Billed as a final day that could produce one of the biggest shocks in English football history, it was all too painfully predictable for West Ham. They required something of a miracle to retain their top-flight status - wins on two north London fronts, situated within five miles of each other. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side completed their part of the assignment. But at no point on this sweltering Sunday afternoon were West Ham out of the drop zone, let alone within less than two points of safety.West Ham kept up an impressive record as final-day specialists; they’ve only lost one of their last 20 curtain-closers in the Premier League, which fittingly came on the last time they were relegated in 2010/11. It wasn’t enough to save them. West Ham were relegated on the final day of the Premier League season (Getty)Jarrod Bowen knew that as he drilled in his side’s second of the afternoon on 79 minutes, tempering his celebrations and showing no sign of a smile. The closest thing to a ‘Mr West Ham’ since Mark Noble’s retirement, that could easily be the captain’s farewell contribution, later seen wiping a tear from his eye before a stoppage-time corner. “You never know what the future holds,” he said. “For me, I want to see this club back in the Premier League."Should he depart, he won’t be alone; rare bright spark Crysencio Summerville, player of the year Konstantinos Mavropanos, Mateus Fernandes and more will be expected to seek moves above the Championship. Callum Wilson, who lashed in a late and inconsequential third, saluted to the crowd as he turned back towards halfway - that could be interpreted as a goodbye. Their XI will be unrecognisable to the one that started and was relegated here.Jarrod Bowen may have played his last minutes for West Ham (Reuters)And in the dugout, an apologetic Nuno is unclear if he’ll go down with the ship. “Through this final end of the season, none of us had a minute to think about individual future,” he said, insisting that the fans “will know” his situation but at a different time. “Today it's not about this. It's about understanding how tough it [relegation] is.”Rarely does a 3-0 win come with such dejection. “I need to say commiserations to West Ham,” said Leeds boss Daniel Farke. “It was a strange atmosphere today.” But there was no shock to this sadness. West Ham fans were left dejected but there was little shock to the outcome (Getty)While Tottenham fans had turned insomniacs at the prospect of a humiliating and historic drop, Hammers felt more at peace with the fact such an outcome was far more probable for them. Ahead of kick-off, this writer was caught in a lift with a few home supporters heading to the London Stadium nosebleeds when one joked: “Glad we’re going up for a change.” Another replied: “That’s next year, mate.”So much was the expectation of failure, there was hardly a noticeable reaction inside the ground when Spurs went 1-0 up over Everton towards the end of the first half. It almost felt irrelevant because at that time, West Ham were showing little sign that they could get their own job done. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both had glorious chances to end the hosts’ survival fight long before Taty Castellanos headed in his 67th-minute opener. The end result flattered them, having entered half-time to a chorus of boos. Akin to Nuno’s reign, they took a fair while to get going.West Ham salvaged the performance after the restart, removing the players from the firing line and leaving just one familiar target of resentment. Fans used their final minutes of Premier League status to protest the ownership. “David Sullivan, we’re coming for you” was one of a catalogue of chants, some of which cannot be lawfully published.Relegation will intensify the already-boiling scrutiny directed at West Ham’s powers at be. The end of their 14-year stint in the Premier League - which was the second-longest outside of the traditional big six - could be seen as the perfect opportunity for fans to cleanse their club. Karren Brady is already gone; that’s one much-maligned figure down. Such a damning blow may now usher in even more desired change.West Ham fans used their final Premier League to protest the ownership (Getty)However, not everything wrong with West Ham can necessarily be righted. The London Stadium is here to stay and will become far and away the biggest ground in the Championship, eclipsing the Riverside Stadium by double its capacity. It doesn’t suit the second-tier; a bit like how it doesn’t suit West Ham and doesn’t suit football.Fans belted “you sold our soul for this s***hole” towards the directors’ box as their fate neared. Many will point towards their move from Upton Park exactly a decade ago as the beginning of the club’s decline, despite claiming European glory since then. The architect of that night in Prague, David Moyes, was unable to do one more big favour for his former side in N17. His 2023 exploits will therefore remain his greatest in this West Ham era, one which now seems to be coming to an end.West Ham appear to be beckoning on a new era after being condemned to relegation (Reuters)Leicester’s collapse fresh in the mind, there are enough cautionary tales of how not to deal with the drop. West Ham will strive to do the opposite and bounce back up. Their recruitment will be tested; an overhaul in personnel feels imminent.But there is something about a Championship return to look forward to for these fans. Still with their voice as the match entered the final seconds, one chant reminded us that perhaps England’s fiercest football rivalry is about to be reignited. “Millwall away, ole ole.”