When all is well at London Stadium, Mohammed Kudus is acrobatically scoring goals and Jarrod Bowen is flying past defenders, that part of the East End is a bubbly place. Positive vibes only.
When things are not going so well, a cacophony of discontent can be heard across the capital, with few grounds – at any level – as toxic.
A seismic mood shift has been evident among England supporters in Germany, too. The most exciting generation of talent for decades seemed well balanced, bursting with attacking talent, ready to take the European Championship by storm.
As is often the case with England – just like at West Ham – what transpires offers something of a reality check, with the same questions rearing their ugly heads.
In the end, a lack of willing to produce the swashbuckling attacking football the individual talent allowed for became David Moyes’ downfall. Is Gareth Southgate about to encounter the same fate?
Was Moyes in fact a victim of his own success, working within his means by being pragmatic rather than kamikaze? His former star forward Bowen certainly thinks so and urged England supporters to become acute aware of what approach breeds success on the international stage.
“People are going to talk about the England game and I get it but both managers that I’ve had have been really solid without the ball and I think that’s the best thing,” Bowen said.
“If you don’t concede the goals – and I’m talking about West Ham and here as well – with our attacking players, you know we can win the game.
“When I used to hear it at West Ham, it was frustrating for me because they’re two great managers as well as people. I’ve achieved so much at West Ham and done quite well with England as well.
“Maybe frustrating is a bit too strong a word but if you keep the ball out of your goal, you will have many more chances with the quality we have got going forward to win those games. So I don’t think there’s any harm in that.”
France, like England, are in a strong position to reach the knockout stages in Germany, but have netted only one goal – an own goal at that – in their opening two matches, despite possessing some of the best attacking players on the planet.
So all is not lost for England at this stage, with the squad fully aware they must improve without losing their ability to keep the ball out down the other end.
“At West Ham it was always frustrating,” Bowen added. “Do you want to try to win the game 6-5? It might be good for spectators but for players it’s not as nice.
“I said it when David Moyes was manager as well – we were so good without the ball, with the goals that we scored and the games we used to win, playing that way. It worked. It’s very naïve to say both (managers) are negative.”
Are England out of the tournament? No. Are they top of the group? Yes, with their destiny very much in their own hands.
There are a myriad of concerns, in every position. Southgate’s conduct so far has also done little to suggest he will be the man to finally end 58 years of hurt.
But, with the dust having settled after their unflattering display against Denmark, some are starting to let their blood pressure cool, with time as their healer. It could still go badly wrong from here, but crucially in the eyes of those staring up at the coalface, it hasn’t yet. Pragmatism, for now, is just about prevailing. But for how long?
“I think the sign of a really good side is when you’re not playing as well as I know you can be you make sure you don’t lose the game,” Bowen said.
“We’re sat here with four points. There’s a lot of noise, a lot of uproar, as if we’re sat here with two defeats and bottom of the table. But the reality is we’re top of the table with lots of confidence going into the last group game where we know we need to win.
“We know we can get to so many better levels in terms of quality. Now we must show it.”
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