West Ham Utd v Fulham 27th December 2025

Dawud discusses another frustrating loss at home against London rivals Fulham

Hope everyone is safe and well.

This time of year tends to be a busy time for the Marshes as we traditionally go away as a family before Christmas, and then me and my wife have some time away without the boys celebrating our anniversary.

This time we decided to chase the snow and go to Reykjavik in Iceland, having seen the photos of a city and beautiful landscapes covered in snow at this time of year. Typical for us that it was probably the only time in many years that there has been no snow, except when we went to the top of Langjokull, Iceland’s second largest glacier, when we were in the middle of a snow storm!

Iceland is an amazing place to visit, the people are so welcoming and friendly, there is so much breath taking scenery to immerse yourself in – Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, Solheimajokull glacier, Hveradalir geothermal area and the Blue Lagoon – which was the perfect way to end our holiday. We are making plans to revisit one summer soon, which should be extra interesting given the fact it never gets dark during the summer months!

Admittedly, it is not an easy place to holiday for a Vegan like myself, given a lot of traditional Icelandic food is heavy on the meat, we did find an amazing street food place that served a rather scrumptious – and spicy – chunky tomato soup served in a round home cooked loaf of bread – which is traditionally baked in the ground – that hit the spot on a cold night after spending the day exploring the cold, windy landscape.

Me and my wife have a yearly tradition to celebrate our anniversary in Kent, including tickets to the annual panto at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury – which is simply the best and funniest panto anywhere – and plenty of Christmas themed escape rooms and time to chill together with some lovely food and online escape games – as you can tell we love escape games! We have received a lot of positive feedback from game masters saying how well we work together and our experience and team work shines through! We currently have 100% success rate.

Inevitably I miss a match during this busy period and I wish I had been at the bowl to see the incredible game against Brighton, the result that leaves us deep in the relegation zone during our packed festive schedule of matches. I did say this sequence of games will define our season and that’s proved to be right. With Forest losing we missed an opportunity to close the gap leaving a lot of work to do to climb up the table. 

I took our youngest to the Fulham game, with a sprinkling of hope that we could win this match given how we have played recently. Making our way to the stadium, with just enough time to wander around the area before the match, I catch this father and son with a placard for Paqueta, which I believe says ‘Paqueta, can I have a photo with you?’ My Portuguese is not very good.

We wandered around the stadium, taking some time to stop by the Bonzo remembrance wall to see how much it had grown since we last visited. There were some new flowers and scarves and messages and fans stopping to pay their respects to our club Legend. Emotions continue to swirl around like the bubbles that rise above our heads inside the stadium before the games. A grey day that wraps itself around those who stand there lost in thoughts and memories of a special man who graced the hallowed ground of Upton Park.

But there was joy and anxious expectation that touched many of the fans who were mingling around the ground before joining the rest of us inside the stadium to cheer on the players for the crucial London derby against visitors Fulham.

This young fan examines his ticket for the match, lost in his thoughts as his father stands beside him. 

I am fascinated by people and light, and this shoot is a great capture of fans chatting and laughing away under the dim light before the match.

We met my brother and after grabbing a coffee and water we make our way onto the stands in time to listen to one of my many favourite players from the European campaigns that led to our victory in the Europa Conference League final in Prague on 7th June 2023. Seems like a generation ago we were standing during those evening games soaking up the atmosphere and watching the Hammers progress towards an historic victory.

Fans settle into their seats as the teams come onto the pitch, with the chanting and singing, arms raised, building an atmosphere to rouse the team before kick off. There is still time for a few photo opportunities with the club mascots Hammerhead and Bubbles.

As the match starts, the noise level goes up and there is an expectation that we could actually win this match. Hope seems to spill onto the pitch as the crowd urges the team on.

Areola was called into action during the first half and kept us in the game, although I was baffled by Areola’s save with his legs here, unless he didn’t see the ball until late. Made for a great shot though.

We had some opportunities with positive elements to our play, but we failed to put away our chances and in this league, if you cannot bury your shots, you will definitely lose. 

The crowd were definitely in the mood and the atmosphere was as good as it has been for quite some time inside the stadium. 

On 15mins fans protested at the current owners by holding up red cards towards the directors box ‘No more BS’ and chants for Sully and Brady to resign their positions and demands for them to give us our club back. I think this is a great way to protest against how these two clowns are running the club into the ground. They cannot ignore the anger many fans are feeling about how they have let us down year on year. 

Half time came and there was plenty of chat about how competitive we had been in the first half. Of course, with plenty of chances we could have been 1 or 2 nil up, something that will return to haunt us in the second half. But for now, there was plenty to be happy about.

The second half continued with us creating plenty of chances but still failing to make them count. 

We almost had a penalty and the crowd reacts to the foul on Wilson in the visitors 6 yard box, but however unfair it seemed, these decisions always seem to go against us when you’re emotionally involved in the action. The end of the day, we should have hit the back of the net several times.

Wilson fails to get on the end of a Bowen cross/ shot that goes wide, which probably shows how much match time he needs to be able to get on the end of such chances.

More chances fell to both Bowen and Wilson, but lack of composure and confidence in front of goal cost us the chance to grab at least a point and another winnable game slips between our fingers.

We definitely seem to be playing better, the team tries to find a way forward instead of the endless back passing, and despite being without both Diof and Wan-Bissaka, we are trying to utilise the wings and press the opposition. There are positives to look for in the remaining games of the festive schedule.

I chat with my brother before heading off home with my youngest to rule another miserable night at the London Stadium. We talk about despite being competitive at times, we lack quality and the January transfer window will be crucial for us, but only if the gaffer is given money to spend, and not passed on players that Sully has chosen – or been prepared to spend money on.

The other thing we talk about is how Nuno managers the team throughout the matches and his first team selection and subs always baffle. We agree this will not change whilst Nuno is managing a team that he has not built himself.

The draw against Brighton leaves the Wolves and Forrest games as essential wins for us to come out of this busy run of fixtures with something to hold onto for the New Year.

What will the New Year hold for us as a club? 

I cannot say, but if I had a guess, I would say the owners will force another striker onto a manager who will not be trusted to at least build a team around his own style of play and we will struggle until the end of the season to lift ourselves out of the relegation zone. More money wasted and the reality of dropping into the Championship looming large as the season comes to a close with plenty of fan protest that Sully and Brady will try to avoid.

I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but as GoatyGav highlights in his recent post, we have a real need for key reinforcements to have any chance of staying up. But the owners need to trust the manager, otherwise, why is he here?

Happy New Year everyone, lest hope for some better results and some new players to get excited about.

Take care everyone

Dawud

West Ham Utd v Aston Villa 14th December 2025

I look back on the home defeat to inform Aston Villa and fans remembrance of club legend Sir Billy Bonds, who sadly passed away on 30th November 2025.

Hope everyone is safe and well and you have all had a peaceful Christmas.

Apologies for my absence as I was very busy at work before the holidays and then I had that awful flu bug that was going around and then we went away to Reykjavik for a few days, whilst I was still struggling with a chesty cough.

I wrote most of this article whilst on holiday in Iceland with the family and it’s probably the only time in the history of Iceland that there seems to be absolutely no snow at this time of year! Anywhere! So much for a white Christmas. We were on the cusp of the Artic Circle and it’ rained hard and the wind almost took our breath away.

Both our boys finished off their year with the amazing achievement of completing their respective karate gradings with distinction before the holiday season started.

Our youngest is now a two stripe brown belt and our eldest is a full black belt. Both have worked very hard to reach this point in their karate journey, our youngest totally surprised us with his commitment in the final weeks before his big day and the extra training and dedication he completed reaped huge rewards. 

Our eldest had to complete a theory test, do every move and combination he had been taught, go through various pair techniques and show each kata he had learnt throughout his 9 years since starting his karate training in 2017. Then, after all this he had to fight almost everyone in his club for 20mins continuously before a punishing physical exam. He was quite rightly exhausted after this but managed to achieve his black belt to become only the second student to reach the same level at his dojo.

Very proud moment for myself and my wife and we now look forward to our youngest doing the same in December 2026. We are sure he will do himself proud and become the next student to reach such a high level of achievement. We have to remind ourselves they are only 13 and 15 years old! I feel emotional just thinking about it, especially seeing photos of them both when they first started training all those years ago. 

It’s emotional watching your children do amazing things and appreciate what hard work and commitment can achieve. They both seem to have that desire to be the best at what they choose to do and I admire them both for staying with the karate. I stepped away after reaching purple stripe, I realised I would not be able to follow the boys in their journey and wanted to support them both, instead of worrying about myself. And I’m glad I did. 

Having a sense of pride in what you do, without being arrogant or stroppy about it is a rare quality, and the boys are humble in their achievements. They value what they are able to do and I am envious of the opportunities they have.

Pride and commitment seem to be qualities that are not so easily found in sport these days, although I appreciate I am sounding more like a grumpy old geezer the closer I get to 60! Oh the good old days eh? I wonder what our children will be saying about football when they are reaching 60? Probably the same things we say now.

It was an emotional start to the home match against an in form Aston Villa, who came to the London Stadium on the back of 7 straight wins in the Premier League. 

I took myself to Upton Park before the game to join a handful of fans laying a wreath at the foot of the Bonds and Brooking mural at the junction of Priory Road and Barking Road. It’s an area I knew well being the postman who delivered letters along Barking Road and the side roads, including Priory Road, finishing my round at Cassetteria Cafe, whose owners would offer me a free breakfast on Saturdays as I handed their mail over. My round was called ‘Boleyn’ and I was fortunate to be the postie for this round as it was not as heavy as the other rounds and I could finish very close to where I was living at the time above the opticians opposite the pub. 

I was disappointed by the lack of numbers who had chosen to make the journey for an 11am meet to show respects to our Legend Sir Billy Bonds. It was quite emotional to hear the few words that were shared with the small gathering of Hammers faithful on a cold but clear morning in East London.

I spoke to a German fan about how much the sport has changed and the modern game seems a shadow of what it once was before money became the idol for which players and owners alike worship above all else. He summed it up like losing both your grandparents and then the developer comes in, buys up their home only to turn it into expensive, bougie flats.

Bonzo represented that period of time when putting on the claret and blue meant something more than the adoration of fans and pleasure of the owners. You had a sense of pride and commitment to your team mates, the fans and the club. You brought everything with you in your kit bag and left it torn and muddied on the pitch at the end of the game. 

What does the club and the fans really mean to our owners? I visited the centre spot placed in the estate that now sits where the Boleyn Ground once stood. A field of dreams and passions and sense of togetherness that collapsed when it was demolished for a profit. 

The plaque is well hidden on a small mound of muddy grass that fails to honour our home, a spiritual place on which we saw our dreams fly so high and fade as the rubble of the stands were gathered and removed truckload by truckload.

It was with a heavy heart I made my way to Stratford for the match, leaving behind a place that had been so familiar to me but was now somewhere I did not recognise so well. 

I wanted to arrive early for the game so I could spend some time with other fans showing their respects to a hero we all looked to up to. From our days as young fans hoping to follow in Bonzo’s footsteps as a West Ham Legend to wanting to just be as he was in life, a strong character, honourable and inspiring both on and off the field.

There was a sense of real loss as fans stood respectfully along the gathering wall of scarfs, flowers, T-shirts and cards and I observed many tying their memories to the railings, stopping to say a few words, have their photo taken pause again just before making way for others to show their respects. 

The game itself seemed to pail in comparison to the weight of grief we were all feeling and I just hoped the players would respond with a performance that Bonzo himself would have been proud to be part of.

I walked around the ground and went to meet my youngest at the security check point before going into the stadium for the clubs brief marking of respect to one of our greatest ever players. Listening to Alvin Martin before the game helped to add much needed weight to our sadness. 

The banner of Bonzo unfurled with him holding the FA Cup aloft, overshadowing the Billy Bonds stand, I captured Bowen clapping the fans as we counted down to the start of the match. 

I wanted something more, something substantial but on reflection I realise it was grief that I was feeling and only time will heal the sense of loss. But it’s not just of a life gone, but what we once had as a club, as fans and in the team and this just amplifies the sense of emptiness.

I wanted to really get into the match and some of my photos are blurred reflecting how I threw myself into celebrating our goals. Fernandez scored an amazing early goal from such a tight angel after some incredible individual skill. I can see him coming into his own in the second half of the season.

At 4 mins the crowd stood and clapped in remembrance of our captain Bonzo, and these moments really are touching as I took a few shots before joining in the clapping myself.

Mavropanos’ ‘one significant error per game’ continues with an own goal to put the visitors on level terms. And it felt as if a familiar script will unfold from here on until the final whistle. 

But Bowen timed his run perfectly to slot the ball home putting us 2-1 up going into half time. Even VAR couldn’t spoil the first half party that us fans wanted to enjoy.

Areola was doing well in goal for much of the game, and we were competitive at times, and with the Villains not offering too much up front until Paqueta’s failure to better control the ball that allowed Villa to square the game again. Ugh! I was hoping we could have held out for a much needed win.

It’s frustrating to watch a match and see that Nuno has no intention of trying to do anything to change it. We needed fresh legs at 60mins – I would have put Wilson on and perhaps Soucek earlier to give us a chance to take all three points, but the visitors were able to get more control of the game and it seemed inevitable that they would score, especially given the form they are on.

We were competitive at times, with Summerville and Bowen going close, offering us some hope we could square the game and share the points. Bowen’s goal was ruled out for off side, which seemed cruel at the time. 

Another punch in the face that shows we are going to struggle to get out of the relegation zone with the run of games we have coming our way. A 3-0 loss to Man City adds to the gap between ourselves and the teams above us. That gap is getting wider and I fear it may just be too much for us to get out of. We not only need to win games, but the teams above us need to lose their matches as well.

It felt like the match itself was unimportant as I walked slowly out of the stadium and back around to the memorial wall stretching further along the railings outside turnstile J. More and more fans had returned to add their tributes, and more were still coming before heading home.

I cannot answer the big questions as to whether Nuno is the right manager for us now, nor whether we will stay up this season or if the owners will see sense and hand everything over to people who know how to run a club. I don’t know how you are all feeling, but there is a sense of inevitability about our current situation.

Now we are in the period of time that will define our season, with the painful defeat against Fulham after having a few clear chances there are some winnable games ahead and the chance to progress in the FA Cup against Championship side QPR.

Without investment we in January we are definitely ‘cooked’ as my boys say. They keep asking me if we are going to be relegated this season. It feels like it did before when we were relegated, although there are significant differences. My fear is that the owners will not do enough to prevent it and much of the squad will not do enough to prevent it either.

I wish there was a belated Christmas present left somewhere under the tree to salvage our festive spirit, but it seems that the Grinches who run the club have stolen even this from us.

Take care everyone and let’s hope for something to celebrate in the New Year!

Thank you all for reading and commenting on my posts throughout this year, I really appreciate the support I get here for my long reads and many photos. You’re wonderful people to publish my photo diaries for.

Dawud

West Ham Utd v Liverpool 30th November 2025

Hammers fail against struggling Liverpool as we mourn the passing of West Ham legend Sir Billy Bonds

Hope everyone is safe and well and has avoided the latest flu bug going around.

Sadly we Marshes have been hot by it very hard this past week and me and my wife are still struggling to get back to health.

Life has a habit of throwing you curve balls, and it is how we manage these that defines who we are and probably what we achieve in our lives. I believe that the difficulties we face in this life are opportunities for rewards we receive in the afterlife. As a Muslim, I know that my good deeds when life is going well and the patience I have during the hard times will fill up my reward card for whatever lies beyond.

I was coming home late from work recently, me and my wife had taken some of our group of adults with learning disabilities to see the Cinderella pantomime at the Hackney Empire. It was a full dress rehearsal before the show opened to the public and we were offered free tickets, so we arranged to gather the group and enjoy what was an excellent performance.

I had just dropped off one of the group to their home and was walking to Mile End, I was listening to some music and looking forward to getting home to the warmth. Standing by the crossing, waiting for the lights to change a man approached me and started talking to me. He is currently homeless, he sometimes has enough money to stay at the local shelter where he gets a warm bed, hot drink and food for the night. 

He didn’t ask me straight away for anything and I asked if he wanted something to eat or drink, and we started talking about his life when he used to work in construction and had a serious accident that meant he found it hard to find work. Over time, he lost everything, but the thing that struck me the most was he was so grateful that I stopped to chat to him. He said that no one talks to him and he was explaining how people often have a bad view of people like him. He talked about some of the abuse he gets and how he used to be happy and positive, but now he gets overwhelmed by depression. I’ve experienced mental health issues myself that has in the past almost broken me. 

I asked him what he needed and he wanted some cash so he could go to the shelter. I gave what I could and he was grateful, asking if he could do anything for me in return, but I said it’s fine and that I just needed to know he was going to be ok. I was able to give him enough money to ensure he had a safe place to stay for the weekend. We hugged and I could tell from his embrace that he was relieved that he could have a warm bed for the next couple of nights.

I am grateful for what I have and having conversations like this with someone who is going through a difficult time puts our own lives into perspective. 

There is that old saying, ‘we don’t know what we have until it’s gone’, and mum used to say this to me when I was younger, too young perhaps to appreciate what she meant. We often focus on the negatives, take what we have for granted and this means we are not so present or grateful for the good things we have whilst we still have them: our health, family, friends and possessions, work … stuff that we just accept as part of life until we are thrown a curve ball that knocks things over and causes us to realise how much we take for granted. A significant event has the power to do that to us. 

Someone passing away makes us stop and think and consider who that person was for us and I know when my own mother passed away I was faced with a lot of emotions that not only showed me what my mother meant to me and my brother, but also that I had taken a lot for granted in my life and this lead to some very significant life changes.

The passing of Bonzo is an end of a connection to an era in football that over time has turned into a cash bonanza for the few who value very little other than profit for themselves above the needs of the millions of us who follow our teams through thick and thin. There is a lot to learn from legends like Billy Bonds, whose mindset was that if you wanted something, you had to fight for it. Covered in mud, sleeves rolled up, socks pulled down, covered in bruises – and even bandages, pointing and dictating the play and scoring a few goals here and there, Bonzo was the steel of a team that saw him lift the FA Cup twice with the Hammers and captain the side for a decade, finally ending his career due to injury. He was the ideal captain and boy do we need someone like that in the team now! 

‘Six foot two, eyes of blue, Billy Bonds is after you’ was the chant to we’d sing as Bonzo demonstrated his combative style of play against any opponent. But for now and forever, we will be singing ‘Billy Bonds Claret and Blue Army’ mourning not just the loss of a legend but of a time when passion was once a key ingredient for players who pulled on the claret and blue shirt before walking out onto the field to the roar of home fans. RIP Bonzo, a true West Ham legend who has inspired many a young fan to follow their dreams.

I’m still upset at the loss at home to a Liverpool side who are a shadow of their previous seasons achievements. Slot has lost the plot, the players seem to not be playing for their manger and given the nature of their poor form and recent defeats, I had hoped we would give them a good game and even win another match to shore up our turnaround in the league. But as I shared with my friends, any team that is on its worst run of form for 72 years is guaranteed to win against us at the London Stadium. 

I had managed to arrive a little earlier than usual to the match and walked along Pudding Mill Lane, capturing some early bird fans on their way to the stadium and some ABBA faithful going to ABBA Voyage concert, situated just opposite the DLR station. Wouldn’t mind going there myself, maybe me and my wife could relive our youth boogying away to Dancing Queen! We’ll need to buy some sparkly flared trousers first though!

The police vans lined the road leading to the stadium, more than is usual I noticed, and there were very few fans in the bright, Wintery light that was casting long shadows. These four fans standing in line, with their shadows mirrored by those of other fans outside of the shot make this a nice capture.

I did my usual walk around the stadium, capturing fans arriving and meeting with friends and family and enjoying a drink and some food before the match. I like the natural shots of people just going about their usual pre match routine and I find it fascinating. There is a beauty in the ordinary, something special about capturing the everyday moments of people. 

I was not aware until I arrived at the game that Sir Billy had passed away that morning and everything seemed as normal for any prematch amble around the stadium, you just wouldn’t know that anything significant had actually happened – other than me thinking the music echoing around the ground was all a bit 80s. Which I quite liked as the best music ever made comes from that period of time.

I finally decide to head off to turnstile A to wait for my friend, who was running late, and noticed this abandoned half and half scarf – who buys these horrible things? No wonder it was abandoned – there were several other offensive scarfs scattered around as well.

The low light bleaches through the clouds and lightens up the heads and shoulders of those fans who are waiting to go through the turnstiles into the stadium.

It’s a great shot of people mingling around and queuing to go into the stadium and I actually quite like how it is so bleached out in places by the sunlight.

Expectations were high based on the poor form of our visitors, and the atmosphere was  lightly charged with the sad news of Bonzo’s passing, which we hoped would put some fire in the bellies of the players to get a result, to put in a shift that our sadly departed Legend would have been proud to be part of himself, or at least to have witnessed from the current squad.

On 4 minutes the crowd responded with applause and chants and a flurry of black balloons were released from behind Areola’s goal a mark of respect but also a reminder of the current campaign we have to win back the club for the fans from the owners.

In the first half, despite Liverpool pressure, I felt we were holding our own defensively. I dared not say this out loud though. I was quietly impressed with Areola, who certainly kept us in the game as the visitors pressed for a goal, but lacked the quality needed to break the deadlock. Mavropanos and Wan-Bissaka were also putting in a bit of a shift the first half, but there was not confidence from Liverpool frontline to make anything of their opportunities. 

As the second half started, I felt we had a chance for at least a draw, and was hoping for us to take advantage of the lack of composure from our opponents, but it wasn’t to last.

We had some opportunities initially, but we couldn’t make much of them and I started to feel it wasn’t going to be our day.

Then the inevitable happened, we conceded and you sensed that was it. Overall we hadn’t performed very well, we gave Liverpool too much respect and there just wasn’t the desire in the team to really take hold of the game. 

Added to that the total loss of self control from Paqueta to get himself sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent. What complete madness! This fan shows the frustration we all felt in a game that we could have won, but in which we conspired to lose and went out of our way to hand it to a team who are struggling for form. This only happens to us.

Sooucek on for Potts was not the answer and I struggled with the substitutions Nuno made in this game. Despite some last minute drama with Bowen firing wide, we never looked like getting back into it and down to 10 men it was no surprise to see Gakpo sink a goal into the net to make it 0-2 to the visitors.

We never really troubled Alisson throughout the match, and even with the shattering news of Bonds death, this was a performance that lacked any desire, any passion and any intent to take the game to Liverpool. 

It felt familiar, it felt as it often does and you just stare as the players walk around the pitch after the game clapping those fans who had stuck through to the end, despite what we were all watching, wondering if there really are three teams worse than us this season?

At least two fans were enjoying the post match experience with a selfie before leaving the ground. There was very little else to take away from the game.

I wandered around the stadium chatting with my friend as well went off in search of a warm drink as it was feeling decidedly chilly, and looking back at the stadium I just wandered what would we need to get ourselves back on track this season? Does this team have what it takes for the fight ahead? Or are we already doomed with a squad lacking quality and commitment to drop down into the Championship?

What would Bonzo do? How would he respond to what is happening to our club, both on and off the pitch? How would he inspire the team and get the owners onside to invest in a team that can compete in the Premier League?

Sir Billy Bonds was a great man, an absolute gentleman off the pitch with many admirers for the way he carried himself as a father, a friend and a person. But on the pitch he was a warrior and a leader, someone whom his team mates trusted and fought for because they knew he would do the same for them. This took courage, commitment and real character, something that too often is absent in any meaningful way in our current team. 

Maybe we expect too much given how the game has changed, but in many ways, has it changed that much that we cannot have players like Bonzo in a modern team that would compete at this level? It takes more than patience during these difficulties times and for sure Bonds, as a captain, would have pulled Paqueta over to one side and made sure he did not get himself sent off. Having someone in the team to at least do that, surely isn’t too much to ask for?

Take care everyone

Dawud

West Ham Utd Hold On To Beat Burnley As Protesting Fans Mourn The Death of Hammers Soul by Club Owners

Dawud reflects on another home victory as almost 10 thousand fans hold vocal protest against Sullivan and Brady before the game

Hope everyone is safe and well

Apologies but this is a longer post than usual, but I found I had a lot to say this week.

Our eldest boy attended a karate competition on last Sunday as he works his way towards completing his black belt grading in December. He needs to take part in external competitions to be able to be considered for grading.

It’s been a very long journey for him and reflecting back on when we first started karate in 2016 when he was only 6 years old, to now as a 15 year old, he has shown huge dedication to get where he is today.

Sadly the competition was a disaster as the host club who invite participants each year to this event, clearly favour students from their own network of dojos. For our son’s age group he is allowed to use contact to the face with his opponent – a light touch – that scores points unless the opponents head moves back or sideways with the force of contact. 

We checked contact was allowed before his category fight started. Yes, we were told, 100% contact is allowed. He warmed up and practised this before his fight. The referee came over to the group of boys beforehand and confirmed contact was allowed 100%.

Then a coach from one of the affiliated clubs said that there were 3 boys who were wearing head guards and contact should not be allowed. The ref then changed the rules there and then. 3 new participants had joined the category group, without notice and at the last minute the rules were changed. 

Our son had his first fight with one of these boys, and with the rules as they should have been, he would have won his fight within the first few moments with some excellent head kicks. But was given warnings. Instead, he lost his bout to a final head kick from his opponent that contacted his head – which was not allowed – and when we complained, the refs said they didn’t see it. I had videoed the whole bout and said we had proof. 

What followed was utterly unprofessional, clearly showed bias towards the opponent and the affiliated club and we made our complaints to the event organisers who said we just need to move on as the bout was over. Our son was gutted, and rightly so. His sensei was angry and rightly so. It was clear cheating. What we found out was that the 3 opponents with head gear were from a lower age group category and our son should not have been fighting them. This was not an isolated incident and we will not be returning to this competition again. 

On reflection I should have protested much more before the fight started, just as an adult from my son’s club did when he was due to fight a 17 year old in his category! Shocking stuff, he quite rightly refused and they placed him in another adult category. We also witnessed mixed gender fighting with the younger ages, which is not allowed under World Karate Federation rules and our son’s category on the day is also not allowed as those boys with head gear were 13 and my son is 15. This club who organised the competition have flouted the rules before when we went a year ago, where other students from our dojo were victims of cheating and preferential treatment of those from affiliated clubs.

Protesting did nothing on the day for my son, but the fans protest before the Burnley game is starting to have some traction and receiving a higher profile across media sites. The numbers of fans who gathered and then walked, singing and chanting from Stratford High Street to London Stadium behind a coffin with the words ‘SOLD OUR SOUL’ painted on the side provided a powerful image to focus our anger at how our club has been run by the owners since they took over in January 2010 when they acquired a 50% stake in the club.

I was concerned that at the planned sit in after the Newcastle Utd game there were so few fans who had decided to stay behind and voice their feelings about how the club is being run. But the march before the Burnley home game showed just how many fans are angry and how the protest is building with up to 10k people making their way peacefully along the route.

Organised by Hammers Utd, the ‘funeral proccession’ gathered lots of traction on social media and positive coverage and support from fans and fan groups alike. Fan Banter has an excellent article here with lots of examples of positive posts on social media.

The petition set up by Nick at Claret and Booze has reached 17,250 signatories and is growing, stating: 

‘Enough is enough.

We are not customers.

We are not commodities.

We are West Ham.

This is more than football. This is about principle, identity, and saving a club that represents generations of history.’

Some of the fans I met at the demo were Dylan with the flag, Mark in the claret and blue blazer, Andy on the right and Cooper pointing to Andy, with two other fans happy to join in the photo.

The petition on Change.org has many fans comments, like this from Les in Colchester: “I have been supporting West Ham for 54 years. I have travelled everywhere with them but I always loved going to Upton Park, our fortress ground. What has annoyed me to this day was the lies and the cheat that we have endured ever since Brady and Sullivan took over. They sold our ground to go over to this souless bowl. We were told we was going to a world class team in a world class stadium. The stadium is held together by scaffolding and cable ties. Then they say every season there is no money to buy players and bringing in managers on a free. They try to get rid of concessions but it back fired only because the fans protest. They have no proper infrastructure in running the club. We have no identity, no ground what we can call home. They have milked us and they are stripping the clubs assets. Enough is enough!!”

I wasn’t sure how many people had joined the protest, but it was a much bigger crowd than before and stretched along the road back towards Pudding Mill Lane. The atmosphere was electric with chants and songs in-between speeches from Hammers Utd chair Paul Colborne, who said:

“Brady and Sullivan have wrecked the heart and soul of our club. We’ve showed the world that thousands do care. West Ham is for us, the supporters and the community – not for two individuals clinging to power after years of failure.”

Bill Gardner, who was introduced to chants of ‘Bill Gardner, he’s one of our own’, also spoke to fans saying ‘I promise you, before the start of the New Year, you will have news that will cheer everyone up’ Teasing us to wait for what this news may be – although the rumour mill has been working overtime and there is a suggestion Brady will be stepping down from her role at the club.

Buoyed by the protest and hoping I’d managed to get some decent shots I walked around the island and took a few photos of the stadium. Originally designed to be a home for athletics, I agree it is not an ideal home for football and not a place we can call home for our club, but it does offer some visual attraction from a photographers perspective.

The low light of the afternoon sun cast shadows across the concourse as I went to line up at security to then make my way into the stadium to meet my brother for the match.

With my nifty 50mm lens I was trying to capture the crowd mingling around outside the stadium, which seems to now be Brew Dog venue, then switched to my Canon EFS 18-135mm to get some different views as I wandered around towards my turnstile.

This image kind of highlights some of the issues we fans have with the club, the separation between our history, our experience as fans and what the clubs offers us. I’d be interesting in readers views on how we are treated as fans and what the club history means to you all.

A fan stands alone, reading the match day programme, which I stopped buying years ago before we moved to the current stadium. 

I was struck by this view of fans preparing to enter the stadium for the match and the city skyscrapers in the distance, with another being built. The area has changed significantly since I moved back to London to study and it seems increasingly we live in an area that is gradually becoming a concrete nightmare. The Olympic Park is an oasis within which the stadium is situated.

After being uplifted by the protest before the match, I felt a sense of hope that we could get another home win to help lift the sour mood that seems to be overshadowing the club at the moment. Bowen, I was hoping, would score and add some much needed points onto my fantasy league team this week.

Waiting for the teams to stand in the centre circle I glance around the stands for an interesting shot and find this wonderful scene with a father and his young boy and remember the time I first brought my children to see a match at the Boleyn Ground. Those were the days.

The furore caused by a leaked email from an employee of the West Ham Foundation, the charitable arm of the club, stating that no poppies will be displayed on academy player shirts for the remembrance weekend. It highlights for us fans the way the club is run across all it’s operation, and this kind of mixed message caused quite a lot of upset and fear that there will be no marking of Remembrance Day by the first and the women’s team. The club, I fell, always do Remembrance Day very well and the minutes silence provided a moment to reflect on the horror of war and the impact it has on the lives of so many people around the world.

Much has been made of Areola’s recent performances, but there are times when we so easily concede possession and teams are able to cut through our midfield without even a player making a tackle, which places more pressure on our shot stopper.

It seemed inevitable that the visitors were to go 1-0, despite VAR checking for offside.

A shout out to Potts who put in another excellent performance, despite being substituted later in the game with an injury. We can all sense great things from Potts in the future. He has great desire to get involved in the game and is keen to be an important part of the midfield offering some well needed balance and complimenting Fernandez and Paqueta. Let’s hope he returns to the team after the international break. Soucek is proving to be an excellent super sub at the moment.

Wilson was able to restore parity just before half time when the excellent Crysencio Summerville’s effort was deflected into his path for a simple nod into the net. We really needed that going into the half time.

There was passion from the players, although admittedly not our best performance, but heads didn’t go down as we have seen before and noise and passion from the stands, a huge shift after suffering such a poor run of form since the start of the season. We sensed victory and that is what we got.

Soucek chests the ball into the net giving us the lead after visiting keeper Dubravka fumbles Paqueta’s ball into his path as he rushes towards the net. Something I’ve noticed is that players are pushing forwards in anticipation of the loose ball and it’s having an impact.

Fans are sensing victory, chanting and singing and challenging any decision or tackle and making their voices heard, urging the players to grab another goal and that’s what happened.

It was Soucek’s long range effort that again was pushed into the path of another West Ham player as Kyle Walker-Peters gets his foot to the ball just before teammate Bowen to seal a well deserved victory. The stadium was rocking and the atmosphere was electric with many more fans staying to the end than has been the norm this season.

Ex Hammer academy player Josh Cullen finds the net for a consolation goal after an awful fumble by Areola, but that couldn’t dampen the spirits as fans celebrated a much needed win, despite it not making a difference to our place in the table. 

What a change to what we have been made to suffer this season at home and perhaps the gaffer has finally started to see the fruits of his labours with the team and we can start securing more results to move up the table.

I briefly reflect on the days events as I leave the stadium, capturing a fan checking for their name on one of the founders wall and wonder where we are going as a club. Will the fans protest make a difference? Will these protests put pressure on the board so that both Brady and Sullivan resign from their roles and they can hire competent, professional people who will work in the interests of the fans and the club?

I’ll leave the final word to Hammers United chairman Paul Colborne: 

“With Brady and Sullivan at the helm our club is going to die. It is in serious decline and dying a slow death as we speak, with thousands of long term, time served fans walking away, another relegation fight beckoning, and another early cup exit. We cannot allow this to happen on our watch.”

What happens next is up to us fans and how far we are prepared to go to see a change in how the club is run.

Take care everyone

Dawud

Hammer Blow for Howe’s Newcastle As Nuno’s Team Seals First Win Of the Season

Dawud reflects on Hammers first home win of the season to seal three much needed points

Hope everyone is safe and well.

I missed the Brentford match as we went away to Anatalya in Turkey for a much needed week’s holiday with the boys. Me and my wife have had a very stressful few weeks at work and we were so looking forward to getting away to have some quality family time.

During our week away I took one of the boys paragliding off the side of a mountain in Alanya. It was an early start for us both, greeting our taxi driver at 7.15am and then a 4 and half hour drive there, picking up several other people who were joining us for the experience.

Then we had another 15mins drive up the mountain to where we were going to meet our pilots for the glide down to the beach below. This kind of experience is a huge leap of faith, and as I was looking at the pilots unfolding their parachutes and checking their different coloured cables and adjusting their harnesses ready for the flight, my mind kept thinking of everything that could go wrong.

The hardest part I believe is once you’re strapped up and attached to the pilot and parachute, you  have to literally walk and run off the mountain and then you’re in the hands of your pilot. My guy had to make his safety checks beforehand and I just had to trust him throughout the flight back down to the sandy landing below.

It’s quite an experience to see the world from so high up, the buildings and traffic and people below going about their business oblivious to you watching from above. Weather conditions play a huge part in the experience and it was a clear sky, hardly any wind and a very comfortable 25 degrees temperature. Perfect conditions and my pilot, who had been doing this for over 15 years, insisted on staying up high for some extra time as he said he loves flying so much. No protest from me, I was loving it!

The landing was just right, we came gliding gently in and I was able to just walk on the sand with my pilot behind me gathering the parachute as we finally stood on the sand. It’s quite an emotional experience and however much I enjoyed the flight, I was glad to be back on the ground.

Following the Hammers is a huge leap of faith too, once you’ve jumped off that mountain of doubt, you can then soak up the atmosphere of being part of the West Ham family faithful and there are times when we just enjoy the ride. We had that during our European adventures with exhilarating football under the lights in the bowl securing some of the most amazing results on our way to winning the Europa Conference League Trophy in 2023.

But, plenty of things can, and do, go wrong. Just like the pilot preparing his parachute for our flight, cables can become twisted or frayed weather conditions may change suddenly and something may happen that throws the flight off path. At West Ham we have seen plenty of things go wrong, although most of it relates to the incompetence of our owners, we have seen several mangers come and go, players who are just not up to the task, lacking in quality or just a mismatch for the team. Plus all the issues with the stadium and the fractured relationship between the fans and the board. It’s a leap of faith that has been surely tested to it’s limit.

When you’re strapped to your pilot and about the leap off the mountain, you have to trust them. But for us Hammers, there is no trust between us and the board. We cannot trust them to pilot the club in the right direction, nor resolve the issues we have as a club that has left us deep in a relegation battle and we haven’t even settled back into our seats for the new season!

But how quickly things can change in football.

I actually had us down to lose this match, I could not see how we were going to win with a group of players that Nuno just hasn’t been able to get to play together as a team. I felt a bit more hopeful seeing the first team squad selection for this match, but with the visitors not being able to win away since April, it was inevitable we would lose this one.

I left home early again wanting to get to the stadium early and see if anything was happening of interest. There had been a call out for fans to stay behind after the match in protest and was hoping to see if anything was happening before the match. 

I didn’t get the time to walk round to the Stratford side of the stadium where there are usually Hammers United stalls but found Marlon Harewood handing out replacement t’s for those fans who wanted to swap an old shirt for this season’s shirt. I’m actually going to keep hold of my old shirts, I’m not known for getting rid of anything – however worn it may be!

I made my way round to the turnstile to meet my brother and son and then go into the stadium.

We grabbed our coffees and crisps and walked through to the stands, a group of fans still queuing for their coffees.

The atmosphere was much better than it has been, and perhaps there was hope we could finally get that much needed win.

After Bowen had hit the woodwork early on after some good passing and movement by the home side, the visitors grabbed an early goal, showing the weakness in our midfield, but the players did not drop their heads. Within just a few minutes we had penalty shout and chance to equalise. But after quite a delay ref Robert Jones checked the pitch side monitor, it was ruled out as Malick Thiaw had got a touch on the ball just before contact with Bowen in the area. But the team were rallying and applying pressure to get back into the match.

As a whole I was very impressed with the performance across the field, Fernandes working well in midfield. Potts having an excellent match, deservedly receiving approval from the fans and receiving the honour of player of the match, despite his first goal being ruled out for offside. This is more like it, a young player like Potts deserves the plaudits for his performance and surely he has secured a starting place against Burnley this weekend.

We finally grabbed an equaliser with the excellent Paqueta firing the ball home from outside of the visitors penalty area. You could argue that Pope should have done better, but it was a well worked goal and was just reward for how the team had been working their way back into the game.

A shout out for Areola who made several key saves and was assured in goal, with Nuno switching to a back four, Wilson upfront and the impressive Fernandes and Potts in midfield. The work the gaffer has been doing on the training ground was finally offering rewards and the team were growing I confidence as the game progressed. The visitors had nothing to offer in reply, bar a few shots, but they were short of attacking threat.

With a handful of black balloons making an appearance during the game, there were still many anxious moments for us, we just hoped we could get something from the game and as the first half drew to a close, we got a much needed goal to put us 2-1 just before half time. 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, excellent down the right, fired in a cross that defender Sven Botman managed to turn into his own net.

The crowd were in excellent form and starting singing ‘How s**t must you be, we’re winning at home!” The team were quite rightly cheered off the pitch at the end of the first half.

Soucek was introduced on 61st minute, with Callum Wilson making way and what an excellent decision it proved to be. Tomas is definitely a player who can be used a a super sub, he can score goals and with his height and presence, he can change the dynamic of the game. And he certainly did.

We had to wait until the final moments of the game for Soucek to seal the win with an excellent follow up from Bowen’s attempt on goal that was denied by Pope. He had the presence to race forward and be in the right place at the right time to poke his shot beyond the scrambling keepers hands.

The atmosphere was electric as we could sense the win, with the fans in the stands feeding off the battling performance of the team on the pitch.

And there was relief as the final whistle blew and we had been treated to a team transformed with hope that our season can finally get started.

Fans started to leave their seats and in the end there were only a handful of those if us who remained to protest against the board, with some banners saying ‘Sold Our Soul 15 years of destroying West Ham Utd’ I had really hoped more fans would have stayed behind after what was an excellent performance and really give their voices to protest about how the club is being run.

Hammers News has some information regarding the fans protests so far.

And Hammers United have detailed information about the planned Claret and Blue Army March before the Burnley game.

We finally made our way reflecting on the hope that the team had given us for next weekend and sending us all home with that glow of having watched an excellent performance and a well deserved victory.

Outside the stadium was quiet and empty, with just a few fans mingling around and the sun setting reflecting in the stadium shop window. 

It was great to be back watching the football and to be taking my photos recording the game and the atmosphere.

Let’s hope we have more of the same this weekend as we welcome one of my favourite players to have worn the claret and blue Scott Parker. 

Take care everyone

Dawud

Run Like A Circus 

Dawud reflects on the revolving door of one crisis to another as Nunes enters the Hammers Circus tent

Why do we follow West Ham Utd? What is it that makes us find time during the season to either come to home games or travel to away matches or switch on our screens to watch another insipid performance by a team poorly managed at a club run like a circus?

Let’s be honest, it wasn’t always like this, was it? The modern era of our club, Europa Conference League trophy aside, is one of year on year frustration and disappointment. Think about what a decent manager could have done with the team after our famous win in Prague with the Declan Rice money and a few well chosen ins and outs for the 23/24 season? Not someone who was clutching their P45 from another failed project, but someone who was prised away from an existing job where we had to pay handsome compensation to get the deal done because we would secure the services of a top manager? One of the e most important roles at the club, given the right amount of investment to ensure we have a manager who can not only build a team that wins more than it loses, but lay the foundations for the future of the club?

Many of us have historical connections with the club from when we were kids, where our dad or uncle would take us to games, it was a family thing. Or we moved to London and looking for a team to follow, we were drawn to the rich history of West Ham Utd and after visiting the Boleyn Ground we’re hooked and didn’t look back. There are thousands of stories for the millions of fans who follow the Hammers around the world, but once it gets in your blood, you bleed claret and blue forever, even as you pass the baton on to your family, children and friends.

But, sadly it’s becoming more of an effort and try as I might, the enthusiasm is starting to fade and it’s harder to get myself ready to head off to the stadium with a spring in my step with my boys to often watch the team put in another poor performance and lose, with empty seats during the game and even more empty seats as the match draws to a close because people just can’t stomach anymore.

The match day experience is nothing like it used to be. When we were at the Boleyn Ground, me and my boys would file out of Upton Park station, the crowd singing as we walked down Green Street, first to the excellent Queen’s Fish Bar for a bag of chips, then we would walk on the left side of the road to stop and look at the old programmes and memorabilia in boxes precariously balanced on the front garden walls of the houses that lead us to the stadium. 

The badge stall guy would always chat to us about the previous game and what the score will be, showing us his newest badges, then we’d glance at the scarfs/ hats and t-shirts reflecting the West Ham players from the past, before catching up with Gary Firminger on his step ladder selling copies of OLAS and have a good chinwag about all things West Ham, before queuing to get into the ground. If we were early enough we’d often see one or two visiting ex-players in the car park chatting to fans and signing autographs.

You felt connected, you felt part of it and you had that hope we could win against one of the top clubs, or the players would leave everything on the pitch trying. The stadium was full, loud, electric and for that 90mins we were entertained. For 90mins we would feel the roller coaster of emotions, the highs of a goal scored, the despair of conceding and the frustration of another decision going against us. 

We have at time had this at the bowl, those European nights that set the pulse racing, had us focused throughout the matches, all standing and often singing and chanting the team to a victory.

Saying though, there is no denying the old ground was far from perfect, but we were close to the pitch, nearer the action and there nothing like seeing the team come out before the start of the match, us fans standing and singing and chanting. 

We never sat down, not even at half time, and you felt part of the action, the atmosphere at times electric as you felt every tackle, played every pass and placed every header into the net.

What has happened to us? As fans and the club? Why are we almost hobbling from one crisis to another, more money wasted on players and not enough spent on securing the services of a top manager? If you don’t get the team right, then we are going to struggle. If you bring in the wrong manager, which often we have done, you’re going to struggle. If you don’t develop the youth players, you’re going to struggle. All of which we do so well. 

And if you don’t make the match day experience good, fans will eventually decide not to come. It’s not just about beer and expensive food – that’s all we see when we go to the stadium, beer and food stalls, nothing apart from resident DJs, that makes any attempt at creating an atmosphere. 

The stadium sits on an island that has been cut off from any connection with the community. The park is lovely, but it’s not a scene setter for football.

For me the defeat against Crystal Palace, who are now second in the league after beating Liverpool, was just a backdrop to the pre match protest by fans, justified in the anger we all feel about how the club is run and what it’s doing to the West Ham family. 

I came to the ground by myself hoping to get some decent shots of the protest before the game, I stood in the crowd chanting and singing with everyone else and hoping it will make a difference. 

Sully and Brady would have arrived much earlier to avoid the protesting fans, and it certainly would have turned nasty if they were spotted. Rumour had it they came in black cars with tinted windows. There were some speeches to highlight why we had gathered before the game, with banners providing expression on main issues that has caused such a gathering outside the London Stadium.

Speakers from Hammers United and Crossed Hammers, the main organisers of the pre-match march and the “No More BS” campaign spoke about our discontent with the London Stadium, the poor match day experience, including issues with ticketing and the lack of atmosphere.

Failures to build on the success of winning Europa Conference League, interference in football matter by Sully and Brady’s lack of commitment to the club. Anger that boiled over near the end of the match as the team struggled to get back in the game whilst trailing 1-2 to the visitors.

The biggest cheer was for the team buses as they arrived, with the gathered crowd singing and chanting. During the speeches it was made clear we should not be targeting our anger at the players themselves, but at the owners who have made our dreams fade and die.

I finally made my way into the stadium after meeting the boys at security and we grabbed some crisps and a coffee before heading onto the stands.

And despite some stubbornness on our part, our weakness at set pieces, particularly corners, means it is only a matter of time before our opposition put the ball into tieback of the net.

It’s the inevitability of it that drains the joy out going to games. Once the first goal is scored against us, you can see the players head start to drop. 

But to be fair, there were pockets of the stadium that continued to chant and sing, urging the players to get back into the games.

Half time couldn’t have come sooner and it was a relief to not to be watching another defeat unfold in front of us.

Seats were empty, more so that during the match, but it seems that fans increasingly take time to return to their seats after the restart of the matches.

But we had a reason to cheer and to sense hope that perhaps this time we could get a result. I had predicted 2-1 to us before the game, so I could be good for my prediction as Bowen equalised from an El Hadji Malick Diouf’s corner.

Diouf has been a rare light since he joined the club in the Summer, and I have enjoyed watching his serging runs down the left wing searching for an opportunity to cross the ball into the oppositions penalty area.

But frustrations continued to spill over after the eagles regain the lead and we were heading for yet another defeat at the bowl. Potter’s attempts to provide any way for the team to get back into the game again failed and the sense of belief in the players seems to be lacking.

“I understand we’re in a tough situation,” Potter said after the match, during which chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” were directed at him from the home crowd.

You sensed that this match had more significance than the result, with Nuno Esipirito Santo spotted the day before near Sully’s house. Potter’s time at the club was coming to and end.

Paqueta’s theatrics were not needed as the foul in him outside the visitors box was clear cut, but it was just another opportunity wasted as the game crawled to its conclusion in an emptying stadium.

As some of the players clapped those fans who remained, I noticed this young guy holding up a poster for Jarrod, our goal scorer, but the players were heading for the tunnel.

I was heading to Stratford Station, caught in the crowd, after the match as I was going to meet my wife and boys at her sisters house to celebrate their eldest son’s birthday. 

The clubs statement in response to the vote of no confidence shows Sully and Brady are not prepared to listen to the fans and take on board the reason we are so angry with how they are running the club.

We had an away game on the following Monday against Everton and it would have been ironic for that to have been Potter’s final game against Moyes. But as it was, Nuno had already had time with the team we had a new manager ‘bounce’ of sorts that helped us get a result – a respectable draw.

So, why do we follow West Ham Utd? I know people who have given up their season tickets with no plan to return. But for me, I cannot pull myself away from the hope that we will see those pretty bubbles in the air, flying so high to reach the sky. 

Take care everyone and COYI!

Dawud

Hammers Collapse Again As Fans Exit Early from London Stadium

Reflecting on another poor performance against London rivals Spurs

Hope everyone is safe and well.

I am monitoring my blood pressure. I have one of those little machines at home and place the band around my upper arm in the mornings to take 3 readings, making a note of them on my iphone.

I recently went to the doctor for something else and taking my blood pressure he said it’s just too high so as a risk management he wanted me to record these readings for 7 days and come back to review what I can do to keep my blood pressure down. Probably need to start taking medication. Although he did say for my age, I am very healthy and doing well but he suggested annual health checks from now on. 

I would say I am relatively fit, cycling 4 days a week and I do a lot of walking, I run regularly and just finished a half marathon and I am starting to train again for the next one in February next year, I don’t eat meat nor dairy and I don’t consume alcohol nor smoke. So, obviously concerned about my blood pressure as the normal risk factors are not there.

You are given a list of things to do to help reduce your blood pressure, such as reduce coffee intake – I love my coffee! – maintain healthy weight – I need to lose a few pounds for sure, but one thing that is definitely not on the list is ‘avoid watching West Ham Utd’! And the Spurs defeat definitely raised my blood pressure!

It’s not the losing, although losing to any of our London rivals is a kick in the teeth – but it’s the way we lost. A first half performance, although highlighting Spurs plan to use set pieces such as corners to utilise our weakness in goal and defence, we seemed to be holding our own and with a few good performances thrown in, I actually thought Mavropanos was doing quite well.

Managing a football team is like solving the Rubik’s Cube – bare with me here – where you use different algorithms to quickly put all the pieces of the cube back in their right place. My boys are very good at this and laugh at my fumbled attempts to solve the cube myself, and after a few misplaced twists and I’ve undone the cube again!

But when you progress onto a 4×4 cube, there are some barriers to quickly solving the cube like in the 3×3. Basically, you turn it into a 3×3 by putting 4 centre pieces on each of the sides into 2×2 of each colour, then you pair up the 2 side pieces on each edge. But, once you have done that you can get to the final layer and then you can get what’s called a ‘parity’ and then you need to use a different algorithm to solve that. You have to use a different method to avoid getting the parity in the first place so that you can continue solving the cube quickly. Hope you’re still with me!

My point is that you have to be ready to use a different way to solve the cube, but you use all these unique moves as and when you need to, just like in football, you have a number of different team formations and tactics that you deploy strategically to give you the advantage and to be able to win the game.

So, against Spurs we had no striker in the starting line up and two goalkeepers on the bench, and although we had four at the back, in midfield we had Soucek and JWP. That’s like knowing you’re going to get a ‘parity’ and not allowing yourself to solve it! What was Potter thinking? Spurs had done their homework and they focused on getting the ball into the 6 yard box and by the second half we collapsed after 1 goal and Soucek seeing red! Blood pressure well and truly too high!

I managed to take both of the boys to this match as my brother was away fishing – jealous that he got to miss this sorry performance – and we were excited about the game beforehand. I left early arranging to meet them both later by the security point near our turnstile and had some time to wander around the outside of the stadium.

Clouds were looking ominous and despite some sun earlier, rain was coming. I think this photo really captures those dark clouds rolling over the stadium as I walked down from the Greenway towards the road.

The signs still hidden slightly by the leaves on the trees, clinging on as summer fades into Autumn.

As is always the case, there is a larger police presence for these London derbies, and this was only part of the line of police vans along the road.

Walking around along the road towards the community football pitch and running track, I was looking between the bollards that greet visitors and captured these fans chatting to the police on their horses.

I had time to wander around to the other side of the stadium, and walked up Marshgate Lane, this scene reminded me of THAT Beatles album cover, haha. It was still early so not many fans had arrived as yet to the game.

I was up for a bit more walking and exploring with the camera, this time walking away from the stadium and I wanted to follow the theme of fans walking in line. The recently opened V&A and UAL in the background as I capture a juxtaposition of fans and flag poles with architecture in the background and those clouds.

And it poured down! By this time I was around by the Aquatics Centre, where many of us took cover as the torrential rain soaked those fans still making their way to the stadium. Then the sky cleared and I captured these two fans walking down with just a few spots of rain as the sun started to break through. 

Wasn’t sure whether to post this in colour or note, as the green of the grass and leaves after the rain really popped but I think it still works here in monochrome. Despite the recent development of the area, there are still plenty of green spaces around the stadium and within the Olympic Park itself.

I stood for ages trying to get a decent shot of fans going through the barriers towards the ground and I think this one works well, with these three guys all looking at their phones.

The boys had gone to the security check and were waiting for me to go around and greet them so they can come through, as I walked around the stadium I grabbed a few shots as fans were now arriving and filing to get through the turnstiles to take their seats of the match.

They have changed some of the murals around the perimeter wall of the stadium and I tried to get a shot of Sir Trevor looking at the fans walking past.

Into the stadium and we grab our coffee and crisps and make our way to our seats, walking past the entrance to Block 104. I do love these contrasting shots with the shapes of people barely appearing from the dark shadows against the light of the stands beyond.

Walking through the concourse and in and out of groups of fans chatting away before they make their way to the stands. I want to capture the relaxed atmosphere here as if you’re there in the moment.

Fans were taking their seats and catching up with friends and familiar people who sit around them in the stands. I always find it strange that just before the match, there seem to be many empty seats, but it always fills up by the time the music starts and the bubbles float above our heads as the teams start to come up, with the chanting and signing, raising the hairs on the back of our necks. I like looking between the fans heads in front of me as I capture the players entering the pitch.

I was focusing on the fans and the atmosphere, it felt great as the sound of the collective voices of us all filled the stadium and spilled out onto the field as the players start to wave to the fans in response.

The atmosphere in the first half was good. Throughout the first 45mins Spurs pressed and knew what to do – get the ball down to our end of the pitch and whip balls into the area because even if they don’t get a shot on target, force the corner. Kudus, who took the right sided corners, got a lot of grief and for good reason. His video taunt to us fans about Spurs being the only club for him and it’s where he always wanted to be means he will always get grief. It’s just that you know it will come back to bite us!

But there was some banter from the stands, fans chanting and creating a fantastic atmosphere that added to the feeling we could have got something from this game. 

Then there was THAT disallowed goal from Cristian Romero, which brought out the best in the fans, but despite any positives from the half, the alarm bells were there for all to see as the visitors tactics were obvious to all of us watching from the stands.

I do love capturing the emotions of these moments and expressions on fans faces as they express themselves from the stands.

Paqueta had a chance to put us in front but his effort was tame and in all honesty, Spurs were in firm control of the game and we ended the half lucky to be 0-0.

Hearts began racing as the half closed out and Spurs managed to get a free kick from the corner flag into our area, causing panic and showing how exposed we were at the back. But it came to nothing and the whistle blew to end the first 45mins.

The second half was barely 10mins old and we found ourselves 0-1 down and then Tomas Soucek goes in heavy in a tackle on Joao Palhinha and the ref had little option by to show the Czech international a red card. Now we knew the game was lost, not because losing Soucek as much as seeing how the players heads went down, with what little fight they had suddenly gone. The atmosphere was very different now that’s for sure.

I actually really like this image. This time of year, weather permitting, you can capture the orange glow of the sunset hitting the roof of the stadium, which was mirrored by the orange bids of the subs at the corner flag watching the game. The blue sky helps to set this image off adding some depth. Having the camera flipped to take a portrait view means I was able to get in quite a lot – the fans heads, subs, pitch, fans in the opposite stands, roof and sky.

It was good to see Soungoutou Magassa and Luis Guilherme but the subs from Potter baffled, not as much as the starting line up though! We had nothing to offer in response to the visitors strategy which exposed us again and again.

By the third goal, fans had had enough. Spurs were cruising and the team had basically thrown in the towel and I honestly wondered why I was still sitting watching the match. I’ve never left a match early, but games like this make you question why go through this again and again? Losing isn’t the issue as much as the performance and the fact that we seem to be well beaten so often at home. I truly do not remember being beaten like this so often when we were at Upton Park!

Bowen tried to find a gap, but it was too little too late and even he couldn’t raise his game to make any noticeable impact on our performance.

Clapping the players was very generous and after the final whistle, seeing the empty stands and placing again at the final score, it was a throughly miserable afternoon of football. The boys did really well to stay behind with me at this point! I could tell they were itching to head off home.

I headed out of the ground and decided to hang around for a bit, leaving the boys to skip off via the the chippy in Roman Road market. There wasn’t many fans hanging around either to be honest and I switched my camera to auto, flipped up the flash and took this shot of the Champions Sculpture dropped in England and Union Jack flags, some sense of pride after watching the players capitulate in a match that should have meant more to them that it did.

Walking round the stadium, I captured a few shots of fans drinking and eating and making their way towards Stratford station. But I longed to head off, realising that my earlier excitement at a home London derby had been misplaced. Potter, under pressure and with rumours of potential successors swirling around like a group of Dementors, needs to be brave and make the big decisions if our season is to get started at all. One of then, I would argue, is to put Fabianski in goal, put Wilson, or Fullkrug up front and utilise some youth in midfield – bench Prouse at the very least. He is suffering form the same affliction that infected other managers in recent times, rely of HIS favourites, regardless of their form on the pitch.

It’s not a bad day at the office, it’s how it is in this current era of the club. Promises made and broken from the owners, players who seem to have given up and deep rooted issues from the top of the club down.

There are planned protests at the Crystal Palace game and I’ll be there capturing fans anger and emotions and joining the call of no confidence in the board, hoping that our voices will make a difference.

Take care everyone!

Dawud

West Ham Utd 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 4th May 2025

Hammers play out frustrating draw at home against London rivals Spurs

I hope everyone is safe and well and managed to enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend.

We spent Bank Holiday Monday at Fairlop Waters, which is not too far from us, with the boys enjoying climbing over the sculpted boulders there and we took a four wheel bike for a spin, under a rather cloudy sky. 

On that Sunday though, the boys both had cricket matches, but with different fortunes. Our youngest was involved in a match where they only managed to score 89 runs in 20 overs. But my word, they made up for it with their bowling by taking all their opponents wickets for just 55 runs in 11 overs! Our youngest was involved and got a wicket and managed to score a few runs himself.

But his brother didn’t do so well, losing their match but quite a margin, but our eldest boy held a battling partnership with his friend in the middle order to at least keep them in the match for a while. It was this battling partnership that fired up the team and made their opponents work harder for their win.

You need this in a team, whether it’s a couple of players or someone who takes a leading role to drive the rest of the team forward, sometimes it takes something special from someone to really put some fire in the bellies of their teammates.

Sadly, we do not see much of that in the Hammers first team at the moment. Most of the players really are packing their bags ready to go on holiday after what has been a very difficult season. It’s hard to even think of many players for Hammer of the Year this season, with perhaps Bowen and Wan Bissaka the best I can do from a team that lacks quality and desire.

The rest of the season is very important, albeit with only a couple of games left. We can’t go down but the players need to show the crowd they are committed, show potential players what they are buying in to, show the manager they are worth being in the team or on the bench, show their team mates they are part of the team and someone that can be relied on. It’s about more than just 2 games left it’s about what it is to be West Ham Utd, it’ll what it means to wear the shirt and what respect the players have for those of us who devote so much of our time supporting them and the team. 

Wan Bissaka was a rare light in and otherwise drab derby at this home match, but I saw some sparks of life in Kudus at times setting up both Bowen and Fullkrug, although neither were able to make enough of these chances to secure all three points for us. I would love to see the Hammers finish the season above both Man Utd and Spurs. The away win at Old Trafford, not a classic by any means, was something that gives us hope this team can finish the season with a few good results to send us off happier for the summer recess. A win that showed how poor Utd have been this season, but how good we can be when everyone is pulling in the right direction.

I was late to this game with our eldest boy due to the morning cricket matches, and it was a case of rushing back home, grabbing a quick bite to eat and then off to the stadium. 

I managed to grab a few quick shots as we approached the stadium – the usual police presence for this match against Spurs, but it was quick to get past security and into the stadium as fans were already in the ground and security just hurried us through.

Approaching the stairs into the stands it was actually quiet, which is never a good sign, and we took our seats for the game and immediately noticed that the atmosphere was not what we’d expect for a game against Spurs.

Fans were intently watching the match, hoping for a spark or anything to get excited about.

My player watch for this match was Wan-Bissaka again, and despite the disappointing performance from most of the team, he was the stand out member of the team for me. He really puts himself about and battles for the ball, is confident going forward and not afraid to put in a tackle to let the opposition know they’re going to have to work for every ball. 

Wan-Bissake combines here with Todibo and Fullkrug to put in a great tackle to break down a developing move by Spurs.

Quite early on we had a series of poor refereeing decisions from Michael Oliver, who seemed to struggle to keep on top of the game at times. Time again we seem to be on the rough end of a decision, although I accept my own bias in wanting everything to go our way, but the Spurs players pulled Oliver’s pants down time and again and he fell for it. You would have said before that Oliver is a top referee, but not on this showing and he seems to have lost much of what made him deserve that title.

I enjoy capturing the crowd’s reaction to these decisions. The passion comes to the fore and there is always some wonderfully animated expressions.

Areola doesn’t do himself any favours here and his dithering on the ball gives Richarlison an opportunity to steal the ball. Shocking stuff. 

I cannot see Areola staying next season, the pressure he puts the team under with his poor distribution. So often he will pass out from the back, instead of putting his foot through the ball to send it up field. 

Paqueta did well to recover from this under hit pass, earning applause, when Areola had plenty of time to distribute the ball better.

After Spurs went ahead on 15mins thanks to Max Kidman gifting the ball to Mathys Tel  who simply passed it to the unmarked Odobert, we had to wait until 28th minute before Bowen gets on the end of a Wan-Bissaka ball to equalise with a wonderful ball through Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario’s legs.

Half time couldn’t have come any sooner. It was a tough watch but we had the Bowen equaliser to hold on to.

The world’s stage waiting to be lit up with something exciting on the pitch. 

The teams return to the pitch, seats still empty around the stadium and we hoped for a better performance from the home side for the next 45mins as the noise rises from the crowd.

Kudus was another stand out player, if you can say that of anyone in this game, with his probing forward on the left wing and whipping some balls into the Spurs area. I’m impressed with how Fullkrug is able to get up for crosses and he manages to get his head on this forcing a save out of Vicario, and the attacking move deserves applause from the crowd.

Ward-Prowse whips in a free kick and Bowen manages to get on it enough to challenge the visitors keeper into a fine save. We had our moments to take the game, but we lacked that edge to put the ball into the net. It was the later stages of the game and a goal now could have sealed all three points for us.

Bowen turns provider as normal time comes to a close, but Kudus is unable to finish and another attacking move breaks down. We came alive a little as the game crawls into added time.

A final chance with a free kick just outside the visitors penalty area but what was to prove our final chance lacks any threat and the final whistle brings the drab affair to an end.

Not enough composure in front of goal, failure to sink our chances and an overall lack of passion and purpose from the team. We are where we are in the league because of how we have played across the season. Spurs are no better, but we failed to take a game from a much changed team as the visitors keep their eye on the Europa League semifinal.

The teams leave the pitch and the empty seats show how unimpressed fans were at another poor performance. 

It felt like being punched in the face, and I can sympathise with this fans expression …. ‘Why do we put ourselves through this?’ A lovely shot of this dad with his daughter on his shoulders, but their expressions. It tells a story for sure.

Coufal, one of my favourite players for his passion and commitment and professionalism, greets some fans and he has often done this after a match. He has a great rapport with the fans, especially those from his home country. One of the players that the club has announced will be leaving at the end of the season, I’ll be sad to see him go and I hope to get the chance to photograph them all one more time in claret and blue.

I walk around the ground after the match, feeling quite deflated and looking for anything to catch my eye. This young fan had some skills with the ball and I remember seeing her with her family in the stands being quite animated during the game.

Another group of young g fans, joined by some guys who try to show off their skills with the ball. I tried to get the group framed in front of the logo on the stadium wall behind. 

I decided to make my way to see if any of the players will stop for the waiting fans. I turn and look up at the stadium and capture fans making their way down the steps.

I walk around to the car park exit and wait with a small group of fans for any of the players to stop as they leave the stadium. It seems quite a few players are driven to and from the ground as we see the cars drive off without stopping.

I was there for what seemed like forever and the Carlos Soler, who came on for Soucek on 80mins,  stops to sign shirts and programmes and have a few photos taken with young fans. My camera battery died on me and instead of grabbing a replacement I just open my phone camera and hope for the best. A bit of improvisation but I’m quite happy with this shot. These shots are a little tricky as I don’t want to stop fans getting their autographs and photos, but I do try and get a decent shot and often have to hold my camera or phone up and hope I’ve got the right angle.

The season is winding down and I’m looking forward to the final home game before the summer break. The weather is usually good with a nice atmosphere and it will be great to say goodbye to those players leaving as well. It will be interesting to see what team Potter decides to play, but hopefully giving all those players leaving a chance to say their farewells on the pitch before the final whistle blows to round off the season.

A quick cricket update from me. My two boys have been playing quite a few games of cricket for their team this season. We seem to be out every other day to a match in the other side of town, with mixed fortunes to be honest. Our youngest is in the under 12 A and B team and his older brother in the under 14 A and B team. Both had mixed fortunes in this week’s matches.

Our eldest boy’s team recovered from losing two early wickets and only managing 4 runs in the first two overs, to thrashing the opposition by 51 runs! Our youngest boy’s team set only 81 runs in their innings as a target for the opposition but ended up taking it to the final over after some excellent bowling and fielding – our youngest’s bowling was on point conceding only 4 runs in two overs, and his fielding was excellent preventing the other team from getting a few boundaries. We are very proud of them both.

Enjoy the nice weather everyone.

Dawud 

West Ham Utd v Southampton 19th April 2025

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

West Ham Utd v AFC Bournemouth 5th April 2025

A frustrating draw at the London Stadium after two excellent goals by Fullkrug and Bowen

I’m celebrating my 59th birthday on 17th April, I know I look like I’m 21 still! My secret is AI so I can always look younger online than I do in real life. Seems as if AI avatars have really taken off recently with ChatGPT offering the chance for everyone to look like a packaged Barbie doll ….. surely we must ask ourselves why? 

I have promised myself to complete a half marathon before I reach 60 years of age, and as I have signed up to one in September I will be looking to do another just around this time next year to really celebrate my 60th in style – I’m seeing it as a right of passage into proper adulthood! It’s never too late to grow up.

Age hits us all, often in different ways and when we look at our current squad, the players ages are surely something Potter will be looking into when he makes plans for refreshing the team before the start of the 2025/26 season. There are some players to keep and definitely quite a few players that will need to be given their P45s.

We lack pace across the team and it’s clear Potter is only going to be able to bring in new players by selling many from our existing squad. I have an idea about who I would let go and keep, and I highlight some of the keepers below. But, the big question is do we trust Potter to manage this transition of the team? Yes, I do. And I feel that this time we will get it right as I believe Potter is a great fit for our club and the right manager to take us forward.

I had mixed feelings about the Bournemouth match, the previous home game against Newcastle Utd was quite disappointing, not just the result but the performance of the team on the pitch. We lacked desire and were lucky not to have lost by more. After our excellent performance and away win against Arsenal, I really hoped we had started to click more as a team and we would get some decent results to finish off our season. But, things don’t happen that way for the Hammers, unless you’re playing FIFA 25! This is turning into a working pre season for Potter as he gives players across the squad a chance to stake their claim for first team place next season.

The sun was out as me and my second eldest boy walked to the stadium, it was feeling like Spring and we both felt we could get something out of this match. I tried to edit this photo in black and white but it didn’t look the same. The clear blue sky showing the moon above the stadium as we made our way along the Greenway looked better than in monochrome.

We walked around the stadium before going through the security check point. I am usually quite good at chatting to the staff there so that they do not pay too much attention to my battered camera bag, but this time the person who checked my bag asked for their colleague to come and check to see if I was carrying a professional camera. In the end, they just told me not to get the camera out whilst in the stadium. And I incredulously replied ‘Of course I won’t!’

The crowds were gathering in the warm Spring sunshine, which gives a challenge to us photographers as often three is high contrast between subjects in and out of the shadows caused by the bright sunlight and this can be quite noticeable, so I had a lot of editing to do to bring up those shadow areas.

‘Our seats are this way!’ I’m scanning around as we meander between the fans for anything that catches my eye. It’s often accidental and sometimes fortunate to be in the right pace at the right time, but this felt like a great shot of a fan directing his friends towards the right turnstile for their seats as he marched ahead of them.

These two Irish fans said ‘You’ll not get better shot than this today’ as they both posed for me. I was lucky to be the right distance away from them both to get this great photo with my nifty 50mm. I hope they both enjoyed the match. They were certainly in good spirits before the game.

I kind of followed this guy along as he walked and as he was so into his phone he didn’t notice me as I tried to get a decent shot of him against one of the logos on the outside wall of the stadium. There were often other fans walking beside him but I finally managed to get this shot before making my way to our turnstile.

Inside the stadium I’m trying to find a way of capturing the atmosphere with the nifty 50mm, it has its advantages with a wide aperture for the low light, but without being able to zoom in a out, I often find shots harder to get right. I was caught by this guy sitting and looking off into the short distance as we ordered our coffee. Wonder what he was thinking to himself?

We finally arrive at our seats and I’m scanning around and firing away with the camera, I’ve now swapped my nifty 50mm lens for the Canon EFS 18-135mm lens that I will use throughout the match. What I lose without a proper zoom lens in terms of zooming into the action, especially at the other end of the pitch, I gain in terms of getting closer shots such as crowds celebrating a goal with this lens. I can also fire off a few shots without having to look through the viewfinder – you just cannot do that with the nifty 50mm.

The crowds chant and sing as the teams walk out onto the pitch and I try to get a decent shot of the fans with their hands thrown up in the air and people’s faces as they sing. Scanning the crowd I capture this wonderful young fan sitting on her father’s shoulders. The way her hair catching the light along with the depth of field makes this a great shot I think.

The team huddle together before the start of the match with the expectation within the crowd rising before the teams gather into their positions to await the refs whistle.

Todibo and Wan Bissaka are two of my keepers for next season. I have been impressed with them both as they have settled into their roles within the team. This is due to them both getting some decent game time and I feel they can both secure their first team places for next season.

After what was a very frustrating first have where we struggled to a foot hold in the match, Areola spills a shot from Antoine Semenyo which is then put into the net by Evanilson and we find ourselves 0-1 down just before half time. It had been coming and there were plenty of warning signs but this kind of error is so frustrating to see. We shoot ourselves in the foot too often. The position of goal keeper is one that Potter is clearly going to look at for next season.

VAR does it’s thing on a possible offside but we know its not going to be over turned and once confirmed the away fans continue their celebrations.

I try to capture the moon in the sky over the stadium. It’s something that is possible this time of year as the days lengthen and the moon appears faintly on its trajectory against a clear sky. I have been capturing the moon in its different phases throughout the beginning of April due to the clear evening night skies we have been having. I’m fascinated by our lunar neighbour. I think this actually works quite well in black and white.

Half time passes with me catching up with my brother about life, the universe and everything whilst dissecting the first half performance. We need to be better in the second half, we both agree, otherwise this game is going to run away from us.

The second half begins and we have a lot more about us this half as Potter rings the changes with Scarles, Alvarez and Soucek making way for Emerson, Soler and Fullkrug who made an almost immediate impact after he came on.

Fullkrug turned the game on its head as he jumps above everyone to head home a perfect Ward Prowse cross. Yes! Game on and the crowd go wild with celebration. We could actually do this. I did have us down as winning 2-1 for this match, but then I usually do put that down for our score, regardless of who we are playing.

Then a few minutes later, Kudus crosses from the left for Bowen to head into the net and put us 2-1! With only 11 minutes to go, could we hold on for a well needed win?

The answer is no and we are left to rule the chances that could have changed the outcome of the match. A lack of composure in front of goal, a shot instead of a pass, a stumble in the area and another weak effort on goal gathered by Bournemouth keeper Kepa. We just couldn’t finish off the game as Brazilian Evanilson equalises and the visitors pressed for a winner.

Lots of head in hands moments as the game finishes 2-2. 

Some of the players stay and others return onto the pitch to clap the fans as everyone starts to make their way out of the stadium for the journey home feeling that this was a match we definitely could, and should, have won. Two points dropped rather than 1 point gained it feels.

I’m standing by my seat and waiting for the players to leave the pitch, catch this couple taking a selfie after the game and I’m feeling deflated. We need to do better in these kinds of games and find a way to hold on until the final whistle.

Yes, I’m sure this fan is wondering why on earth we couldn’t just see out the game to secure all three points. This is surely how many of us felt at the end of a another frustrating home display.

Outside the stadium I wander around enjoying the afternoon sunshine and try to capture some interesting shots of the fans milling around the ground before they head off home. Great shot of this young fan and his brother. 

And this young fella who seems to be hiding away and engrossed in his phone. 

And of course the joy of seeing young fans playing kick about on the concourse in front of the ground. This lifts the spirits and I love this shot of the young fan who seems to know he has managed a sweet kick on the high flying ball.

Fans enjoy a drink and a chat before heading away from the match and I managed to catch this fan looking thoughtfully at one of the murals that cover the exterior wall of the stadium itself.

I come down the stairway and always take a few final looks and shots of the stadium before turning away and found this small group of fans sitting at the bottom of the stairs on their phones. Probably catching up with the scores from the other matches, wondering where we are in the table and who has climbed above us.

‘Please, can I have a shirt’ I always admire the small group of dedicated fans who wait outside the stadium car park for players to come out and hopefully stop for a photo or to sign a shirt. This young fan is hopeful for a shirt from one of the players. I’m impressed when chatting to those waiting that they know so much about each player and who stops and engages with the fans and who doesn’t. I wasn’t able to stay this time to get any shots of players as they exited the ground, but will try do so for the final home games.

Hope everyone is safe and well and apologies for the late post and not posting the photos from the defeat against Newcastle. I did attend the match and edit photos, but maybe I’ll save some of the shots for my end of season review series.

PS – for those who remember me talking about employing a co-ordinator for our community project encouraging adults with learning disabilities to use the leisure centres in our borough as a way of improving their health and wellbeing. Well, we employed someone and they are an excellent fit for the role and our project and have been doing some amazing work to help make the project a success. It is such a relief to get through the recruitment process with an excellent candidate who really gets the work we do. They are so passionate about the project and that’s wonderful. We are hoping to change how leisure centres in our borough support adults with learning disabilities to use their facilities.

Take care everyone!

Dawud