Stoke City 2-1 West Ham Utd (15/05/16)

[simon1982]

Been a wonderful season but should have been much much better. Unfortunately the table doesn't reflect this. During this season expectations changed because we quickly realised that we had a fantastic team/squad so it's only natural that some are frustrated/disappointed with finishing 7th.

Everyone has contributed, even the loanees! Perhaps some won't be there next season but we have to be ruthless if we're to move forward. Hopefully sakho sorts himself out as he had a real heads gone moment just after his miss, it would be a huge shame if he left.

Today was good fun, decent carnival atmosphere and we will probably never be handed a game on a plate like we were today. Poor finishing did cost us but invariably during each game the opposing team will have a spell where they put us under pressure and as a team we are struggling to handle this, the opposition always score when we get pinned back. We panic and our decision making goes to pot. Hopefully Slav and the players learn from it during pre season.

Had a great time watching them play this season and For the first time in 10 years the players, management and fans have all pulled in the right direction.
Up the hammers!

[Hammer Laffers]

Good day out bar the result.

Great season only disappointment has been the last week (Tuesday aside), conceding 8 goals in a week was our downfall.

A good striker that can stay fit and strengthening the defence in the pre-season and next season will hopefully be an even better one.

Had a lot of cracking days this year.

See you all next season.

[smarthammer]

The season? - got to be pleased overall, Bilic and the boys have done a brilliant job but could have been so much more. Ignoring the Ref stuff, we were still in it to the last and only have ourselves to blame.

The result today? A travesty based on chances, application and desire but poor finishing, poor defending contrived to give lucky, lucky Stoke the points.

Just seen Hughes' comments on Match of the Day taking the credit for a worthy win based on his tactical nouce = deluded.

Stoke were poor, turgid, one paced nothingness and lucky to be in the game at half time but scored with the two hits on target they had second half. Enough said.

Bilic clearly disappointed showed some class at least in his presser and us now wishing a Man U win in the Cup will hurt. Likewise a Palace win in the Cup will hurt more.

A new RB, CB and striker please and if funds permit reserve goalie. Onwards and upwards!!

[costa75]

A good season, no doubt, but I can't help but feel a disproportionate amont of disappointment after todays result!

[pharaoh]

Great season overall but still 2 defats in the last 3 mean missing out on the CL spot. Seams a bit surreal typing that. However if we can get a top striker in and tweak the defence we can do a lot better this season. I would be more worried if we had played to our full potential each game and had all the luck, and come 7th.

The times in the past, and particularly 86, when we could have, and should have used our league position and strength to really build and move on, but decided not to led to relegation 3 years later. This time we have the money, and despite their faults, the owners to do this.

We no longer fear the "big teams", in fact it's been the opposite in that it's games like today that we have thrown. So I see no logical reason why we can't push on. Yes the "big teams" will spend, and you'll think have better teams next year but for some reason don't fear them. They spent big this year as well.

Next year, The OS, still a possible EL place and an improved squad…who knows? Fortunes always hiding...

[Beavis Danzig]

A good season, no doubt, but I can't help but feel a disproportionate amont of disappointment after todays result!

even though there's a europa spot in it, i don't feel much different between 5th and 7th. top 4 and a cup was on the cards and we did all the hard graft in beating getting results against the best teams in the league to set us up for them.

must admit though there was one point where it looked like we were going to have a complete fairytale season which would be impossible to live up to, and we'd have lost some hunger going to the OS. as is, we've got plenty of unfinished business and clear places we need to strengthen.

the gut punch of a result also meant i got a nice quiet train home for the most part.

[Dwight1970]

While there could be some truth in what you are saying , we have beaten Arsenal , Tottenham , Chelsea , Man City , Man Utd , Liverpool and Everton this season so by your reasoning not only have we over achieved but all those ' Top Teams ' have massively underachieved , all of them . One or two I would grant you , 3 might be stretching it but 7 top teams ???

My point was that the standard at the top was not very good this season and therefore the bar wasn't that high compared to most seasons to break into the top 4.

These are the seven clubs (who I assume you mention because they usually challenge the top 4) recent points haul in the Premier League:

Arsenal points total over the last 5 seasons prior to this one 75, 79, 73, 70 & 68. (This season 71)
Spurs 64, 69, 72, 69 & 62. (70)
Chelsea 87, 83, 75, 64 & 71 (50)
Man City 79, 86, 78, 89 & 71 (66)
Man Utd 70, 64, 89, 89 & 80 (63-66)
Liverpool 62, 84, 61, 52 & 58 (60)
Everton 47, 72, 63, 56 & 54 (47)

I would suggest it indicates that both Man City and Chelsea have massively under performed in the League this season, with Man Utd some way off where they would expect be achieving. It also suggests that neither Spurs or Arsenal points wise actually performed spectacularly better than have done in recent seasons yet have finished 2nd and 3rd.

Are you suggesting that the sides including Leicester in this seasons top 4 are of the standard of the teams we have had finishing in these places in recent years?

I don't and I would say with the exception of Spurs everyone of those sides you named will feel they have underperformed this season, I don't think we will see another season in the near future when all of them will be saying that at the same time again.

We have had a good season and are building a decent side but I just feel this season was a freak in how others have performed and elevated as into a position at times that was not true reflection of where would be had others done what was expected of them throughout the season, their failings gave us an opportunity to achieve something unexpected but unfortunately unlike Leicester we couldn't take it and create history.

Next season if we are going into the last 3 games with a realistic chance of a top 4 place for me I would expect that we will have a far better team than the one we have now, where we finished now is realistically still where I expect us to be if we keep improving like we have but don't improve and we will be looking over our shoulders again.

[kalashnikov]

Next season if we are going into the last 3 games with a realistic chance of a top 4 place for me I would expect that we will have a far better team than the one we have now, where we finished now is realistically still where I expect us to be if we keep improving like we have but don't improve and we will be looking over our shoulders again.

Spot on. Next season top 6 would be a tremendous achievement.

[The Old Mile End]

That's what happens when you don't take your chances. And it wasn't as if we didn't have enough of them. Unfortunately Sakho was very poor yesterday to say the least.

Not that it mattered in the end, but the game should never have been lost either. But any team that gives Enner Valencia a defensive responsibility is going to get punished. He simply has no football brain.

I believe that over the course of a 38 game season you get what you deserve. 7th is a good effort - and we have been good side that just hasn't made the most of the opportunities that came our way. The last three games totally illustrate that.

Still, I'd rather have lost this game in the way we did, going forward, than lost it sitting back trying to protect the lead.

It's the West Ham Rollercoaster. And it's still rolling.

[vietnammer]

Last three games were relegation form. Slav out.

[upton o'good]

Colours ,one minute you talk about today's game and then the season,today if we had taken our chances it would have not been 1-0 it would have 3 or 4.
Yes defensively we need looking at ,but that was not the reason we did not win today.

I think the OP was saying our failure to score more was not the ONLY reason we lost. clearly that is true - we could have won either by scoring a few more or by keeping a clean sheet.

Across the season, we can observe:

- we finished seventh
- were equal 5th highest scores and
- equal 9th defensively.

On balance that would suggest more to work on that back?

[Aceface]

At the risk of piling on, a stat that would be interesting would be a table showing the number of points dropped from the time Enner Valencia enters the field as a substitute versus the number of points gained. The former does seem to have happened a non-negligible number of times.

Fair or not, he's starting to evoke that same Pavlovian sinking feeling Pogatetz did everytime he stood up and took the tracksuit off.

[Hockley Hammer]

The most depressing thing about yesterday was that we actually got ourselves in pole position to get the reward we deserved (6th place and guaranteed European football).

If we had turned up and lost, having never got in front it would not feel as bad as it does now.

We had everything in our own hands and messed it up spectacularly as only we can do.

Missing endless chances and conceding poor goals.

You look at the table and yes it's very healthy and positive for the future, but it could and should have been better.

[61dicksey]

What irks me is top six sounds so much better than a top half team. We had it and gave it away when we were bossing it,

[brooking_1980]

Yes it was tough going up there and going in front and dominating, then to give away 2 goals, was really disappointing. Do think that the Tuesday night drained a few players, they didn't all seem to be on same wavelength, these things happen. Trek back a bit subdued.

Still, a wonderful season, win at Emirates, Everton 2-0 down with 15 minutes to go, expecting to win at Man U in League & Cup, Payet has taken us to new heights, etc etc there is a lot of potential there. Onwards and upwards, futures bright.

[chigwells finest]

a great season tinged with disappointment , and what couldve been ? great day out yesterday though

[claretcloggy]

****ing livid still..who was it that said we would cope without payet!? oh yeah DL!!! well that was apparent yesterday wasn't it?! emenike..valencia..moses..thank you for your contribution this season but we really need better than you three.

[giantsteps]

What's the word on Sakho? (Apols if it's being done in another thread, couldn't see anything.)

Stoke - grim place. Nice people, cheap beer, decent pies.

We should of won that game though.

[LincolnshireHammer]

Something has been wrong with the defence lately, we're shipping in goals for fun.

And yet, I still can't work out where the problem lies. Is it RB or is there an underlying problem? Think we are missing Big Ginger Collins in there somewhere. I think Reid and Oggy make a great partnership, but Collins offers real leadership at the back with the 'never say die' attitude he brings.

One of our best defenders this season, hope to see a lot more of him next year.

[LincolnshireHammer]

Stoke - grim place. Nice people, cheap beer, decent pies.

Did you try their famous 'oatcakes'?

Selling them for £1.30 outside the ground, near the canal. Shame the queue was so big as I would have stopped for one.