Hammers striker has failed to hit the heights he has done at Spurs

One moment does not make or break a season, but Robbie Keane’s late miss against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday summed up West Ham’s, and that of the Irishman’s time at the club.

With two minutes remaining and the goal gaping, Keane somehow screwed his shot wide as the Hammers picked up just one point against Blackburn instead of a desperately needed three.

It was a miss which shocked the 33,789 in attendance and Rovers boss Steve Kean.

“When it gets flashed across the six-yard box and you can see Robbie Keane running on to it you think it’s just going to open up and hit the far post and go in,” he said.

It was the third consecutive week the striker had missed a gilt-edged chance at a key moment and for a striker brought in to find the goals to keep West Ham up, it was crushing.

“He is not happy. He came here to score and in the last three games he had three big chances, but I cannot blame him,” boss Avram Grant said after the match.

“He made a good move against Chelsea, a good move against (Manchester) City and a great move today.

“I feel sorry about him, even though I don’t want to feel sorry about any player. He did everything good, but it doesn’t count. He said I wish I knew why I missed.

“At the end of the day, what is counting is the ball in the net.

“He didn’t put the ball in the net and there is no one more frustrated than me because all the season, most of the games are like this.”

That missed opportunity and Wolves’ 3-1 win over West Brom now means West Ham are almost certain to be relegated.

West Ham are four points off safety with two matches remaining, but Grant, whose Hammers side have been out of the bottom three for only three weeks this season, remains confident of Premier League survival.

“I think yes, I think we have a chance to stay up, but first we need to win in Wigan. If we beat Wigan we will be above them by maybe one or two goals,” he said.

“I don’t know, but that is the most important game.

“We need to win, and I know that they also want to win and they are playing at home, but we have to do it.

“Of course I want the results to be better, I’m not a guy who will find excuses, or say there is no luck, but we needed a little bit of this to help us a little bit.

“But I think we need to wait and see. We have two games and we have got to carry on playing good football, my position is not important.”