West Ham completely humiliated by Oxford United after losing 4-0

My girlfriend, and I only argue about the important issues. How much cheese is appropriate to put on a potato waffle? Why is the steering wheel of a bus the same size as that of a car, even though a bus is much larger? Is it appropriate for me to play Football Manager, while simultaneously watching Money Heist, all day? However, there is one thorny subject that cuts deeper than the rest. My tenuous relationship with the other love of my life: West Ham United.

My club, the one that I love so dearly, has always been somewhat of a disaster-zone-cum-circus. West Ham are prone to relegation, dud signings, boardroom squabbles, and botched stadium moves. However, a new pattern has started to emerge: we simply fold against League One opposition. In 2017, West Ham were knocked-out of the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic in a fixture marred by controversy, and the rightful condemnation thereafter, surrounding Arthur Masuaku. In January, West Ham were humiliated at Kingsmeadow Stadium by AFC Wimbledon: thrice Adrian was left to clutch at thin air as Wimbledon romped home.

The whole team didn’t play well. Not only did we concede four goals, but we didn’t create too many chances

And then came our most recent mauling: Oxford United 4-0 West Ham United. The Hammers arrived at the Kassam Stadium amid an impressive run of form: victory against Manchester United at the weekend pulled West Ham level with Leicester City, and into 5th in the Premier League. Their hosts, Oxford United entered the match in a similar vein of confidence after thrashing Lincoln City 6-0 just four days prior. What transpired was an embarrassment of monumental proportions. Manuel Pellegrini’ post-game assessment was certainly damning: “The whole team didn’t play well. Not only did we concede four goals, but we didn’t create too many chances”.

Oxford were simply fantastic. They showed courage to press their Premier League opponents from the front at the very start of the game. The hosts rattled the crossbar from a freekick after only twenty minutes, suffocating West Ham’s attacking transitions before they had even begun. Oxford missed numerous chances to take the lead in the first half, but thoroughly deserved to go ahead on 55 minutes when Elliot Moore found twine. With West Ham behind, Pellegrini quickly brought Sebastian Haller into the fold, but the Frenchman changed little. Haller, an impressive signing from Frankfurt, helped the visitors to keep possession, but Albian Ajeti, his strike partner for the night, was simply on the wrong wavelength and routinely misreading Haller’s passes.

Taylor, Fosu-Henry, and Baptiste added to the travelling supporters’ woes as the League One side ran riot. Make no mistake: Oxford United thoroughly deserved their win. In fact, the hosts might feel disappointed that they didn’t score five, six, or even seven. I have every confidence that Karl Robinson’s side will be in play-off contention come May. But what of West Ham, the travelling circus? My analysis would be short-sighted, naïve, sensationalist – even – if I implied that Wednesday’s defeat in Oxford would become a turning point in West Ham’s season. Frankly, I am so accustomed to West Ham doing West Ham-things that I can see this for what it is: institutional boneheadedness.

It is important to stress that it isn’t all doom and gloom for West Ham

Manuel Pellegrini made nine changes to his starting eleven for the trip to Oxford – which shan’t be used as an excuse because Oxford made a similar amount of alterations to their line-up. The Chilean tactician made the same number of changes before West Ham’s defeat to Wimbledon in January. Why? Because progression (or, more pertinently, achieving a state of inertia) in the Premier League is the only objective that successive occupants of the London Stadium hotseat have been charged to accomplish. Sam Allardyce allowed a side comprised of academy players to be mauled by Nottingham Forest in 2015. Slaven Bilic showed more ambition – perhaps because his Croat blood runs claret and blue, but Pellegrini has conformed to type.

West Ham will fail in cup competitions until David Gold, David Sullivan, and Karen Brady, the dynamic trio at the Club’s helm, adjudge them important enough to their ambitions: selling the Club for a profit. It is important to stress that it isn’t all doom and gloom for West Ham. The quality of the first team is the strongest it has been in my lifetime, Declan Rice is growing into a phenomenal player, and I have every faith in Pellegrini’s ability to help West Ham grow. 

West Ham look set to comfortably finish in the top half this season, perhaps we stand a reasonable chance of finishing “best of the rest” ahead of the likes of Leicester, Everton, and (although currently struggling) Wolves? But in the domestic cup competitions, I have much less faith. And it is for that reason that my dreams will inevitably fade and die. After all, for West Ham and its merry band of pessimistic supporters, fortune is always hiding.