Some West Ham supporters have been reacting on social media after one user shared a comparison table noting how far the club had, or rather not, progressed in the past ten years.
The table focused on how many places each English league side had made up in the past decade, with Eddie Howe’s south coast natives AFC Bournemouth at the top of the progression table, having moved 75 places up the ladder.
At the other end of the graphic were fellow south coast side Portsmouth, who plummeted down the football pyramid as they spiralled into financial catastrophe – ending the decade 34 places down.
We, on the other hand, came home toward the middle of the pack, having slipped a single place from where we finished the 2008/09 season to how Manuel Pellegrini’s first season at the helm came to a close.
Likewise London rivals Arsenal have dropped one place on how their 2008/09 campaign finished, while Charlton Athletic fell three spots, Queens Park Rangers dropped eight places, and Fulham twelve.
Millwall and Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, rose eight and four places respectively, while Chelsea remained in the same position.
When the comparison table was then shared on Twitter, here’s how these West Ham fans reacted…
This is a bit of a ridiculous and pointless stat to make comparisons and draw conclusions with.. we were relegated and promoted in that time and now have stable premiership status.. so much happens in between, it should be represented over a multiple year basis.
— Will Bellew ⚒️ (@W_Bellew) May 24, 2019
We were relegated due to board incompetence, not recognising how bad the situation was, appointing a manager who wasn’t up to it and not giving him the tools to fix the issues in the squad.
— Michael Farrow (@MichaelJFarrow) May 24, 2019
Progress ????
— Matthew Lynch (@MrMML1) May 24, 2019
@robhewer05 @Jonnyhewer @DeanSlator @matthewericd interesting graphic…
— Martin Robinson (@MartinJRobinson) May 24, 2019
Remember we finished 17th in 2010 and 20th in 2011 – let’s judge progress in a couple of years time.
— Paul Mitchell ⚒ (@pmitchell1969) May 24, 2019
Yeah but think about the world class transport links…
— Steve (@HammerForLife) May 24, 2019
This isn’t a fair comparison to measue our progress. In the 2yrs after we racked up a debt due to Icelandics going bankrupt, got relegated & nearly went into administration. Draw a line from the start of the 2011-12 season when the recovery started & we’ve made good progress.
— Chris Burrell (@deanashtonsfoot) May 24, 2019
Overpaid executives who aren’t pulling their weight, nonsensical pay structure, boom & bust transfer policy, owners who take rather than give…
— Michael Farrow (@MichaelJFarrow) May 24, 2019
Improvement made I see
— Dave ⚒ (@DavidPa47484121) May 24, 2019