Down and out in E13

The feeling of hope is something covered on numerous occasions by CBM; usually in the context of its utter futility when it comes to following football. For whilst hope is often what takes us to the stadium in the first place, it just as often leaves us bruised and broken and vowing never to return again.

Grant's Hammers look doomed

On Saturday afternoon, West Ham delivered a first class demonstration of the theory that it’s not the despair that kills you; it’s the hope. For the opening 10 minutes in West Ham’s encounter with Blackburn, the atmosphere was electric; hugely positive, signing even from the expensive seats and so loud you could barely hear yourself think. 

But as soon as Jason Roberts scored what seems like his 100th goal at Upton Park for his 50th club, the crowd fell silent and there was a collective, unuttered agreement that the game was up: West Ham were soon to be a Championship side again.

It was evident in that moment that whilst we as fans hoped for a victory, no-one actually believed it would come. We hoped the team would repeat 2007’s exploits and produce a sequel to “the Great Escape”, but deep down the belief was not there. Right now, I’m sure Avram Grant is hoping he can cling on to his job with two victories in the final two games of the season; I doubt anyone, anywhere actually believes that will happen.

And that’s exactly why I’m now embracing the prospect of relegation, and not living in misguided hope that we’ll escape. Hope has masked what deep down, we’ve known for the last few weeks and perhaps all season; West Ham are simply not good enough.

Free from both the hope and expectancy of a dramatic turnaround, we as fans can now move on. Sure, there are two games to play and we will still get behind the team, but having won just two of our last 14 games and lost five of the last six, it’s difficult to see how a team missing vital players such as Parker, Noble and Upson will be able to win those two games. Even if the unlikely was to occur and West Ham do pick up six points, it may still not be enough.

In my lifetime, I’ve seen West Ham relegated three times before, and no doubt I’ll see them go down even more times than that in years to come. Despite often having some of the best players in the country, West Ham are known for underachieving and unfortunately, the class of 2010/2011 has lived up to the club’s reputation exceptionally well.

Just because we have accepted relegation is a near certainty, and are comfortable that it is not the disaster that it would be for the likes of Manchester United or Arsenal, does not mean we can be content though. The fact remains that this squad of players should not have been in relegation trouble, even if it was also unlikely to trouble the top half too much.

So who to blame for such an underachievement? The usual suspects in such matters are the board, manager and players. In West Ham’s case, all three can take at least a portion of the blame. Starting with the board, owners David Gold and David Sullivan saved the club from a financial meltdown last season but have far from covered themselves in glory. Their appointment of Avram Grant has proved disastrous, and their constant communication to the media has surely caused unrest within the squad. Their botched attempt to appoint Martin O’Neill mid-season made the club look a laughing stock and their failure to attend away games displays a lack of respect to travelling fans and hardly sends the right message to the players. Make no mistake, Gold and Sullivan have had a big hand in this season’s debacle and the fact that they rescued the club when the bailiffs were at the door does not make them immune to criticism.

The players too should shoulder some responsibility, with some playing well below their potential and others simply not good enough. Upson and Cole for example, are England internationals but have barely warranted first team places for much of the season.

But ultimately, Avram Grant must take the lion’s share of the blame for West Ham’s terrible season. The squad was flawed, but good enough to avoid relegation; he was afforded cash to spend in January; he had inspirational players like Scott Parker at his disposal; and his team played to sell-out crowds most weeks. But Grant has made mistake after mistake. 

Rooted to a 4-3-3 formation that West Ham simply don’t have the personnel for, his substitutions have also left fans recalling the days of Glenn Roeder (he of the “let’s swap full-backs” school of tactical changes). His failure to inspire the team has been evident in an alarming amount of matches where promising first halves have been ruined by strangely opposite second halves (trust me, you will not believe the amount of times a different, altogether more useless West Ham has emerged from the tunnel following the break). 

In fact, it’s hard to think of any positive attributes that Grant has displayed during his time at West Ham. His assertion this weekend that West Ham have been playing some of the best football outside of the top six would be laughable if we weren’t already busy wiping away our tears. No Avram, we have not, and unfortunately we’ll now be aiming for a different top six next season, along with the likes of Leeds, Ipswich and whoever else joins us in the Championship. With Grant at the helm, I would not bet on West Ham even troubling that top six either.