EXTRA TIME

Item and points lost

The home game against Bournemouth on Saturday was a game in which West Ham could have climbed out of the relegation zone with a win. And you could feel from the kick-off that there was determination in the team and West Ham was trying everything to get this win. Albeit the score on a wet evening at the London Stadium remained 0-0 until the final whistle.

The match started with a shot from new signing Axel Disasi which was cleared from the line in the very first minute, and it ended with a last chance to score midway through six added minutes, but also in this case Bowen‘s attempt from close range was blocked by a Bournemouth defender.

The mood of the crowd leaving the London Stadium quickly and quietly after the final whistle wasn’t anger like it had been sensed in previous games this season, and there wasn’t seen any blatant protest against the board. The crowd had supported the team most of the time throughout the game, and as it hadn’t been because of a lack of trying there was no reason for the claret and blue army to be angry about the result, just sad. It seemed many of those who silently queued on the way to Stratford possibly were on the verge of already giving up hope that the drop can be avoided this season.

After all, this time it hadn’t been a late equaliser which had deflated the mood like in the last home game against Manchester United when West Ham were denied a win and had to settle with a 1-1 draw due to a goal conceded in the 96th minute. The Hammers had managed to keep a clean sheet (only the third time this season) and according to the BBC they finished with twice as many shots as Bournemouth (20-10), their most in a Premier League game this season. But only three were on target and the hosts had problems to open up the Cherries until the latter stages, with Taty Castellanos flashing an overhead kick narrowly wide and Callum Wilson being the biggest threat when he came on with 18 minutes giving the Hammers’ new Argentina striker some company up front.

Well, that’s another two points lost anyway and West Ham’s attempt to climb out of the relegation zone was halted. They still have to be searching desperately for matches which can be won, quite similar to me when I was looking for my blue cap after alighting from the train back to central London after the game.

And Liverpool, Man City and Fulham being the opponents in the next upcoming games, West Ham’s search for points could be as futile as entering my data into the “lost items form” on the website of c2c rail company. Nottingham Forest (two points ahead of the Irons on Saturday evening with one game in hand) could well be farer away within the next weeks than it was this weekend though also they are playing opponents which are not easy to beat.

However, with one night between me and the match now, and considering the fact that West Ham haven’t been defeated and eventually have gained one more point, why give up hope before the Old Fat Lady has sung? Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes, and there are still eleven games to be played until the end of the season! And after all, Nottingham Forest have lost to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, and the item I lost on the train wasn’t the bag with the new books on West Ham‘s history which I collected from their author Tim Crane. It had been good to see him, meeting up at Sadler’s Well East before the game (pictured above).

Or will it be the ”hope that kills you“, and the bubbles I’m blowing will burst nevertheless come the end of the season?

Anyway, we‘re West Ham‘s claret and blue army, forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air! United! United!!!

February 22, 2026 at 12:12 pm Leave a comment