Blowing Bubbles 151 (November 2024)

A Word from the Editor Welcome

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Blackmore CONTRIBUTORS

David Bowden, Olivia Elliott, ExWHUEmployee, Lucy Farrell, Geoff Hillyer, Bradley Holland, Marcus Johns, David Meagher, George Parris, Brian Penn, Emily Pulham, Julian Shea, Chris Wheal, Sean Whetstone, Meirion Williams PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ian Burt, Nicky Hayes, Paul Marriott, Dawud Marsh ENQUIRIES

editor@blowing-bubbles.co.uk advertising@blowing-bubbles.co.uk

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‘I’m worried we could be in a battle for survival by the Christmas period’

We all knew this was going to be a season of transition with the new manager coming in along with a heap of new players.

But we’re closing in on a third of the season gone and I fear we’ll soon be dragged into the relegation battle.

Our saving grace, as we have had in other troubled seasons in recent memory, is that there are arguably at least three teams worse than us.

Having said that, what worries me is that I don’t feel like we are playing as a team at the moment.

It feels more like watching a bunch of individuals and that is always worrying when you’re having to fight for every point to survive.

What’s been the most alarming for me is how often we’re carved open by the opposition.

We have given away far too many chances so far this season

and in the Premier League, as we’ve discovered, you get punished.

We were lucky to get anything from the United game after their chances in the first half, and whilst it was positive to not concede against Everton, there were still many worrying moments.

George Parris flagged the issue of our full backs being too far forward in his column the other month, and we’ve been exposed down the channels over and over again.

Lopetegui will be well aware of the issues we’re facing at the moment but how does he resolve them?

He’s got some time to figure something out before our games against Leicester, Wolves and Bournemouth, which are going to be key.

GEORGE PARRIS

The Hammers’ hero pulls no punches in his EXCLUSIVE column

Things need to change quickly if we want to avoid a relegation scrap

Twelve games into this season and questions are now being asked whether or not there is any difference between Moyes’ team last season and this current side?

Aside from different personnel, I can’t see many differences. We’re pretty much seeing the same thing this season as we did last campaign.

I guess one difference is that we’re trying to get our full backs forward more but that is leaving us massively exposed at the back.

I think if this is how it’s going to be then we need to change for a little bit. We need to be more solid at the back, even more so away from home.

Fans generally are more accepting of being compact and hard to break down away from home.

If you want to play with a back five, then that’s OK because there’s an emphasis on the home team to attack.

But when you’re the home team, you have a duty to play attacking football and take the game to the other team.

I was at the Everton game and I’d long gone before the final whistle went. I’m sure there were many fans who were distraught at what they saw that day.

It really was two bang-average sides giving the ball away to each other with not a lot happening.

We had to do more in that game to try and score, especially off the back of the performance at Forest and what happened at Spurs.

When you’re at home, you’ve got to try to take the handbrake off because that’s what fans want to see at home.

It’s not been a great few weeks for us at all and if this had been last season, and if it was Moyes in the dugout, there would’ve been cries for him to get sacked.

It’s all very disjointed at the

moment and I think we’re still in a position of needing the players to adapt to the new system but also the manager recognising that things need to change.

When you play in certain positions, you know there are certain things you need to do.

If you are going forward when the play is progressing, you don’t want to be going forward on the opposite side of the pitch because if it breaks down there’s a massive great big hole there.

Yes, you can still look to get forward but pick your time, and as it’s progressing then you might start to go when you’re sure it’s going to come over your side.

Or maybe we need to look at it the other way and just pick a back four that are just going to defend, and have a more ‘Thou shall not pass’ attitude.

At the moment, teams have figured us out and there’s massive great big holes on both sides.

Another option might be to have three at the back because then there’d be safety in numbers.

We’d have a spare defender so if our attack does break down or there is a turnover, then we’d have more defenders back than they’ve got attackers.

Another thing that hasn’t been helping us at the moment has been our discipline and the red cards we’ve received lately.

With the Kudus sending off at Spurs, that was just a rush of blood. I’m sure if he was in a similar situation again that he would act differently.

But you just can’t lift your arms up anymore, can you? And the way the opposition reacts to stuff these days then you can see why he’s got an extra two games, mainly because of the length of time it all went on and how many times he has lifted his arms up.

As for the Alvarez sending off, I couldn’t understand that. That was bordering on either stupidity or naivety, one or the other.

We had six or seven players coming back and they only had one lad running in the corner and someone 25 yards out so it wasn’t

a necessity for him to dive in as he did, especially after just being booked as well.

He’s an international - you wouldn’t expect school boy stuff from him. But he’s not had a brilliant season for us so far.

If you look at probably most of the clips of him playing, he always seems to be running back to goal but never quite getting there to shut someone down.

Either he’s always in the wrong position, or we’re just so open that it’s making him even more exposed.

So where is it all going wrong? I think it’s a combination of things.

But really this is what happens when a team is not doing particularly well and all those little things add up.

The only good thing about the Everton game was that we weren’t beaten. That would have been a disaster, and that might have sealed the manager’s fate.

I know it’s early days but you could just feel that tension within the ground. Obviously the fans

were waiting for something to happen and actually, nothing was really happening.

No disrespect to Everton but you’re looking at that game as a must-win game really because we’ve got Newcastle and Arsenal coming up.

We’ve then got three must-win games against Leicester, Wolves and Bournemouth and between now and then, things have got to change and change quite quickly.

I don’t think it's too early to question the manager but I don’t think we should be pressing the button and doing it now.

Why? Because whoever comes in next will have the same players and won’t be able to do anything drastic straight away.

Questions will always be asked though because that’s the nature of the beast.

When a new manager comes in there’s a honeymoon period, and depending on what happens on the pitch, that gets shorter if people aren’t seeing what they want to see.

Pub Talk

The Blowing Bubbles team settle down to put the world to rights...

Where do you stand on Lopetegui and his future as West Ham manager?

Meirion Williams: This could be another Pellegrini moment where Sullivan blames the fans for our predicament. With Pellegrini, Sullivan said he gave the fans what they wanted and opened his wallet so it was all our fault. I can’t see Sullivan paying Lopetegui off and there are also at least three teams far worse than us. So no I can’t see him going during the season but in May who knows.

David Meagher: It's proving a difficult transition but we must be patient. Our board is pretty good at staying calm and in all fairness, it takes time to embed a new system. I think J-Lo is guaranteed a full season but we simply have to

sort out our defence - and midfield - or he will walk in the summer.

Dawud Marsh: I wanted Moyes to leave after our victory in the Conference League Final in Prague. It would have been a fitting end to his tenure. I would not have chosen Lopetegui to replace him,

but I feel he is struggling to get his ideas across to the team. We seem to be playing without real purpose at the moment and the players don’t seem to be buying into Lopetegui’s style - if there is one. As things stand, I cannot see a significant improvement. Something has to change and very soon, otherwise we will be sitting in the relegation zone during the Christmas. And we know what tends to happen to teams who are there at the start of a New Year.

Geoff Hillyer: I’m as patient as the next person, and perfectly prepared to give Lopetegui his chance. What’s the plan, though? We have a team lacking in confidence, and a manager who doesn’t know who his best eleven is, let alone what style we should be playing in. He’s not going any

time soon, but things need to change.

Where has it gone wrong for him and us so far this season?

MW: I’m not sure if he was ever the right choice but I guess he was a cheap option. I think there are too many changes. Each and every game seems to be a lottery on who will play. I also believe that there are players that have not been given a chance. Soler and Somerville come to mind.

DM: I think our midfield is where the big problem is. Too porous and lacking in penetration. Paqueta looks unfit or distracted which isn't helping but we also seem lacking in discipline. We could do with a fit Fullkrug to provide a point of focus for our movement out of defence. Also, Wan-Bissaka has been a bright light but we are leaving our right sided CB exposed by playing him too far forward all the time leaving a big

gap in behind him. That said, if we can click into gear before the New Year it's still all to play for.

DM: I think ignoring the young players is a mistake. We lack pace and desire, something that Earthy and Marshall could add to the team. Discipline is clearly an issue but as a club, we have failed to resolve our lack of an out-andout striker. Fullkrug seems to be another mistake made and questions need to be asked about the process of scouting and recruiting players. Lopetegui has set up his teams in a way that exposes us

to pressure and defensively we have struggled, especially with no set back line that play together regularly and build up an understanding together. The gaffer still doesn’t know his best team. And that’s a huge worry.

GH: The easier question is, ‘where has it gone right?’. And of course the answer is, ‘nowhere really’. You can look at anything highlighted above by the others, but to be honest I’m not so worried about what’s gone wrong, I’m more bothered about if the bloke in charge can fix it. I’m not too sure he can.

If Lopetegui does get the chop, who would you like to see replace him?

MW: It seems that Edin Terzic could be the man for the job and he is available. I guess the question is; Would he come to us having just given up his position at Borussia Dortmund for personal

reasons? Outside of him it’s possible Graham Potter might be tempted but after that I’m struggling.

DM: I think Paolo Di Canio deserves another chance at management - kidding. He won't get the chop so Paolo needn't start looking at property in London.

DM: Potter? This could be a good fit for us, and he will be able to get the best out of some of our key players. Sullivan has a strict idea of who he wants as manager

and this is why we ended up with Lopetegui. For the most important post in the club, you have to pay - especially compensation - which Sully refuses to do. That has to change otherwise we will never progress as a club, no matter which players we buy.

GH: Well, Potter is the name that springs to mind, but as Dawud says, the chairman isn’t going to be handing over the big bucks. That is why we are where we are, and most likely the reason why we’ll still have Lopetegui in charge at the end of the season, for better or for worse.

Which defeat was worse, Spurs or Forest?

MW: For me, it has to be Forest. We looked good for the first 15 minutes but after that it just fell apart dramatically. To see the away end half empty with 10 minutes to go was embarrassing.

DM: Spurs, always. Even though we took the lead, we conceded 10 corners in the first half - we've supposedly got ball holding midfielders which makes that totally unacceptable. That said, conceding the first goal at Forest to Chris Wood was very disappointing as he is a one trick pony and our centre backs knew their job was primarily to stifle him. Alvarez's sending off was frighteningly naive stuff for a man on a yellow card.

DM: Spurs because it’s Spurs but in the manner of the defeats were both equally bad and in both, we had a player sent off. We need a leader on and off the pitch and Bowen, despite being a great player, is not the leader we need right now. We just collapsed in both games and we could have ended up with double figures scored against us. The midfield is exposed in how they are set up as there is no pace and they get over run. We were toothless in attack

and in both games, it really felt as if the players had literally just walked onto the pitch without any preparation. They were not fired up for the Spurs game and lacked desire against Forest who seemed to have an extra man on the pitch even before Alvarez sending off.

GH: They were both equally as bad. I never want to lose, but accept that we will, probably more than we win. But the manner in which the wheels came off in both matches was unbelievable. That’s what makes supporting West Ham so hard at the moment; we know we are going to concede, and when we do, chances are we’ll fold like a house of cards.

How many points do you think we might pick up between now and the end of the year?

MW: I’m going to say nine, almost doubling our total from the last four months. Wolverhampton and Leicester are all winnable games but I can’t see us getting much out of Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal and Brighton. As for Bournemouth

and Southampton, well that’s anybody’s guess, but I see nothing to make me think we will be on no more than 20 points before Big Ben chimes.

DM: It's hard to feel confident about any game just now as we seem so defensively frail but home to Wolves is winnable, draws with Brighton (home) and away at Leicester and Bournemouth would give us six points. The Arsenal and Newcastle games will be tough to get anything from. We need that many to avoid the pressure really building which makes for a different survival-focused campaign. Then again, we are West Ham so we beat Arsenal and Newcastle but mess up in the rest only picking up three points and get nine points!

DM: Nine points if the team turns up against Leicester, Wolves and Southampton. I really cannot see us getting anything from the other games. At the moment we are relying on other teams being worse than us. But who knows? Arsenal are faltering a bit and we may be able to draw with Bournemouth and Brighton. But still I’d put my money on nine points at most.

GH: Look at it this way. There are six matches between now and Christmas. We won’t beat Arsenal, really struggle against Newcastle, and Bournemouth are a really good side. We are so frail. I reckon seven from the other three – I will be very pleasantly surprised if we get more!

The Ex-Files

@ExWHUemployee gives you the word from the street

‘The

lack of game time for our younger players sends out a negative message’

As we moved onto another manager and another era, there was one thing more than anything that I hoped would change.

This one thing was that we would now see an increased use of academy players in the squad and starting 11. Sadly, this has not been the case.

At the start of his appointment, we were told that Lopetegui, perhaps due to his experiences with the Spanish national team at young levels, would not hesitate to use youth players.

At this particular moment, however, he has had very few of them feature in training with the first team, let alone playing.

The club, largely down to the good work of Mark Noble, have done well to secure the long-term futures of a number of these academy talents recently.

Fin Herrick, Oliver Scarles and Lewis Orford are just a few examples of academy players that have recently committed to longterm deals.

However a lot of the promises to the players were made upon them receiving increased opportunities

to become first team players.

Many of the top academy players were put out on loan to increase their development. Notably Freddie Potts went to Portsmouth, George Earthy to Bristol City and Callum Marshall to Huddersfield.

Those three have done well so far and the experience at these clubs would have benefited them greatly.

With those three on loans until at least January this season, where they could be recalled should the club choose to do so, the under 21s left behind have done well to be competitive in matches without them.

Of those left behind there are some stand out players who really should be in and around the first team squad.

The first is England under 19s captain Lewis Orford who was subject of a lot of attention from Aston Villa in the summer.

They were keen to use him in their first team squad but he was persuaded to remain at West Ham with a new contract which, on top of being from a huge West Hamsupporting family, was enough to

convince him.

He is the box-to-box midfielder with a wide range of passing that we have been crying out for this season but have yet to see.

Another is Ollie Scarles. It was two years ago that he impressed so much on his debut at 16 in Romania for us in Europe.

Although a bad back injury did rule him out for a period of time, he hasn’t really been seen since. He has also represented England at youth level though.

Another who has represented England is Kaelan Casey. He is another talented academy product and great concerns were raised when the club seemed to prefer signing John Egan on a free transfer as fourth choice defender than use Kaelan.

Thankfully they retracted on that decision and didn’t sign Egan but Casey hasn’t featured since.

He has been called into the squad a number of times and at the time of writing, had traveled to Nottingham with the first team.

I do not see the harm in giving him and any of the other aforementioned players minutes

here and there to build up their experience.

If you then feel that they are not good enough for West Ham at a minimum you would have increased their value.

Take Grady Diagana as a decent example. He wasn’t particularly close to the first team but a few injuries to players in his pathway and he got selected for a League Cup game with us which he featured in.

A good performance was backed

up by a few others and soon other clubs started to circulate.

Then an £18m transfer offer came in from WBA and whilst the fans and players at the time were sad to see him go, it represented a good deal for the club.

Of course he is an exception to the rule but Declan Rice made the club £105m from his transfer to Arsenal and I cannot understand why our chairman, who likes a pound note, is not insisting that academy players feature more.

One alarming statistic is that the self proclaimed Academy of Football doesn’t have any current academy graduate in its ranks.

What makes this more difficult to comprehend is that the current 21s, when 18s, won the league and cup.

They beat Arsenal 5-1 in the cup final yet Arsenal have already used

a few of those players in their first team, we haven’t used any.

I find this current situation so disappointing and it also sends a negative message out to any player wishing to sign for our academy or in their younger years too.

I hope with time the manager changes his attitude towards these players and starts to utilise them as we clearly do have the talent, they are just not being used.

We make sure we cover our academy in great detail and even have a show with academy coach Mark Phillips dedicated to it on our Patreon.

If you consider yourself a true West Ham fan you really should be on our Patreon because it is the number one place for daily West Ham content: patreon.com/ thewesthamway

Geoff Hillyer

‘All I want for

Christmas

is to not have

to write about VAR anymore’

There hadn’t been many clangers this season until the Red Devils rocked up to London Stadium

I’ve been thinking about what I want to put in my letter to Santa.

I’m seriously considering asking for ‘not to have to write another piece for this magazine complaining about VAR’. Yes, I know the value of a good Christmas present.

However, if VAR remains in its current form, I suspect that I’ll have to make do with the regular gift of some brand-new socks and a disappointing return of points

from our festive fixtures.

Broadly speaking, as we know, VAR has been a shambles. I was an advocate of the system when it was first introduced to the Premier League – but my current anger towards it has been brewing for a while.

Earlier this year I wrote: ‘there’s barely a week that goes by these days without me tearing what little hair I have out, seeking an explanation of not only the decision that

was just made, but also the whole concept of VAR in the first place’.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting - as I did before - that VAR has been purely created to deduct points from West Ham’s total, not least because we seem to be doing a perfectly good job of that ourselves.

I’m saying that the application of the rules is still too inconsistent, and that this just makes a mockery of the fact that VAR was supposed

to make things better.

What I will say though is that whilst I’m still unconvinced that it has improved the game, so far anyway, maybe there are some green shoots appearing – more on that later.

First though, let’s look at our slightly fortuitous win against Manchester United.

To refresh your memory: in the final minutes, Matthijs de Ligt, the Manchester United defender, made contact with Danny Ings inside the box, but the referee David Coote waved play on.

Then, Michael Oliver on VAR got involved and suggested that the referee go to the monitor, and after review Coote gave a penalty.

Bowen scores, we win 2-1, and the Reds go apoplectic with rage. Oh, and Ten Haag gets the sack the following day.

At the time, I didn’t think it was a penalty. I thought it was more of a coming-together, and nothing I’ve seen has changed my mind – and I’m saying that as a West Ham fan.

Why did VAR feel the need to get involved at all? I thought that it had to be ‘clear and obvious’, and even the most die-hard Hammer must concede that this was neither of those two things.

Even more interesting though, was the change in decision from the referee. I honestly thought he was going to stick with his decision, although we know that nine times out of ten, they will change their mind. I think the referee was undermined there.

Whilst I dislike Manchester United as much as any other West Ham fan, if the boot had been on the other foot, I know I would have been furious too.

I don’t think we’ve been on the wrong end of really any VAR decisions this season – another excuse down the pan for our dodgy points return.

Indeed, the only other issue with VAR has been the sending-off of Kudus in the Tottenham away game, and to be frank, that wasn’t even an issue – he reacted and rightly got sent off, as well as a lengthy ban.

This is backed up in the ‘Premier League Table without VAR “errors”’, where we slip a place to 15th with a whopping nine points. I don’t think that we have too much room to quibble, to be honest. Well, not yet.

If I was Ipswich Town, though, I might think differently. They’re the team who are the most hard-done by on that table – at least at the time of writing.

They’ve had two penalties given against them due to VAR, and one penalty decision that was given for them, but was subsequently overturned, in the home game against Everton. They’re two points worse off than they should be, as a result.

And the best off? We reckon it’s

a toss-up between Manchester City – a team that hardly needs any further help to be at the top of the tree – and Newcastle United, who are two points better off than they otherwise would be.

None of that is particularly controversial, though, and perhaps this is the point. Yes, we’ve seen some debatable calls, but we haven’t been talking about them for weeks at a time afterwards, Manchester United match excepted.

The truth is that I don’t remember seeing too much in the way of major VAR clangers this season –certainly, we haven’t had the team completely mess up a decision in the way they did last season by miscommunicating and wrongly disallowing a Liverpool goal against Tottenham.

Could it be that the system is slowly but surely improving? Maybe VAR is beyond saving and people have made their mind up. But is it that controversial to say that it seems to have improved a bit this season, with the changes made during the summer?

Obviously, I’m saying this a quarter of the way into the campaign and that might change. But come Christmas 2025, perhaps I can ask Santa for something else for a change. Maybe.

Emily

Pulham

@makingthemarrow

‘We need to find a way to stop the endless flood of goals against us’

We can’t keep conceding at the rate we are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle

It doesn't take much to score a goal against West Ham United. It happens in every game - and sometimes it happens over, and over, and over again, all in the same game.

At the time of writing, West Ham have conceded 19 league goals in just 11 games.

This is the joint fourth-worst amount of goals conceded in the Premier League. We're tied with Southampton, a team in the relegation zone, and two of the clubs with worse goal differences currently make up the rest of the bottom three.

It's a damning reality that West Ham are conceding their way towards bottom-dwelling for the

remainder of the season - with the only saving grace for avoiding the Championship being that there are teams (somehow) performing even more poorly than we are.

The Hammers currently sit in 14th place in the table and don't seem to be looking upwards after a patchy, inconsistent, and frustrating start to a Premier League season in which many fans expected them to soar.

The one saving grace is that although we're conceding as if it's going out of fashion, we are managing to score at the other end, giving us a goal difference of minus six.

This sets us slightly further apart from our relegation-threatened

chums, but it also provides a disappointing report card for how the Hammers have fared with their new manager and new signings.

Gameweek 10 in the 2023/24 season saw us in better stead. We were three points better off at this point in the season, sitting in the top half of the table in ninth.

We had conceded slightly less goals (17) and also, helpfully, had scored more (16) leaving us with a better goal difference of minus one.

The stats can't help but point a finger at a poorly performing team, particularly when it comes to what West Ham are and aren't offering defensively.

West Ham signed some out-

standing defenders this summer.

Maximillian Killman has been an impressive and organised leader for previous club Wolves.

Jean-Clair Todibo is a skilled French international who was also wanted by Serie A club Juventus, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of England's most highly rated youth players.

They are all players with a strong background and who are more than capable of doing a fantastic job at the London Stadium.

Yet something hasn't clicked for the club and it starts at the back line.

When you have this many new players in one side, it’s often hard to tell whether the problem is the player or the system they are played in.

In this case, the more familiar faces of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Emerson Palmieri offer a helpful comparison into what’s changed this season – and it starts on both sides of the pitch, potentially setting us up for failure.

One of West Ham’s key defensive problems is how far up the pitch our right back and left back are going, without adequate cover or the ability to recover.

Both Wan-Bissaka and Emmerson are influential in driving the ball forwards and high up the pitch, but once it inevitably comes to nothing, there’s two wide open channels for the other team to drive down the sides of the pitch almost unchallenged.

In fairness to Emerson, he is the quicker of the two to recover and return to his spot, but for all Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s incredible skill at

defending, he is not able to sprint back into place.

All you need to do as an opposing team is watch a few clips of how far up the pitch Wan-Bissaka goes, without any hope of getting back on the break, and you will know exactly how to score against West Ham.

Time after time we are exposed on that side, leaving the centre backs and defensive midfielders scrambling to cover.

This either has the effect of too many players panicking and coming to cover the attacking opposition player on the ball, leaving his opposition teammates open and unmarked to receive balls in the box, or gives the attacking player on the ball too much space and time, allowing him to easily get the ball into the box and straight into the back of the net.

It happens in every game – and yet West Ham change nothing about the system.

West Ham’s defence has mostly spent a season at sea – and it’s not for a lack of trying or effort on the players’ part.

The defensive and defensive midfield players have pulled off a number of incredible tackles and done the impossible to recover on multiple occasions, especially from Edson Alvarez against Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho in a rare, recent, win.

But with this need for heroic tackles as opposed to solid, organised, and - dare we sayboring, defending, also comes the risk of bookings and disciplinary challenges as players are forced to take drastic measures to

recover.

More reliance on 'Redson' Alvarez and his lack of discipline can't be what West Ham need to turn things around.

He's hard working and effective, but his fearlessness often punishes the side and he’s been sent off in 20% of our games so far this season.

Similarly, the bookings are piling up for the rest of the defenders and defensive midfielders, with Emerson, Kilman, Soucek, and Rodriguez all having collected three yellow cards so far this season.

As a note, Lucas Paqueta leads the pack with four yellows, but you wouldn’t bet your house on that being related to our defensive issues.

For a club that supposedly prioritised strengthening our defensive in the summer transfer window, we are in a really frustrating position of having absolutely done that on paper, but insisting on playing in a system which is bringing the worst out of our players and asking them to do the impossible in every match.

In a recent interview with BBC, manager Julian Lopetegui has addressed the disciplinary issues in the team, saying: ‘We have to learn and to change the future. The past you can never change. You have to focus on changing the future.’

The future, for West Ham, is now. It’s never too late to change for the better and get our extremely talented and capable defenders to play in a way that they can excel, and stop the endless flood of goals against the Hammers.

I write this after our goalless draw with Everton with West Ham 14th in the table on 12 points.

Looking across various West Ham media, the mood is very much doom and gloom. There are ‘problems’ across the club; The board, the manager, Tim Steiden, the aging squad, the lack of pace in midfield, the injury to Niklas Fulkrug, the lack of discipline, no leadership – I could go on.

One problem that is relatively new though, is the goalkeeping situation. We have three goalkeepers – Areola, Fabianski and Foderingham – with a combined age of 113.

Not necessarily the end of the world – goalkeepers have more

‘Replacing Areola with Fab smacks of a shorttermism approach’

Should we have stuck with our French shotstopper despite his sticky patch? @Westhamrambles believes so

longevity than outfield players, but it is a problem, well, if they are all a bit naff.

On paper – the three goalies are solid – a French international as number one, a capable veteran as number two, and a relatively decent journeyman as further back up.

We started the season with Alfonse Areola between the sticks. I was pleased when we signed him originally.

A French international with a good pedigree having played for Real Madrid, PSG and Villareal, he also knew the Premier League after a very good loan stint with

Fulham.

I remember watching some Fulham games, and thinking Areola was an incredible shot stopper and an athletic, all-round keeper. Doing a bit of research, Areola has been highly thought of for several years – as a keeper who is not only a good shot stopper, but good at crosses, commanding and very agile for his 6”5’ frame.

I think he is going through a tricky patch and is worth sticking with, but as we know, there is no hiding place for a goalkeeper, and mistakes generally lead directly to a goal being conceded.

“ The whole team could have been dropped after that Spurs game.

At 31 years of age, I expected Areola to be our man between the sticks for a good few years to come, and he may still be.

This season, though, has not started well for the Frenchman,

and he has found himself dropped for the 39-year-old Fabianski, after a poor performance in the 4-1 loss away at Tottenham.

Personally, I think this was a little harsh – the whole team could have been dropped after that game, and it seems that Areola has been made a scapegoat for a shocking team performance.

It can be seen as a positive that Lopetegui has the balls to make a decision and drop a starter, but that is one of the few positives about our current manager, at the moment.

So, Super Fab or Flappyhandski – depending on which side of the fence you are.

He played well against Man Utd and wasn’t bad against Forest. Does he keep his place? Not for me, I think it’s a step back for the team and I would hope to see Areola back in as soon as possible.

That said, credit to Fab, he’s clearly in good nick for 39, and is a good keeper.

He had to bide his time as a professional – at the age of 29, he had only played 32 Premier League games, despite being at Arsenal for seven years.

During that time, he could

struggle with crosses and had questionable distribution – these are still elements of his game that can be questionable.

He does seem to instil more confidence in the defence than Areola – which is worth something as our whole backline has been lacking in confidence, although as has most of the team for that matter.

How long can Fab go on for? Goalkeepers can play until their late thirties, but much more? I recall Phil Parkes leaving us for Ipswich just before his fortieth birthday. Jussi Jaaskelain and Les Sealey also played for us at the age of 39.

But that age really is towards the end of a keeper’s career. I think, watching Fab, he has been in a slow decline for a few years.

His reactions are not quite as fast, and he’s not getting down to the low shots as quick as he used to.

For me, as much as I can see why Fab has been put in the team, it smacks of a sticking plaster, a short-termist approach, which is pretty much the West Ham way, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

When it comes to playing Tottenham I’m a nervous wreck, and I really hate playing them because their fans are just unbearable, and if they win, we really don’t ever hear the end of it again.

Whilst we have had a few highs when playing Tottenham, we also have had a lot more humbling defeats.

After the Kudus sending off and a 4-1 loss, I only feel it’s right to discuss my top five worst humbling defeats as a West Ham fan.

I must state that I am a Gen Z Hammer so these ratings will be based on my lifetime - a whole 24 years or the ones I can remember that I probably wish I never remembered.

Starting off strongly will be our 3-1 loss at home in 2018 in the League Cup. We had to let Son’s 150th goal be against us which was frustrating.

He went on to score two this night so that should boil your blood. Lucas Perez had pulled one back for West Ham with a header which gave us a bit of hope, but sadly it turned into the Son show where he assisted Dele Ali who found the top bins of our net.

To lose 3-1 at home in the cup is always annoying but to do it against our rivals is probably a lot worse.

The winner went on to play Arsenal in the quarter finals but I do think I would’ve much rather been knocked out of the cup to Arsenal back then than against Spurs at home.

Number four will have to be our 4-1 defeat in 2015 away from

‘To lose the way we did was painful but even more so against Spurs’

After our 4-1 defeat away at Spurs last month, we reflect on other humbling defeats to our North London rivals

home.

Spurs equalled a club record by remaining unbeaten in 12 Premier League games after this match. Whilst obviously losing to Spurs was a hard pill to swallow, letting them go unbeaten in 12 was even harder.

Harry Kane scored two against us whilst the other two goals came from Toby Alderweriald and Kyle Walker.

But who else is going to score our goal against them other than our jewel Manual Lanzini.

West Ham conceded four goals

away from home for the first time since our visit to Liverpool in the Premier League on 7 December 2013.

We also had won four of our six previous Premier League away matches in this season.

Whilst this game remains a painful memory, I will always remember how much of a jewel Lanzini was and how lucky we were to have him as a player.

After all, he and Antonio love scoring against Spurs.

Number three, and I will have to place our 4-1 loss this season.

I think to go 1-0 up away from home and through the emotion of scoring at Tottenham away, to then throw it away in the manner we did was gutting.

“

I can only hope I won’t have to do this again.

I do think it was just down to us not being very good. There could be a common theme in this article with referencing that we haven’t been very good throughout.

The only bittersweet thing that came out of it was Kudus turning into a WWE superstar during the game which sadly has resulted in losing him for crucial games.

Runner up is our 3-2 loss back in 2019 at home. Jose Mourinho had to face a West Ham side in his opening game as Spurs manager which he enjoyed.

As a West Ham fan, there is nothing more frustrating when a new Spurs manager's first game is against us and they win it, especially when we have the home advantage.

First-half goals from Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura and a third from Harry Kane four minutes after the break gave Tottenham their first Premier League away win since January.

Late goals from substitute Michail Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna gave the final scoreline a flattering look.

But the reality is we should’ve attacked them from the first whistle and not leave it so late in the game to then actually start playing decent football.

It was annoying because I do think we could’ve got a draw from this game. Going 3-0 down is pretty humbling but I do love the determination that the boys showed on the pitch to bring us back in it. It gave me a bit of hope and I thank them for that, even if we did lose.

Our winner of the most humbling defeats has to go to our 3-4 loss against Spurs back in 2007.

A home crowd at Upton Park really carried the team to score

three goals against our rivals.

However, it was a cruel and dramatic end to the game. I can praise Alan Curbishley’s managerial tactics and how hard the team fought throughout the whole game, but I always think the last 15 minutes of football is the most crucial part of the game.

Tottenham were 2-0 down at half time so you would like to think that all the team talk had to be was to hang onto the ball and not give away any silly free kicks.

However, the classic West ham way was bound to kick it and it for sure did when Bowyer fouled Lennon, and Defoe - playing against his old club - converted from the spot with a low strike.

Which took the score line to 2-1 which is the most dangerous scoreline in football.

As my Dad always says ‘next goal the winner’ whenever we see this scoreline, and Tottenham then proceeded to go and score another goal bringing the game level.

A Zamora header just wasn’t enough despite it being in the 85th minute meaning we took the lead 3-2.

We conceded two last minute goals in the 89th and 90th minute. To lose the way we did in the final minutes of the game is always painful. This is why this takes the number one spot for me.

I can only hope I won’t have to do this again and there won’t be any new additions.

But we wouldn’t be West Ham if that was the case. As long as it’s not more than four goals conceded then I can probably live with that.

Meirion Williams @meirionw

‘Why

is it fair that some home games get you two priority points?’

Should the club look to revamp its points system to reward those fans travelling the furthest?

If there is one thing that causes a regular buzz amongst a large proportion of the West Ham match-going fan base, it’s the quest for that away day experience and the attempt to get tickets.

And it’s a quest that many fail to achieve. It’s not exactly as difficult as the quest for the Holy Grail or even the quest to find a politician who will give a straight answer, but it’s pretty close to being that difficult.

It’s fair to say that in the good

old days, and yes I’m talking about those days when we resided in Green Street, the quest was slightly easier.

There are many factors to contend with now, so let’s have a look at those before I get bogged down into those two words almost as awful as ‘dynamic prices’ and go by the phrase ‘priority points’.

Not wishing to teach granny to suck eggs, points are given for away attendance and certain home games.

The more points you obtain over two seasons, rolling, the better chance you have of getting away tickets but more of that later.

First off is the ever expanding fan base. It’s pretty obvious that when your home ground almost doubles in size in attendance that there will be a desire for more away tickets.

It is now a rarity for the priority points required for away day tickets to go into single figures let alone general sale.

Then comes the way that away

tickets are apportioned. First off there are the away season ticket holders, a mythical band of brothers of around 750 members who will either be allocated tickets or will have first dibs when tickets become available. This is a closed shop, meaning they will not allow any new members.

Then comes the bond holders. We all know they exist but no one seems to know who they are. Legend has it that there are around 250 surviving members of this select group.

Then comes any hospitality or sponsor tickets. It’s anyone’s guess how many that numbers.

Then the final nail before priority points comes into play and that is the club is allocating, over a certain amount of tickets, ten percent of those will be held back for a ballot.

So that doesn’t leave a lot for actual sale.

Europe has also played a role. Away European games have allowed those who can travel to build a nice point base.

It’s interesting and I wonder if this has anything to do with Europe, that now looking around at our away following it is mostly dominated by men of a certain age.

There seems to be very few children and women at our away games these days. Looking around at The City Ground in Nottingham, the away contingent was 95% male.

Now let’s take a look at the priority points required system which in my eyes is flawed.

In the olden days it was simple.

A supporter would get one point for every away game they attended no matter what distance they needed to travel.

This is still in existence but the club has muddied the waters. In an attempt to gain greater revenue from unattractive home games, mainly domestic cup games, the club introduced a scheme whereby a season ticket holder, if they purchase a cup ticket by a certain time, would gain two points.

This meant that a fan who went to Newcastle away on a rainy Monday night would get less priority points than a supporter attending a home game.

To me this doesn’t seem fair. It has also led to a system whereby supporters purchase their home cup tickets to gain two points yet have no intention of attending.

By doing this they will increase their points balance for away games. This is a fact.

At our game in Nottingham recently, I spoke to a reliable source who informed me that around 3,000 tickets had been purchased for the game against Forest but they fully expected not all would attend due to the points system.

His simple idea was that the club should identify non attendees and not only remove the point but take away an additional point as punishment.

This he stated the club could easily do for the home games and through digital ticketing, could also do for away games.

If the club can allocate two points for certain home games

could they not look at away fixtures?

Again, why should someone who travels to a cup tie in Europe only get one point?

The same with those long distance league games. It would be a simple process to allocate different points for different locations.

If the club can do it for ticket prices they can certainly do it for distance travelled from the London Stadium.

Now you may think I’m saying all this because my own points total has been severely affected. And I feel aggrieved. Well it’s not the case.

I have never been to an away European game but I have still managed to obtain enough points to attend most away games. I can’t get any tickets for any game with an allocation of under 1,500 but I accept that.

What I can’t accept is people building points and not going to games, and the club’s failure to look at this antiquated system other than to make money by offering an incentive to attend a home game.

What it has led to is the market online for away tickets at inflated prices. But what does the club care so long as they are making money?

Each away game sells out and the two points for home cup games and one for away games works for them.

But it has, I feel, lost a certain amount of the camaraderie there once was when travelling away from home.

David Bowden @Bowdenwhu

The good, the bad and the ugly of facing the Red Devils since 95

Take a trip down memory lane with these victories, defeats and even a draw against United

Jarrod Bowen’s last-gasp penalty at the London Stadium in late October gave us our third successive Premier League home success over Manchester United.

After years of pain during the Sir Alex Ferguson era, our recent success is the just dessert that the West Ham faithful needed after decades of mickey-taking in office blocks and school playgrounds from people who couldn’t even point out Manchester on the map. So, I will take you on a trip down

memory lane on the good, the bad and the ugly fixtures between the Red Devils and the Hammers.

December 29th 2007: West Ham United 2-1 Manchester United.

With 14 wins already under their belts heading into January, the visitors looked like they were sure to be Champions again under Fergie.

With superstars like the returning Carlos Tevez, who was greeted with a hero's reception by the home faithful, Ryan Giggs, and

Cristiano Ronaldo, it was safe to say those at Upton Park weren’t expecting what would unfold.

It looked like it was going with the script when Ronaldo nodded past Robert Green in the 14th minute despite our early dominance. It would seemingly look like it would be a done deal and United’s 15th Premier League win when referee Mike Dean pointed for a Manchester United penalty midway through the second half.

Up stepped Portuguese wonder

boy Ronaldo, who unexpectedly scuffed his penalty wide of the post to galvanise the Upton Park faithful and the players were roared on.

We continued to apply pressure as we hunted for the equaliser, and we were duly rewarded when Anton Ferdinand planted a header in the bottom corner. The momentum had entirely swung towards us, and we deservedly took the lead when Matthew Upson made it a hat-trick of headed goals to seal a memorable home win under the lights.

West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United - May 14th 1995: The day a man from near Moscow wrote himself into West Ham folklore. With Manchester United needing to secure a win and hope Blackburn lost at Anfield to secure the title, they were met by a Czech Wall between the West Ham sticks.

The Hammers, fresh from securing our top-flight safety the weekend before, started the brighter and hit the woodwork early. We weren’t to be denied,

though, as Michael Hughes drilled a volley past Schmeichel to give us a deserved lead.

That seemed to spark life into the visitors who struck the post through Andy Cole just before the break.

Ludo produced a stunning save to thwart Lee Sharpe early in the second half but could do little to stop Brian McClair’s unmarked header from nestling into the net.

The away end had heard that their arch-rivals Liverpool had done them a favour at Anfield, and Ferguson’s men knew a second goal would hand them the title. Miklosko had other ideas, though, as he denied Mark Hughes and Andy Cole with stupendous stops, and we held on for a memorable draw to be the toast of Ewood Park.

Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United - May 13th 2007: Alan Curbishley’s men seemed down and out following our heartbreaking 3-4 defeat at home to Tottenham in March. But a run of wins, including successes at the Emirates and home wins against

Bolton and Everton, thanks mainly to Bobby Zamora, Rob Green and Carlos Tevez, ensured we took our chances of Premier League survival to the final day.

The only problem was that we had to travel to newly crowned Champions Manchester United in front of a jubilant Old Trafford crowd.

Indeed, the West Ham team clapped their hosts as they walked through a guard of honour before the game. But you felt that we were confident following our recent run of form.

We started brightly, too, showing plenty of bravery and willingness to attack. However, we struggled to break down the United defence, and it was United that had the better chances, with Wayne Rooney guilty of missing a simple opportunity.

Yossi Benayoun turned defensive hero before the break, clearing a goal-bound effort off the line and then charging out to block Kieran Richardson’s effort on the rebound.

We then went on to break the

deadlock right on the stroke of half-time. The controversial Carlos Tevez delivered the goods again; he received a ball from Bobby Zamora and calmly slotted the ball into the corner to spark scenes of joy in the away end at Old Trafford.

We were halfway there.

Midway through the second period, Sir Alex wanted to test us further, making a triple substitution that would send the heebegeebes through any side, with Ronaldo, Scholes and Giggs all striding onto the Old Trafford pitch.

Further chances came for the hosts, but there was a defiance that was missing earlier in the season in our ranks, and we stood firm to grab a deserved win and completed our Harry Houdini act.

West Ham United 3-2 Manchester United - May 10th 2016: It was almost as if the script had already been written, and the fairytale ending was that Slaven Bilic’s West Ham side had enjoyed a magnificent final season at the Boleyn Ground. Chasing Champions League football, we faced the Red Devils at home in our final fixture at Upton Park.

It’s a day that many of us will never forget. From the packed pubs, to the streets lined with thousands upon thousands of people just trying to say goodbye to what was their spiritual home. I vividly remember that final walk from the Black Lion pub, through the allotments, down the side road and into a sea of claret and blue on the Barking Road.

Rumours had already been swirling about a delayed kick-off due

to the hoards of supporters and the fact that Manchester United thought they could turn up at their regular time, failing to consider the blocked roads in the east end of London.

It felt like something special was brewing. The atmosphere was crackling inside the ground as everyone took in their surroundings for the final time. They spoke to the person they had gotten to know around them over the years, potentially for the final time, reminiscing of the good old days.

I was lucky enough to share the experience with my dad, who had been sitting in the Chicken Run on and off for 50-odd years; I know how hard it was for him to say goodbye that day.

Fittingly, the game lived up to the billing, a real ding-dong affair played in a deafening atmosphere.

Diafra Sakho opened the scoring to the delight of fans inside and the fans still outside the ground desperately trying to be a part of the day.

The atmosphere only marginally suffered as Antony Martial's two goals gave the visitors a lead. Surely we weren’t going to lose our last two home fixtures? Were we?

The game swivelled on its head again as the wizard Dimi Payet delivered two absolute peaches into the box. Firstly for Michail Antonio to head home to lift the roof off the stadium.

Four minutes later, the Boleyn shook as Winston Reid flicked a header goalwards, leaving David De Gea scrambling. He must have read the script as he palmed the

ball into the back of the net to spark a wild scene of delight in the stands.

It was an extraordinary night that will likely never be topped; maybe those lucky enough to be in Prague will say otherwise. But I don’t think I’ll ever experience a night like that again.

West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United - April 13th 2016: After being robbed a couple of weeks earlier at Old Trafford, a sublime Payet free-kick gave the travelling away masses a moment to dream of a day out at Wembley.

We welcomed United back to fortress Upton Park with the home faithful confident of brushing our visitors aside to continue our fairytale season.

Following an even first half, Manchester United silenced the home faithful as 18-year-old Marcus Rashford curled home delightfully past Darren Randolph to give the visitors a one-nothing lead.

13-minutes later, it seemed like our FA Cup dreams were over for another year as Marouane Fellaini doubled the Red Devils lead, bundling in from close range.

That seemingly sparked life into us as we laid siege to David De Gea’s goal. The Spaniard superbly stopped Antonio’s goal-bound effort, only for James Tomkins to bravely stoop and nod in the rebound to give us hope.

We continued to press for an equaliser, and De Gea denied Andy Carroll and Cheikhou Kouyate. We thought we had forced extra time when Kouyate stabbed in from close range, only

to be stopped in our tracks by the linesman’s flag.

Louie Van Gaal’s men held on to reach the FA Cup semi-final, which they would later win.

We have had much worse defeats in our time. Why is this the only “bad” you have mentioned, David? I hear you cry. Our route to the FA Cup would’ve been Everton and Crystal Palace. With Payet and co, we’d have easily beaten those two and had another trophy in our cabinet.

Manchester United 6-0 West Ham United - January 26th 2003: With a squad blessed with the talent of Di Canio, Defoe, Carrick, Joe Cole, Trevor Sinclair and David James, we would be hopeful of putting aside our Premier League struggles to bring some joy to the beleaguered West Ham faithful.

A trip to star-studded Manchester United made that dream seem unlikely. But as ever, the Claret and Blue always travel with a semblance of hope.

A Ryan Giggs double in the first 30 minutes brought a familiar dread to those who had travelled. It only got worse as Fergie’s men flexed their muscles further after the half-time interval with three goals in nine second-half minutes, even blooming Phil Neville scored.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added a sixth in the 69th minute to add more woes to the travelling irons. It was just one further humiliation in a season of disasters, as we were relegated with a record 42 points.

Manchester United 7 - 1 West Ham United - April 1st 2000: In modern football, there is such a high degree of hyperbole,

particularly with social media. For example, our 0-0 draw against Everton was dubbed our worst-ever performance by some quarters of the West Ham faithful.

I would point you in the direction of this fixture in 2000.

Perhaps the most surprising detail of this result is that up until the 24th minute, we led 1-0 through Paulo Wanchope’s 11th-minute strike.

By the 26th minute, United had turned the game around and led 2-1, thanks to goals from Paul Scholes and Denis Irwin.

Remember that this was a West Ham team with future England internationals Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard as well as Trevor Sinclair, Freddie Kanoute, and Wanchope. It wasn’t a poor West Ham side.

That makes the second-half capitulation that much worse. Of course, this was a Manchester United side in their prime with Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Cole, Sheringham, and, as usual, the 12th man, the referee, who gave the hosts every possible decision on the day.

Conceding seven goals on any given day is unacceptable, though, especially five in the second half, with Scholes completing a hat-trick, Beckham scoring a dubiously given free-kick, Andy Cole, and Gunnar Solskjaer completing the rout.

I hope this little trip down memory lane reminds you that we’ve always had extreme highs and crushing lows throughout history.

So keep the faith, keep believing and keep blowing those bubbles.

David Blackmore @DavidBlackm0re

After much planning, many sleepless nights, plenty of logistical anxiety, lots of jet lag - not to mention the brutal training - I have completed a quest to complete all six world major marathons - in a year.

I ran major marathons in Tokyo, Boston, London earlier this year, which was followed more recently by marathons in Berlin, Chicago and New York.

I saved my best run to last, securing a PB of 3:40 in the Big Apple, arguably the toughest course of the six.

My personal best had been Tokyo, where I crossed the finish line in 3:42 before clocking 3:52 in challenging conditions in Boston, 3:43 in London - which was just six days after Boston.

I then crossed the finish line in 3:43 in Berlin and completed Chicago nine seconds slower than Tokyo but I was pleased to register another 3:42 finish.

Runners who complete all six Major marathons are given a Six Star Medal, which was introduced by the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2016, and included in Abbott's Hall of Fame.

Whilst 1,500 UK runners - 17,500 globally - have been awarded the Six Star medal, less than 150 have run all six in a year.

Globally, the average time it has taken runners to complete the six star journey is eight and a half years, with the average age being 50 years and seven months.

‘From

Tokyo to NYC;

2024 has been a year to remember for me’

It has pushed my mental and physical health to the edge but now I’m celebrating my Six Star success

It has been a logistical challenge planning out my whole year around these six major marathons and whilst stressful at times, it's never quite turned into a nightmare.

I wanted to make sure, as well as running these marathons, that I got the chance to explore these cities that I hadn't been to before.

I think I just about got the balance right for Tokyo where I did all my sightseeing before the marathon, ran the marathon on the Sunday and flew back on the Monday.

The only downside to this was the amount of walking I did before running Tokyo's 26.2 miles - some days I was clocking a half mara-

thon on my feet, and that surely had a knock-on effect on my legs and body before the big day.

For Boston and Chicago, I had more time post-marathon to ensure my legs were as fresh as they could be before their marathons but then I found my legs weren't quite up for exploring the cities and I didn't get to see as much as I wanted on these days post-marathon effort.

It was also a challenge trying to get the best deals for flights and hotels. Most involved a layover somewhere to keep the costs down but I was also lucky that I was able to keep accommodation costs down by staying with other runners, family and friends I knew in each of these cities.

There was also only so much time I could take off this year so it was a balancing act to ensure I was in these cities long enough to see all the sights I wanted whilst not running out of paid leave. Whilst I had a week in Tokyo, Boston and Chicago, I flew in on Friday evening for Berlin and back on Monday morning. The German capital is a place I've visited regularly over the years so I sacrificed time there to get more

time elsewhere.

One benefit of running three marathons in the Spring in a matter of weeks and another three in Autumn close together has been that it's felt like I've only had to train for two marathons because once I've trained for and completed the first of each block of three, I only had to keep myself ticking over for the other two.

There has been a lot of juggling involved this year with work and other commitments. There have been a fair few early morning and late evening runs to ensure I could stick to my plan.

Going to Paris for the Olympics and the Euros in Germany this summer proved the most challenging as it's always tough to run in new places where you're unsure of the terrain and both trips were during heatwaves too that also didn't help.

But in the main, it worked out well and I think that's because I made it part of my daily routine, enjoyed the journey and avoided making it a chore.

I have completed 11 marathons since April 2022 after taking part in marathons in Brighton, Vienna, Atlanta, and Edinburgh in recent years.

But my marathon running journey didn't get off to the best start after I collapsed with heat stroke just before the 25-mile marker of the London Marathon in October 2021 - my first attempted marathon - and had to be retrieved from the course and treated by volunteers from St John Ambulance.

As well as my marathon running,

I have also crossed finish lines at several big half marathons, including the London Landmarks, Big Half, Great North Run, Cambridge Half and Atlanta Thanksgiving half.

I had previously completed the 435-mile Lap of Anglia in August 2022 and also switched from running to cycling to take part in this year's 100-mile Ride London.

I’ve also previously completed a 2,280-mile virtual challenge to run the length of the USA's famous Route 66. It took me 363 days in 2022 to cover the distance from Chicago on the east coast to Santa Monica in California along the west coast.

The Route 66 challenge came after I’d completed a similar challenge in 2021 to run the equivalent distance of Land's End to John O'Groats which ended when I crossed the finish line of the Grand East Anglia Run in King’s Lynn in August 2021.

Since I started documenting my running journey in October 2021, I have clocked up tens of millions of views on Instagram and TikTok.

You can follow my running journey by searching for @DavidBlackm0re on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.

We all know that ‘Bubbles’ is one of the best and most famous club anthems in world football. But which of these other statements about it are also true:

*The first verse begins ‘I’m dreaming dreams / I’m scheming schemes / I’m building castles high’.

*It debuted in Broadway musical revue The Passing Show of 1918, featuring a young Fred Astaire.

*It has appeared in many other films including James Cagney’s The Public Enemy, Ken Russell’s Women in Love, Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, and Elijah Wood’s Green Street.

*EMI chose the up-and-coming Cockney Rejects over the up-andcoming Iron Maiden to record the 1980 FA Cup Final single.

*Fans of yesteryear did a Dick Van Dyke mash-up known as ‘Chitty Chitty Bubbles’.

*Before becoming a favourite at Upton Park, it was also sung at Swansea’s Vetch Field and the Den!

Full marks if you answered ‘yes’ to all the above. The Millwall connection dates back to 1922, with documentary evidence of it featuring on a marching band playlist.

This is basically the equivalent of the Goodison Park PA blasting out Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before its association with their neighbours across Stanley Park properly developed.

More distasteful to Liverpool FC is that their anthem had an airing at Old Trafford in the wake of the

‘Football and music don't always make the happiest of bedfellows’

Paul Brand explored what happens when the worlds of football and music collide for his brand new book

Munich air disaster, five years before Marsden’s Merseybeat band thought to cover it.

Such were the nuggets of information I uncovered while writing Kick It! The Definitive Football Mixtape.

It all started with the Amazon

bio I had to write for my first West Ham-centric tome.

Struggling to come up with a few sentences about myself, I noted that ‘I pay the bills by creating learning resources to help overworked teachers educate the next generation, but I’d rather be

writing about important stuff like football, music and film’.

That got me to thinking about how I could combine those interests and a quick Amazon search revealed that there were a couple of good books on the social history of chanting but zilch on the crossover between the football and music industries that has also produced ‘Diamond Lights’, ‘Anfield Rap’ and ‘Fog on the Tyne’.

Fair enough if the mere mention of that ignominious hat-trick of novelty records makes you think it should have remained unwritten.

“

The aim was to treat football songs with all the respect they deserve.

Football and music do not always make happy bedfellows. But there is an undeniable synergy between them.

Moreover, they are twin pillars of British culture, as evidenced by this quote from Britannia Unchained, co-authored by the Right Dishonourable Elizabeth Truss, which serves as the epigraph: ‘The British are among the worst idlers in the world… Indian children aspire to be doctors… the British are more interested in football and pop music.’

Unravelling the knotted history of Billy “Bubbles” Murray, Cor-

nelius Beal and Charlie Paynter was diverting enough but those three names will already ring a bell with most West Ham fans, even if they don’t know the full story behind the song.

And although my first publisher rejected the book pitch on the basis that tribal supporters don’t want to read about the songs of other clubs, I actually found it refreshing to step outside of my West Ham bubble and learn more about the world’s oldest club-affiliated song – Norwich’s ‘On the Ball, City’ – and the competing claims on ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ and ‘Glory Glory Hallelujah’, not to mention the exotic qualities of international hits such as ‘Far Away in America’ by Die Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft and the Village People.

‘Three Lions’ brought together fans of Chelsea, West Brom and Liverpool and I argue – in possibly the most serious analysis that a football song has ever been subjected to – that Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds’ magnum opus is the antithesis of what an anthem should be, regaling us with its subject’s deficiencies rather than strengths, and that it is this contrariness that endears it to the average fan, for whom stoical optimism is the default mindset when virtually every season ends trophyless.

Ironically, West Ham upset the odds - and the ethos of ‘Bubbles - by winning another trophy before the more fancied England men’s football team, catapulting W.H.A.M. Utd’s version of our alternative anthem –‘West Ham Are Massive’ – into the iTunes chart in the process.

Unsurprisingly, that sense of massiveness didn’t last long and we quickly reverted to type.

My appreciation for both football and music first began to develop as the ’80s turned into the ’90s, so ‘World in Motion’ and ‘Three Lions’ are touchstone songs.

David Baddiel took issue with the former being described as ‘sonically superior’ to the latter but fortunately deigned to provide a cover quote anyway, describing my own effort as ‘A brilliant ride through the idiosyncratically British sub-culture that is the football pop song’.

The aim was to treat football songs with all the respect they deserve, so if you too have a soft spot for ‘Nessun Dorma’ thanks to Italia ’90 or want to know your ‘Cinnamon Stick’ from your ‘Bobby Moore Was Innocent’, then Kick It! is one for the Christmas list.

Kick It! The Definitive Football Mixtape is available from all good bookstores and direct from the Halcyon Publishing website.

Brian Penn

In November 1952 the very first UK singles chart was published. It detailed the 10 best-selling records of that week.

The self-styled hit parade soon became the ultimate test of success for any recording artist. This created a natural symmetry with the Football League tables. Both were compiled and updated on a weekly basis. There could be long unbroken runs or a fleeting one week stay at the top.

Between September 1958 and August 2006, West Ham spent a total of 23 weeks at the top of the First Division or the Premier League.

In recent years playing schedules have fragmented and aside from Super Sunday, games are played throughout the week. This means that going top will now be a fleeting experience for most clubs. It might be 24 hours or less if a game kicks off at 5:30pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Back in the day it was a different story. Whilst there was an occasional midweek game it would always be 3pm on a Saturday.

If other results were kind you could go top for a whole week. During the chart era, West Ham have had an all too infrequent view from the top. But who was number one on the occasions they reached the top?

The Hammers’ first visit to the summit was in September 1958. The club had secured promotion in the 1957-58 season and returned

‘Our visits to the No.1 spot have been infuriatingly brief’

Who has been top of the pops when West Ham have fleetingly hit the summit of the top flight since

1952?

to the top flight after a 26-year absence.

It had been a strong start to the season with three wins, one draw and only one defeat. A healthy crowd of 35,672 had filled Upton

A promising youngster called Bobby Moore made his debut at left half. They raced into a 3-0 lead but United pulled two goals back.

Park for the visit of Manchester United.

Thankfully the Hammers held on to win and go top of the table. It was, sadly, a short lived stay as West Ham were crushed 4-0 in the next game against Nottingham Forest. A sixth place finish that season remains the joint third highest finish in the top flight.

Clean cut all American boys the Kalin Twins were top of the charts with ‘When’. The late fifties were a time of great change as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan declared that ‘Britons have never had it so good’.

“ The analogy of men landing on the moon with West Ham topping the table seemed wholly appropriate.

Consumer spending boomed as rationing ended and wages increased. Football and pop music were twin passions for millions of people who now enjoyed a weekly wage of £12 - £237.40 in modern values. Punters could therefore indulge in both as disposable income increased.

In November 1959 West Ham had a two week stay at the top of the First Division. A 3-1 victory away at Arsenal was followed by a 3-2 home win against reigning champions Wolves. It was the highlight of a hot

streak that saw the Hammers win seven out of eight games. Perhaps typically the run came to an abrupt end when they were thrashed 7-0 at Sheffield Wednesday.

It was ultimately a disappointing season as the team finished in 14th position. Cliff Richard and the Shadows were in the middle of a five week stay at number one with the rockabilly tinged ‘Travelling light’.

The ‘English Elvis Presley’ was dominant in the pre-Beatles era, and characterised the clean cut pop stars that were considered safe and harmless.

Nearly four years passed before the Hammers went top again. By 1963 the political climate had shifted on its axis.

Harold Macmillan stepped down as Prime Minister and the Profumo scandal had broken. The War Minister’s tryst with a show girl signalled the end of deference to the ruling classes.

Labour leader Harold Wilson declared that a new Britain would need to be forged in the white heat of a scientific revolution.

For the Hammers it was a brief one week occupation of the top spot. At the beginning of September they beat Blackpool away 1-0 but would not bother the top 10 for the rest of the season.

Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas were no.1 with ‘Bad to me’, a Lennon/ McCartney song that underlined the dominance of the Mersey Beat bands.

Between August 1963 and January 1964 Liverpool acts filled the no.1 spot with the exception of three weeks in October when

Brian Poole & The Tremeloes took the honours.

The back end of August 1964 saw the Hammers go numero uno after a 3-1 home win against Manchester United.

Two months later the Labour Party swept to power at the General Election with a wafer thin majority of four. Manfred Mann were no.1 with a cover of the Exciters’ ‘Do wah diddy’. It was a steady but unspectacular season in the League as the Hammers finished ninth.

The post-1966 period should have signalled the glory years. For a team bristling with home grown talent there was a mystifying lack of consistency.

They were distinctly underwhelming years with only brief glimpses of what should have been. In August 1968 West Ham went top with a handsome 5-0 home victory over Burnley.

Geoff Hurst and 19-year old Trevor Brooking scored two goals apiece. An off duty linesman was plucked from the crowd to replace an injured referee, and awarded one goal that was clearly offside. The Beach Boys were no.1 with the sublime ‘Do it again’.

West Ham didn’t do it again until August 1969 when a 2-0 home win against Chelsea sent them to first place.

Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst deftly played a one-two to seal the victory but crowd trouble detracted from a lively London derby.

The Rolling Stones topped the singles chart with the raucous and irresistible ‘Honkey tonk women’.

Two weeks previously the Apollo

11 space mission made history as Neil Armstrong proclaimed, ‘one step for man, one giant leap for mankind’. The analogy of men landing on the moon with West Ham topping the table seemed wholly appropriate.

The new decade ushered in a period of tumultuous change particularly where our twin passions were concerned.

The dazzling Brazilians won the World Cup in 1970 and England lost to West Germany in the quarter finals. It was the age of Woodstock as Jimi Hendrix died and the Beatles split up.

The Equal Pay Act was passed and the ban on women playing at league grounds was lifted. The Tories led by Ted Heath won the General Election and triggered a period of industrial strife. Decimalisation took effect and we all learnt to count in multiples of ten.

The Hammers danced with relegation in the early 70s and only just avoided the drop in 1971.

But things were looking up as they went top again in August 1972. Coventry were defeated with the winner scored by Clyde Best. Alice Cooper was no.1 with ‘School’s Out’, an anthem for truants and occasional bunkers.

West Ham finished sixth in the 1972/73 season and just missed out on European qualification.

Labour were returned to power in 1974 as the Three Day Week brought the country to its knees.

Bobby Moore left the club to join Fulham and Ron Greenwood moved upstairs as general manager. His assistant John Lyall took over the reins and we all took a deep breath.

The end of Lyall’s first season in charge was memorable for obvious reasons. But May 1975 was the only time West Ham and the singles chart met head on.

To mark the club’s FA Cup Final appearance the West Ham United Cup Squad recorded ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’.

It was released as a single on the Pye label and reached no.31. It spent only two weeks on the chart but seems in keeping with the club’s fondness for short runs. This version of the song now greets the players as they take the pitch at the London Stadium.

The 1975/76 season promised much but delivered very little. In August 1975, a Keith Robson goal on the stroke of half time secured a 1-0 victory over Spurs.

It was enough to put the Hammers top of the pile. But was never going to be sustained with a European campaign on the itinerary.

The smooth and soulful Stylistics reigned at no.1 with ‘I can’t give you anything (but my love)’.

November 1975 was a landmark for the club as they went top of the table again. A 1-1 draw with Coventry seemed unremarkable, but it was the latest point in any season that the Hammers have ever been top.

If there was ever an illustration of coming down with the Christmas decorations this was it. David Bowie was no.1 that same week with the hauntingly brilliant ‘Space oddity’.

The late 70s were a dark time as rubbish piled high in the streets and the Winter of Discontent brought down Jim Callaghan’s government.

Margaret Thatcher, a disciple of private enterprise and market forces became Britain's first female Prime Minister.

West Ham were sadly relegated as a 20 year stay in the top flight ended. The irony of relegation was heightened by the club boasting one of their finest teams which took shape during this period.

When Phil Parkes was signed from QPR, it complemented a solid defence comprised of Ray Stewart, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds and Alvin Martin.

Trevor Brooking and Alan Devonshire ran the midfield with solid support from Geoff Pike and Paul Allen.

The hugely underrated David Cross was centre forward and partnered first with Stuart Pearson and later Paul Goddard. What could possibly go wrong?

Three misfiring years in the second division was the result. It was a team that should have achieved much more in the top tier. The Hammers missed out on the chance of sharing chart honours with Ian Dury & the Blockheads, the Police, Blondie and the Jam. Promotion was eventually gained to the First Division in 1981 and the seasons that followed

were at times an exhilarating ride.

In September 1981 fans positively gurgled with delight as the Hammers went top for a whole four weeks.

The month started with a 4-0 win against Spurs at White Hart Lane. David Cross kindly scored all four goals in a deeply satisfying rout.

He was on the score sheet again as Sunderland were beaten 2-0 away from home. The run also included wins against Stoke and Southampton.

Paul Goddard scored a hattrick in the latter fixture and looked well worth the record £800,000 record fee.

Soft Cell topped the charts with a cover version of Gloria Jones’ ‘Tainted love’. It was replaced by ‘Prince Charming’ the second no.1 for new romantic darlings Adam & the Ants.

What felt like a regular fix of top status level arrived again in August 1983. The Hammers remained top for six weeks with a run that stretched until the beginning of October.

It included wins against Everton, Spurs, Leicester, Notts County and Coventry. Tony Cottee had emerged as an international class striker and David Swindlehurst found the net on a regular basis. However, a 3-1 defeat to Stoke brought the run to an end. KC & the Sunshine Band was among the chart toppers with the summery ‘Give it up’. UB40 followed them at no.1 with Neil Diamond's tale of alcoholic oblivion ‘Red, red wine’. The Culture Club came next with the truly horrific ‘Karma Chameleon’.

West Ham’s greatest ever season in the league was 1985/86 when strikers Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie led the charge.

Surprisingly, they never once made the top spot during that memorable season. It had been a slow start as the Hammers registered one win in their first seven league games.

Only 12,225 turned up to watch a 3-0 home win against Leicester. It put the Hammers 13th but was the start of a magnificent run of form that yielded 11 wins and three draws in fourteen games.

Six consecutive wins in April put the Hammers in second spot going into the final game against Everton. But any hope of the title was dashed in a 3-1 defeat.

George Michael was no.1 in the charts with the angst ridden ‘A different corner’.

There was one last hurrah at the top of the table before the decade was out. In August 1986 West Ham beat Manchester United 3-2 away to go top for one week.

Boris Gardiner was no.1 with the sweet lover’s rock vibe ‘I want to

wake up with you’.

In 1990 Margaret Thatcher left 10 Downing Street for the last time. John Major held the fort until 1997 when Tony Blair took office with his unique brand of social democracy.

It would be 20 years before West Ham went top again. In August 2006 a 1-1 draw was eked out against Watford to secure first spot.

But it was followed by a season of shocking underachievement as the Hammers dropped to 15th place in the Premier League. Shakira was no.1 with the infectious ‘Hips don’t lie’.

Since then there have only been tantalising hints of the summit which are quickly overtaken by subsequent results.

West Ham’s visits to the number 1 spot have been infuriatingly brief. But as fans we cherish it even more when it does happen.

Inconsistency runs through the team like a stick of rock and we know we won’t stay there for very long. Instead we console ourselves with the occasional

cup win and outstanding random performances.

The analogy with chart success used to be a good yardstick but we live in a very different world today.

The end of the 20th century has coincided with the decline of the singles chart. It is no longer at the forefront of popular culture.

The kudos of a no.1 single has been lost and allure of the chart rundown has been buried by the convenience of streaming.

Many would struggle to name the current no.1 single, but are more likely to know who’s top of the Premier League.

That’s partly because it could only be one of three teams at any given time. This cantor through corresponding no.1s only proves that football is nowhere near as exciting as it used to be.

Teams like West Ham would have been in with a shout of securing the top spot however brief it might be. Now we can only wonder when the Hammers will next go top and if there will ever be a great no.1 single again?

We have had a very hard start to the league on paper, but I was still hoping for more than two points from our first six matches.

We are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. The only games we have picked up points in this season were away to Everton, who are the team that sit in last, and at home to Liverpool. Both games we scored first in.

Even though we have not started the season the way I would have wanted us to, I must state we have played three out of the top four already and two of them were away so it was never going to be easy.

Our next three games are all winnable and we should be aiming for nine points but seven is a minimum and if these points come in, our league position will look a lot more promising.

Also going into these games, it is nice to see our star striker, Riko Ueki, on the score sheet in our last two games, hopefully she can carry on her personal form and push us up the league.

It also has not helped us last month that star midfielder, Kristie Mewis, has been sat out due to a recurring muscle injury.

The club posted an update on her injury which makes us believe she should be back after the Leicester City game and that will be a huge bonus going into the easier run we have.

Since joining in January 2023, the American midfielder has only played four times for us due to injuries.

Hopefully after her return, she

‘Beating

the Foxes helped to reignite our push for Europe’

It’s been a difficult start to the campaign but Milly Thomson is hopeful our Women can now kick on

can go on a game streak and go back to being the star player we brought her in to be.

One positive that this season has given to us is a great start to the league cup, after beating Portsmouth 6-1, we sit top of the table.

We face London City away at the end of the month and hopefully we can carry on our good spell and get out of the group.

I always said this season I would like us to have a good cup spell

to help create some excitement around the club and so far, we are doing that.

The last two seasons we have got to the last eight and semi-final so hopefully this year we can go one better and be at the final come February.

I’m writing this ahead of our game against Leicester City at home.

This game was a must win if we wanted any chance of still getting Europe at the end of the season.

Chris Wheal @whealie

Sir Kier Starmer’s new Labour government has updated and improved the previous Conservative administration’s Football Governance Bill.

The biggest changes cover the financial distributions between leagues, for example. Parachute payments will no longer be excluded so the future finances of relegated clubs are protected. If no financial agreement can be reached between the Premier League and the rest of the football pyramid, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will now have the power to arbitrate.

‘Football is about to be regulated and fans will finally get a say’

The West Ham United Supporters’ Trust can’t wait for the Independent Football Regulator to start work

Crucially for fans, the provisions forcing clubs to consult with supporters have been strengthened. Fans must in future be consulted on ticket prices – something previously excluded - and the regulator can overturn any fan rep appointments made by clubs nominating their own lickspittles.

There will also be tougher owners’ and directors’ tests. Some rapscallions who have owned or run football clubs in the past would not pass the new tests. And the IFR will have to report on its work much earlier – within 18 months of starting instead of three years, and then every three

years instead of every five.

There are several minor changes to make modification of the regulatory regime easier as the game or environment changes or as new competitions are discussed, they can either be banned or allowed without primary legislation.

The Expert Panel has been beefed up to allow for a bigger than expected workload, and clubs must report on their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Because the bill has cross-party support, it was launched in the House of Lords on November 1. Its second reading in there will be on 13 November and, although Lady Brady has her name down to speak, she won’t be able to scupper it.

For non-political watchers, it appears complicated. In addition to the bill itself, the government published explanatory notes, an impact assessment and a fact sheet detailing the changes from the previous Tory bill.

The committee stage will be in the Lords. The third reading in the Lords should be in February, when the bill will come before the Commons. It could have Royal Assent before the summer recess in July.

The new bill also sets out a staged building of the regulator, so it can get cracking faster, even if it hasn’t appointed all of its expert panel.

What is missing from the Labour version that was in the old Tory one is a specific reference to supporter trusts.

But WHUST’s expert and former

senior civil servant Nick Drane isn’t worried about that. Trusts are mentioned in the explanatory notes. It’s clear that trusts still take priority.

“

Some of the things done to clubs in the past will never be allowed to happen.

The flexibility means clubs where there isn’t a trust don’t have to set one up. And if fans at other clubs already have another type of body, such as a cooperative or even a limited company, that might be deemed appropriate.

Premier League fans need to remember this bill is about all English football – that’s a minimum of five tiers. It’s very different for fans and clubs across the board. Some clubs are even owned by their fans’ trust.

West Ham’s CEO Lady Brady and main shareholder David Sullivan have become not only increasingly isolated voices opposing regulation but also breathtakingly bizarre, childishly comparing having a football regulator to living in North Korea.

If they were angry 15-year-olds with new slogan T-shirts, they’d be laughed out of the playground. The regulator will make a difference. Some of the things done to football clubs in the past will never be allowed to happen.

It’s not just West Ham moving from Upton Park to Stratford or putting ‘London’ on the badge to help market matches to international tourists.

Other clubs have been asset-stripped and bankrupted, cutting the soul out of local communities. All these things will be prevented and protected. And that’s a good thing.

WHUST’s Nick Drane says: ‘It’s not perfect, but it’s a better bill than the first one. It’s much stronger on fan engagement. The Football Supporters’ Association is still working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport but it’s getting down to “what does this comma mean?” so really fans have won.’

Nick says there may be amendments to add trusts back in, so that, where there is a trust, it should be consulted. But that is already in the guidance notes and will be for the IFR to decide how it’s done anyway. ‘We’re striving to find things to worry about,’ Nick says.

But the regulator is just the start of the fightback by fans. West Ham supporters have other battle grounds.

These include getting fan representation on Newham’s football Safety Advisory Group and scrapping the discriminatory legal system that gives out harsher sentences to football fans for the same offence.

There will be new pressures too – to play PL matches in the US, for example. The regulator is not a panacea, but it is practical progress.

Between 1960 and 1980, you might confidently identify seven outfield players from the UK, who would have played in a ‘World XI’, or at least have been part of a 22-man squad.

You would definitely have included at least one, maybe two, goalkeepers, but you might also have challenged the credibility of that claim, if you had watched any episode of The Big Match Revisited; particularly if you’d seen Fulham v York City from 1974.

There’s Bobby Moore, in all his unmuddied finery, walking into the opposition half with the ball, totally unchallenged.

He must have walked between 10 and 15 yards. You might start asking yourself a few questions, such as how he might have coped with today’s forwards - constantly pressing defenders back onto their 18-yard line, harrying them when in possession, even tackling them.

How would he have coped, and exactly how good was “England’s greatest ever defender”?

To counter any of those doubts, you might also have pored over a few YouTube clips of Bobby Moore’s career.

Just to remind yourself of the tackles; the triumphs; the glowing testimonials; and his oh-so-cruel and premature passing.

And then you might think again about Bobby Moore. And you might just offer your own rightful reappraisal of the iconic footballer that was Bobby Moore. You might also be left nursing one huge and overwhelming lament.

‘Why was Hurst seen as our fifth important World Cup winner?’

In his new book, Colin Whelan reflects on the lives and careers of Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst

What separated Bobby Moore from the mortals was his actual ‘quality’.

Rated the best defender in the world by Pele and Beckenbauer – and included in a ‘World XI’ of the 20th century, voted for by an international panel of judges – he understood absolutely the nature of his role within the team.

And we had never seen the like

before – not in England, not in the world.

At its most basic level, he was there to sniff out movement of the ball and/or opposing players, and then to snuff out any possible danger resulting from those movements.

It does sound simple, and Bobby Moore made it look ridiculously simple, but that’s because Bobby

Moore did it so well, that you barely noticed the passage of play you had just seen.

England’s best player – the absolute stand-out player - played in defence. That’s how good he was.

Charlton was great; Banks was outstanding; but your eyes were always drawn to the orchestrator of play in defence. The player, who once he’d made the unflashy tackle, would move the ball on quickly, his aim to switch momentum swiftly.

His close alliance on the field with the other Charlton brother, formed the essential rock around which England’s fortunes were built in 1966.

The defence conceded just the three goals in six games, the unlikely pairing operating at an almost telepathic level during the tournament.

And anyone who made Charlton (J) assume the role of junior partner in any defence, would have had to have been a bit special to earn that level of respect.

But what about Sir Geoff Hurst? When Bobby Moore won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1966, Bobby Charlton won the Ballon d’Or, with Geoff Hurst in 14th place, securing two votes. Ahead of him in the voting were Charlton, Moore, Ball and Banks.

Hurst ranked fifth in importance to the England World Cup winning effort. The bloke who made the difference in a keenly and evenly contested final.

The bloke who scored the perfect hat-trick to secure England’s World Cup win was considered to

be England’s fifth most important player?

You might assume that Alan Ball won his place above Hurst, because of his ‘Man of the Match’ contribution in the final, ‘running himself daft’? Man of the match, above Hurst?

The easiest comparison to this injustice is Paolo Rossi, Italy’s stylish striker and hero of Italy’s 1982 World Cup victory.

Six goals in three games secured the win, including a hat-trick against Brazil, effectively, in a quarter-final.

All this, after Rossi had served a two-year ban for his part in a football betting scandal. World Cup winner and Ballon d’Or winner that year, both he and Hurst finished with very similar international records.

But it’s probably best that it transpired that way. A humble, uncomplicated man, Hurst realised the full worth of what he had done.

He was happy to go home to his family after the World Cup Final, and mow the grass the next day.

Perfectly content at West Ham, he didn’t chase a big money move elsewhere.

West Ham had given him everything he wanted in football, and he’d even scored a goal in the 1964 FA Cup Final to help his team beat Preston North End.

So, when Ron Greenwood rejected Manchester United’s British record bid of £200k to take Geoff to Old Trafford in 1967, he was happy to stay at Upton Park.

Geoff Hurst knew himself what he had done; it was for others to argue his greater worth.

He doesn’t regret anything from his playing career, nor does he resent today’s players’ vast earnings.

If he had been showered with more awards, more praise, maybe this would have upset the delicate balancing act of preserving a bit of himself and his young family.

If he had courted greater publicity, that surely would only have come back to harm his family.

From everything you see and know of him now, on documentary, or in books, his own tour, Geoff Hurst maintains that unreal humility.

England’s one surviving player from that incredible summer’s day in 1966 - the most important part of the jigsaw on that day, the ‘difference’.

He should be venerated forever - he is our national treasure. He is our greatest living Englishman, whether he wants to be, or not.

Colin’s new book - Super Squad - is out now.

Robert Banks @robbanks68

‘The FA Cup final win was Lyall’s finest hour as West Ham boss’

We deep dive into the club’s fortunes during John Lyall’s tenure continuing with the 79-80 campaign

After a narrow failure to gain promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt in May, Lyall set about identifying the flaws that cost the Hammers last time around.

As he had shown in March when he paid a world record fee for goalkeeper Phil Parkes, he was not afraid to spend money to achieve that aim.

Lyall paid a then world-record fee for a teenager, spending £430,000 for the services of Ray Stewart from Dundee United, and a further £220,000 for the slightly older but vastly experienced striker Stuart Pearson from Manchester United.

Exciting winger and Chingford’s finest Jimmy Neighbour also arrived from Norwich City for £150,000.

So that was a total outlay of £800,000 on three players which was an absolute fortune in 1979.

If you consider that the concept of the £1m player had only just come about, and West Ham were a second division side, it tells you everything you need to know about how level the playing field was.

Despite that outlay the season began badly with 1-0 defeats away at Wrexham and at home to Chelsea.

The first points came in a 1-0

home win over Oldham in which Patsy Holland answered his growing band of critics with the winner.

Pearson registered his first West Ham goal in a 3-1 win over Barnsley in the League Cup, but another defeat, the third in the opening four League matches came at Watford raising serious question marks over the Hammers promotion credentials.

That said, neither Stewart or Neighbour had featured up to this point, Stewart debuted at Barnsley in the second leg of the League Cup which saw safe passage, and both made their home debuts in front of the Match of the Day cameras in a 2-0 win over Sunderland.

That should have been lift-off, but another run of inconsistent results followed. It took three games to get past Southend in the next round of the League Cup, Billy Lansdowne Jnr scoring a hattrick in the second replay which ended 5-1.

Sunderland were beaten, again after a replay in round four before eventually crashing out to Nottingham Forest 3-0 in a fifth-round replay at The City Ground.

League form was frustratingly inconsistent, by the time the Hammers exited the League Cup on 12 December 1979, they had slipped to ninth in the table and appeared to have little chance of making the top three position needed for promotion.

They had, however, shown their cup credentials and took on a very good West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in the FA Cup third round.

This was a game remembered for the heroics of Phil Parkes, who virtually single-handedly earned a replay in a 0-0 draw.

In the replay the Hammers won 2-1 with goals from Geoff Pike, playing as a makeshift striker, and the ever-reliable Trevor Brooking. This coincided with an upturn in league form and impressive wins over QPR, Orient, Preston Burnley and Leicester.

Orient were also beaten 3-2 in the fourth round of the FA Cup, two goals from Ray Stewart and an own goal seeing the Hammers through

In round five the Hammers took on Swansea City at Upton Park and won 2-0 with late goals from

young Paul Allen who had made his debut earlier in the campaign.

In the Quarter-finals West Ham faced Aston Villa at Upton Park. A late penalty after a handball by Ken McNaught saw the ice-cool Stewart convert the spot kick and send West Ham through to the semi-final against Everton at Villa Park.

Reaching the last four coincided with a significant downturn in league form which garnered just three wins from the last 13 games, clearly Lyall was prioritising the cup run drawing much criticism from the press, and indeed from some fans who felt that promotion should be the priority.

But not many were complaining as Billy Bonds led the team out at Villa Park on a bright April afternoon to go toe-to-toe with Everton for a place in the FA Cup final.

A bad-tempered game ended 1-1 with Everton’s Brian Kidd sent off and Stuart Pearson grabbing an equaliser.

So, the FA Cup roadshow moved on to Elland Road for the replay, where Alan Devonshire skipped through the Everton defence to give West Ham the lead, Bob Latchford equalised, and it looked like a second replay would be required before Frank Lampard popped up with a diving header right at the end to put Lyall’s second division side in the final.

Whilst Lyall had received criticism for his prioritisation of the cup over the league from some quarters, most agree that tactically, the final against Arsenal was his finest hour.

Normally West Ham played a 4-4-2 with Cross and Pearson as the front two. But for the final he made the late change to a 4-4-1-1 with Pearson playing as a lone striker and Cross in a more withdrawn role, popularly known now as ‘in the hole’.

This completely surprised Arsenal’s centre-backs O’Leary and Young who did not know whether to stay put and allow Cross the freedom of the space between midfield and attack or mark him and leave gaps at the back for Pearson to exploit.

The tactic worked perfectly especially as West Ham took the lead on 13 minutes through Brooking and then had something to defend.

Whilst Arsenal looked towards a draining four-match semi-final against Liverpool as a possible excuse and an upcoming Cup-Winners' Cup final, Lyall’s tactical acumen ultimately won the game.

The FA Cup for a second division team for the last time to date, a place in the Cup Winners’ Cup competition for 1980-81 and every prospect, with one final tweak, of a team capable of gaining promotion.

My YouTube series “The John Lyall Years” follows the fortunes of the club during John Lyall’s tenure, merging match footage with interviews, newspaper cuttings, news items, music, TV, and cinema from the time.

It is a must for anyone who remembers those heady days, or those who are curious to learn. 1979-80 is covered in Episodes 22-26 – see @westhamhistory

‘Your generosity has made a difference in the lives of the homeless’

John Ratomski hears from the charities benefitting from the Irons Supporting Foodbanks’ efforts

This month I wanted to share with you a few words of appreciation from the foodbanks and community groups that we support on behalf of West Ham fans, and details of how they operate.

Samantha White, Manager of Carpenters and Dockland Community Centre, wrote: ‘We extend a heartfelt thank you to John from Irons Supporting Foodbanks for his unwavering support and generosity. John's kindness and

dedication have made a significant impact on our organisation, as well as the many individuals and families we serve.

‘Through his ongoing donations of food, furniture, bedding and clothing, John has played a vital role in our mission to provide assistance to over one thousand individuals each week. Additionally, his contributions have helped us run a free cafeteria three days a week and host engaging activ-

ities like free bingo, creating a warm and welcoming environment for those in need.

‘The donations from Irons Supporting Foodbanks have truly made a difference in the lives of the homeless individuals we support and the struggling households we assist. John's commitment to helping others shines brightly and serves as an inspiration to us all.

‘We are deeply grateful for

John's compassion, generosity, and continuous support. His contributions have touched the hearts of many and brought comfort to those facing challenging circumstances. Thank you, John, for your invaluable support and for being a beacon of hope to those in need.’

Nicole, Director at Sphere Support CIC, wrote: ‘It is really grateful for the support of Irons Supporting Foodbanks. We received regular donations of pallets, items which include clothes and household items for two years and counting.

‘John has been very helpful, anytime we need help or recommendations he is available. Through the support, we are able to continue supporting the community through the food club.

‘Families are able to benefit from the food we receive, it means a lot to us as a small organisation to have the support of Irons Supporting Foodbanks.’

The Highway Vineyard Storehouse in Manor Park wrote: ‘We are a weekly food club for local people with very little income, and we help them to extend their limited food budget. Some 75 households per week come to us, which means 240 people per week receive food.

‘Food is vital of course, and we also help people begin to address some of the barriers they experience to living well - speaking English, sorting housing problems, getting financial help, signing up for Healthy Start and supplying Vitamin D for 60+.

‘Through all these, we help

people find some friendship and belonging in the sea of London faces. It's lively - and worthwhile. So many of the food club members now volunteer to help it all work better’

Monsignor John Armitage, Parish Priest at St Margaret's Catholic Church in Canning Town, wrote: ‘Twice a week, since 2019 has been running a local Food Bank. An average of 250 people attend each week, it is open to all. In addition, we cook an average 25 meals a night for the homeless men who sleep under the Canning Town flyover.

‘We are helped by many donations of food and clothes from local people and in particular the support of Irons Supporting Foodbanks that gives great assistance to our work. The support of local people is a sign of the great ‘East End’ spirit of supporting each other in hard times.

‘Despite the increasing high rise building developments, poverty is still a major issue affecting many local people. The generosity of so many through community groups helps fill the increasing gaps, arising with the present high cost of living.’

And last but not least, Stacey Cordery (pictured) from Bonny Downs Community Association (BDCA) wrote: ‘We are a dynamic community-led charity that has been serving the residents of the London Borough of Newham since 1998.

‘Based in East Ham, we support a diverse cross-section of our local community, working with people of all ages, cultures and

backgrounds. We have a positive impact on local lives through a wide range of services and activities designed to bring people together and provide opportunities for people to connect with neighbours; improve their health and wellbeing; access the support they need; learn new skills; give back to their community; and celebrate life. We do this through children & family groups, over 65’s sessions, youth work, sports and community gardening.

‘One of the services we offer at BDCA is a Foodbank which provides those in crisis with emergency food parcels. At our Foodbank, everyone can have a hot meal with our volunteers, have a chat over a cup of tea and relax at our art table.

‘We also provide good quality second-hand clothes to those that need them. Alongside this service we have advocates that offer wrap around support to assist residents in navigating welfare issues that can impact finances. This can be housing, immigration, benefits, ESOL classes, form filing and much more.

‘People who are ready to move on from crisis food parcels, can access our Community Foodclub, in which we help combat local food waste by offering a weekly £5 membership for groceries.

‘We are proud to partner with Irons Supporting Foodbanks to offer this service within our community, and are so grateful to them and West Ham fansand away supporters - for their generous donations which sustain our offer.’

This month we catch up with Newcastle fan Gemma Purser and Arsenal supporter Murray Lyall.

How do you think you have started this season?

Gemma: Not great to be honest with you. It’s been a rocky start for us losing to Fulham and drawing to Everton but then to go on to draw against City and take all three points from Arsenal just sums us up at the moment. We’re very unpredictable. We just need to keep consistency to our game.

Murray: Not great but not bad. We’re only in November but we know we have to be better when it comes to football on the pitch.

Arsenal has had a few surprise results already. Are your title hopes over this early?

Murray: I don’t think so. City haven’t had the results go their way either and I’m sure the time for Liverpool will happen throughout the season. It’s just a coincidence that us and City have not been as successful as we would’ve liked

RIVALS TALK Olivia Elliott’s

(Just don’t blame her for the answers)

to have been at the start of the season.

How far do you think Arsenal will go in the Champions League?

Murray: I actually think we have more chances of winning the Champions League than we do with the Premier League. The Premier League is very difficult and comes with shock results but the Champions League has a new format which might come into our favour. I guess we will see soon.

Speaking of the Champions League, do you think Newcastle can make the Champions League again?

Gemma: That’s the dream and anything is possible. We’ve done

it once, who's to say we won’t be able to do it again?

Do you think you can keep hold of Anthony Gordon?

Gemma: I think we will be able to for at least another season. It’s great how good he is but annoying as well because he will want to be playing European football constantly. Just means we have to earn our spot back in Europe this season.

Many have referenced Arteta's game play at Arsenal as being similar to Pep’s. Do you enjoy the football you play?

Murray: I do enjoy the football we play. I just hope that we don’t fall down the rabbit hole that City have done with trying to dribble the ball into the back of the net. We play exciting football and score a lot of goals from set pieces so long may it continue.

Speaking of managers, was there a slight panic when Newcastle fans heard about the vacancy for the England manager?

Gemma: Slight is an understatement. Eddie has always been linked to becoming the next England manager. He’d be great at it by the way but I think he might want that later on in his managerial career. He's still young and has a lot more to give as a Premier League manager.

How are you finding Eddie Howe as manager?

Gemma: We all love Eddie here at Newcastle. We always will. He got us into the Champions League and that’s something I will always be grateful for.

Haven’t seen much of Jason Tindall at Newcastle this season. What are your thoughts about him and the memes being created?

Gemma: The memes are hilarious. I think Jason actually loved them as he kept on encouraging more

of them by constantly getting in frame of Eddie’s shot on TV. I think he’s taken a step back from it this season but no doubt we will be seeing more of them online throughout the season.

Arsenal have had a few red cards as well this season. Do you agree with the decisions?

Murray: To be honest, if we’re taking away biased opinions, then yes I agree with the decisions. However, the inconsistency of the referees is painful. Players kicking the ball away happens in every match played but do they all get carded for it? Absolutely not. They just need to be more consistent with every club and every player.

As much as it probably pains you to answer, I do have to ask, how did it feel when West Ham beat you in your own backyard last season?

Murray: Well we have to let you enjoy beating us at the Emirates. It was hard to take last season but at the end of the day, you were the better team that night so fair play.

Where do you think Arsenal will finish this season?

Murray: I do think we will finish second this season but there is still a feeling that we will win the league. It’s just praying for the teams around us and their results going our way and not theirs.

What's a successful season for the Geordies?

Gemma: Just qualifying for Europe to be honest. These trips are unbeatable. It would be great to bring that back. Other than that, a cup run would be great as well. A cheeky trip to Wembley wouldn’t go amiss either.

LAST WORD Lucy's

The fans, players and manager are all frustrated and disconnected

That’s another month of the season down, and it hasn’t improved from last month, has it?

As a fan, I’ve generally been one who is on the side of the manager - I don’t see the point in manager bashing.

It doesn’t help the players, it makes for a negative atmosphere and let’s face it, football is for enjoyment, so why make it negative?

But this is not making me happy at all.

I commented last month on how Lopetegui was trying to communicate with players during games and it was just falling flat. That’s still happening.

The players look lost, and these are players that we know can perform.

I’m not seeing anyone play with a spring in their step, a smile on their face or a clear understanding of what their job is.

Equally, the boss is standing there shouting, looking frustrat-

ed, shrugging his shoulders and huffing.

There’s a big disconnect here and it’s not showing signs of speedy improvement. It would be so interesting to find out where the communication is getting lost.

Normally, an international break is greeted with a dull sigh, but this time it’s nice to get a break from the effort of watching domestic football.

There was a glimmer of hope going 1-0 up against Spurs, but as expected, it fell apart.

We beat Man United, which is great and all, but means very little seeing as we didn’t use it as a springboard for anything else.

Losing to Forest isn’t shameful

these days, but it was the manner of the defeat that was disappointing.

I normally think fans shouldn’t leave games early, but watching this I really didn’t blame them.

Then the 0-0 with Everton waswell honestly, it’s already slipped so far back in my football filing cabinet, it had nothing to offer.

Believe me when I say that if this season turns on its head, I will be totally happy to look back at this time and admit ‘I was wrong about Lopetegui, he’s great’. I hope that happens.

We now don’t play at 3 o’clock on a Saturday until 21st December. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Maybe we’ll get some ‘under the lights’ atmospheres to pep up the squad.

Although the Christmas schedule is busy, it can help to build some momentum and gain focus.

That could be what we need. Or I could just be clutching at straws.