The teams swirling around the relegation zone are starting to put in some incredible performances- everyone except us, that is. Sunderland put in an outstanding performance against Manchester City, and through some form of witchcraft, managed to bring Chelsea to their knees. Even Fulham beat…someone, and if Norwich City beat Liverpool, I will lose my tiny mind. Having said that, no team has put in more work to survive than the team that just beat a truly uninspiring West Ham, Crystal Palace.
Palace came to Upton Park knowing they were safe, even if they failed to get a result. Their supporters had a reason to be cheerful, and they never stopped singing. Crystal Palace’s support was arguably the best away support we’ve seen this season. They joined in with the Dylan Tombides tribute, for which we are grateful, and then they blew up their beach balls and got ready to party— and party they should.
Crystal Palace have done the enviable— they’ve beaten the drop, and they’ve done it with a bang. This same squad looked doomed when Tony Pulis pulled into town, and yet they’ve demonstrated a tremendous amount of strength to stay up.
We shouldn’t be so different from Palace. I would argue that, on paper, we have a much stronger team— but what separates us from them, the safe from the barely hanging on, is that they have some fight in them— and we don’t.
We are so sorely lacking in fight and spirit. We head into games without self-belief, and why would we win when we already believe we won’t? The second a team scores against us, we shut down, and the sense of disbelief on the field is visibly noticeable from the stands.
Even today, on a day when an incredibly brave youth player had to carry his deceased brother’s shirt onto the pitch, we couldn’t find a fight. It should have been there.
I envied those Crystal Palace supporters today. We could have and should have been able to celebrate staying up today too, but too many players wear their negativity as a heavy weight on their shoulders and don’t believe in themselves and the team— or, worse, they don’t care.
It’s just not good enough. It hasn’t been good enough all season, and it is nothing short of a mathematical miracle that we are still twelfth— and we will not be there long if the Sunderlands and Crystal Palaces of the Premier League have anything to say about it.
Today, we got an education. Today, we saw a master class in how to avoid relegation. It’s just a shame we were on the receiving end of it
If BFS is manager next season then Sullivan,gold and brady want shooting. up to today I thought give the job to BFS buuuut Jarvis and Downing are the only fast players we had out there and they were not doing bad!! Diame in the middle gave me hope and Nolan, well why play Nolan? Bring on slow joe cole and carlton cole for Jarvis and Downing, put Diame out on the wing!! BYE BYE Sam while we pray that 3 teams remain below us!!!
With losing game 35 at home to Crystal Place, West Ham have now lost 18 games this season, SO FAR! This is only 1 loss short of what Avram Grant achieved in the 2010/11 season when West Ham lost 19 games & were relegated after just 7 wins, 12 Draws & sustaining 19 losses. The only thing that is keeping West Ham from relegation in this 2013/14 season is the winning run that West Ham went on when they won all 4 games in February, as well as winning 10 games to date. The 7 draws gained are also 5 less than what Avram Grant achieved. The other thing that is redeeming & disguising a shockingly bad season under Sam Allardyce is the fact that the performances of the 8 other teams that are below West Ham, are so bad this season, that West Ham are 7 points above the relegation margin of 30 pts, with a goal difference better of between 14 – 32 than the bottom 3, so even if West Ham lose all of their remaining 3 games, then the 18th & 19th, placed teams would have to win all 3 of their last 3 games, but 20th placed Sunderland would only need to win 3 out of its last 4 games. I am sorry Sam Allardyce but that is not a very good reference to continue as West Ham’s manager, plus as a spectacle, the West Ham performances under your guidance are shocking, frustrating & depressing to watch, as well watching a West Ham team feebly falling over the line, & hopefully, which is more than you deserve, to finish just above the relegation margin. This is what you have reduced our club to!
I’m an Aussie, & I can tell you, it takes a lot of commitment from someone, to leave that beautiful country & come to freezing cold England, to give yourself to an East London club, such was the commitment that Dylan Tombides gave to West Ham FC, and the team couldn’t even raise their game to get a win in the honour of this brave young lad. That was a gutless performance West Ham, and supposing we do survive Premier League status? Survive for what? More of the same torture? I never thought I would find myself dreading our survival, so that we can look forward to more of the same excruciating torture next season. At least in the Championship we can win games. This Premier League is a nightmare & a blood bath for our club in it’s present state, and doesn’t Sam just love it! He’s a Sadist. It sickens me! I don’t relish the thought of watching anymore West Ham games with him still in charge!
I’ve seen West Ham outplayed by mediocre teams too many times now. We just didn’t turn up yesterday, again. It was a shame for young Dylan’s memory & a shame for the fans. Running into space to receive a through ball doesn’t seem to exist in our game plan. We pay £15m for Carroll with hardly a goal to celebrate. Arsenal pay £10m for Podolski who finds it harder to miss than to score. Let’s hope that we can buy some quality for next season & give us something to cheer about.