It has taken four days in order to be able to review the events of last Saturday with a clear mind, the day started well enough, there was a carnival atmosphere in the Olympic Park and along the canal banks where people picniced or were enjoying a drink or two either on the canal banks or on the floating barges. The sun was shining and all was set for a good day out, the previous three defeats Hammers had experienced were just a blip and put down to the fact that the players were just getting to know each other.
The London Stadium was full to the brim with expectant fans and a lot of youngsters sporting their new 'reasonably priced' replica kits, taking care not to spill ketchup and mustard on their new acquisitions from their 'reasonably priced' oversized hot dogs or 'award winning Wicks Manor Sausages' as the club like to call them. The air of expectancy didn't last for long, after a five minute flurry at the beginning Hammers were then on the back foot, with Wolves playing an even higher line than the high line Manuel Pellegrini had set his side out to play, thus negating any advantage that could have been reached by playing so high!
Hammers midfield was non existent leaving an unenviable burden on the defence which performed, as it happened, admirably with Diop in particular looking like a top player and Balbuena showed much more composure than in his previous matches. However there was little to cheer about elsewhere on the pitch, Fredericks may well be one of the fastest players in the Premier League, but on this showing he is also one of the most profligate. Time and time again his final ball was atrocious as he ran in to blind alleys, Aaron Cresswell was hardly any better and both players managed to get themselves booked relatively early in the match leaving them prone to the Wolves forwards and wingers.
One of the few bright spots of the match was the performance of Felipe Anderson with the club's record signing popping up all over the pitch, however whether it is the size of his transfer fee or the fact he just wants to impress, the fact is he is trying too hard, he needs to concentrate on playing his natural game and not on trying to be all things to all men.
Such was Wolves dominance as the first half wore on that getting to half time with the scores level was in itself an achievement, hopefully the £100 Million team would be given a real rollicking by their 'top class' manager and come out looking like a new team. Snodgrass who had also run all over the place but to little effect, was replaced by Yarmolenko at the beginning of the second half but try as they might Hammers just couldn't break down an obdurate and accomplished Wolves back line.
As the game wore on it became increasingly obvious that one point would be the best that could be expected, things did perk up a bit when Chicharito was brought on with 15 minutes to go, but so was Adame Traore, he would be facing two full backs already on yellow cards. During one rare moment that Hammers looked like scoring after Chicharito was upended in the penalty area but play was waved on by the referee, one season ticket holder in the Bobby Moore upper leaped up to complain forgetting that he had nervously been munching on a hand full of Liquorice Allsorts, the next minute there was chaos as said person began to choke, croak, wheeze and gasp for air! So concerned were all those around that there was a genuine fear that an Ambulance or a Medic would have to be summoned, however in good East End tradition the odd slap on the back and a bit of an adapted Heimlich manoeuvre meant everything was going to be fine. Once it was obvious that the fellow had recovered sufficiently, one of the old wags sitting a couple of rows further up said" People will do anything to avoid watching this fucking pile of shit won't they?" He wasn't far wrong.
Well the afflicted one might have been better off being taken away before the end of the match! As the match was heading for a draw and home fans were thinking well at least we've got a point, the Wolves goalkeeper went down as if he had been shot resulting in a further four minutes of injury time being added, Carlos Sanchez who hadn't put a foot wrong for the entire match decided to outplay the opposition in a dangerous midfield area, he tried to be too skillfull instead of booting the ball in to row Z, instead he lost the ball which was then played to the galloping Traore who inevitably slotted home at the near post of the previously unbeatable Fabianski.
That late late goal managed to empty the London Stadium faster than a bomb alert, but it should be noted that the vast majority stayed to the bitter end or at least up until the last 60 seconds! A fourth successive Premier League defeat made for some typically honest appraisals by fans on their way home, most notably" £100 Million? their not even worth a hundred quid!"
The last time Hammers started a season in the top flight with four defeats was in 2010 when Avram Grant 'undertook' the club to the Championship, Manuel Pellegrini will have to act quickly when he returns from sorting out his personal affairs in Chile, after the international break there is the away game against Everton followed by home fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester United there are also matches against Tottenham and Man City just around the corner. This is the West Ham team that played against Wolves: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell, Wilshere (Obiang 64), Sanchez, Snodgrass (Yarmolenko 46), Anderson, Antonio (Hernandez 75), Arnautovic. On paper it looks like a good team, but then as we all know, football is played on grass not paper!
The crowd went home numbed, the players went home dumbed, out thought and out fought. This could be a long hard season! - Ed
