This past week has taken a lot of the excitement about the new season, new manager, a bright future, etc, and turned into anxiety and cynicism. Significant funds for strengthening the squad now looks to be in the neighborhood of 20 million net, Adrian’s red card had many expecting Randolph to keep watching Bournemouth shots fly by him as if they were shot by a tennis ball machine, and Nolan started. The narrative was being set up on a tray. A team in desperate need of a goal let alone a result was coming to town, and the fear was they had come to the perfect place. Because I’m overtly emotional about West Ham and those feelings change every few minutes, this gloom and doom didn’t surprise me. Nor do I expect it to leave me anytime soon.
Bournemouth started the game with the speed and aggression we expected from them, and wished from us. In the 4th minute, Francis and Gradel combined with some clever short passes to earn a corner, but the ensuing free kick was missed by Francis. West Ham answered minutes later with an attack of their own when Nolan, playing as a de-facto second striker, was on the receiving end of a Sakho back heel pass but Cook got their first to force a corner. The free kick came to Reid, who guided it into the back of the net right after he pushed Elphick to the ground, and the goal was disallowed.
In all of the years I’ve watched West Ham, I’ve seen plenty of shocking individual performances. Mostly by players whose uselessness was a foregone conclusion. But last year’s Hammer Of The Year, Cresswell, decided to buck that trend and transform from a player I expect at least decency out of into a bad Sunday League sub. In the 11th minute, Cresswell gave the ball away to Francis on the touchline. Without hesitating, Francis sent a cross into Wilson who volleyed it past a helpless Randolph.
West Ham 0, Bournemouth 1.
West Ham tried to answer in the 14th minute when Payet sent a through ball that Kouyate couldn’t run onto and Boruc got their first. Minutes later Noble sent a long pass to Sakho that he controlled and forced a corner. The initial set piece was cleared but Cresswell brought it back and crossed for Kouyate whose shot was high.
In your wildest nightmare, you couldn’t have conjured up how badly our fullbacks played today. In the 22nd minute, Jenkinson lost the ball to Gradel deep in West Ham territory. He got back and eventually blocked the shot, but the tone for his awful display was set.
In the 28th minute, Cresswell did what I thought was impossible. Screw up even worse than he already had. With the ball pinging around the West Ham penalty area, Cresswell literally served the ball up for Wilson on a silver platter with the worst back pass imaginable. Italian defenders on the take a few years ago would be proud, and Wilson’s mom will probably demand her son send Aaron a Thank You Card. Randolph had no chance whatsoever.
West Ham 0, Bournemouth 2.
The Cherries had more than a few chances to increase their lead before halftime but couldn’t find the back of the net. In the 32nd minute Wilson and King worked a clever one-two before King tried to beat Randolph to the near post but hit the side netting instead. Bilic then made what looked like an odd substitution. Tomkins coming on wasn’t that odd, but instead of Jenkinson taking a seat it was his seven million pound choice, Ogbanna.
Just before the whistle, Wilson ran at the West Ham defence, drawing three defenders to him. He passed to Gradel, who cut to his right before unleashing a rifle shot that Randolph was able to get his right hand to for a terrific save.
Halftime. West Ham 0, Bournemouth 2.
West Ham came out for the second half with another substitution, Matt Jarvis replacing Kevin Nolan. The other replacement was in the form of defensive foul ups, with Bournemouth replacing West Ham. In the 47th minute, Payet sent a free kick into the box that Boruc failed to handle with authority. His weak punch ended up at the feet of Noble, who cut to his right and invited a challenge in the box. King accepted the invitation and brought Noble down for a penalty. Noble slotted it home and West Ham were back in the game.
West Ham 1, Bournemouth 2.
Four minutes later, as the adrenaline rush from Noble’s PK was just starting to subside, Cook let a West Ham throw get past him and onto the chest of Sakho. He turned and shot from a tight angle that Boruc couldn’t handle and Kouyate stepped in to drill the rebound into the top of the net.
West Ham 2, Bournemouth 2.
Conventional wisdom would have said the more experienced Premier League team would continue their surge against the newcomers. Instead, Bournemouth asked most of the questions. In the 57th minute, Gradel collected the ball 35 yards from goal and let fly but his shot went wide. A minute later, not to get lost in the horror show that was our defending, an awful pass by Reid invited pressure that Noble eventually cleared. In the 63rd minute, Surman found Pugh at the top of the penalty area and drove a low shot on goal that forced a great save from Randolph. The pressure finally paid off in the 66th minute when Gradel won the ball in midfield before finding Pugh on the left with space abandoned by Jenkinson to work with. Pugh cut into the area, let Jenkinson slide by him as if he was in some kind of Ice Capades show sans a sequined dress, and curled a shot into the net at the far post.
West Ham 2, Bournemouth 3.
Five minutes later, Bilic used his final substitution and again it was a head scratcher. Maiga coming on was enough to groan about. Sakho coming off when we needed a goal just made it worse.
In the 78th minute, the worst day Carl Jenkinson has had to live through as a professional footballer came to an end in a way befitting such a description. Following a West Ham corner, Bournemouth broke on the counter. The ball came to Gradel on the left of the West Ham area. He ran past Jenkinson, who then pulled him down inside the box. Red card, penalty, hat trick for Wilson.
West Ham 2, Bournemouth 4.
Maiga…..odd to be typing that in anything other than a pseudo obituary about a footballer seemingly cut down in his prime… cut the lead in half when he collected the ball near the top of the area, ran past Francis and rolled it past Boruc. The final kick of the game came from a West Ham corner and the ball sat tantalizingly close to the goal before being kicked out.
Final Score. West Ham 3, Bournemouth 4.
Losing our first two home games of the season puts us in a position to have only three points from our first five matches. That would be the same start as we had under Grant. While I firmly believe today wasn’t about a manager or money, that it was about a stunningly horrible display by our fullbacks, the end result is very worrying. These are the same defenders as last year. And I don’t have enough faith in the board to bring in the kind of reinforcements needed to truly guarantee a safe season. Yes, I said safe season. My notion of a top half finish is, at least currently, out the window. Maybe that’s an extreme over-reaction.
Maybe it isn’t.