West Ham news: Opinion - Fan writer on 'forgettable' London derby
Derbies are supposed to be unpredictable and fiery affairs, filled with passion, physicality and drama.
But Sunday's game was never going to provide any of that.
Here we had two teams limping towards the end of calamitous league campaigns with nothing left to play for domestically. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur had the small matter of a Europa League semi-final second leg to plan for. It was never going to be a classic.
The build-up was unlike any before to a meeting between these two teams. In fact, there was barely any build-up whatsoever. That set the tone for what was largely a drab affair.
The atmosphere in the first half was mildly befitting of the occasion though. West Ham fans were in full voice, at least for the first 15 minutes before Tottenham took the lead against the run of play. "1-0 in your cup final," sang the Spurs fans. Well, at least we tend to win our cup finals.
Jarrod Bowen's equaliser was well deserved, well taken and from there, the game had 1-1 written all over it. A few verses of "stand up if you hate Tottenham" followed, with Tottenham fans also standing up, presumably in agreement with the home support after their equally torrid Premier League season.
It was a rare show of solidarity between two sets of fans who do not normally agree about anything.
But then that was that. The game fizzled out. West Ham should have punished a heavily rotated and under-strength Spurs, but did not. Tottenham should have punished a West Ham team which has struggled so desperately to see games out in recent weeks, but didn't.
James Ward-Prowse almost won it at the death but his free-kick hit the post, which provided probably the most exciting thing to happen in the second half. Beyond that, there was literally nothing to write home about.
As London derbies go, this one was entirely forgettable. Given the circumstances, it lived up to everyone's expectations.
We are now one week closer to the end of the season, when we can all try to forget this season ever happened. It cannot come quickly enough for me.
Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external
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