Never mind. Order has been restored. To give West Ham their dues, they did a good job jumping and kicking their way through the first half, doing their best to keep a team superior in every respect from playing football. But when Mido's goal went in, they folded. The second half was just embarrassing. West Ham were clueless and dishevelled.

It's odd, because they have a lot of very good players. But something dramatically bad has happened. Pardew can't have turned into a bad manager over the course of the summer. But six losses on the trot is, if their football today is anything to go by, a fair reflection of how bad they are as a team.

Why would Eggert Magnusson want to buy a Championship team? Especially given that, as I understand it, he is so passionate a Spurs fan that he regularly flies over to watch us play.

UPDATE Iain writes:

The aggression around me was something I'd rather not witness again...Very different to where I sit at Upton Park, where we often get away supporters among us and enjoy friendly banter with them. I'm not pretending it's like that all over the ground though!

OK, I grant that last sentence. But come off it! Upton Park has quite the most rancid, unpleasant atmosphere for an away fan of any ground in the country (with the possible exception of Fratton Park). The last time I was there, a couple of seasons ago, I had to leave after the end of the first half as the home fans were spitting on us in the away end. Even the Stamford Bridge gas-chamber hissing is as nothing set alongside the truly vile atmosphere at Upton Park.

If in other posts I seem to have an animus against the Hammers, it's not because of their annoying habit of taking points from us last season. It's because visiting Upton Park - which I cannot imagine ever doing again - has consistently been one of the most disgusting experiences of my life.