Same Old West Ham…

Being a West Ham fan can be a very painful experience. Whether it be relegation, protesting about the set up of our once wonderful club, or dropping unnecessary points – it’s a rollercoaster.

Yesterday night’s game against Sheffield United was no exception. Travelling with a strong team, a fit Fabianski, and an on-fire Fornals, I had great hope that we would have secured a point. As much as Sheffield United have had a fantastic Premier League campaign, I just couldn’t see us dropping any points against them. I suppose that was the optimist in me, because boy, was I wrong.

15 minutes into the first half, Fabianski is down, due to the recurring hip injury that had kept him out for three months already this season – same old West Ham, never any luck with injuries. On comes David Martin, who I have great trust in, someone who shares a great passion for the club. He started well, alongside the rest of the team, who had a couple of chances in the first half; most notably Felipe Anderson, who was more concentrated on where the ball was at his feet than the goal he was shooting in to, and missed by a country mile.

Sebastien Haller, our record-signing – the man who was going to change West Ham’s luck, the 20 goal-a-season talisman who’d fire West Ham into the European places… has scored 6 goals in a hammers shirt. Of course, Pellegrini played a style that he was not used to, but for 45 million pounds, you have to perform, no matter what. Paying for strikers that don’t perform – same old West Ham.

53 minutes into the game, and a horrendous goal kick from David Martin granted access for Oli McBurnie to put the ball in the back of the net. Imagine! One keeper goes off injured, the replacement serves the Blades a goal on a plate – same old West Ham (see where I’m going with this?)

VAR has ruined the game. Player’s cannot play the game they love as easily anymore, and the technology is used way more than it should be. We should have left Bramall Lane with more than a point yesterday, but we didn’t, because we have inconsistent strikers and technology that can’t differentiate between a hand ball and a ball-to-hand. Dropping points through referee decisions – same old West Ham.

I will forever love West Ham, it’s a way of life for me and my family. Travelling up to Upton Park on a Saturday with my dad and grandad will always be the highlight of my childhood. But a lot has changed since the move to the London Stadium, and the West Ham I know and love feels different – and to me, that’s due to the lack of desire from the board. Thank you for your services over the years, but now it’s time to go.