something with the ball.
We were desperately holding on, and with all the changes Potter was making to the team with 5 substitutions within the last 10mins of the game, we just kept inviting the visitors and inevitably they scored.
Ugochukwu’s late equaliser in stoppage time was celebrated as if Southampton had won the match and avoided relegation! They will now not finish this campaign with the least amount of points by a team in a Premier League season and their travelling fans raised the roof as their team saw out the final moments to secure a draw.
Boos rang out around the stadium from those fans who had remained until the bitter end of what was an awful match, full of the errors and lack of commitment we have endured throughout most of this season.
Our post match chat with those around us was focused on who should be given their P45s at the end of the season and there are not very many players who will be able to hold up their heads and say they did their best for the team, the manager and most importantly for the fans.
It felt like we had been punched in the teeth without an apology, and slap around the face leaving a hand shaped red mark that will last for a while. Even if as a player you are looking to move in the summer, you’d want to show what you can do rather than jog through a match.
Brian Clough famously said “If a player is not interfering with play then he shouldn’t be on the pitch.” Who should we play instead? I’d put more of the youngsters on between now and the final game of the season. At least we would see some passion on the pitch and players who really wanted to be there.
This couple kind of captured that post match blues from this game for me.
Well, at least Ali G seemed to have made an appearance! It’s pure luck to capture some of the characters who attend the home matches. I didn’t manage to get an autograph sadly.
I had hung around to chat with my brother, and once me and my youngest started to head away from the stadium, the crowds had left for their journeys home and a few fans were around for me to try and capture an interesting shot.
I quite like this shot of a young fan playing football near the stairs leading towards the Greenway. Tried something a little creative by focusing on the wire fencing forcing the boy to be out of focus. There’s enough to show it’s a young fan kicking a boy.
I went to wait for any players to come out and stop for the group of waiting fans outside the stadium car park.
This young fan is holding up the Czechia flag and he had written ‘Soucek you are my favourite player’ on it. He stood there for ages waiting for Soucek to come out and despite seeing the boy with his flag, Soucek just drove on.
Many of the fans who waited for an hour or so outside the stadium were saying players just don’t stop now and many just drive off without waving or giving the waiting fans any recognition.
Shocking really, as I feel it’s the least they can do to give some fans a little of their time, a quick photo and signature and a few words. It would mean so much to these youngsters who wait every week.
Results matter. But what we want to see is a team of players putting in a shift and showing us fans they want to be there and they want to win and compete. As Fullkrug said ‘The coach has made it very clear what he wants us to do, and we all have to do it’ He was right, some of the players tried to play football after the goal, but the rest of the team sat back and invited pressure and then the substitutions didn’t help as it was clear we were trying to defend a 1-0 lead.
Anyway, rant over and I pray you all take care.
Dawud
From the Stands 