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There was the suspect defending, including conceding three goals quickly in that manner, something we did far too often last season, and when you throw in a linesman's error which cost us a goal then it really was a case of déjà vu.
The second half highlighted all our problems again as West Ham moved the ball quicker than us and took control of the midfield, but we should never have let it get to that and overall it reminded me so much of the 5-2 defeat at Aston Villa, played on exactly the same date last season.
The day all started confidently. I, for some reason, had this notion that we were going to get our first win there since 1973, the result of a Colin Waldron goal, and remained confident as our car pulled in close to the away turnstiles some time before kick off.
There was just time to see some weird looking bloke, dressed as if he was going to a cheap fancy dress party as a Russian Czar, getting out of a massive bright red Rolls Royce with the registration DS10 WHU.
Into the ground and we learned that Eddie Howe had made just the one change to the team that started at Cardiff a week ago with Wade Elliott returning at the expense of Chris Iwelumo. It meant a central role for Jay Rodriguez with Wade on the left hand side and Ross Wallace playing down the right.
ESPN, otherwise known as the poor man's Sky, don't bother with a studio inside the ground so just in front of us sat Ray Stubbs, John Barnes and John Hartson at some cheap table whilst we'd already seen Chris Waddle outside so knew he was in the commentary box.
West Ham boss Avram Grant, looking like a hardly warmed up Doctor Death, had named a strong side. I'd been hoping that Scott Parker and perhaps Carlton Cole would be rested but it was not the case and they were just about at full strength.
After a shaky first few minutes, when Lee Grant came to our rescue on one occasion, we really started to get into the game. It was West Ham giving the ball away too cheaply and it was Burnley doing much of the pressing. Again we looked strong down the right hand side with Tyrone Mears and Ross Wallace but right across the pitch we were in the ascendancy.
More than once Rob Green, who along with Wayne Bridge and Millwall Football Club, was targeted by the Burnley fans all night was forced into good saves. He tipped one effort over from Jay Rodriguez, saved well from Mears and then made a double save to deny Wallace and Rodriguez although it ended in a free kick with Jay Rod clearly in an offside position as Wallace got in the first shot.
At this stage it looked as though all it needed was a goal to set us up but when it came, right against the run of play, it came at the other end. Much has been said of Lee Grant's efforts to save the Hitzlsperger left footer but much of the blame must go down to Cork who just about waved him through for the shot.
I'm seeing more and more goals of that nature beat goalkeepers. Maybe Grant could have done better but it certainly wasn't one, as I could see, that should subject him to the sort of criticism he's received.
That, unfortunately, curtailed us for a while as West Ham came more into the game but by half time I felt we'd got a foothold back in the game and I remained confident at half time that we could still get through this tie.
It wasn't too long into the second half that my view changed as West Ham took us back to last season and went from 1-0 on 48 minutes to 4-0 on 59 minutes although they got some considerable help from a poor decision from the assistant referee.
Chris Eagles was played in just after the break but was flagged offside. He continued to put the ball into the net and was very fortunate not to receive a yellow card for his troubles. The decision was a correct one; Eagles was offside.
Almost immediately the ball was played down the other end for Carlton Cole to chase. This time there was no flag but be assured that he was that bit further offside than Eagles had been at the other end.
Thankfully it looked as though we'd got away with it as Cole's touch in the box was very Ian Moore like and that enabled Grant to get in and block. It didn't help; a mix of a Cole handball and poor defending from Michael Duff allowed him to make it 2-0. Once more we'd suffered at a Premier League ground at the hands of a bad decision from the flag waver (or non-waver on this occasion).
One second half goal and I realised it was going to be very difficult, but difficult soon became impossible as Cole was again played in. Clarke Carlisle was the struggling defender this time when there was no question of offside and Cole scored again.
It was all over now but it got worse as poor defending from a corner saw it go to 4-0 with still under an hour played. I feared an absolute mauling at this stage at a ground where we'd embarrassingly conceded five last season.
Our best chance of a reply went to Jay Rod, but unmarked on the edge of the box he missed target by some distance. It was a poor miss, and I wonder if he'd have got the benefit of the offside decision had it gone in, but a minute later he got his eighth of the season but for West Ham it was almost as calamitous as the one we got at Watford.
Mears got down the right but was beaten to the ball by Bridge who played it back to Green. The goalkeeper's clearance hit Mears, bounced up for Jay who couldn't do anything other than head the ball into the empty net.
It didn't signal any great comeback but in stoppage time we came so close to pulling it back to 4-2. A Chris Iwelumo header was knocked up by a defender onto the underside of the bar. It dropped down onto the post and then bounced up invitingly straight into Green's arms.
Incredibly what could have been 4-2 was 5-1 within 30 seconds as they went straight down and got the final goal and our nightmare was complete.
I was at Sheffield Wednesday in 1983 when we lost a replay 5-0. We were murdered that night and got exactly what we deserved in front of a crowd of almost 42,000. Last night, in the end, we could have no complaints at all about going out of the cup but no way on earth did we deserve to lose this one by four clear goals.
As I left I heard someone say that Stan would have described it as a 'Throw One in' and I wondered what we'd have got from other managers. I reckon Steve Cotterill would have had a go at anyone who dared criticise, Owen Coyle would have blamed the referee for it all, Brian Laws would have brushed it off whilst Eddie Howe has now seen how fragile we can be defensively. It is he who has the opportunity to improve it.
I won't discuss the farcical journey home through missed junctions and road closures but we did get home eventually although sadly out of the FA Cup and ready to concentrate on the league.
The teams were;
West Ham Rob Green, Lars Jacobsen, Winston Reid, James Tomkins, Wayne Bridge, Thomas Hitzlsperger (Pablo Barrera 67), Scott Parker, Mark Noble, Freddie Sears, Carlton Cole (Jonathan Spector 73), Demba Ba (Freddie Piquionne 82). Subs not used: Ruud Boffin, Manuel Da Costa, Luis Boa Morte, Zavon Hines.
Burnley: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Dean Marney (Graham Alexander 72), Ross Wallace (Chris Iwelumo 73), Chris Eagles (Steven Thompson 84), Wade Elliott, Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton.
Yellow Cards: Jay Rodriguez, Wade Elliott.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Leeds).
Attendance: 30,000