West Ham exit Europa League at the final hurdle.

 West Ham exit Europa League at the final hurdle.

How close did they come? You could almost reach out and touch that indefinable moment when it almost came to be but didn't quite work out due to unforeseen circumstances. Yet nobody knew that West Ham would ever find their way to a Europa League Final. You sniffed at the prospect sceptically. Last September you believed that the journey would only last five minutes. You believed- and with some justification- that the men in claret and blue couldn't possibly win anything ever again. Sure there was the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup but certainly not the Europa League trophy. That was some ridiculous pipe dream and would never materialise. 

So you monitored West Ham's painstaking progress through the Europa League and you still thought the club were living in cloud cuckoo land. Never in a million years. But you had to hold up your hands in shame but not guilt since last night the men from the East London who play their football at the London Stadium were literally 90 minutes away from a Europa League Final. 

The fact they failed to negotiate the final hurdle against Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi final of the Europa League says much more about the calibre and quality of the team than would otherwise have been the case. It is testament to their doughty fighting spirit and their stubborn defiance against the odds that a club of West Ham's status should find a treasure trove of miracles at the end of the rainbow. From Zagreb through to Rapid Vienna in the early group stages to the superlative achievements of wins in both Sevilla and Lyon, West Ham have exceeded all expectations. 

Last night West Ham were in Germany for a semi final against Eintracht Frankfurt which didn't stick to any pre-conceived script because that one had been torn up and chucked in the bin at the London Stadium last Thursday. After all, West Ham were 2-1 down after the first leg and the psychological damage had already been done. In a sense West Ham had run out of petrol and needed to fill up the tank. Their navigational powers had successfully taken them this far but the satnav had run out of road.

In the end Frankfurt were full value for their victory and maybe West Ham felt that the task was too daunting anyway given the ridiculous length of their Europa League season. But excuses are indeed feeble. The truth is that this has to be one of the best domestic seasons for quite a while for the East Londoners. True, they finished sixth in the Premier League season last year but the cynics would probably insist that nobody saw them play in the first place so what did that mean in the longer term? 

When all is said and done the likes of Declan Rice, a magnificent force of versatility and splendid adaptability will surely be an established fixture in any future England team. His positional sense and willingness to lope forward cleverly into the opposition half make him the kind of defender or libero who can play anywhere. Last night Rice was all immense assurance, extraordinary awareness on the ball and never frightened to run forward into acres of space to create gaps in the opposition defence.

Once again the ageing but intelligent Craig Dawson always looked likely to storm into the penalty area for corners and set pieces, a player with a geographical command of where the ball is. Dawson's last ditch tackles and interceptions were something to behold. Aaron Cresswell, despite another reckless piece of defending which led to his sending off again, galloped and scurried up and down the flank with admirable intent and purpose.

Tomas Soucek looked just a little withdrawn and reserved last night and subsequently discovered that perhaps that this match had been one too far. The Czech Republic international is an excellent technician on the ball and is economical in his passing. There was a steadiness and tidiness about Soucek with his sharp tackling and intelligent, simple passes to colleagues around him. 

But yesterday evening everything seemed to grind to a halt for West Ham. Their longevity and stamina in this competition had to be admired. Sadly, this was not to be a replica of West Ham's conquest of Eintracht Frankfurt 46 years ago when Sir Trevor Brooking and Keith Robson had put the Germans to the sword in the now obsolete European Cup Winners Cup. Besides, Frankfurt's pitch had much more grass than the Upton Park mud bath of 1976.

Still, there has been a heartening vibrancy and vim about this particular adventure for West Ham. Nobody had really fancied their chances of ever winning anything again in the foreseeable future. The unfairly ridiculed and lampooned East London club have spent recent seasons struggling to keep themselves buoyant at the bottom of the Premier League so you had to reserve judgment.  

And yet the post industrial age of Sam Allardyce, when everything was about practicality and pragmatism, has now gone. Allardyce, for all of his honourable intentions, remained a dinosaur in the eyes of most West Ham fans but to his credit, did prevent them from being relegated to the Championship. But those days have now been consigned to history.

For West Ham the startling emergence of Jarrod Bowen from bit part roles at Hull, can only be regarded as substantial progress for the team in claret and blue. Bowen is quick, lively, eager and determined, a positive influence on a blossoming team. His goals in the Premier League have been largely responsible for the club's stunning resurgence and a place in the top half of the Premier League. For Bowen though this was not to be his kind of night. 

In fact when Frankfurt scored their only and winning goal in the night to take the semi final beyond West Ham, the side's discipline was severely disturbed to their detriment. Aaron Cresswell was once again sent off after seeming to hold back his defender. In the cold light of the day perhaps the former Tranmere defender should have learnt his lesson after being sent off in a previous round of this competition. But a lingering naivete gripped Cresswell and off he went. 

By the second half West Ham looked all burnt out, frazzled, misshapen and almost static at times. There were times when it looked as though West Ham were just trying to play from memory. The second half could have been more profitable but then just fizzled out like a firework. The energy and enthusiasm hadn't deserted them but the carpet had metaphorically been pulled from them. There was nowhere to go with only German cul de sacs to run into.

And so it was that the Germans held out for victory and for some of us the result, although acceptable, in the wider picture, still felt like a mini disappointment. For well over 40 years you have endured through gritted teeth the bad days, the awful days and the downright dreadful days but this must have felt like another missed opportunity. 

Towards the end, the whole occasion did seem to overwhelm West Ham. Firstly the gallant and tireless Michal Antonio saw a red card and then received his marching orders. And then West Ham manager David Moyes, who must have been fantasising about a potential Europa League Final against Glasgow Rangers, grabbed  hold of the ball from a ball boy and seemed to lose his temper. The former Celtic centre half would have loved the chance to beat his Auld Firm rivals but only saw red as well. Off you go Mr Moyes and don't do that again. 

There was a very petty petulance hovering over the game for the last 25 minutes. For what seemed an age there was a bitterness in the air that should have been unnecessary. The Germans seemed to fall over injured at every opportune moment and there was a gamesmanship about the home team that was perhaps understandable given the Germans appetite for the big occasion. One goal was though good enough for them and that was all that mattered. 

So a huge contingent of West Ham fans slowly trooped despondently towards the stadium exits, recognising reality but privately wishing that the game had travelled in a different direction. Still, with three Premier League matches left, West Ham can reflect on a season of notable highs and regrettable lows. They meet already relegated Norwich at Carrow Road on Sunday and follow this encounter with a quick trip to the Brighton seaside before playing out their final match of the season against a Manchester City side who could well be Premier League winners by next Sunday tea time. If only more seasons could pan out like this for the all conquering Hammers.