West Ham's 2nd season at London Stadium is going from promise to disaster

There was something metaphorical about West Ham United's move to London Stadium, as it distanced the Hammers' supporters from the footballers. Unlike the club's time at Upton Park, there would be a track separating the pitch and the stands. But, in the eyes of many, it was a small price to pay for Champions League football. The move was a necessary step for a mid-table entity looking to evolve into a European competitor.

After West Ham's first two games of its second season at London Stadium, it feels as though the Hammers are further away from the Champions League than ever.

West Ham flirted with relegation during what was a bumpy inaugural season at the London Stadium. In retrospect, it was expected. Five of the Hammers' eight signings from last year's summer transfer window - Alvaro Arbeloa, Jonathan Calleri, Ashley Fletcher, Havard Nordtveit, Simone Zaza - are no longer at the club. In April, Slaven Bilic said, according to the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg: "The expectations were big. New stadium, new training ground, possible new signings. People are always positive and optimistic. But what I didn't like was the talk of the Champions League."

It was clear that the bar had been set too high.

However, West Ham's supporters entered this season with genuine optimism. Joe Hart, Javier Hernandez, and Marko Arnautovic arrived for a reported total of £36 million, which felt like a bargain given the inflated market. The arrival of Chicharito also meant that the Hammers wouldn't have to wait until November for one of their strikers to score a goal. Even if qualification for the Champions League wasn't achieved, a decent campaign could be expected from the club.

Two games into the season and West Ham's supporters are right to wonder if they're in for another crusade marred by relegation concerns.

West Ham's 4-0 defeat at Manchester United was far from the promising start to the season for which the Hammers are known. A 3-2 loss to Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium was even more concerning, particularly as it suggested that Arnautovic, shown a red card for elbowing Jack Stephens, still possesses, as Jose Mourinho put it, the "attitude of a child."

There's obviously no need to panic. Most clubs can expect to be beaten at Old Trafford this season, and West Ham showed fight at Southampton, erasing a two-goal deficit with 10 players before the Saints were awarded a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time. But it would be foolish to suggest that this is the start to the season that supporters imagined, and it's clear that any talk of the Champions League remains premature.

Complicating matters is West Ham's lack of a plan. While the Premier League's top six are only growing stronger, the Hammers don't appear to have a solution for how to catch their rivals. Not now. Not in the future. Not on the pitch. Not in the transfer window. The club's signings - Pablo Zabaleta, Jose Fonte, Robert Snodgrass - are indicative of a short-term approach. There is a distinct lack of pace. Bilic often looks devoid of tactics. The list of problems goes on.

West Ham sold its soul for Champions League football, but one half of the deal isn't being held up.