The Good: Jarrod Bowen’s Winning Goal Against Manchester Utd
Jarrod Bowen’s two winning goals first against Manchester Utd on 27th October 2024 in the second minute of time added on and in 72nd minute against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 9th December gets the pulse racing and the crowd roaring in celebration. Against Man Utd it looked as if the Hammers improved second half performance would not be enough to win the game against the misfiring visitors after Casemiro cancelled out Crysencio Summerville’s opener. But despite protests from the visitoring players, referee David Coote was sent to the pitch side monitor by VAR to review Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings in the box. Coote overturned his original decision and awarded the penalty, and Bowen steps up to steal the points. This relieved some of the pressure on then manager Julen Lopetigui, as the Hammers leapfrogged their opponents for 13th place in the league table.
The Good: Bowen Delivers Again in Controversial Wolves Win
Jarred Bowen again puts in another game winning performance against struggling Wolves, who later sacked then manager Gary O’Neil, by first providing the corner for Soucek’s header to open the scoring on 54mins then after Matt Doherty levelled for the visitors, Bowen steps up to deliver the decisive goal after a frantic period of play on 72nd minute. But frustrations boiled over after the final whistle when Wolves’ captain Mario Lemina had earlier complained the ball had gone off Wan-Bissaka, which it had, for Bowen’s corner that set up Soucek’s goal. Then there was the potential foul by Hammer’s defender Konstantinos Mavropanos on Wolves’ Uruguayan centre-back Santiago Bueno in the build up to Bowen’s winner. A rare match where decisions went our way.
The Bad: Groundhog Day, Thoroughly Turned Over by Arsenal
Who would have thought we would get thoroughly turned over by Arsenal again at the London Stadium this season? The 30th November 2024was like Groundhog’s Day from the previous season. All seven match goals were scored in the first half and it was without doubt thoroughly depressing viewing as we were torn apart after a bruising 30mins as the visitors cruised to a 0-4 lead. There was a brief period of play when you thought maybe we could get back in to this match as Wan-Bissaka scored to make it two goals in two games for him and then the wonderful free kick by Emerson that went in off the bar to reduce Arsenals lead to 2-4. But in added time of the first half Paqueta trips Saka in the box, who then steps up to put the ball past Fabianski. The second half saw Arsenal cruise to victory and another sorry afternoon ends at the London Stadium with the voices of discontent against Lopetegui growing louder.
The Bad: A False Dawn, First Home Win Against Ipswich Town
I remember as a kid we used to say ‘That’s Bad’ when we actually meant ‘That’s awesome!’ So I’m stretching this a bit to fit in our biggest win from what has been a bad, no I really do mean bad, season. On Saturday 5th October we register our first home win of the season with a thumping 4-1 defeat of Ipswich Town with goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta. The win secured 3 much needed points but proved to be a false dawn for manager Julen Lopetegui whose difficult start to the season placed him under early pressure. Bowen scored his second goal of the season and provided the assist for Paqueta to tap in making it a torrid afternoon for the Tractor Boys.
The Ugly: A Foul Taste, The Fight Over Concessionary Ticket Prices
I think we have to look at the club’s attempt to increase ticket prices and remove concessionary rates for the 2025/26 season as a new low for the club. The owners have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot in terms of relations with the fans and this whole episode has left a foul taste in the mouth that will need some sweetening, despite protests and pressure that forced the club to review their pricing policy and freeze season ticket prices and restore concessionary rates for existing season ticket holders for next season. They didn’t have to do this, there was no real financial gain to be had, but a lot to lose in terms of how us fans feel about the way we are treated by the club.
The Ugly: A Torturous End, Final Home Game Against Nottingham Forest
The final home game of the season on 18th May was another torturous performance as we made it easy for visitors Nottingham Forest to keep their hopes of European football alive for next season. It has been a tough season watching players underperforming so often at home and away, and I’m sure we all breathed a huge sigh of relief once the final whistle of the last match was blown to close the doors on a season to forget. But, not just how awful so many players have been this season, it’s the performance of officials, like referee Samuel Barrott, that has to be questioned, especially in a game he had clearly lost control of early on in the match. Empty seats at the end of the game showed how many fans had had enough, and at how the match collapsed into chaos that saw several yellow cards handed out after a multi player scrap during 16mins of added time! ‘Thank you for your support’ comes up on the large screens but it was more fittingly a backdrop for the Forest players clapping their fans who made their voices heard throughout the match.
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