Blowing Bubbles 150 (October 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, Greg Richardson, 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

WHERE YOU CAN READ IT

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Blowing Bubbles is published by Barking Dog Media. Blowing Bubbles is a completely independent publication. The views expressed within Blowing Bubbles are not necessarily those of the publishers. Opinions expressed by companies and individuals appearing within the magazine are not that of Blowing Bubbles or the publisher. The publisher accepts no liability from any action raised in response to any such opinions. Readers are strongly advised that although we take every care to ensure prices and content, etc, are up to date, it is the responsibility to check with the advertiser before purchasing or travelling to view products. No reproduction, either in part or whole of the magazine is allowed unless written consent is obtained from the publisher. The publisher accepts no responsibility for any actions arising from articles or features or advertisements within this magazine. Readers are advised to pay by credit card when ordering goods as these are regulated under the Consumer Act 1974. Debit and charge cards are not. (c) Blowing Bubbles

From DNF to Six Star finisher: I’m so close to my major marathon goal

I’m on the verge of accomplishing something that I never thought I’d ever be able to achieve.

Next month, all being well, I’ll be crossing the finish line of the New York Marathon which will be an achievement in itself but it’ll also mean that I have completed my quest to run all six of the world major marathons.

But not only would I have completed all six world major marathons, I’d also have completed them all in one year. It was a challenge I set myself around this time last year and I can’t believe the journey I’ve had since then.

I ran Tokyo in March, Boston and London in April, Berlin in September and Chicago earlier this month - hence the delay in getting this latest issue out to you!

What has also blown my mind with these marathons is the consistency I’ve managed.

I achieved a personal best course time at Tokyo, crossing 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, 3:43 in Berlin and 3:42 in Chicago.

As of right now, I have completed 10 marathons since April 2022 after also 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 marathonand had to be retrieved from the course and treated by volunteers from St John Ambulance.

You can follow my running journey on all social media platforms by searching for DavidBlackm0re.

GEORGE PARRIS

The Hammers’ hero pulls no punches in his EXCLUSIVE column

‘I’m a little worried about our defence and us not

having a settled side just yet’

After the start of the season we’ve had, it was the perfect time for us to play Ipswich before the international break.

After losing our first three games at home, if someone had asked us who we’d want to play to stop the rot, we’d have said either Ipswich or Southampton.

Having said that, it was a mustwin game because it would’ve been unthinkable to not get a win in our first four games.

So there was added pressure going into the game but in reality the result wasn't really in doubt once we got our noses in front for the second time.

It was a performance we were hoping for. Everything felt like it was clicking into place and in many ways, it was the ideal performance and result before the players left to join their national sides for the international break.

I know there are those that begrudge all these international breaks, but that is how it is at the moment.

All the Premier League clubs

are in the same boat with more players leaving to play for their country than staying behind.

It’s hard for managers to do any quality work but I’m sure all our lads came back in good spirits ready for the next few games before the next international break in November.

Back to our start to the season,

I know the fans have been frustrated with the amount of points we’ve got already - the players will be just as disappointed.

But once the fixtures come out, we all naturally go game-by-game, trying to figure out how many points we might get, and we’ve probably got as many points as we could’ve realistically hoped for.

And when you look at it, we have more points from these games than we had from our cor-

responding fixtures last season. We should be confident after our Ipswich result and performance though, and confidence plays such a huge part in football.

It’s all about getting momentum. It’s about maybe not playing well but getting the win. It’s about getting points on the board.

One thing that’ll be key for us for the remainder of the season is our new-look defence.

It is still going to take a while to gel but one thing that needs sorting out is Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s positioning.

He needs to be on the right of Todibo as opposed to being in front of him as he has been. In the Ipswich game, I noticed Todibo was the furthest right and that worried me.

If this continues, I think it’ll cause us a few problems if there is a quick winger against us. On the flipside, we do look potent going forward with our pace up top.

We’ve also not really had a settled side so far and the manager needs to figure out the right personnel sooner rather than later.

Chris Wheal @whealie

Frustrations after the very first Fan Advisory Board meeting

The West Ham United Supporters’ Trust and others are pushing for the situation to be resolved

Blowing Bubbles should be reporting on the club’s first Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting on 11 September. But we can’t report anything.

The FAB terms of reference (TOR) say the club publishes agreed minutes within 14 days. At the time of writing the minutes were more than two weeks late.

The TOR specifies members of the FAB should not report anything until the minutes have been published. All of the members are sticking to that so can’t say what was discussed.

The club’s head of supporter services and fan engagement, Cat Smith, is co-chair of the FAB. She refused to comment too.

WHUST has issued a statement on the matter: ‘While this is frustrating at such an early stage in the development of the FAB, please be assured that the trust representative, Kevin Hind, as well as the other groups on the FAB are working to overcome this situation.’

We don’t know when, or if, we

will be able to report on the work of the FAB. The club has scored another own goal.

However, Blowing Bubbles spoke to several FAB reps to gauge their views.

The FAB fan reps are currently Andy Payne OBE (Hammers United), Kevin Hind (West Ham United Supporters’ Trust), Paul Christmas (Official Supporters' Club), Josh Dodd (Pride of Irons), Cathy Bayford (Disability Supporters' Group), Austin Gigg (Junior Supporters Board), Apu Vyas (Inclusive Irons), Martine Dodwell-Bennett (Bondholders), Peter Tyler (Women's Supporters' Board), James Brown (Claret Members), Scotty Burkhardt Jr (International Supporters' Clubs), and Mike Field (Old School Hammers).

An election has been announced for a rep from the Away Season Ticket holders too. All fan reps, and Cat Smith, were sent the following questions, and here’s what those who responded said.

What's the most positive aspect of the FAB?

Andy Payne: The breadth of the fan base represented, the talent and commitment of the fan reps and the unity among us.

Martine Dodwell-Bennett: Historically, West Ham has struggled to establish successful fan engagement, especially since moving to the London Stadium. This time there's a clear set of objectives involving the Premier League, making it in everyone's interest to succeed.

Scotty Burkhardt: The FAB has put us in a single room to communicate for the betterment of our peers. We will build a community of fans across the globe.

Mike Field: Every fan is represented by a highly competent group capable of delivering supporters’ objectives.

Paul Christmas: This is the final chance the club has to engage with the single most important thing at the club – the fans. With the support of the PL and the Football Supporters Association the FAB has a chance to succeed.

Peter Tyler: The opportunity to have a voice with the board.

Kevin Hind: Fan groups working together, particularly on issues like ticketing concessions.

Cathy Bayfield: Uniting the larger fan groups, enabling us to approach the club with one voice and that this is a PL expectation.

Any niggles or concerns?

AP: We wanted the FAB to be independent, as the ISC was, but as the co-chair of the FAB is a club employee and a board director sits on the FAB, that could not be negotiated.

MDB: My concerns are based on past experiences. For this to work, the fans and club need to trust that all involved are committed to the best interests of the club and its supporters.

SB: The club wasn’t expecting the FAB to come together as quickly and assertively. There’s apprehension about having us all in the same room.

MF: We need some early examples of working together to improve things to overcome fanbase suspicion.

PC: The club has a history of moving the goalposts. There is every chance that will happen again and the immense effort of volunteer work by FAB reps will come to nothing.

PT: At the moment I don’t have any concerns.

KH: The FAB was imposed on clubs by the PL. It’s the bare minimum of what supporter engagement should look like. It is important that West Ham abides by the TOR.

CB: The amount of time it still takes to get things signed off and the lack of consultation on ticket pricing, release dates for significant matches and new kit for example. Media campaigns could make more impact with the FAB involved. We’ll see a stand-alone event to recognise a particular

disability day without the involvement of the wider accessibility fan base or the DSA.

What do you expect the FAB to achieve?

AP: To get the concessionary ticket prices back to where they were last season. And more after that.

MDB: Genuine consultation is the ultimate goal. While the owners’ interests and the fans' wishes may not align, the focus should be on an honest dialogue. The changes to concessions were made without that.

SB: I would like to see the club have meaningful engagement with international supporters’ clubs so fans from across the world will have a West Ham centric ‘home if they come for World Cup 2026.

MF: Our prime objective has to be reversal of the anti-concession policy and protection for all fans to enjoy the club’s ‘affordable football for all’.

PC: The voice, concerns and questions of the fans are clearly put to the club. The Club gives definitive

answers that are relayed back. The fans can make up their own mind if the FAB has achieved anything.

PT: It must improve the experience of fans on match day and make positive change where necessary.

KH: A significant rethink of the concessions policy. WHUST has put forward its suggestions to achieve this.

CB: Fan representation that is taken seriously by the wider fanbase, with answers from the club to fans’ concerns.

Overall, give the FAB a score out of 10 and explain why?

AP: 9/10. The ISC negotiated fair and constructive TOR for the FAB with the club in a 12-month exhausting process. There is no reason why we shouldn’t follow these.

MDB: 8/10. As a concept and working structure it’s promising and could make a difference.

SB: 8/10. This iteration of the FAB is in its infancy. Nothing is perfect, but we're off to a pretty good start.

MF: 9/10. We’ve made the club realise we are serious people determined to work with them to achieve mutually beneficial results.

PC: 5-6/10. The inordinate amount of time it has taken to get the FAB ready for business has seen most of the gains made by previous iterations fall by the wayside. Previous experiences of lack of consultation and production of minutes does not bode well.

PT: It really is far too early to give FAB a score out of 10 as we have only had one meeting and at the moment nothing has really been achieved. However I am confident that the FAB will work and I will soon be giving it 10 out of 10.

KH: 7/10. The club has a lot of work to do in terms of building trust with fans.

CB: 7/10. It's all taking too long. It's all a bit déjà vu.

The online version of this article includes longer answers, late contributions and has links to the relevant club webpages.

Pub Talk

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

Since our last issue, we needed a last gasp goal to draw at Fulham, got hammered by Chelsea and Liverpool but got a draw at Brentford and comfortably beat Ipswich, do you think we’ve turned a corner?

Dawud Marsh: Yes. You can only play the teams in front of you and Ipswich, although likely to be relegated, have shown they are not an easy team to play. We clicked across the pitch in so many ways and the team selection - apart from Alvarez and Fullkrug - would be our starting 11. J-Lo is finding his best team and preferred tactics. I predict we will be more competitive going forward.

Meirion Williams: It's not been a great time for us Hammers. But then again it’s all been a bit pre-

dictable. I travelled to Liverpool expecting that result, so it was no surprise. Chelsea is always one I can’t predict though and I felt deflated after that one. As for Brentford and Fulham, we always find it tough against those two. Ipswich was squeaky posterior time but let’s put this game into perspective, Ipswich had not won a single game so far this league season and don’t look like winning one either. So have we turned a corner? I think we are meandering and we are a long way off from seeing light at the end of this depressing football session.

Marcus Johns: I do. The Chelsea game was a low light, Fulham only marginally better, but the signs were positive against Brentford and oddly, given the scoreline, Liverpool. The manager is trying to

find his best XI whilst also needing the players to move away from the previous way of playing to adapt to the new system. These things were always going to take time, and against Ipswich, there was a definite turning of the tide.

Geoff Hillyer: This is exactly what I thought would happen at the start of the season. I spy with my little eye some green shoots, but one win over Ipswich does not set the tone for the rest of the season.

Let’s see where we are in a few weeks’ time. For what it’s worth, I still think we’ll finish mid-table.

Which players have shone for us so far, who has surprised you, and who is failing to reach the heights you expected them to?

DM: Todibo deserves a mention

here. He was awesome against Ipswich and showed us his defensive solidity as well as confidence going forward and some tidy passes up field. He is also settling into a solid partnership with Kilman. Bowen is proving to be a wise choice for captain. I wasn’t sure but Paqueta’s celebration with Bowen’s boot over his knee in a mock shoe shine shows the respect he has within the team. Despite his goal, Paqueta has been hugely disappointing, the off-field issues around betting patterns is clearly having an impact on his game. We are missing the Paqueta from last season.

MW: Of the new players, I really want to see more of Summerville who looks good but can’t seem to be able to buy a league start. The same goes for Carlos Soler, I want to see more. What I have seen is pretty good and I loved his desire at Liverpool, even taking time to engage with us supporters. There is one person though that

is failing to reach the heights I expected and that’s our manager Julen Lopetegui. I guess it is still early days but the style of football doesn’t seem to have improved since Moyesball.

MJ: It's early days, given he’s only started twice, but Todibo looks a hell of a player. AWB will be a solid addition and Kilman has hit the ground running too. Shoring up our defence was a key need, and so far, the recruitment is looking good. Rodriguez hadn’t impressed me, but did look far better against Ipswich, and I agree with Meirion regarding Soler. Though, I disagree about Lopetegui – I think you can see the switch to a more possession-based style, and I believe things will still improve.

GH: Agree, I think Todibo looks decent. It’s hard to answer though, because I think a lot of players are failing to reach the heights, which might be expected as they adapt to Lopetegui’s methods – which

may also be a reason why things have felt a bit disjointed so far. More time is needed.

We play Spurs and United in our remaining games this month. What are the most memorable games you’ve seen us play against both?

DM: For the Man Utd game, it has to be the final home game at the Boleyn Ground where at 1-2 down we won the match 3-2 as a Winston Reid header sealed it for us with 10 mins to go. What an amazing and emotional night. For Spurs match, I’m going for our fantastic 1-0 win at London Stadium where Antonio scored his sixth goal of the season as we started the 21/22 season so strongly under Moyes. What a handful Antonio proved to be against £47m centre back Cristian Romero. I loved that game.

MW: There are two against each that really stand out. Firstly Spurs,

the first one has to be our win at their new stadium where we became the first team to achieve such a feat. Being in the stand that day and seeing Antonio score was a sight to behold. The second one was at the Boleyn Ground and almost didn’t happen. It’s 160 miles each way to get to the Boleyn for me and with just ten miles to go it came over the radio that the game may be postponed. It wasn’t and we won in a game that will ever be called Lasagnegate. As for United, again two stand out. The first is the League Cup game in the snow when Jonathan Spector was on fire. I travelled all the way to this one before becoming a snow chicken and driving home before a ball was even kicked. As for the other one, it has to be the last home game at the Boleyn, a game that will go down as one of the greatest at the Boleyn of all time.

MJ: Agreed – you can’t really look beyond the final game at Upton Park. Beyond that one,

I remember a 2-2 draw where after falling behind, fresh from his shopping trip, Raducioiu scored a stunner before Dicksy equalised with a dictionary definition of a thunderbastard penalty. As for the North London Mob, yeah, the 2006 Lasagne game is up there. The 3-0 without a striker in 2014 was great, as was winning 1-0 in the final Boleyn season – Antonio scoring and Kouyate playing centre back – but the most incredible was the 4-3 win with Hartson, Kitson and Dicks netting in the swirling wind and rain to kickstart our survival.

GH: Manchester United, Reid with the winner, what an atmosphere

that was. No question. Memorable though, for probably the wrong reasons, was the home game years ago under Curbishley when Tevez scored his first goal. 2-0 up and cruising. They get back to 2-2, then we score five minutes before the end. Then, in truly West Ham fashion, we conceded twice and lost 4-3 in injury time. You could argue though, that was the catalyst for the subsequent recovery, staying up on the last day of the season against… Man Utd.

What have you made of the new Champions League and Europa League structure? How do you think we’d have got on in the Europa League had we qualified for this year?

DM: It doesn’t look good. But to be honest I’m not that interested. I do feel for players who have even more games to their season. But everything is tweaked to make money and suit the bigger teams. With our previous record in the Eu-

ropa League, I believe we would have done really well. You look at the teams there this season, there is no one we could give a game to. But, as our shaky start to the beginning of the season shows, we may have struggled with the new format.

MW: To be honest I’ve not been really interested in it. The only impact it’s had on me was the disgusting way we ended up away to Liverpool in the cup, a fix if I’ve ever seen one.

MJ: Ha, same, if we’re not in it I just don’t care. I did watch the Villa vs Bayern game with a slight bit of envy, but I don’t like the new format at all. It’s not really apples for apples with everyone playing different teams. But this – as with Meirion’s point about the League Cup draw, it’s all about aiding the big teams.

GH: We’re not in it, and I’ve barely watched it. I’m annoyed though because I think we’d thrive in the new format. But we’re aren’t, so it’s all ifs buts and maybes.

Where do you stand on the two international breaks seemingly so early on in the season, and a third in November. Do you watch the England games or go watch your local team, or just avoid football altogether?

DM: Why have so many International breaks at the start of the season? Firstly, players starting in their new clubs need time to settle. Teams don’t want to see their best players going off and

getting injured at this stage of a new season. Who watches these matches anyway? The only international games worth watching these days are the World Cup and European Championship. So many extra games and travelling in such a short space of time. Totally unnecessary.

MW: There are simply too many of them and to have them so close together doesn’t allow the league to flow. I personally have no interest in international football and that includes when Wales play. As for watching a local team, I have been to see Newport and Hereford during the break but my plans to see Wrexham vs Lincoln were curtailed because Lincoln have a under 21 who was called up, so you can’t even rely these days on seeing a lower league team.

MJ: I bloody hate them. I have no interest in international football bar the main tournaments. I struggle to support a team with players from Spurs, Chelsea etc that I dislike week in week out. So, it’ll be a football-free weekend for me which is a shame, as having just taken my six year old to his first game against Ipswich, he’s desperate to see West Ham again. Stupid bloody internationals.

GH: Honestly? I forget England are actually playing most of the time. So that period ends up largely football-free, which does at least allow me to not be checking my phone every five minutes if I’m not watching the game – good news for anyone around me.

The Ex-Files

@ExWHUemployee gives you the word from the street

‘I’m a passionate England fan but I just wish there were less meaningless games’

Yet another international break is upon us as I write this article which is the second of the season and we have only played seven Premier League games.

I like to consider myself a passionate England supporter, especially during the major tournaments, but it is very hard to get excited about all these Nations League fixtures.

I didn’t even watch the last game against Greece for example. I know the move to the Nations League was an attempt to eradicate meaningless friendlies but I don’t think that much has changed now.

The breaks are incredibly disruptive to the domestic season. Just as teams are looking to get a bit of momentum or attempt to fix a poor run of form, they lose a large percentage of their squad for two weeks.

Thankfully this time it is off the back of a good result for West Ham against Ipswich but even then, it would have been good to build on that result.

The other huge problem of these breaks is that they can cause

injuries. I’m still haunted by what happened to Dean Ashton but even recently we have lost our big money forward signing from Germany, Niclas Fullkrug since the last break.

Whilst I felt for Jarrod Bowen that he was left out of England’s squad for this international break, I was relieved deep down that it limits his exposure to injuries.

I think the current system needs a rethink again as there are too many fixtures. Perhaps there could be a seeded system so that the better footballing nationals automatically qualify for major tournaments and the lesser ranked national teams play each other for the remaining spaces.

This isn’t a perfect solution because some clubs would be losing more players than others, but perhaps it could be something that alongside permits to play in this country, clubs would have to consider when signing a player.

There is no perfect solution but I just think the current system doesn’t work.

There must be very few fans of domestic clubs that do enjoy the international break. Football is unlike other sports like rugby and cricket where the international team is valued as more important than the domestic side.

Perhaps an alternative, and I have not not thought this through, could be two slots of three weekends where clubs play their international fixtures.

Maybe one in December, one in March and one in June so they are spread out. This would enable as many fixtures to be played but perhaps less periods of when the season was disrupted.

From September to December we would have already had three international breaks which is what I am proposing but across the season.

As I was writing this article, I was trying to stir up happy memories of England supporting days.

It lead me to question myself. Who are my favourite England players that have had no real connection to West Ham?

The first one I could think of was Gazza. Despite being a Spurs player at the time, his performances in the first World Cup I can remember in 1990 made him a joy to watch.

He then repeated this in Euro 96 and I just loved his personality.

A player with perhaps not as much personality but equally as talented was Michael Owen.

World Cup 98 was the first one I can remember drinking and watching the games and his goal against Argentina always lives with me as one of my favorites ever scored.

Then I think I would have to go for David Beckham. After the abuse he received following that World Cup in 98 to bounce back and be so inspirational for years after for the country was inspiring.

I was then torn for the other players: I would say Stuart Pearce but he obviously has a connection to West Ham. So I think I’ll go for his Forest team mate Des Walker.

I remember thinking he was brilliant in the early 90s and the chant ‘You’ll never hear Des Walker’ stuck with me.

He then moved to Sampdoria. Whilst I’ve always been an AS Milan fan, I did have a soft spot for Sampdoria.

Mainly because one of my best mates supported them and also because of their kit. He was also joined at ‘Doria’ (although not at the same time) by another England player I liked in David Platt.

He scored another of my favourite goals against Belgium in the last minute of extra time

in Italia 90. I can still see his beaming smile now when that goal went in.

So as you can see I am a passionate England supporter but I just wish there were less meaningless games to endure.

Our events have started again and we had a sell out one with Alan Curbishley before the Ipswich game.

Our next one features Tony Gale hosted by Martin Allen at the end of the month before the Manchester United game.

The venue is five minutes from the ground and offers £5 a pint on all beer. An offer which continues after the game too at the Colour Factory.

This is the best way to start your match day. Get your ticket here: tickettailor.com/events/ prematchevents/1388754

Geoff Hillyer

‘It’s

crazy there were seven Prime Ministers during Ben’s time with us’

Given his 17 years at the club, it’s hard not to have felt sad at Johnson’s departure to Ipswich

‘I just want to be known and remembered for my time at West Ham for having played with a smile on my face and having really enjoyed my football. That’s really important to me.’

So says Ben Johnson, a player associated with West Ham for –astonishingly – seventeen years, having joined the club as a sevenyear-old schoolboy back in 2007.

Without getting too political about it, it’s crazy to think that

a player of Johnson’s age, 24, has been through seven Prime Ministers. At the end of last season, though, it was announced that that was to be Johnson’s last playing in the famous claret and blue.

Given the length of time Johnson was at the club, it’s hard not to have felt a little sad at his departure.

He always gave his all, which I certainly appreciated as a West

Ham fan, and he was one of a vanishingly small number of players who offered versatility at the back. Not to mention, he was part of the squad that won the Conference League, something that obviously meant a lot to him:

‘I would say the most special memory I have is winning the UEFA Europa Conference League,’ he said. ‘To be involved in a European trophy win doesn’t come around frequently, so to be around

and be part of it, and to be able to achieve that with West Ham was incredible.

‘My dreams were exceeded by what happened two seasons ago and I’m just so, so pleased I did it as a West Ham player. I’ll never forget that night.’

So yes, sadness at his departure, a player who considers that his best performance for us came in a 1-0 defeat against Sevilla, in the first leg of the 20/21 Europa League round of 16 – the one we turned around in the second leg on that memorable night in the London Stadium.

It was partly because of his performance in the first leg that we even had a chance in the return leg, and that’s something I won’t forget.

Sadness that another Academy player has joined the list of those that have fled the nest, too.

And yet, somehow, this feels a bit different to some of our more painful losses. To me at least, this has always been coming; it felt like a rerun of the end of David Moyes. Bear with me.

Everyone knew that Moyes was always likely to be off in the summer: whether you backed him or wanted him gone, it always felt that it was becoming a bit untenable.

For me, you could say the same for Johnson: he’s helped us along the way, been a great servant, and was part of a team that finally won a trophy.

However, despite his hard work and versatility, his performances have at times been inconsistent, particularly last season, when our

defence struggled to keep clean sheets.

This is tough to say, but if we aspire to get back into Europe, we need defensive stability, and although Johnson’s contributions were valuable, they didn’t always meet the high standard that us fans crave.

His occasional lapses in positioning and decision-making were exposed, which undoubtedly contributed to our defensive issues.

Being behind Coufal in the pecking order will not have helped him, and you might also say that his very versatility counts against him, as he’s played in different positions without getting himself a starting berth in his position, which would be Coufal’s slot at right back.

Put all this together and you’re looking at a player who is a great option from the bench. You’re also looking at a player who, if he wants first team football, is probably more suited to a club like Ipswich Town, where he could really offer Premier League knowhow and experience in their battle to stay up.

Well, you’d think anyway. I’m

writing this in the aftermath of our 4-1 win over the Tractor Boys, and noticed a new thread appear on one of their online forums: ‘Ben Johnson isn’t at the level I thought he’d be’ (actually, it was a bit harsher than that originally, but one of their moderators changed the title for the family audience).

The move to Ipswich certainly doesn’t appear to have been smooth, with some fan reactions reflecting disappointment with his performances. Comments like: ‘He’s looked poor every time I’ve seen him for us’ certainly highlight the slow start.

It is worth remembering though, that adjusting to a new team and style of play can take time, especially for a player who’s spent his entire career at one club.

Perhaps, he just needs a bit of time to adapt – something that we could also do with remembering as we reflect on our own slow start to the new season.

With time, Johnson’s versatility, allied with his Premier League experience, could become a real asset for Ipswich.

So, yes, I’m sad that he’s gone, but onwards and hopefully upwards for us, and I feel some pride in watching a player, who’s worn our colours for so long, start a new chapter.

To Ben Johnson, thank you for your efforts over seventeen years. We’ve had some lows, but also some unforgettable highs, and I’m certain that you’ll find your feet at Ipswich and make your mark there, just as you did with us.

Good luck with the next chapter of your career.

Emily Pulham @makingthemarrow

‘Todibo

has given fans renewed cause for optimism in our defence’

West Ham’s summer acquisitions were meant to set the league alight - but so far we’ve been somewhat of a damp squib.

One of the signings fans were most excited about was that of Jean-Clair Todibo. He was seen to be a young, talented centre-back, who could offer us stability and skill in the back four as we set to improve on last season’s most-ever Premier League goals conceded for West Ham.

sense of what Jean-Clair has to offer.

New manager Julen Lopetegui has been hesitant to include him in the team, reportedly as Todibo was still adapting to the English game - leaving fans wondering when on earth we’d finally get to experience some Todibo-time in east London.

He'd know a thing or two about European Leagues, given his experience in sampling them. We’ve

A side Juventus were also keen to sign the 24-year-old defender. It is a little surprising that he turned down Champions League football in favour of drawing games in the Premier League with the likes of Brentford and Fulham.

At the time of writing, we’re up to our elbows in October and we’re only just starting to get a

French international Todibo arrived from Nice in a loan deal which reportedly includes an obligation to buy him in 2025 for £34. West Ham had to fight off fierce competition to land Todibo. Serie

Jean-Clair Todibo thus far seems unphased, saying at the time of his transfer that ‘It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world’.

Todibo has previously played for Toulouse in France, Barcelona in Spain, Schalke in Germany, and Benfica in Portugal before adding Nice and West Ham to his CV.

Todibo hasn’t had the smoothest start to life in claret and blue - but then again, who has?

He joined the club after pre-season and didn’t get a chance to fit into new manager Julen Lopetegui’s plans and preparations before the Premier League got underway.

As a result, Lopetegui didn’t utilize Todibo in the opening of our campaign, with him making a handful of appearances as a substitute in the Premier League while the more seasoned defender Mavropanos retained his starting position.

It was only ever a matter of time, however, before Mavropanos made too many fatal errors to keep hold of his place in the side and Todibo finally got a chance to play a full 90 minutes against Brentford in late September.

You’d think Todibo would be frustrated with the lack of playing time, but in a refreshing piece of perspective, he acknowledged his gradual introduction as being beneficial to him, saying: ‘I’m happy because I think the Club gave me the time to get fit. I didn’t have a pre-season before I came here, so it took me a bit of time to come back well.

‘The game is more intense in the Premier League than in Ligue 1, more intense than all the leagues in the world, I think. Today I’m not 100 per cent, but I think I’m going to improve more with the time, and

have a good impact in the team.’

These comments, made after his first start for the club against Brentford, really undersell his contribution to the Hammers.

He had a good impact already in the Brentford game - and if he’s going to improve with time, the fans are in for quite a treat.

Although the Bees shocked the Hammers with a goal inside the first minute, on a return from a Todibo header, that was the end of the conceding in west London and the Hammers pulled away with a point at full time.

Todibo shrugged off the early goal and delivered such an impactful full debut that he walked away with the Man of the Match award at the final whistle.

It was certainly enough for Todibo to earn a starting position against newly-promoted Ipswich at home in our next match.

Ipswich entered the game with a negative goal difference and having won zero league games so far this season, so naturally they scored against us.

It could have been game over for West Ham and the Todibo-Kilman partnership that many fans had been hoping for, but instead the Irons dug deep and managed to turn the tide in our favour with a 4-1 win.

Although we remain grateful to our four goal-scorers in the match, it was at the other end of the pitch where an individual performance was heralded.

Todibo had a really strong game which did not go unnoticed, particularly when it came to his passing game, when he complet-

ed 46/46 short passes.

He absolutely earned himself his second Man of The Match award from West Ham’s sponsors - that’s two MOTM awards in two games for those of you keeping score.

To understand just how impressive his performances have been, his passing stats are a strong place to start.

In his 187 minutes played for West Ham so far this season, he has an incredible 91.1% success rate for his passes.

His passing rate goes up when he’s in his own half - and it’s a real vote of confidence for a team with a tendency to leak goals from individual errors to have a player with a 98.8% passing success rate in the back line.

Although West Ham have gotten off to a shaky start this season, Todibo has given us reason to believe that stability and structure are possible in our back four.

While he must still be wondering what he’s doing languishing in mid-table mediocrity, West Ham really have made an outstanding loan signing here.

Although we did not directly speak to any Nice fans for this article about how they felt when he departed for his loan, we can assume with some level of journalistic integrity that they said things like ‘sacré bleu,' 'zut alors', and perhaps even 'oh no Jean-Clair'but said in a French accent.

He’s done a tremendous amount of work in just two matches to give fans some renewed cause for optimism - and finally, the Irons might just see some sparks fly in defense.

The West Ham striker curse is well documented.

Before the last transfer window, Planet Football ran an article that began, ‘West Ham have signed an astonishing 55 forwards since David Gold and David Sullivan bought the club in January 2010 –and the vast majority of them have been pretty useless’.

Reflecting on the likes of Jordan Hugill, Benni McCarthy and Albian Ajeti, fans would probably consider that verdict understatedly polite.

The shining lights among the glut of ignominious signings are undoubtedly current club captain Jarrod Bowen and our Premier League record goalscorer Michail Antonio, whom Bilić tried playing at right-back before Moyes converted him from a winger into a centre-forward.

However, even Antonio has been testing the patience of fans for some time now.

Writing in April 2022, as our season began to implode after an infuriatingly inactive January transfer window, I half-joked of a future in which a 33-year-old Antonio was still our sole centre-forward.

At the time of writing he is nearing 35, hasn’t scored since Aprilexcluding one for Jamaica against Honduras - and has just been selected to start against Brentford, eliciting howls of derision from all corners of social media.

In fairness to Antonio, he should have been an impact sub for the past year or so and it’s not his fault that various managers

‘The

surest thing of this season was Jhon Durán scoring a late winner.’

As the dust settles on the latest batch of recruits, Paul Brand bemoans the ones that have gotten away

and directors of football seem incapable of finding an adequate replacement.

By the time you read this, Niclas Füllkrug will have hopefully regained fitness and shown the form that made him a starter in the Champions League final for Borussia Dortmund.

In his absence however, it’s only natural to think what could have been had we secured an alternative transfer target.

The surest thing of the season was Jhon Durán scoring a late

winner for Villa in our opening game after weeks of agitating to join the Hammers.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think he was worth the £40m Villa were holding out for based on what I saw last season, but then that’s just one of the reasons why I’m not a scout.

If he is able to maintain his blistering start to 2024/25 then the mooted interest from Barcelona means he’s likely to be wearing blaugrana rather than claret and blue before long.

I wouldn’t count Raphinha, who has recently captained Barça, as one that got away, because the links to the then-Leeds winger had all the hallmarks of a David Sullivan phantom bid.

As for his Brazilian teammate Neymar, we supposedly offered £12m when the wonderkid’s release clause was double that, quelle surprise.

The uncharacteristic willingness to pay £25m for Luis Guilherme is perhaps the long-term upshot of that particular bout of parsimony.

Given that the transfer rumour mill is ever-churning, we probably all have a list of names that ‘got away’.

The focus here is on forwards, although opining in October 2020 that Welsh centre-back Joe Rodon was ‘the one that got away’, as documented in Fortune’s Always Hiding: From Stratford to Seville, again proves that scouting is not my missed vocation.

I had to google what happened to him after Spurs, which is as a loan to Rennes and then a permanent move to Leeds in case you’re interested. Nevertheless, Duran is joined on my personal wishlist by Viktor Gyökeres.

As with Allardyce’s doubts about Vardy’s ability to continue having a party at a higher level, taking a punt on players from the lower leagues is a risky business, made a little less fraught by the lighter price tags.

Brentford were amply rewarded for giving a chance to Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, both of whom have been linked with West Ham and both of whom looked quality

for Exeter and Peterborough respectively.

Of course, things don’t always work out – Gyökeres was on the books at Brighton, owned by professional gambler Tony Bloom, without ever starting a match.

The south coast club also own Abdallah Sima, persistently linked with us when he was at Slavia Prague, who has yet to play for the Seagulls but has had a series of loan moves, some more successful than others.

Ibrahim Osman could well be a carbon copy.

But back to Gyökeres, who was banging in the goals for Coventry in the Championship aged 23. The Swede’s pace and strength seemed to make him an ideal Antonio replacement.

And since joining Sporting Lisbon, his goals to games ratio is matched only by Erling Haaland.

Portugal’s Primeira Liga is still considered inferior to England’s, and rightfully so, but Gyökeres value has shot up from a transfer fee of €20m to a reported release clause of €100m. Oh to have had a bit of that rather than spunking £13m on Danny Ings.

At the end of the day, however, all this ignores the West Ham version of Murphy’s Law, which states that if it can go wrong, it will.

In an alternative universe we’re lamenting not putting up £45m for Champions League finalist Séb Haller or £35m for Europa League winner Gianluca Scamacca, while Ings is enjoying a late-career resurgence scoring the goals that propel Southampton above us in the table.

The nearly moments...

“I had a long talk with the leaders of West Ham via a video conference. The negotiation with Santos is another case, and that is not for me” - Neymar on the prospect of signing for West Ham in 2010; we instead signed 31-year-old Frédéric Piquionne for £1m and Victor Obinna on loan.

“A million quid was quite a bit of money for a nonleague player. I just wondered if Jamie could jump out of the conference and come in for our first year of the Premier League” - Sam Allardyce on turning down the chance to sign Jamie Vardy in 2011.

“I watched him and I thought he was a very good technician and done so many good things as a centre-forward, but I thought, ‘Maybe not quite the one we want’. We had Micky Antonio who had been doing very well”David Moyes on rebuffing his scout’s recommendation to sign Julián Alvarez in 2021.

Meirion Williams @meirionw

‘Will new loan signing Soler prove to be like Jesse or Kalvin?’

The Premier League these days is very much a League of Nations; the days of an all-English or British first eleven are long gone. West Ham have followed suit.

It’s a fact that many struggle with the rigours of our league and every success seems to be matched by a failure.

This season we have signed a player that has a fabulous pedigree but has yet to set the Premier

League alight.

The player in question is a certain Spanish International who goes by the name of Carlos Soler Ballagan.

On his loan deal signing for the Hammers, Carlos said: ‘I’ve spoken to Pablo Fornals and he has told me that this club is one of the biggest in the Premier League.’

Well I love Pablo but I think he has exaggerated that a little.

Fornals spent nearly five years in the claret and blue and is a rarity in that he was a longstanding Hammer born in Spain.

Only nine other Spaniards have played a league game for West Ham. Most were here for just a season with Adrian and Fornals the only exceptions.

So what of our new Spanish import? Well, how can you analyse the impact of a player who has yet

He sparkled at Valencia, struggled at PSG but could thrive in east London if he’s physical

to start a league game, and has just four substitute appearances to his name?

It’s difficult and I find it frustrating as I really believe he could be the new Payet or a replacement for Paqueta.

If I look at Soler’s football history, it seems that he has excelled when at a smaller club because PSG seemed to be a step far for him, at least for the moment.

At his first club, Valencia he was adored and a real talisman. He played a total of 182 times for the Valencia first team scoring 34 times mainly as a free flowing midfielder.

“ It’s going to be a big ask as our own midfield at times looks a little crowded.

He has played on the right but his defensive abilities can be limited. His four appearances for the Spanish National team has also led to a decent goal tally, scoring four times.

He had grown up at Valencia and it took a fair bit of persuasion to take him to PSG. At Valencia he was a big fish in a medium pond, but at PSG, with a big transfer fee, on his back, he joined at the same time as Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Renato Sanches, an absolute glut of talent.

He failed to make an impact which meant that PSG were up for a sale. It’s not exactly that they had no options when looking around to off load Soler.

In the Premier League both Brighton and Aston Villa came calling as did Real Sociedad and Valencia back in Spain. To see him arrive at the London Stadium seemed to some a real coup.

However not all saw it this way. Some have questioned the signing and stated that as we had James Ward Prowse in our ranks, did we really need Soler?

Also although his goal tally looks pretty good, many were from the penalty spot. Even our manager Julen Lopetegui has stated that Carlos would have to prepare himself for the physicality of the Premier League, not exactly an endorsement.

Carlos may even be rusty in that although he had played 50 times for PSG over the last two seasons, many of those appearances were as a substitute where he had difficulty making an impact in a team of midfield superstars.

There really does seem to be two camps, those who love the player and those who have little time for him.

Speak to any Spanish fan and they revel at his performances at Valencia, a local boy done good.

Let’s not forget that PSG paid close to twenty million euros for the midfielder, maybe a small figure for them but still a significant amount.

There is no confirmed deal at the end of the season so Soler really has to prove himself here in east

London.

It’s going to be a big ask as our own midfield at times looks a little crowded and the question has to be asked, and is being asked by many, where will he actually play and who will he replace?

During his start at Anfield at the cup, we saw some flashes of real skill but as the game went on and the result became inevitable, he was seen as expendable.

I would have liked him to have stayed on for the full 90 minutes rather than be substituted.

He needs match practice. The game was already beyond us and so I saw no reason for the substitution.

Our club can make or break a player's career. Lingard, during his loan spell at the Hammers, was an inspiration, but sadly he got too big for his boots.

As for last season, we saw Kalvin Phillips join and the less said about that the better.

Is Soler this season's Kalvin or Jesse? We will have to see.

I believe we have yet to see the best out of Carlos and I fully expect him to shine.

He has to learn from his mistakes at PSG and rather than sit back, he needs to prove himself to the manager who will then hopefully play him in his preferred position.

I’m on Soler’s side but the clock is already ticking on his career at West Ham. His enthusiasm showed at Anfield when he interacted with the crowd.

Fornals and Adrian made West Ham their home. Let's hope that Carlos does the same.

Centre back is a vital position, and one we perhaps have not got right in recent seasons.

With Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd though, it looked, at least on paper, that the club had signed two high-quality centre backs, who could cement their positions in the team for years to come.

Zouma, coming from European regulars Chelsea, working under several top-calibre managers, and Aguerd, who came with some great recommendations and looked like an absolute Rolls Royce for his country, Morocco.

Let us start by looking at Zouma, who is now plying his trade at AlOrobah, in the Saudi Pro League. On the surface, this seems like

‘We had high hopes for

Kurt & Nayef but both left with our blessing’

Do Zouma or Aguerd have a future in east London? West Ham Rambles doesn’t think so after their loan moves away

an incredible fall from grace for a player who lifted a European trophy, a year or so ago.

Zouma is only 29 – an age that should see a centre back at his peak. However, Zouma has been cursed by injuries throughout his career, and has had an ongoing problem with one of his knees that

has affected his ability to train, play more than a game a week, and impacted his speed, ability to turn and jump.

It was not that we did not know about Zouma’s injury problems when we signed him from Chelsea – when at our west London counterparts, he had issues with his

knee that kept him out for some time, then a circulate ligament tear that meant Zouma did not play for almost a year.

£125k a week off the books, and that he has ended up in the Saudi Pro league, tells us about the level Zouma is now fit for.

“ I wouldn’t be surprised to see Zouma retire at the end of this season.

To be honest, his injury record is probably the reason Chelsea let him go, and why we were able to sign him.

Was it worth it though? We paid £29 million for Zouma in 2021, he went on to make 103 appearances for the Hammers across three years.

During that time, he was captain and lifted the Europa Conference League trophy.

We also had Catgate, which received many column inches, and the main takeaway from it was that the club steadfastly backed Le Cat Booter.

When not suffering from his knee injuries, he was a fantastic defender. Looking at his injury record with us though – persistent issues with that dodgy knee, plus hamstring and ankle issues, meant we could never quite rely on him.

This was a massive shame, because he could be a colossus, commanding in the air, and a real presence at the heart of our defence.

That the club were clearly desperate to get Zouma’s reported

Was he worth £29 million in transfer fees, plus approximately £20 million in wages? At around £475k a game, I am not so sure.

Moving on to Nayef, I was genuinely excited when we signed Aguerd for around £30 million from Stade Rennes.

He was an exciting ball-playing centre back, a footballing hipster’s choice and had been linked with many top clubs across Europe.

I recall seeing him play for Morocco, and he looked superb. At the time of the signing, French Football expert Julian Laurens said: ‘I think it’s a great signing, he has a good technical ability for a centre-back, which is quite rare. He’s tall, quick and reads the game well.’

Perhaps a surprising signing for Moyes, but perhaps less surprising that it didn’t work out.

It never quite seemed to click for Aguerd with us, and he made several errors leading directly to goals conceded.

Aguerd played 58 times for

us, and never secured a starting berth. Rumours abound that his family didn’t settle in London, and he never quite seemed happy at the club.

He was close(ish) to joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad on a permanent deal, before departing on loan.

Aguerd is now on loan at Real Sociedad for the whole of the 24/25 season, where the Spanish speaker will be hoping to settle more than he did at West Ham.

Despite only being on loan with no obligation or option, it seems Aguerd has no intention of returning to London, saying a lengthy goodbye to the club and its fans on social media.

This is a slight concern, as it would be good to see a return on a player who is still only 28, a regular for his country and cost us £30 million. At the moment, he goes down as another quite disastrous signing for West Ham.

Is there any way back for either Zouma or Aguerd? Zouma, certainly not, as he is done at this level, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retire at the end of this season.

Aguerd – possibly, but unlikely. As mentioned earlier, he appears to have said his goodbyes and will probably be far-more comfortable in Spain.

I hope he has a great season for Sociedad, and we can recoup some of the 30 million we paid for him.

At even more expensive fees, let us hope that Kilman and Todibo turn out to be better buys than their predecessors.

Julian Shea @juliansheasport

There are few things that warm the hearts of football fans quite like the thought that the players on the pitch are fans of the team, just like them, and if they are locally born and bred, then this counts double.

At West Ham in particular, with its steady stream of homegrown talent, this is felt even more keenly, and as a dyed in the wool fan who went on to play for the West Ham first team 151 times between 1977 and 1985, Paul Brush can confirm that the feeling is genuine.

‘When I first got into the team, I was still living at home in Canning Town, and I used to buy Shoot magazine each week, so for the first two years, I was playing alongside the likes of Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking, and I still had pictures of them up on my bedroom walls,’ Brush, now 66, told Blowing Bubbles.

As a youngster, the full-back caught the eye of Chelsea before the club he loved came to talk to him, and Brush said there was never really any doubt where he would end up.

‘When I was 11, Chelsea came calling, first to Alan Curbishley’s house, which was about three roads away, and then mine, and my response was pretty flat,’ he said.

‘It was nice that they took an interest but I’d been watching West Ham since I was six years old – I was seven when they won the

‘Bobby

Moore once gave

car

me a lift in his

- it was magical’

Former Hammers defender Paul Brush reflects on his time coming through the ranks at West Ham United

FA Cup for the first time, then the Cup Winners’ Cup, so it was the Bobby Moore era – in fact I’d say I used to go to watch Bobby first and West Ham second.

‘Anyway, my dad didn’t have a car, so how would I get over to Chelsea for training all the time?

The next week legendary West Ham scout Wally St Pierre came round, and we were invited to train at a local school. ‘Our second West Ham training session was at Upton Park – the fact you trained under the stand or forecourt didn’t matter, you were at the ground and you were involved with the club.’

A couple of years later, Brush, Curbishley and a young Geoff Pike

were among the teenagers who had now graduated to training at Chadwell Heath in the school holidays, which meant coming up close to their heroes.

‘Bobby Moore was on the next pitch to us, and once he even gave me a lift in his car, which was absolutely magical,’ Brush explained. ‘I hardly spoke to him, I was shocked into silence, but just being around him was amazing.’

In the mid 70s, as Brush moved closer towards the first team scene, one of the brightest talents at the club was his childhood pal and future Irons boss Curbishley. But impatience got the better of the ambitious youngster, and he ended up spending most of

his playing days away from Upton Park before his return in the dugout many years later.

‘Alan had a very fast rise, at 15 he was playing for England schools, then he was called into the first team squad at the age of 16 and played in the first team the same year we reached the FA Youth Cup final, in 1975,’ Brush said.

‘We had grown up together playing in the park and we could find each other on the pitch without looking, so I would have loved him to be at West Ham throughout my time there, but people make decisions, and he decided to go to Birmingham.

“ If the club didn’t want to sell you, that was it.

‘He knows he should have been more patient, but it’s just one of those things. From our group of players, some didn’t make the grade, some were unlucky, some were lucky, some chose to leave – Alan had a good career elsewhere, but from my point of view, I wish he’d stayed.’

The West Ham team that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup final, only to lose to Ipswich, included Brush, Curbishley, Pike and Alvin Martin, and after biding his time more patiently than Curbishley, in August 1977, aged 19, injuries meant Brush was given his

first-team debut by John Lyall.

‘I got my chance because about four other defenders were injured,’ he said. ‘It’s not like that these days though, then you just had to wait for your chance to come along and make sure you took it, but now if a player is injured, maybe they might change the formation so you don’t necessarily get that chance.

‘So many things were different then, for example you never got to hear about clubs being interested in you. You didn’t know what was going on, you were the property of the club and had to make a lot of fuss if you wanted to get out.

‘Transfers were done manager to manager, “is he available?”, “no”, that was it, end of story. Things never got into the papers, and there were no agents involved, so there was no decision to make.

‘If the club didn’t want to sell you, that was it. It was only when I finished at West Ham in 1985 that I found out three or four years earlier, at least two clubs had wanted to buy me but the club weren’t interested, so I never knew anything about it.

‘Now players and agents are always aware of move possibilities, and I say good luck to them – you don’t know if your career is going to last five minutes or 15 years, so make the most of it.’

The season that began so brightly for Brush, however, did not go as hoped, ending in West Ham’s relegation from the old Division One for the first time in 20 years.

But rather than change for the sake of it, the board retained faith in Lyall, a decision that, in the long

term, was to prove an inspired one.

‘I remember how depressing that last day was, when we got relegated – Alan and I got asked to do a presentation that evening and we didn’t want to leave the house,’ he said. ‘The next couple of seasons we still didn’t go back up, but a lot of trust was shown in John, which was how the game was in those days.

‘Managers were given time, and there didn’t appear to be such a huge difference between the top two leagues as there is now.

‘When we won the FA Cup in 1980, as a Division Two side, we won at Aston Villa, who won the league the next year, we beat Everton and we beat Arsenal –there was never any feeling that we were inferior because we were a division below them.’

As seems the case with everyone who came into contact with him, Brush is effusive in his praise for Lyall the manager, and Lyall the man.

‘With him, training was never boring so you would turn up motivated because you always knew it would be interesting and joyful,’ he said.

‘Overseas coaches used to come and watch him and he did things that people are still using now, 40 years later. He had an authority but was approachable - you were given responsibility on the pitch, and you wanted to play for him.

‘He had his leaders but he treated everyone the same, and he did so much to make it interesting and educational to be there.

‘You could go and talk to him

about anything, and you didn’t necessarily think of him as a football manager, he was just someone giving you life advice.

‘If ever you asked him for advice on something, he would always find an answer for you, he wouldn’t leave you hanging, and he always made you aware of what you were doing in training and why, so it would become habitual and simple.’

In 1980, Lyall guided his Division Two side all the way to the FA Cup final, against Arsenal, and for the biggest day of his career, Brush was on the bench as an unused substitute.

‘Ah yes, 44 years of being known for the game I didn’t play in rather than the 185 I did play,’ he said. ‘It’s what you have to live with –it’s difficult, but there are so many layers to it.

‘At events, Tony Gale jokingly introduces me as the person who lost his place to Frank Lampard but I don’t see it that way.

‘Within the squad there were a number of permutations, several players had been injured in the run-up to the final then come back, and people like Jimmy Neighbour and Pat Holland didn’t even get to be on the bench.

‘I’d played most of the cup run, so I wanted to be picked, but in those days, there was only one substitute, so you couldn’t send someone on just for the sake of it.

‘If one of the forwards had come off to give me a couple of minutes, and then Arsenal had equalised, we would have gone into extra time a striker down.

‘I’m a West Ham supporter so I want the team to win. At the end of the game I was on the pitch celebrating, and I was treated the same as everyone else, so it was only later in the evening that the disappointment really kicked in.

‘How much difference would playing one minute of the cup final made to my life? Not much, reallyI played my part in the cup run and I’m one of only 32 West Ham players to have an FA Cup winner’s medal, so I’m proud of that.’

Following the Cup final, Brush went to see Lyall ‘and I said to him I’d be playing in the Charity Shield two months later, and walked out, which was not really the sort of way that I speak very often.’

He did indeed get his day out in the sun at Wembley, a 1-0 loss to Liverpool, but was then largely a frustrated onlooker as the team went on a run of form that would

eventually result in them returning to the top division as runaway winners of Division Two.

‘I trained all summer, played in the Charity Shield, then for the first away game at Bristol City someone forgot to pack my boots, and I lost my place in the team which didn’t change for about four months,’ he said.

‘With the team winning, there was no suggestion of rotation, so it was only later on in the season that I got to play much, which as someone who had been the only person to play the whole of the 1978-79 season was hard to take.

‘You start to wonder if you’re at the right place, but of course you don’t know if anyone else is interested in you. I truly believed I was good enough to play, so your self-belief keeps you there, waiting for your chance to come along, so you can take it.’

Brush’s self-belief paid off, however, as he played all but two games in the second half of the 1984-85.

‘I’d proved to myself that it had been worth staying, that I was a decent player against decent opposition in the top division,’ he said. But what came next was beyond comprehension.

‘1985 was not a good summer,’ he said, with enormous understatement. ‘With a year left on my contact, I wasn’t offered a new one, and then my wife, who had been diagnosed with leukaemia, died when our son was only five months old.

‘John Lyall was a huge help, and obviously I had a lot of time off, so when I got back to playing, I was weeks behind everyone else. I played three reserve games in a week then John called me in and said Steve Coppell wanted me on loan at Crystal Palace.

‘That was first time anyone had ever mentioned any interest from any other club. His actual wording was “would you like to go to Palace for a month and play five first team games, or stay around us and play two reserve games” – there’s a lot in those two sentences, with a clear implication that I wasn’t going to be around the West Ham first team.

‘In those days you could go on loan for a month, so that afternoon I went and met Steve, who was younger than me, and as it turned out, going to Palace was the best thing I could do. After what I’d been through, it gave me time to think and made me realise football was a job.

‘The move wasn’t confirmed until the following week, so on the Saturday I went to watch West Ham knowing I wasn’t a West Ham player any more, and with them having always been on my mind since I was a kid, as I was watching them, I was wondering how Palace were doing.

‘On my first day at Palace I got

lost on my way to the training ground and got there half an hour late, but I enjoyed the responsibility that came with being a senior pro. I was expected to play, not hoping. I enjoyed the responsibility and it was an important thing to do, so much so that at the end of my loan I negotiated my own permanent transfer.’

With the likes of a young Ian Wright coming through, and players like ex-Chelsea veteran Micky Droy in the team, Palace were an exciting blend, and Brush clearly relished his time there, as short as it was.

‘Sadly over the course of two seasons I got three injuries, and by the time of the third, they started to sign other players, so my moment had gone, and those injuries are as big a regret as missing out on the FA Cup final,’ he said. ‘But in eight years at West Ham, I scored once. In 51 games for Palace, I got three – they thought I was prolific.’

Following Palace, Brush had a brief stint at Southend before retiring, and was later manager at Leyton Orient and assistant manager at Southend.

Today, he has reconnected with West Ham as a matchday ambassador, but admits to disappointment that he never got to be part of the coaching staff.

‘I applied for four or five jobs at West Ham, working with the youth team and the like, but I never got anywhere, so it’s great to be involved now.

‘I didn’t realise how enjoyable it would be, not just meeting the fans but also the other players

who do it – it’s great to have a dressing room type atmosphere with them all.

‘My ambition was to be a West Ham coach at some level, it didn’t happen but to be back doing something is great, and I love being around the old players who are still on the coaching staff, like Steve Potts, Kevin Keen and Kenny Brown - they’re not just working for the club, the club is them, it’s really heartfelt and proper.’

Brush remains close to his 1975 FA Youth Cup team-mates, and says despite the changing nature of the business of football, the West Ham academy system that helped nurture his talent is still important.

‘It's nice at the training ground to have your name up on the wall as an academy graduate - Geoff, Curbs, Alvin, me, we’re together on that wall and we grew up and played in that youth cup final together,’ he said. ‘We meet up as a group, and later this year, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the start of that campaign, we will be having another gathering.’

Clearly, the West Ham academy, of which Brush so wanted to be a part as a coach, still means a huge amount to him.

‘These days a manager is putting his neck on the line if he plays a youngster, but at West Ham it’s a huge tradition, not just from my day, but those that came after, with the likes of Tony Cottee, Rio Ferdinand and more,’ he said.

‘Even if you make a mistake, as a West Ham homegrown talent, you know the crowd really want you do to well and they will back you all the way.’

Brian Penn

Which former Hammer should the club name the West Stand after?

There are plenty of candidates from Watson to Lyall or maybe Martin but who gets your vote?

In simpler times stands never had proper names. The East and West Stand, North and South Bank was as far as it went.

Some adventurous clubs would favour more descriptive terms like the 'Kop', the 'Clock End' or the 'Shelf'.

But now all parts of the stadium are up for grabs. Occasionally, a corporate sponsor will secure naming rights, but a stand is often used to honour a former player or manager.

This pleasing phenomenon has now filtered down to most clubs.

West Ham are no slouches having named three sides of the London Stadium after former players.

Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds are perfect recipients of such an honour.

But what about the West Stand where the players emerge and team benches are located?

A bit like the vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square, it's a void that

needs to be permanently filled.

What have other clubs done, but more importantly what West Ham luminary should take the final slot at the London Stadium?

One of the first clubs to personalise a stand was Preston North End. They were founder members of the Football League and pioneers of the professional game.

The original Invincibles also secured the first league and cup double in 1889. With such a rich history they were spoilt for choice.

However, the Invincibles rightly settled on the legendary Sir Tom Finney. A one club man, Finney still holds the club's goalscoring record, and played in every forward position for England.

Not only is Deepdale adorned by a beautiful statue of Finney in action; but the club also named the new West Stand named after him.

An excellent mosaic of Sir Tom has been incorporated in the seating area which improves the overall aesthetic.

Less obvious is the Bill Shankly Kop, the name given to the North Stand. Shankly is famous as manager of Liverpool in the 60s and 70s, but few would be aware of his pre-war playing career at Preston.

Whatever the configuration there are essentially four stands which can be named.

Wolves have gone the whole hog and assigned names to all four parts of the Molineux.

They took the rare step of naming the South Bank after former owner Jack Haywood.

Their remaining stands are named after Stan Cullis, Billy Wright and Steve Bull. All genuine legends who served the club with distinction.

Surprisingly Arsenal, Brentford, Brighton, Everton, Leicester, Spurs and Southampton have no such dedication at their respective stadiums. They have instead fallen back on topographical or street names.

Newly promoted Ipswich have dedicated stands to two former managers. Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir

Bobby Robson who both led club and country with unforgettable passion. The Cobbold Stand is also named in honour of the club’s original owners.

Clubs in the North West have embraced the concept with zeal.

Sir Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) and Colin Bell (Manchester City) have got the nod. Whilst Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) have also been conferred at Old Trafford.

Crystal Palace have the Arthur Wait Stand, named after the chairman who guided them to the top flight in 1969. Similarly, Chelsea renamed the North Stand in memory of Matthew Harding, former vice-chairman who died in a helicopter crash in 1996.

Aston Villa continued the trend when the Witton Lane Stand was rebuilt and named after long-serving chairman Doug Ellis.

Bournemouth unusually bestowed the honour on Steve Fletcher whilst he was still playing for the club.

The North Stand at Deans Court was renamed when Fletcher signed a one year extension to his contract in 2010.

Fulham and Newcastle favoured

the post war era of English football when they named stands after Johnny Haynes and Jackie Milburn.

For some clubs the task is relatively straightforward as there are obvious choices to make.

Nottingham Forest have inevitably named their main stands after Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, the redoubtable management team that led Forest to the league championship and victory in the European Cup.

Watford have named two of their stands at Vicarage Road after Sir Elton John and Graham Taylor, without doubt the two outstanding figures in the club’s history.

Despite the social value of naming stands in this manner, there is sometimes no choice but to sell naming rights.

Particularly for clubs lower down the football pyramid who cannot rely on lucrative TV deals.

Huddersfield’s John Smith Stadium has all four stands named after corporate sponsors.

QPR gifted naming rights for Loftus Road to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, a charity established in memory of the former academy player.

The commercial imperative soon made itself known as the club later signed a three year commercial naming agreement.

At least there is one part of Loftus Road reserved for a club hero. Stan Bowles, the iconic 1970s playmaker has one stand dedicated to him.

So what should the West Stand at the London Stadium be called?

It's doubtful that a corporate sponsor would be interested. In terms of brand recognition the bigger prize would be naming rights for the stadium.

A corporate sponsor would be mentioned on TV, radio, news reports and social media thousands of times every year.

Unlike a stand that would be rarely mentioned outside of the club. It would therefore seem more appropriate and likely that a manager or player should be chosen.

There are many worthy recipients of the honour which makes them doubly difficult to separate.

Ron Greenwood and John Lyall were managers during the greatest period in the club's history. However, players resonate more deeply than managers, which might put them out of the running.

Geoff Hurst would be a standout choice. The last survivor of England's World Cup winning side of 1966, and scorer of 249 league and cup goals.

But it could be argued there are other tributes to Hurst in the stadium. The same could be said of Martin Peters especially with the statue commemorating our win in the European Cup Winners Cup Final.

Frank Lampard Snr could also stake a strong claim. He played in two FA Cup finals and made 670 appearances, which puts him second only to Billy Bonds.

Even with Lampard's pedigree he represents the same era as Brooking and Bonds and could

be looked upon as a form of duplication.

Phil Parkes is the greatest goalkeeper the Hammers have ever had. He made more appearances than any other goalkeeper (440) and achieved the most clean sheets (114).

Parkes played in the FA Cup winning side of 1980 and League Cup Final side the following year. Though goalkeepers are not as visible as outfield players so he may fall down the pecking order. Players from the pre-war period also have a strong shout for inclusion.

Vic Watson became the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 326 goals. A feat that will in all likelihood never be surpassed.

Watson also set the individual goalscoring record for one season. In 1929/30 he scored 42 goals in 40 league appearances which included three hattricks. The free scoring centre forward also won five caps for England and scored four goals.

Jimmy Ruffell was another England international who scored 166 goals from outside left. He also held the league appearance record until it was broken by Bobby Moore.

Both Watson and Ruffell appeared in the first Wembley FA Cup Final of 1923. They scored nearly 500 goals between them and are equal to those already mentioned.

However, their achievements are more than 90 years old and too distant to be truly meaningful especially for younger fans.

After a fair amount of soul

searching there is one candidate that looms largest.

The final slot at the London Stadium should be awarded to Alvin Martin; a Scouser born and bred but anointed as an honourary Cockney.

He made his debut in March 1978 and went onto make 596 appearances. Another member of the 1980 FA Cup-winning side, Martin eventually replaced Billy Bonds as club captain.

A formidable defensive partnership was formed with Tony Gale in the 1985/86 season which was key to success.

The Hammers went within a whisker of winning the league championship, which was in no small part due to a defence that conceded only 40 goals that season.

Martin also had the unique distinction of scoring a hattrick against three different goalkeepers when the Hammers defeated Newcastle 8-1.

He won 16 England caps and played in the group stage of the 1986 World Cup Finals. He would have won more caps had it not been for the dominance of Terry Butcher at the centre of defence.

There should perhaps be one last tweak before any such change is made.

The dedication for Bobby Moore should be transferred to the West Stand while Alvin Martin is assigned to the South Stand. It somehow seems more appropriate for Moore to have greatest prominence at the club he helped to put on the map. But then again fans might have other ideas?

David Bowden @Bowdenwhu

The departure of James WardProwse on deadline day was perhaps the most surprising exit of our summer dealings.

The former Southampton man enjoyed a stellar first season in claret and blue under David Moyes, contributing to 19 goals in all competitions.

He brought leadership to a team that desperately lacked leaders and was a firm fan favourite.

Indeed, I had him pencilled in as a potential captain at the club when news began to break of Kurt Zouma's departure at the club.

So, to hear he was set to join Nottingham Forest on deadline day was a massive shock to me.

However, with Julen Lopetegui trying to stamp his authority and bring a new style onto the club, the Spaniard had his heart set on reuniting with his fellow countryman, Carlos Soler, so WardProwse was the man to depart to allow for Soler’s signing.

Ward-Prowse is known for his setpiece specials; we benefited from that ability last season, and we have certainly lost that expectation when we are awarded a free-kick or corner, with Bowen struggling to replicate the whip that a WardProwse deadball bought.

The only disappointment from his time here is that he didn't match David Beckham's free-kick record whilst in claret and blue.

You feel that he will break it this season at the City Ground at some point. Of course, it is vintage West

‘It was inevitable our set piece king wouldn’t score a free kick for us’

Despite

an impressive start to life in east London, Ward-Prowse was shown the door during the summer

Ham that he would lose his ability to ping a ball into the top corner from a free kick as soon as he pulled on the Hammers shirt.

His first-half performance against Bayern Leverkusen in the Europa League will live with the West Ham faithful for a long time.

As he covered every blade of grass on the pitch that night, he reminded me of a more skilled John Moncur. He worked his socks off, and his performance epitomised the type of player he is. Honest, hard-working, and technically superb, I would love to have known where the Hammers would've finished had Moyes stuck with him in the number 10 role, where he thrived early in the 2023/2024 season.

His performance against Brighton at the Amex last season showed that if you take his defensive responsibilities away, he could bring a lot to the table in the final third.

In truth, though, with Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta in the side, it would always be hard for him to make that position his own despite the promising signs he showed.

You can see why Nottingham Forest would want him. They have a bunch of big lads who should benefit from his delivery.

You can also see why WardProwse would like to move there. He is bound to get a lot of first-team action in the Premier League.

My new book, Super Squad, seeks to tell the story of 60s and 70s in English football through the careers of a squad 23 players, who, I believe, had the greatest impact on our game during this time; and how their influence laid a path for football as it is today.

This isn’t just the story of our very best players, the likes of Moore and Hurst. This is also the story of those players we may not have noticed, those we mocked unfairly, those we may have forgotten. For those players left their own lasting legacy on the game, and this book seeks to honour that legacy.

The book also touches upon the other three great influences on English football at this time. The abolition of the maximum wage in 1961, the emergence of television, and then the emergence of colour television.

Some may find some of the content in the book a bit gushy, for which I make few apologies.

The chapters are affectionate portraits of my heroes, who all played football in the English First Division when I was a kid, or just before.

Amazingly, some of the players I have written about became my newer heroes, after I discovered more about them in my 50s.

And the players I have included in this book, are, in many ways, pioneers – they all moved the game forward.

The actual writing of the book has been my greatest ever writing experience. I’ve spent nearly 40 years as a civil servant, where I

‘It was tough to select a 23-man squad who had the greatest impact’

In his new book, Colin Whelan looks at the 60s and 70s greats who transformed English football

write all day, but I’ve never written about football, though. It truly has been one huge labour of love.

I’ve always had an opinion on football, and I’ve always watched it. It’s always been the constant in

my life, and I can be a bit geeky about the stats thing.

But I think I’ve learned over the years that it’s the bits I first saw, growing up, that I’m more attached to. I totally love the game

today, but not in the way you love your first love.

The actual writing of the chapters on Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst were quite easy.

There is no end of reference material out there, both on the internet and from my own book collection. But I also found YouTube a great source of info, particularly the tributes to Bobby Moore.

Those clips were a really hard watch at times, just reminding yourself that the great man was only 51 when he died. But it was also a joyful reminder: you saw exactly how good the bloke was.

That tackle on Jairzinho in Mexico. Oh, man. He’s stood still for a split-second, just so that he can make that perfect tackle. So clean, so pure.

And there was a beautiful tribute from his England playing partner, Jack Charlton, on YouTube.

Jack’s struggling for the exact words to convey the meaning that Bobby Moore played at a different level to everyone else in the England team.

He toys with a couple of phrases, and then just nails it ‘He was one of us, but he wasn’t like us’. You beauty, Jack.

I actually went to see Sir Geoff on his ‘Evening with’ tour. He looks magnificent for 82. He stood on stage for two 45-minute slots and didn’t sit down once.

He spoke about his career, and threw in a few anecdotes during the first segment, and then did a Q&A with the St Albans audience in the second segment. We loved him.

He’s our final link with that team, of course, but he also spoke of his days at Upton Park, and how West Ham had given him everything he had ever wanted from football.

Genuinely, he doesn’t begrudge today’s players earning in a week what Sir Geoff earned in a career.

He was also so complimentary about Jimmy Greaves, and how Jimmy had learnt to accept the fateful decision Sir Alf Ramsey had to make in July ’66. I’ve also written a chapter about Jimmy Greaves, by the way.

As for the other chapters, I had

to draw up the list of 23 players, who I thought had the greatest influence on the English game, during this era.

Not easy, once you’ve included the stand outs. I also had to make decisions on whether certain players had greater influence in the 50s or 80s, so that they should be excluded from this book. A few Liverpool players fit into this category.

It’s my book, so I was at liberty to include one or two of my own personal favourites; in some cases, attempting to restore damaged reputations.

I’ve also included Jimmy Hill. Not much of a player, and we all learned to dislike him as a pundit. But he was easily the most influential person of this era.

Anyway, that’s the background to the book. Published by Troubador, it’s out in November. I hope I’ve given you a sufficient taster, so that you might buy a copy for yourself, or for some older git you know, who still bangs on about the old days being better.

Bradley

Holland

@Nolahammers

Maxwel Cornet is a Saint now but his disappearance from the bench does not signify a personal tragedy.

It was instead the inevitable doom that befalls all forwards that come to West Ham in our long line of failed frontmen.

We've had 31 forwards since 2010 to be exact. Can you name five who have actually been consistently successful for us out of that number?

Cornet has gone on loan to Southampton - a side currently captained by former West Ham hopeful Flynn Downes - a player I was also excited about but who also couldn't see a route to success in claret and blue.

And as many will expect, this is a long exit for Maxwel who failed to make any impact at West Ham only scoring one goal in two years and 22 league appearances.

Moyes brought Cornet in from Burnley as a proven Premier League winger/forward having scored nine goals in 28 appearances the season before coming to London Stadium, and as a pacy player who could play the wing and play as a forward, I was excited.

I thought he might be able to conform to Moyes' roving striker roll and adapt, and as hopeful as I was, I should have studied more about the player as he tends to be best partnered with a second forward as he was in Burnley, not unlike the other proven striker we

‘Cornet

was destined to fail with our history of failed forwards’

Even as a proven Premier League performer, Maxwel never found a way to thrive in east London

that

While I don’t think the decision to buy the £17.5 million plus player was the wrong one, and while Cornet did not personally disappoint me, besides often being offside for potential goals, the West Ham faithful couldn't help but be disappointed with the long standing calf injury he seemed to suffer from and the lack of game time that Moyes gave him to truly see his potential.

I assume many West Ham fans

feel about Cornet as I do - a willingness to get him off the books with hopes of bringing in new players, not due to his poor performance, but just from his non performance and our quick ability to accept resignation to defeat in hopeful players that do not take root.

So I'll do as I do for most players that go out on loan - forget about them until the transfer market comes back up and hope we don't lose an arm and a leg on an expected transfer.

bought

season in Danny Ings.

Irons Supporting Foodbanks recently received the good news that we were successful in obtaining a £1,000 grant from London City Airport Community Fund from their 2024 allocation of more than £41,000, made to 15 local charities and not for profit community organisations.

This grant will allow us to supply a further tonne of food worth £4,000 from our foodbank supplier HISchurch for the local foodbanks who depend on our support. The deliveries to eight foodbanks will be made over the next few weeks.

West Ham United has also kindly donated to us a large quantity of surplus clothes from their store warehouse.

Over the last few weeks we have been distributing these across east London and Essex to a number of homeless centres and community groups.

In the last few days we will have delivered over £30,000 worth of tracksuits, shirts and coats to Bonny Downs, NEWway, St Margarets Church, Sphere Support, Chelmsford Rough Sleepers Support, The Source Barking, Warm Hearts for Cold Hands and Helping Hands Bethnal Green.

We have more deliveries sched-

‘We’re

able to help more people thanks to our recent good news’

A £1,000 grant and donations from the club and Umbro have given John Ratomski and co plenty some cheer

uled over the coming days to Hammers4Work, Lola’s Place and other community groups. We’ve also received a further £5,000-worth of new sports and leisure clothes and footwear from Umbro.

This month we will again be running the Christmas chocolates campaign for the children whose families need to use foodbanks.

This is the fifth year that we have run this campaign and in that time we have distributed several thousands of Christmas chocolates through our local foodbanks. This year we hope to distribute over 3,000 and would welcome any matchday donations of selection boxes.

In the last few weeks we’ve continued to support the community-run Plaistow Pantries, who operate six food donation boxes outside residents homes, on the basis of ‘take what you need, leave what you can’.

These have been set up to help residents with emergency food, when they can’t get to their local foodbank. A number of communities around the country have set up these neighbourhood initiatives and we top these up whenever

we can.

Through our membership of Newham Chamber of Commerce, we’ve been able to effect some positive networking by securing a large quantity of surplus mattresses from one of the Victoria Docks hotels, which are presently being distributed to a number of local community groups in Newham and Barking.

And finally, we would like to thank Andy and Paul from the WHU Supporters’ Club who have arranged for us to store our matchday collection equipment at the University premises that they use for the matchday supporters club meetings.

It makes a huge difference to us to have these stored locally, rather than bringing them in by car for each game.

As usual we always welcome new volunteers to collect with us on a matchday, and even if just for an hour or so, it makes a difference. Contact us at ironsfoodbank@ gmail.com for any further information needed. Our activities are always covered on our website ironsfoodbanks.co.uk and our socials.

Robert Banks @robbanks68

Lyall’s first season in sole charge ended in a big setback – relegation. But in those days, relegation was not the disaster that it would be today, and the board saw potential in Lyall and stuck with him.

Lyall also had faith in the squad that had gone down by such a narrow margin in May and made no acquisitions over the summer, and, significantly apart from Derek Hales, no one left.

That meant the likes of Brooking, Bonds, Lampard, Martin, Devonshire, Pike and Cross and Pop Robson, all of whom could have sought First Division contracts elsewhere were all still at the club and looking to put the club back where they belonged.

It didn’t quite work out that way though. Despite a blistering start, going 4-0 in the first 20 minutes on the opening day against Notts County, David Cross scoring a hattrick in a 5-2 win, and a 3-0 win at Newcastle, Lyall found that life in the Second Division was not the breeze that it first appeared.

A draw at Crystal Palace was followed by defeat at home to Third Division Swindon in the League Cup, another home defeat to Fulham and defeat from 2-0 up at Burnley.

Significantly, Brooking had been missing for most of those defeats and on his return The Hammers won 2-0 at home to Bristol Rovers and by the same score, Sheffield United but the team lacked the

‘We found life in the Second Division wasn’t as easy we’d hoped’

We deep dive into the club’s fortunes during John Lyall’s tenure continuing with the 78-79 campaign

consistency needed to mount a serious challenge on the top three.

In those days, the top three were promoted from the old Division Two to Division One and with two points for a win it was often a close-run thing right up to the end as the league table was a lot more compressed than it is today.

Bobby Ferguson had been playing in goal since Mervyn Day’s spectacular loss of form the previous season.

When Ferguson was forced to play most of the game against Stoke at Upton Park in October with only one functioning arm, Day’s opportunity came and he grabbed it in a 2-1 win at Brighton

and the Hammers enjoyed a little run of good form that saw them in third place at Christmas, crowned by a spectacular 5-0 win over Cambridge.

But it was clear that Day was not the goalkeeper West Ham needed to take them forward.

Ferguson was a competent deputy but also was not the rock West Ham needed to build a challenge upon.

Lyall was also aware of this and set about finding the best available goalkeeper in the country.

After narrowly missing out on the First Division title in 1976, Queens Park Rangers had fallen away and were struggling financially.

When Lyall approached QPR Chairman Jim Gregory about buying Phil Parkes, he was met with resistance not just from Gregory but from the player himself.

But when Lyall persuaded the board to part with a world record fee for a goalkeeper, £565,000, Gregory was suddenly a lot more enthusiastic and persuaded Parkes that he should talk to Lyall.

Parkes says the rest is history. After meeting with Lyall he understood and bought into Lyall’s vision for the club and joined in March 1979 making his debut in a 3-0 home win over Oldham Athletic.

With Parkes in goal, Martin and Bonds in central defence, Brooking in midfield and Cross up front, the spine of a very good side was developing.

But there would need to be more signings, that became obvious as the season petered out

disappointingly after a thumping 5-0 win over Newcastle on 24 March 1979, the Hammers managed only two more wins in the last 12 matches and finished in fifth, six points off the third promotion place.

Notably though, the goals against column was low. Parkes was having an effect.

Whether that was a failure or a learning experience is debateable but there can be no doubt that missing out on promotion in May 1979 forced Lyall and the board into a significant clear out in the summer and an expensive recruitment drive that would pave the way for West Ham’s most successful period for years.

The Hammers were knocked out of both cups at the first hurdle, the League Cup by Third Division Swindon and the FA Cup by Fourth Division Newport County.

West Ham fans could not have dreamed at that stage that over the next two years they would appear in the final of both competitions and with a few minor but significant tweaks, turn into a side that would go almost a year unbeaten in the League.

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. 1978-79 is covered in Episodes 1821 – see @westhamhistory

Wan-Bissaka at West Ham

Olivia Elliott @LivistarOlivia

‘Aaron will prove to be a bargain buy. He’ll fit your style of play well’

We

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seemingly been the name on every football fan's lips after joining us in the summer transfer window.

We all knew that signing Wan-Bissaka was a brilliant move but what are the thoughts of Crystal Palace and Manchester United fans?

I was lucky enough to speak with Crystal Palace fan George Burns and Manchester United

supporter Mark Hayman about this move.

The most obvious to start was to ask George about Aaron’s time at Palace.

‘Aaron was thrown into the mix of our squad in the 17/18 season due to an injury crisis ongoing at Palace where we had no one else to start so he made his debut

against Tottenham which isn’t ever an easy game against them,’ George explains. ‘Next up were United and Chelsea so these were a tough few games for him to be starting in.

‘Unfortunately we lost these games but Wan-Bissaka was a breath of fresh air despite having to face Kane, Lukaku, Sanchez and Hazard.

‘It was no surprise that he

hear from a Palace and United fan on Wan-Bissaka’s journey and their hopes for him at West Ham

soon became Roy Hodgson’s first choice right-back where he showed us what he could do on the opening day of the season assisting Zaha and winning 2-0 against Fulham.

‘Aaron was named as the club’s player of the month in August, September, October and March. In April he was named Crystal Palace’s Player of the year.

‘Then before you knew it, our time was over with Aaron and he signed for United in the 2019 summer transfer window.’

So what were Wan-Bissaka’s best moments in a Palace shirt?

‘His tackles without a doubt,’ George continued. ‘He is so reliable with making a perfectly-timed goal-stopping opportunity tackle.

‘Normally you get players that foul nowadays and just take a yellow card but with him, you know he is going to make a tackle and not be carded for it just because it’s such a clean tackle.

‘He’s never lost that gift, he’s done it at United and he will do it for West Ham. He is so good at them.’

But what are his weaknesses?

George explains: ‘Despite being on the tall side for a right back, one of his weaknesses is he often mistimes his jumps and can be easily nudged out the way when going up to head the ball. If the forward for the opposition decides to pull out wide, Aaron will most likely lose out in the air.’

But what were your thoughts on Wan-Bissaka moving to United?

‘At the time you’re absolutely gutted that he is leaving but at the same time you can’t be too mad as he is an incredible player who did deserve to be playing in top level competitions,’ George continued. ‘It was more of the rumours you hear flying around how it’s been his dream to play for Manchester United whilst still contracted with us. It’s upsetting but at the end of the day players come and go and that’s part of football.’

And moving onto Mark, I wondered what his first impressions were of Wan-Bissaka at United?

‘I thought he was a brilliant signing because he was bought to play Solskjaer's counter attacking football,’ Mark says. ‘He was great at that, but we've gone down a different route and he's not really equipped to be a high-pressing wingback.

‘He makes these unbelievable tackles that are quite honestly world class tackles but he started to fall out of that last season and

only made a few game-changing tackles throughout last season when we needed them more less every game last season.’

So what were his best times in a United shirt?

‘Probably the 22/23 season, what a season he had,’ Mark continued. ‘Aaron's ability to nullify even the most threatening of opponents was evident in the second part of that season, as he largely managed to shut down the likes of Newcastle United's Allan Saint-Maximin, Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma and, most recently, Jack Grealish, of Manchester City, in his three outings at Wembley.

‘He is a dribbler's worst nightmare. The way he wraps his long legs into a position to win the ball cleanly is outstanding.’

But do both Mark and George think he will be a success in East London?

‘I don’t see why he wouldn’t be a success for you,’ George explains. ‘He is a brilliant footballer and if you get behind him, he will give you 100%. If you don’t like him we will take him back’

Mark agrees. ‘You’ve had a right bargain getting him for only £15 million. He wins the ball so much and will definitely fit your style of play more than he does with us.

‘Good luck to him. He was a very good professional. We won't forget his performances, in particular in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup win against City.’

‘Ogbonna’s a wise head who keeps calm and helps our young defenders’

Do Not Scratch Your Eyes Podcast host Peter Remnant reflects on Oggy’s start at Watford

Watford fans realise that we are not, at this point in time, able to attract or afford the quality of player that Premier League sides are able to.

The absence of parachute payments now means that we have to ‘cut our cloth’ and this means that the players we seek to bring in are young players who have been released from academies, free transfer opportunities, players who have for one reason or another seen their valuation reduced, and Premier League loans to try to sprinkle some quality into our squad.

There is, however, one more category of player that we can seek to attract. Players who are too old for their London-based club but

who do not wish to move away from London. Angelo Ogbonna clearly falls into this category.

It’s quite refreshing getting a player who is seemingly still popular with the club that they have left, and he is clearly very much still in love with the Irons, because typically in the past, we have offered respite care for the emotionally battered rejects of Arsenal and Spurs.

Ogbonna joined us in the final days of the transfer window and, as I write, has only just started playing football for us taking the first three weeks to get some fitness in his legs.

Watford have needed a solid centre back for many years, and 18 months ago we signed Wesley

Hoedt, once of Lazio and Southampton, and he has been that rare thing at Watford - a left-footed centre back with a bit of quality, solidity and experience.

Last season Wes won the player of the season, scored the goal of the season and so he is now earning a fortune in Saudi.

Enter Mr Ogbonna and he seems to fit very well indeed to the point where no one is missing Mr Hoedt whatsoever.

Throwing him in against Manchester City didn’t really start well as playing out from the back - why does everyone think they can play like Man City at Man City?! - Ogbonna played centrally in a back three, played the ball to his right-sided colleague Ryan

Porteous who woefully under hit a pass to the keeper and we were 1-0 down inside of four minutes, for the fifth consecutive game.

The performance thereafter from the team was better than anyone could have expected and Oggy was the foundation for it – calm, good with distribution and seemingly talking and organising from his sweeper position.

The following Saturday, after three defeats and a draw, we got a win at home to Sunderland who were top of the table before the game.

Again, he was solid in all things and stepping out with the ball on a couple of occasions he oozed quality - well on the current Watford scale of quality.

A goal was conceded but that’s more to do with us having a left wing back who considers ‘defending’ to be beneath him.

At Preston, we collapsed after 53 minutes when having gone a goal down, Ogbonna was removed, presumably for fitness reasons and we conceded another two goals against a team who had only managed four goals all season.

Everyone is impressed with what Ogbonna has bought to our backline.

Calmness has been a commodity in short supply, but he has it in abundance. He always has time on the ball and best of all, he appears to be an old wise head and that will help some of the undoubtedly promising young defenders and teammates alongside him.

We’re very pleased he’s here –now if you have a decent centre forward you could lend us.

‘Like a fine Italian wine, Ogbonna will brightly shine’

The Watford Way’s James Batchelor reflects on Oggy’s arrival at a critical time

Ogbonna has joined Watford at a pivotal period in our history.

A lot has happened in the past five years from the elation of reaching the FA Cup final in 2019.

At the time, I was an 18 year old fan who had never seen my club reach such a prestigious event.

Ever since then, it’s all gone wrong. Including interims, my club have had 14 managers. An astonishing number.

Fast forward to 2024, this season marks our third consecutive campaign in the Championship, and a summer transfer window under Tom Cleverley that we hope will mark the start of a successful new era.

One of these signings, which came as a surprise to many, was Ogbonna.

It was well reported within the media that after the departure of Wesley Hoedt to the Saudi Pro League, the club

wanted to strengthen defensively with an experienced left footed centre-back.

But who would fit the mould and was also a free agent? You guessed it.

The signing was well received by fans with a small minority having reservations understandably about his age and lack of pace.

These reservations have been quickly quelled by some fantastic performances on the pitch including a solid display away at The Etihad in the League Cup.

Under Cleverley, Watford have played with three centre backs with Ogbonna playing as the most central.

‘He is a great replacement for Wes because he has on-theball qualities, organisation and leadership qualities, and is just one of those guys you want to have in the building.’ said Cleverley when speaking to the Watford Observer.

In conclusion, Ogbonna is a strong signing for Watford due to his wealth of experience, defensive prowess, and leadership qualities.

His ability to read the game and excel in aerial duels adds significant strength to the back line, addressing key defensive needs.

Additionally, his versatility allows for greater tactical flexibility, enabling the team to adapt to various match situations.

With limited time between winning the playoff final and the start of the Premier League season, Southampton had to get some serious business done to try and build a squad that was capable of staying up.

One thing that every newly promoted club has to do is to try and make the team at least as good as it was the year before.

This was always going to be difficult because of the number of loan players you are allowed to have, and the PSR rules that everyone tries to abide by, which are made even more stringent if you’ve spent a year outside of the top flight.

With all that in mind, we had to secure our best player from the Championship season, who was Flynn Downes from West Ham.

The initial loan didn’t have any sort of clause to buy him at the end of it and his performances in the Championship were so good that it was thought that West Ham would want him back and it would be unlikely that we would be able to sign him.

I would say that every Southampton supporter was delighted when this turned out not to be the case and he signed on a permanent deal and almost immediately, got made the captain.

I guess the deal was only made possible by the fact that West Ham changed their manager and the new one, Julen Lopetegui would want a different style of midfielder and so the money received for Flynn was more valuable to West Ham than the player himself, even

‘We were all delighted that Flynn agreed to stay with the Saints’

Total Saints Podcast host Glen de la Cour looks at Downes and Cornet’s impact on the south coast

though he is a boyhood Hammers fan.

So far this season, Downes has been used in his best position as a number six but has also been used as a number eight, driving forward from midfield and has shown ball carrying skills that he didn’t often get the opportunity to display in the Championship.

Flynn always seems to be a very positive character, though that positivity will be tested if our poor start to the season carries on over the remaining games.

He was never going to come in and absolutely dominate games in the Premier League like he did in the Championship.

Last season he always seemed to be one step ahead of every other midfielder in the league but of course that’s not the case this year, with having to do things quicker and the team in general not having players that are as good as the opposition.

Flynn has what it takes to rise above that and the hope is that with consistent game time, that’s what happens.

Of course, that wasn’t our only business with West Ham over

the summer with Maxwel Cornet arriving on loan.

Cornet built his reputation at Burnley, which is why West Ham signed him in the first place but for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked at the London Stadium, hence why he was available.

It really did seem like a bit of a panic loan for us on the last day of the window. It’s too early to make any sort of judgement on Cornet because to date, he’s only played about an hour in a Carabao Cup game and made a couple of cameos in the league.

He did, in his first half appearance against Bournemouth, show a willingness to drive forward and to get shots away and I was also impressed by his tenacity at working back off the ball.

There are promising signs there but it remains to be seen if he turns out to be an asset for the rest of the season.

The right-wing position that he was bought to play in, has been taken by the emergence of Tyler Dibling, so Cornet’s best chance of minutes may be on left hand side, which shouldn’t be an issue given he is naturally left-footed.

It has been a good start to the season for West Ham Women.

Since the season started last month, and at the time of writing, we have played three games so far, two in the league and one in the league cup.

The league fixtures have been against Manchester United and Liverpool whilst we played Portsmouth in the League Cup.

We needed a last-minute equaliser from Rico Ueki to ensure a share of the points against potential league champions Liverpool. This point was our first but after two very hard games against tough opposition, I’m happy with our start.

With the League Cup, a 6-2 hammering of Portsmouth puts us in a very nice position to make it out the groups and go far.

The League Cup is one of the competitions that I hope we take seriously and make it into the latter rounds as we have the quality to do so.

Looking at our future games, we’ve got Everton away coming up this month. I believe we should be beating Everton, but it won’t be an easy game.

Having said that, if we are trying to get into Europe this season these are the games that are a must win.

Manchester City away earlier this month was always going to be tricky, because if they don’t finish this season in first place, they will be second, so any point against them was always going to be a huge bonus.

There have been two new

There are plenty of positive signs to hope for a good campaign

But can the West Ham Women win a cup? Milly Thomson hopes this’ll be the year we finally lift silverware

signings that have really started the season well and these are, Kinga Smezik, who is our starting goalkeeper and Seraina Plubel. Both players were vital during our opening three games.

When we lost our captain Mackenzie Arnold in the summer, I was worried about finding a replacement goalkeeper to compete with her standards, but we have.

Without Smezik in goal, we would have lost against Liverpool, she kept us in it throughout. For Plubel, she has come on

in both league games but really showed her quality when we played Portsmouth at home in the cup.

Her creativity and pace are what we have been screaming out for during the last few seasons and we have finally got what we needed. Long may it continue.

After many changes to our squad over the transfers window, I believe we have started well, and I can see us really pushing for Europe this year and hopefully a trophy but the next month is vital for this to happen.

This month we catch up with Spurs fan Shaun Tite and United fan Mark Hayman.

What are your hopes for this season?

Shaun: Finishing top tour and getting to play in the Champions League. We need that back as that is what Tottenham have become known for recently, being in the top four places in the Premier League so I’m hoping for that this season.

Mark: Just to finish higher than last season. We are a huge global club and with that we have to be getting Champions League places. So if we can finish top four this season that’s a successful season. Both your managers have been in the focus of the media spotlight.

Do you think Ange is the man for Tottenham?

Shaun: He got us to Europe this season but we really want to be playing Champions League football again. Since losing Harry Kane, we are now on a rebuild to

RIVALS TALK Olivia Elliott’s

(Just don’t blame her for the answers)

get the team back into finishing in the top four but that takes time and it looks positive for this season.

Erik Ten Hag has suffered setbacks at the start of your season. What does the future look like for him?

Mark: It’s not looking good for him but it’s a new season and hopefully he is just getting started with bringing in new players and a new dynamic to the club so we have to give him some time before we all jump ship again.

Are you a fan of Ten Hag?

Mark: I’m 50/50 about Ten Hag. I do think he is good manager but I’m not sold that he is the manager for Manchester United. My prediction is by December, if he hasn’t won enough games, he’s gone. It’s sad but it’s also the truth we have to be doing better than what we are.

You’re both in the Europa League this year. How far do Spurs think you will go?

Shaun: Hopefully we will win it this year but I know it's a new format so it depends on how everyone else does around you. All I know is that we need to win all the games we play in for us to progress through to the next round.

Your draw in Europa League is looking tough facing AZ Alkmaar, Roma and Rangers. Do you think this will be a challenge for you?

Shaun: I think we can honestly beat them all. Rangers away will be tough but the rest I don’t see how we don’t win. We have a striker now and I’m excited to see how Solanke does in Europe.

It seems United too have a pretty decent draw for the Europa League. How far do you think you can go?

Mark: I do think that if we don’t get through this stage in the competition, Ten Hag will have to walk. I don’t see how one of the biggest clubs in the world won’t be able to get out of the group stage, if that’s even what it’s

called. We have to get to the final surely?

What are your thoughts on the new format?

Mark: Confusing. Why change something that’s not broken? It will be interesting to see how it goes this year and if it makes teams go for it more in their games. I guess we will see how it starts to work in a few weeks.

What were your thoughts on Spurs signing Solanke?

Shaun: It was a good deal for £65 million. It’s proven that he can score goals and we need a striker. We can’t keep on playing Son upfront and hoping he will get on the end of a cross as he is meant to be the one crossing it. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do for us and hopefully that’s scoring lots of goals.

But how did it feel welcoming Harry Kane back in pre-season?

Shaun: It felt weird cheering on Spurs against Kane. I thought it was really respectful of him not lifting the trophy against us. He loves Spurs and we respect him. There is no bad blood between him and the fans. We all want him to do well.

What are your thoughts on the scrapping of concessions at Tottenham, West Ham and other clubs who are being affected by this?

Shaun: It’s disgusting. The years of loyalty formed from older fans who have passed down their support to kids and family, without them there would be no loyal fans attending matches. It’s also brilliant to see that despite rivalry football fans come together to support one another for what’s

right and for the love of the game.

Who from United’s new signings are you looking forward to watching this season?

Mark: Joshua Zerkzee from Bologna. He’s a striker and I’m excited to see what he can bring to United. He’s only 23 years old but has looked very lively when he has come on. Hopefully he can score some goals to take us to the final in Europa or finishing in the top four.

Thoughts on Wan-Bissaka leaving United to join West Ham?

Mark: Gutted to be honest. He is a brilliant player who is always reliable going forward and defending. Usually players who play on the wing are lazy in getting back but not Wan-Bissaka, you can always trust him to make a perfectly timed tackle.

LAST WORD Lucy's

We

could

be about

to hit a consistent run - but it’s been painful to watch

Fourteen goals conceded in the last five games is not a good stat. Normally, scoring seven in those five games might have given us more points but it was not to be, with two particularly heavy defeats.

I have to say, watching the Chelsea game was painful and surely one of the worst games I’ve seen us play for a long time.

The argument can’t always be that Chelsea are a bigger or better team than us - that’s not the era West Ham are in any more.

What concerned me the most was the reaction of Lopetegui on the sidelines and the subsequent reactions of the players. It looked like no one knew what they were doing.

He would wave his arms and shout, the players would change their minds about what they were about to do and then lose the ball. It was woeful.

In fairness then, putting five

past us was probably flattering for Liverpool, but that’s another shot at silverware we won’t get this season and it’s a shame. We need to grab those opportunities.

So then it was positive to see us get into a good rhythm against Ipswich. Alright, it was ‘only Ipswich’, but results like that are where confidence comes in, players get to know each other a bit more and we can gain a bit of momentum.

It was great to see Antonio, Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta on the scoresheet at the London

Stadium that day - all players we need to be relying on to keep the ball going into the back of the net week in, week out.

It felt a shame then to see an international break come along. We’ll never know if following a four-goal home win we could have continued to bring that confidence into a big game against Spurs.

It just feels like we could start to come into a consistent run - I hope so, the tables need to turn before the fans get really fed up and the players’ heads drop.

The next couple of games are huge - not easily winnable but we have to give it a good go.

When you look at the table, it’s clear that quite a few clubs are struggling at the moment. I bet there are fans of many Premier League teams wondering what’s going wrong.

So we’re not in panic mode yet, but it’s not far away if November doesn’t prove to be fruitful.