And so, there you have it. A dull, turgid, unimaginative season is finally over to the relief of the many. The very worst of seasons since the last one we had suffered; and further proof of the futility of raised expectations when it comes to supporting West Ham.
The record books will show the 2024/25 had actually outperformed 2022/23 on most of the metrics in the league campaign. But, of course, those painful memories had been swept away by the euphoria of a famous night in Prague. There was no such redemption this time round though, as woeful Premier League fortunes were equally matched by early, limp cup exits.
It would be nice to think the slate could be wiped clean during the summer; allowing next season – which begins in just 12 weeks time – to be approached with a renewed sense of optimism. Sadly, there is little evidence to suggest the Hammers are capable of metamorphosing into next year’s Nottingham Forest. It would take a transfer window of momentous brilliance and a road to Damascus style conversion for the coach if the side is to be transformed into credible top eight material.
It was already known that Graham Potter would finish the season with a worse record than the manager he replaced in January. The final day victory at Ipswich did make the points per game difference marginal in the end (1.11 vs 1.15). And the late strike by Mohammed Kudus edged Potter ahead of Lopetegui on goals scored per game (1.22 vs 1.20). This in addition to the more significant improvement on goals conceded per game (1.28 vs 1.95). The tiniest crumbs of comfort in the boardroom, perhaps.
The eventual 14th place finish was ultimately unexpected but was fitting given the amount of time West Ham had been marooned there earlier in the season. Lopetegui’s side had, in fact, spent only one week lower than 14th, while yesterday’s last gasp win earned Potter his loftiest position since defeat at Chelsea on February 3.
Long time West Ham fans have been raised with a wary eye on disappointment. Even if it sometimes appears to be hiding, in the back of your mind you know it’s never very far away. A couple of decent league finishes and three years of European adventures are now in the rearview mirror as a distant false dawn; an accidental temporary anomaly rather than the first steps of a new golden age. A glance at the club’s record across all prior 38-game Premier League seasons does not lie; there is an underlying equilibrium that centres on a mediocrity which underperforms the club’s financial standing. While the season just finished was undeniably awful, it is not an obvious outlier and sits as 14th out of 27 for goals scored, and 17th out of 27 for points won.
Adding to the current pain has been that any pretence of serving up entertaining and enterprising football that was once the West Ham trademark has long been lost and forgotten. For too long, the club has resorted to dull, pragmatist managers whose overriding philosophy has been to concede fewer than the opposition, not to outscore them. Although individual approaches may be different, Potter has done nothing to suggest he is an upgrade on Lopetegui, Moyes or Allardyce when it comes to enterprise. Potter’s media representation as a bright, young coach puzzles in the light of his reputation at Brighton and Chelsea for pointless possession and lack of shot creation. Can or will he prove us wrong over time?
The Ipswich game was a largely unremarkable affair punctuated by several well-taken goals. West Ham enjoyed plenty of early possession but (unsurprisingly) made few penalty area entries. Once again, the team selection left us scratching our heads, with the inclusion of just two attack minded players in front of the most workmanlike midfield imaginable. Fortunately, Ipswich contrived to lend a hand by gifting the Hammers the lead just before the break; Jarrod Bowen’s assist setting up James Ward-Prowse for his only goal of the season.
Parity was restored early in the second half when Jean-Clair Todibo (who played all afternoon as if under the influence) couldn’t be bothered to put in a challenge, allowing Broadhead free access to stroke past an exposed Lukasz Fabianski.
The Hammers finally put the match to bed courtesy of fine strikes from Bowen and Kudus. The first, the result of neat interplay between Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the skipper blasted home from just outside the area. According to Tony Gale the ball continued to gather pace as it went, despite this being scientifically impossible. You cannae change the laws of physics, Galey! The second arrived when Kudus exchanged passes with a ‘rampaging’ Guido Rodriguez to curl home and put the result beyond doubt. A low key game with low key goal celebrations. No Ward-Prowse golf swing, and no Kudus advertising hoarding pose. I wonder how many of those featuring will still be with us come the end of the summer!
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I’ve always been of the view that the only statistic than wins games is goal scored. Nevertheless, who doesn’t like a selection of improbable Premier League statistics (harvested from the FBRef site) which show how West Ham players compare in the statistical scheme of things. Here are the categories which feature Hammers in the top ten leader board positions for the season.
Assists: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 10th)
Goals + Assists: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 9th)
Shots on Target: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 8th)
Goals per Shot of Target: Tomas Soucek (Joint 9th)
Goals minus xG: Jarrod Bowen (4th)
Through Balls: Lucas Paqueta (10th)
% of Dribblers Tackled: Max Kilman (1st), Jean-Clair Todibo (7th), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Joint 9th)
Blocks: Max Kilman (8th)
Interceptions: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (1st)
Clearances: Max Kilman (5th)
Successful Take-Ons: Mohammed Kudus (2nd), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (7th)
Successful Take-On %: Max Kilman (3rd)
Minutes Played: Max Kilman (10th)
Yellow Cards: Lucas Paqueta (Joint 10th)
Aerials Won: Max Kilman (5th), Tomas Soucek (Joint 8th)
% of Aerials Won: Konstantinos Mavropanos (7th), Max Kilman (10th)
Fouls Drawn: Mohammed Kudus (Joint 5th), Lucas Paqueta (7th)
Save Percentage: Lukasz Fabianski (2nd)
Under The Hammers 
Interesting stats. Just goes to show us, there are lies, damn lies…. and statistics!
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Indeed. I think the big mistake with the boom in popular football statistics is that it’s not possible to use them as a proxy for who has played well or otherwise. Stats cannot be used to overrule the evidence in front of our eyes
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A good read as usual..Thank you.
I will personally forget this season by the end of today..
Delete and move on..
Looking forward to the new kit.. Hopefully they keep to white shorts and socks.
Im hopeful that Potter will come good…There seems to be a swing towards him online..
COYI ⚒️⚒️
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Cheers Jonboy. Potter has to be given a chance to show what he’s made of. Just hope he is allowed to do it without interference.
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Hi Geoff, that sums up this season and WH generally pretty well. After last summer I am not near getting excited about the future but just hope that we will be pleasantly surprised. Allegedly Potter has said he will not chase ’stars’ but will try and keep to youngsters with energy and want to play for WH. Article says this is a warning to Sullivan, we shall see. Have a good summer and come back refreshed for more WH. Regards Michael
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Hi Michael, if he follows through on the pursuit of emerging talent rather than established ‘stars’ then that is a good thing. We are not in a position to spend large parts of the budget on one or two players. We must also accept that unless the club become Champions League regulars (unlikley) that they must plan to buy, improve and sell players on an ongoing basis.
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Hi Guys, sorry to disturb your holidays???? I am trying unsuccessfully to stay away from the 100 or so WH targets but why is it that the top clubs have seemingly unlimited funds for players and yet the likes of WH / Everton etc etc are continually struggling to comply with and about financial restrictions. I even read recently that a City director resigned from the main board so that he could then buy the MC woman’s team as a separate entity to overcome the financial restraints. How can WH with 62000 tickets sold every home game be restricted. Is this due in any part with the board making sure their interests come first. Regards Michael
May 202/5,
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Hi Michael, funnily enough I have a half-written article about West Ham finances which I aim to publish later this week. So, I will keep things brief here.
The primary component of the existing Premier League financial rules (PSR) are that a club is not allowed to post losses greater than £105m over a 3-year period. To achieve this clubs will either need to boost income or limit/ reduce expenditure.
Although West Ham’s income is relatively healthy compared to the league average (median) it is way, way behind the bigger clubs. For a combination of reasons, the move to the London Stadium has only resulted in a modest increase in income. West Ham also have a poor record of making profit on player sales due to their terrible record with past transfers and an academy that has few successes in producing players. I hadn’t heard about Man City, but Chelsea also sold its woman’s team to a separate company to provide a one-off boost to income and avoid breeching PSR limits.
My own (non-professional) reading of West Ham accounts is that there is plenty of scope this summer to spend on new players with or without player sales. The club is not close to the PSR limit. Of course, selling a few to would generate extra income and makes sense.
I would say West Ham have a cash flow problem rather than a PSR one. The club are in the enviable position of not having any financial debt (loans from banks/ directors etc) but do have outstanding commitments to pay transfer fee instalments. They could easily borrow money to overcome this but would need to reflect loan interest payments in their accounts at fair market value.
While West Ham are not close to the PSR limit this summer, last season’s poor performance could potentially store up problems for future years, especially if repeated next season. The club are very heavily dependent on broadcasting revenues which include Premier League prize money. Geoff
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High Geoff, and thanks form response. I look forward to the article. On reflection I think I should have said Chelsea rather than MC. Basically I think you are suggesting that the PSR is being used as an excuse to the supporters which is what I ‘hoped’. Why is it always WH that seem to be involved in difficult or ridiculous transfers that never complete and so often we get complete silencer an almost irrelevant statement from ?? Unofficial spokesperson. Why can’t we have a nice easy takeover by a genuinely interested consortium. Michael
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I have no inside information but all the anecdotal evidence points to Sullivan as the obstacle to the completion of quick, efficient transfer business. Unable to resist going in with low-ball bids that will never be accepted and haggling over extended payment terms and agent fees. So many ways to scupper deals if the player does not fit his template of establsihed player with premier league experience. I imagine he is a nightmare to deal with for all concerned.
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Thanks Geoff, I agree. Michael
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Hi Geoff, how would you feel if we could land Wissa from Brentford? MikeSent from my iPhone
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I like what I’ve seen of Wissa. Think I would prefer someone younger though as we discussed with Embolo. Not a striker but a midfielder I mentioned after watching his performances in last summer’s Copa America was Richard Rios. We were ‘linked ‘ with him last week – he would be a great signing.
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