Dawud reflects on kicking a ball about post match and engaging with Hammers fans outside the London Stadium after a shocking defeat to London rivals Arsenal
I’m sure the trashing we suffered against Arsenal on 11th February has been dissected and analysed plenty over the last week or so. There is nothing else to add to what everyone has said and to be honest editing the photos from the match will be difficult, to say the least. Not something I am looking forward to doing, but I’m sure I will eventually.
My brother couldn’t make the match, which is probably just as well given the performance and final score, and my eldest boy exclaimed near the end of the game “Why on earth did I put myself through this?” We sat through to the bitter end. I continued to record the match as best I could, despite it turning into some kind of FIFA24 game where you’ve changed the player settings to ensure you win. My youngest boy, who has been harassing me to let him bring his football along kept asking “Are we going home yet?” He loves his football and West Ham and really enjoys coming to the matches. But there is a limit to what even he could sit through. He hadn’t even brought his Rubik’s cube to keep him occupied whilst the rest of us suffered.
For weeks we have seen other kids kicking their football around outside the stadium and I finally agreed he could bring it. He said to me “I can play football, and you can take photos!” Sounded like a deal. But actually I joined in … hello! Who doesn’t want to kick a ball about with their boy? Instead of complaining about the missed opportunities and poor passing and lack of effort from the team, we showed how it should be done with some fancy foot work out on stadium concourse.
When we arrived before the match I did my usual walk around the stadium with my camera before the match, but me and my youngest started to knock the ball to each other …. It was a bit tricky given the crowd, but it was after the match where the fun started really started. We threw the ball down in front of us and chased, stepped over, kept up, chipped and passed the ball between fans as they filed out of the stadium and mingled around the perimeter of the ground. Then amazingly fans started joining in, taking the ball to their feet and having a go at some tricks and flicks and passing around between themselves and us.
Players of the future are born here, in these moments where young fans feel free to play and interact with their friends and supported by family to simply enjoy the moment. The result didn’t matter, the performance of the team was not a concern, just that exhilarating feeling you get when you have the ball at your feet and you feel you can do something special with it. In your mind you are there, under the lights, the crowd waiting for your next move, a telling pass, a neat trick to slight pass an opponent, an eye glancing up to check your surroundings and shot that arches beyond the diving keeper as the ball hits the back of the net, causing it to ripple and the roar of the crowd fills up the stadium. You soak up the emotions and throw your arms in the air in celebration.
It was a wonderful way to brush off what was quite honestly one of the worst performances I have sat through for quite some time. We just laughed and tricked our way around the stadium accepting anyone who wanted to join in with us. I just kept clicking away with my camera in one hand and my other hand trying to keep my balance. My boy raced around, gathered the loose balls and curved passes and chips for me to chase after.
There were other young fans with their own ball of course and kids with their dads replaying the match and changing the outcome in our favour. I just hoped I had managed to get a few good shots and didn’t want to get distracted by checking on what I had recorded on my camera. I just kept playing and shooting away with my camera as we circled the ground weaving between fans and stadium staff.
The atmosphere was excellent and despite having lost two hours of our lives to a most depressing team capitulation, our mood was lifted and we ran and played until our our chests burned with breathlessness and our faces ached after having laughed so much. By this time the result didn’t matter, the fact that the team couldn’t be bothered was left on the pitch as the street lights came on with the early evening light waning around us and fans could be seen chatting and laughing and filing their way to the station to catch the train homeward.
Eventually we had to make our way home too, hungry after our own match that drew in more players and cheers from the crowd and showed what a great community the fans are that come to see the matches – well, those who stayed until the bitter end of the game and were rewarded with a bit of fun and sense of togetherness that people open themselves up to. It was wonderful to be part of it.
And I was proud of seeing my youngest boys showing off his skills and doing what he enjoys so much. We will definitely take the ball again and see if we can do the same after the next home game. I’ve just done a light touch edit on these photos, just putting them all into black and white and leaving the roughness of the images to speak for themselves and offer a certain mood. Images that you could see on any post match scene regardless of the result. But maybe next time you walk out of the stadium post match and seeing some fans with a ball at their feet, you might chip in and shout “Give us a pass!” And join in the fun yourself.
Oh, and for the guy who came up to me after the game whilst I was playing with my son and taking these photos, thank you so very much for your wonderful comment and feedback. It meant so much to me and I’m so grateful toj you following my journey on here. Take care and hope to see you again at the next home game.
READ MORE…
