FA Cup: West Ham find fourth round draw against winner of Wigan & Bournemouth

I’m still wrapping my head around a system that manufacturers fixtures for the next round, despite the current round not yet finalized.

But hey, that’s the magic of the FA Cup, right?

Tottenham Hotspur matched up with Newport County and Manchester United found Ole Yeovil Town as opponents, while West Ham United will most likely be facing off against fellow Premier Leaguer, Bournemouth. Nobody said life was fair.

Sure, Bournemouth doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of children with the likes of Harry Arter & Ryan Fraser, but why can’t the Hammers, just once, catch a break with a League One side?

Again, that’s the magic of the FA Cup, right?

Oh, did I mention we drew away... again? So in the unlikely scenario Bournemouth lose to League One leaders Wigan, Hammers will be forced to travel to the greater Manchester area to take on an EFL Championship caliber team.

This FA Cup is starting to not feel so magical...

Before we can start picking cherries, or booking bus seats to Wigan, we need to take care of business at home. Shrewsbury is feeling mighty strong after their stalwart performance at New Meadow. While it shouldn’t take an inspired effort to be victorious, it will require a bit more heart than what we saw on display Sunday. Give credit to the kids, Josh “toothless” Cullen, Declan Rice, and Reece Burke; they gave hope to West Ham fans in regard to the future. The veterans though, save Joe Hart, were something else entirely.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Javier Hernandez are on the lips of most Hammer fans and for good reason. Most East Londoners are ready to box up Chicharito and send him to any potential suitors. When you make £130,000 a week, fans will expect a bit of en effort from you. The man is clearly disappointed, with what is anyone’s guess. The system? Playtime? Teammates? Nothing is clicking right now and it’s only becoming more and more of a frustration for the team, the fans, and the organization. Our friend @TheHList stated it really well:

West Ham will welcome Shrewsbury to London Stadium on Tuesday, January 16th.