Blowing Bubbles 147 (Summer 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

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Thank you Moyesiah for everything you’ve done over two great spells

We have a lot to be thankful to David Moyes for and I was pleased he got a good send off after the Luton game.

It feels like a lifetime ago that Moyes first joined us back in November 2017, replacing Slaven Bilic in a bid to avoid relegation, and he steered us to a 13th-placed finish.

Then he returned in December 2019 to again help us avoid the drop before staying on to help us secure three top half finishes and our first major trophy in 40 years.

Thinking about some of the players that he’s brought in, Soucek and Bowen were two arrivals in his first transfer window that have had a huge impact on our recent history.

I’ll also never forget that feeling when we secured European football after a sixth-placed finish and then going to our first game under the lights on a Thursday night.

The first of many, not that we knew this at the time, and it was

that season that provided one of the greatest atmosphere’s I have ever experienced.

Sevilla were highly tipped to win the competition and came into the second leg 1-0 up, but up stepped Tomas Soucek and Andriy Yarmolenko. Limbs.

Then arguably my favourite Moyes moment was beating Lyon 3-0 away from home, and him coming out after the game to a great reception.

Our Conference League campaign the following season was perfect from start to finish, and ended with a memorable night in Prague.

David, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you have done for this football club. We can never repay you as fans for the memories you’ve given us.

GEORGE PARRIS

The Hammers’ hero pulls no punches in his EXCLUSIVE column

The sun is rising on a new era at West Ham but let’s hope it’s not another false dawn

Whenever a new manager comes in, you hope that he hits the ground running and the release of the Premier League fixtures will have an impact on Lopetegui's start to life as a West Ham boss. I know all games in the Premier League are hard but he won't want to play last season's top six home and away in his first six games. He'll want games where it's likely he can get some early points on the board to help everyone settle.

He'll definitely want to get a home victory under his belt early doors too. I'm sure he, like us fans, will be pouring over the fixtures once they come out and plotting where we'll most likely get points from, and which months will be toughest.

As for the players, they will be looking forward to meeting the new manager and hoping to make a good impression from the start. They will be playing for themselves first and foremost because they'll know if they don't perform well, then they won't get into the

team.

Depending on where they were in the pecking order under Moyes will also have an impact on their thinking.

If you were one of the first names on Moyes' team sheet, you've got to go again to make sure you're in the new manager's plans but for those who were frustrated with a lack of game time under Moyes, now is their chance for a fresh start and a chance to impress the new manager.

And, of course, Lopetegui will want to bring in new players and I'm sure there are conversations going on already, even though the summer transfer window doesn't open until mid June.

There are also a good number of players whose contracts are up this summer so he may have already had an input in these discussions, but certainly he will also want to ensure the likes of Bowen, Kudus, and Paqueta remain West Ham players.

He's certainly going to be kept busy at the very start of his time as

West Ham manager, and it's going to be interesting to see who stays, who leaves and who arrives. What won't help him is the Euros in Germany as this can delay transfers, it always makes things a bit more unpredictable.

Even with the new manager and new faces coming in, I still think, as I've said before, that we should finish around 7th, 8th or 9th. That's where I feel we are as a club at the moment.

Now, I'm sure because we finished towards the lower end of this that people might be disappointed but it really was a bit of a topsy-turvy season, and a season of two halves.

From a player's point of view, whenever you finish a season badly, people forget how well you did in the first half of the season.

In an ideal world, you'd want the good and the bad to be spread out throughout the season, but it was just a good thing that we had a lot of points on the board around Christmas time because after that, we really did fall away.

I would hope that we would be fighting for seventh again next season because usually, for most seasons, that will be enough to get European football.

I'm sure there will be people looking back at the season and pointing to a few games where we could've done better and could've picked up more points to get seventh but that wouldn't have been good enough to get a Conference League space with United winning the FA Cup.

But there's a good foundation for the new manager to build upon after three top nine finishes in four seasons and a European trophy in the cabinet, and I think we're all hoping we can secure European football again after this upcoming season.

This gives us something to aim

for this season because our Europa League run last season was amazing, a fantastic journey. It was just a shame we couldn't take it further and reach the final.

My only concern is that the expectations from some fans will be that we should be breaking into the top six but I'm not sure that's as realistic as aiming for seventh. Either way, it's important for the team to hit the ground running next season and get some points on the board early to ease us all into the campaign.

As for Moyes, I don’t think he'll be out of a job for long. I actually spoke to him at the recent League Managers Association dinner.

I personally thanked him for his time at the club and what he’s done, and he seemed quite relaxed about it all. I’m sure if he

wants to be back in the job soon, there will be jobs there because it seems to be a manager going every day at the moment.

As I wrote in my column last month, I think him leaving at the end of the season just gone was the best for all parties.

We've seen in the past that managers don't tend to leave clubs by mutual consent, they are normally sacked so I think it was right that they reached an agreement and it was announced before the last home game of the season against Luton.

Finally, I mentioned the Euros a bit earlier, and on paper, I think England have a fantastic chance of winning the tournament.

If we can stay clear of injuries, then I see no reason why we can't win it.

Moyes Talk

The Blowing Bubbles team look back on two spells of the Moyesiah

What was your initial reaction when you heard Moyes was leaving, and how do you feel about it now?

Meirion Williams: At last was my simple answer. I know he helped win us a trophy but I’ve struggled to attend games this year due to the tactics we have employed. I never missed a game under Alan Curbishley and that football at times was pretty dire, but I think Moyes took it to another level. I feel it is the right decision. The last game against Luton was a prime example. We were clueless in the first 45 minutes and we’d seen it before. Only time will tell if it’s the right decision.

Geoff Hillyer: I can’t say I was massively surprised - I think the writing has been on the wall for a

little while now. I wouldn’t say that I feel it is the right decision, I’d say that, given the circumstances, it’s probably the only decision that could have been made. I think with this change though, comes risk.

Marcus Johns: Much like Meirion, it was kind of a relief. I do think his time was up, but the constant division between fans who backed him and those who didn’t was turning toxic. Now we’ve got the chance to have the element of optimism ahead of a new season with a fresh impetus and new ideas to maximise this attacking threat we carry.

David Meagher: Moyes has done a truly fantastic job over the four and a half years but with a style of football that just isn't Hammers

traditional fare. Most 'real' West Ham fans don't mind if we don't always win but definitely do want the entertainment of the circus. We are football fans rather than trophy-hounds. Averaging 30 to 40% possession with walls of defence is simply not a sustainable ethos at our football club. That said, Moyes has brought greater steel and discipline which has often been lacking in the past. It's a good time for all parties as the squad is aging and must expand and with no European commitments next season, a new manager will have time to develop our hopefully more adventurous style.

Bradley Holland: I agree with the rest of the team. There was an odd sense of relief and also sadness. More than the trophy, and

Europe, there's a sense of honour and loyalty for someone who saved us from relegation when we were in trouble, and then doing it again after he'd been stepped over and chosen for another more exciting manager. There's a sense of dedication to someone who has saved you when you were in trouble, and for that I'll always honour Moyes. My biggest contention with him was that he didn't learn and that he wasn't willing to change.

Were you pleased that it was announced before the Luton game so the fans were able to say goodbye properly?

MW: Partly but if I was him, I would have taken the club for contractual dismissal and jumped as soon as Sky announced our new manager before an announcement on David not returning. As usual it was a PR disaster. I am pleased though that we have him a good send off after the Luton game.

GH: The announcement should have been made much sooner in my opinion, with all the news swirling round. But yes, at least fans had the chance to say goodbye with a win.

MJ: I think I’d have preferred the announcement to have been made sooner. June 8th 2023 ideally. The second half of the season has been a write off on account of the uncertainty so clarity would have been much better. That being said, the club has mismanaged

the situation and I felt leaking the replacement search to the press was awful PR. I did like the fact that Moyes got his lap of appreciation, and was rightly applauded by the crowd.

DM: I think the timing was as good as it could have been and yes I did make the arduous trip to London to give thanks and wish him well.

BH: I would have liked a more favourable exit march for Moyes but to have one last home game to be cheered on was a good move.

Looking back to when Moyes first came to us as manager, what were your thoughts?

MW: I didn’t want him, it’s as simple as that. Did he change my mind? Not really and I was amazed he was asked back. It really felt like a Sullivan cheapest option. Hindsight shows that he should have been given the opportunity then but to get rid and then reappoint when all was not well was simply embarrassing.

GH: My own opinion, and I know this may not be the common view, is that he has had a very rough ride with us in both stints. Losing his job after keeping us up I thought was madness, the allure of ‘a bigger name’ eventually falling flat. He should have stayed then, but that’s easy to say with hindsight.

MJ: At the time, I saw him as a steady pair of hands who’d bridge

a gap. I was disappointed as I honestly felt Bilic would have still kept us up, but didn’t find the appointment inspiring, so I was glad it was only for six months.

DM: Moyes is a good manager who insists on professionalism and is always dignified and honest. He is a victim of our success in recent years as we inevitably want more. I am pleased for him that his difficult spells at Man Utd and Sunderland have been put to bed but in reality he's just not West Ham at heart.

BH: My first match was under Moyes' regime when we beat Southampton 3-1. I thought we looked like a giant block in the midfield except for a brilliant and wandering Lanzini, and everything went through Noble. It looked like midfield survival with limited movement. That was my impression of Moyes' management and it hasn't changed.

How did you feel about his return for a second spell?

MW: No surprise but I didn’t want him at the time. I thought there were better options on the market. I expected league safety and little else so he did exceed my expectations and I’m the first to admit I was wrong. But at what cost? Exciting football was often nonexistent and I don’t think I’m the only one who decided that a trip to London to see West Ham wasn’t the best use of my time this year.

GH: I never saw us competing in Europe for three seasons in a row, and I never saw us winning a trophy. I’d have settled for mid table and a cup run, and in truth I never really thought about how long he would stay for. He’s overachieved though, of that there’s no doubt in my mind.

MJ: I was disappointed as I felt it lacked ambition by our board to return to a ‘steady pair of hands’. Some of the old issues – inability to alter approach during a game, negative tactics etc – were still in full force, and as we know, never really left. My expectations were low, but blimey he exceeded them. I’ve never been so pleased to be wrong, and I’ll admit he’s put our entire club on a much stronger footing.

DM: I knew that he would put an end to our yo-yo relegation-promotion pattern but I really didn't think we'd be so Europhillic. He can be very proud of a tremendous spell at the club and I will always be grateful for all those great Thursday nights of European action. That said, his repeated lack of ambition in the domestic cup competitions was disappointing but i guess while fans are dreamers he, I guess, is a realist at heart.

BH: I loved the sexy saxophone meme of ‘Careless Whisper’ to Moyes' return. I wasn't excited about it, but also I thought, ‘you deserve this’. He came back and I thought drilled the team into shape, and the patented formula

that is purely Moyes moved us further than we have been. Moyes is just missing the final touch to go further.

How will his time at the club be remembered?

MW: ‘Winning is what I do’ I think he said and on the whole he did. Rose-tinted glasses says he took us repeatedly into Europe and we had a great day in Prague. But also he will be remembered as being too one dimensional with no Plan B. Delivering boring football and not utilising the players he had at his disposal and failing to give any squad depth.

GH: Moyes had his limitations. But he should be remembered as one of our greatest achieving managers - I mean, West Ham were in Europe for three seasons in a row and won a trophy. If I had said that would happen five years ago, you would have laughed me out of the room.

MJ: I don’t buy the ‘saved us twice’ narrative as I don’t think we were going down either time, but there is no doubting that he has brought a lot of structure to the club when we needed it most. Whilst I wasn’t a fan of his approach, there’s no denying he’s given me the best years of my West Ham-supporting life, moments that my young son and I can already bond over and discuss, and the chance to witness us lift a trophy. For that, I will always respect him and be grateful for. History will look kinder on him

than those of us who are living the football week in week out. He’s probably our third best ever manager.

DM: You can't argue with Moyes' results and his record has really been excellent. The club is in a much stronger place than when he arrived - financially but also in terms of reputation for attracting top players. After our European exploits, incoming players no longer have to throw out how happy they are to play for Bobby Moore's team as we now have a recent history of note too. That said, I think it's been achieved at the cost of discarding the fabled West Ham way and we have gone seriously backwards in terms of bringing on academy players. There's an irony that one of the final goals we scored under his reign was by an academy graduate.

BH: Moyes took West Ham to new places; a trophy, two relegation saves, and he did so when no-one backed him and people laughed. He did it after Pelligrini was appointed over him. He did it when the fans were not excited to have him back and when we were in chaos, when GSB out rang through the terraces, coins were thrown, and the club was rotten. He withstood constant stupid marketing tactics by GSB and still pushed through. His stubbornness, inability to grow or accept advice, and not obeying obvious tactical and management cues aside; this is how I will remember him.

Geoff Hillyer

It’s the end of another season, and no trophy this time around – despite our hopes of a Europa League win in Dublin.

There’s plenty to talk about though, in a campaign which had its high spots, but plenty of low ones too.

I remember a curious sense of optimism in August. Sure enough, Declan Rice (remember him?) had departed, but in came WardProwse, Alverez and – perhaps most excitingly, in something of a coup – Mohammed Kudus.

Fabianski had had a strop about no longer being first choice goalkeeper, but that seemed to be dealt with effectively enough by the management.

‘We started as European Champions and ended with David Moyes gone’

We take an in-depth look back at a season which started so well but ended with the Moyesiah saying goodbye

Areola was now number one between the sticks, with Fabianski in for the cup competitions.

And fresh from the buzz of the Europa Conference League win, we breezed through August, remaining unbeaten throughout.

The opening-day draw against Bournemouth felt disappointing, but wins against Chelsea and Brighton, with six goals scored in the process, pointed to an upward

trajectory following the trials and tribulations of the season just gone.

A tricky Friday-night trip to newly-promoted Luton kick-started September – the kind of game that we’d completely fall over in.

However, we survived a late surge from the Hatters to complete a 2-1 win, and – mark this in your diary – meant that we were top of the league on 2nd Septem-

ber 2023.

Of course, it was back to earth with a bump. Consecutive Premier League 3-1 defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool meant that the title was likely out of reach for another season.

It wasn’t all bad though: we started our third consecutive season in Europe by beating Backa Topola, and a narrow win against Lincoln (Carabao Cup) and an always-pleasurable victory over Sheffield United meant that we’d played eight, won six.

October started well enough, with six points from six in the Europa League – a victory against Freiburg in Germany solidifying our top spot in the group.

A 2-2 draw against Newcastle followed, which felt more like a win, thanks to Mohammed Kudus’ very late leveller – and we should even have won it late on. But then, the wheels came off a bit.

Firstly, a 4-1 shellacking at Aston Villa – which looks better now but

felt horrendous at the time. Much more disappointingly, our first defeat in Europe for absolutely ages was to follow – 2-1 against Olympiakos.

And then, a 1-0 home defeat against Everton, notable because literally everyone I spoke to prior to the game said to me, 'this has got an Everton win all over it'. We ended the month 9th, but the form was iffy.

It was Arsenal at home in No-

vember, being the next obstacle in our never-ending quest to actually win the League Cup for once.

And no-one predicted the 3-1 thrashing that we handed out, one of our highlights of the season. Poor Declan.

League-wise, the results took an upturn, a narrow defeat against Brentford that absolutely everyone saw coming was offset by wins against Nottingham Forest in a 3-2 thriller, with Bowen and Soucek performing the rescue act after being 2-1 down, and Burnley, who were awful yet we managed to make them look quite good for spells.

Two wins in the Europa League also meant virtual progression from the group, ahead of a busy December. This is where the madness begins.

Honestly, December was crazy. It started out calmly enough, with our now famous inability to beat Palace at home.

Although this was a 1-1 draw,

so small mercies, eh? But that’s nothing compared to what would happen over the coming matches.

Throughout the Tottenham away game, I was sitting in Pizza Express with my girlfriend, doing the usual thing of sneaking glances at my phone to see the score.

“

One of the most insipid West Ham displays I’ve ever seen meant a 0-6 home defeat against Arsenal.

I’d fully expected us to get absolutely tonked and indeed that seemed likely, as they went 1-0 up and I kept reading things like 'cricket score'.

So, at half time I literally turned the phone off in a huff, because I couldn’t take it anymore. My girlfriend was unimpressed.

So when I turned the phone back on and saw we’d won 2-1, I broke all the rules of physics with my jaw dropping about six feet to the floor. There are lottery winners who were probably less fortunate than us that night.

Then the Fulham game. I was unsuccessfully house-hunting across London in the rain, trying desperately to find a place before my existing contract ran out.

And there’s nothing that epitomises that day better than

the image of me sat on a cold bus, watching goal after goal thump into our net, pondering the meaning of life.

Five nil. Against Fulham. That was not a good day.

Two wins against Freiburg in the Europa League, sealing qualification in top spot, and then Wolves, who were hopeless, followed –bizarrely with clean sheets.

But don’t be fooled. Our defence decided to do a disappearing act when conceding five again in the League Cup away to Liverpool, in what I would charitably describe as 'a poor performance'.

A 2-0 win against Manchester United followed (obviously, because why not?) and, one of my highlights of the season, amazingly a 2-0 win at Arsenal in a match that I firmly believe was the one that cost them the Premier League title. Poor Declan.

Eight matches, 13 goals scored, 12 conceded, won five, lost two. Crazy.

January wasn’t a brilliant month for me, getting London’s ‘100-day cough’, getting pretty ill, and having to watch some pretty turgid fare from us with not a single win to show for it across the month.

A 0-0 draw against Brighton, in a match that deserved to finish 0-0, was probably the highlight.

A failure to beat Bristol City at home in the FA Cup at home meant a replay that was about as welcome as my bill for my tax return, with the almost inevitable defeat being overshadowed by Benrahma being sent off for retaliating to a hefty tackle, kicking him where the sun doesn’t shine.

He would never play for us again. Neither would Pablo Fornals, who went off to Betis: a player I really miss. Conor Coventry left for Charlton.

But it’s okay, because here to save the day was Kalvin Phillips, signed on loan from Manchester City. Da-da-daaa! Signing on 26 January, his debut to follow on the following month. What could go wrong?

The other event of note was the VAR farce at Sheffield United.

The Blowing Bubbles writers’ WhatsApp group nearly exploded.

In short: right at the end, they get a penalty to equalise, that just isn’t. We go up the other end, the same thing happens to Bowen, and nothing is given.

Have we decided to throw VAR in the bin yet? Why not?

February arrives and I was thinking: ‘Here we go then, the Kalvin Phillips show’.

Two minutes played against Bournemouth, and Zouma’s under

pressure. He plays it to Phillips, who has no choice but to pass back to Areola – except it never makes it and we’re one down. 120 seconds, and it’s all gone wrong already.

“

Please explain to me how it’s possible to be winning a football match 3-1 at the 75-minute mark and lose.

We did draw though, something that we couldn’t achieve against one of the worst Manchester United teams of recent years (0-3), and things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Arsenal were good, yes. They

probably also had the motivation of losing to us twice.

But one of the most insipid displays I’ve ever seen a West Ham team put in meant a 0-6 home defeat, and the calls for Moyes to go louder than they had been for some time. Well done, Declan.

A calm head was called for. And we got the complete opposite with Phillips, who was sent off in an insipid 2-0 home defeat against Nottingham Forest.

When you’ve got fans on social media asking if the loan move could be cancelled mid-game, you know that there’s problems.

Finally, though, along came the victory that the fans craved – the first of 2024 and a long time coming – against Brentford with a Bowen hat-trick.

It meant that somehow we ended the month in eighth, and to be honest, it felt like a bit of a miracle we were even there, with Wolves and Newcastle breathing down our necks.

We’re in March now and bloomin’ Nora, is that an away win at Everton? Yes, it was and a 3-1 win to boot.

It was rather more flattering than it appeared though, with two goals scored in injury time at the end of the second half.

A 2-2 draw followed v Burnley (rubbish), then a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, which was respectable, and should have won but for another dodgy VAR call right at the end. And then along came the Newcastle away game.

Please explain to me how it’s possible to be winning a football match 3-1 at the 75-minute mark and lose.

We managed that trick where others failed; the concession of four goals in this one somewhat made a mockery of Moyes’ already questionable defensive solidity.

It wouldn’t be the last time we would concede a hatful of goals in a single match, though.

The highlight of the month was Kudus’ run and goal against Freiburg at home in a 5-1 aggregate win in the Europa League. Seriously, watch it. It would have been my goal of the season, but he hadn’t scored against Manchester City on

the last day yet.

The home straight now, and April was another month where wins were very hard to come by.

A home draw against an ailing Tottenham and a win against Wolves were offset by defeats against Fulham at home (of course) and, most embarrassingly, the concession of another five goals to Crystal Palace.

We’d drawn Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League – our last chance of remaining in European competition next season.

It proved to be a draw too far – we nearly got away with it, but conceded twice late on in Germany, leaving too much to do for the home leg.

In truth, a season out of Europe probably isn’t the worst thing for us – it will allow more focus in the league and perhaps won’t crucify the players by the time next April rolls around.

The month ended with a decent 2-2 draw against Liverpool, but it has to be said that at this stage, both teams looked like they’d had enough: the title had gone for Liverpool, European qualification for us, and it had the feel of an end-of-season ding dong with not much riding on it.

May arrives and Moyes is leaving. Half the West Ham fans were saying ‘about time’, the other half weren’t, but everyone just felt flat.

There’s no end of season fizz, nothing to play for, and this was reflected in the results, where the players increasingly looked like their shoe of choice was a flip-flop.

So, another five goals conceded

against Chelsea. That performance was bad, and meant that we’d managed to concede five goals against 25% of all the Premier League teams this season.

It was nice to give Moyes a final hurrah with a 3-1 win in the final home match against Luton, as rubbish as we were in the first half.

There was never any chance that we would cause any kind of upset against Manchester City, although Kudus did score my goal of the season with a stunning overhead kick.

I said beforehand that we’d concede four and we only shipped three, which was a win in my book. And Phillips picked up a ‘mystery injury’, so we won’t see him again, which if I’m honest isn’t a bad thing for the player or club.

And that was the season: started well, drifted badly, some humiliations on the way, and the general feeling as we enter the summer that we are in transition.

Seventy plus goals conceded is ridiculous and that needs sorting, and the future looks a bit uncertain. But – you never know, under new management, it could all come good. Maybe.

And Declan didn’t win the league. Sorry, Declan.

Lucy Farrell @lucy_whufc

It’s been a mixed bag of a year for the pupils of London Stadium. In what has been their final term under their history-writing headmaster, some individuals have had standout performances, while some have left us scratching our heads in the staff room.

Let’s take a look at the alumni annual report cards:

Alphonse Areola

It’s fair to say that Alphonse has made some match-winning saves this term and deserves the praise he has been getting from his fans. He was handed an early season boost by being trusted as the class number one, and there’s been little to suggest it wasn’t deserved. It would be nice to see more clean sheets next term, with a little help from his pals in front of him!

Lucasz Fabianski

With 10 appearances to his name this term, Lucasz stepped in when he was needed. Despite still being the most senior classmate he can still pull off a good stop, however he did suffer some heavy defeats letting in five twice and four once. He’s still a good back-up option and willing to be part of the team activities.

Who’s graduating with honours and who is being sent home early?

The end-of-year academic reports are out after a somewhat disappointing season for the class overall

himself a valuable member of the class and was in for a shout of star pupil. With the most clean sheets to his name versus his peers, he’s proved to be solid and even managed to score a cracker along the way. More of the ‘on-form’ Emerson next term, please.

Emerson

Following on from a good settling in spell last year, Emerson has really made

Vladimir Coufal

Vladimir seems to have rediscovered some

of his debut season form this term and we’re pleased to see it. He came in with a whopping seven assists to his name showing his eagerness and team spirit is still well and truly there. It stands to his credit that he’s keeping the youngsters away from his position. Again, as stands for his fellow defensive classmates, we’d love to see more clean sheets.

Kurt Zouma

Kurt took a dip in form this year overall and he wasn’t as reliable as we’d hoped he would be as the class captain. His communication was often lacking and he made too many mistakes in defence. He did chip in with three goals, which was his most since he joined. He’s sometimes misunderstood - we think he does care, he just needs to express it more often.

Nayef Aguerd

It seems as though

Nayef has had a mixed term and has struggled to keep up with the pace, whether that was through injury or lack of effort. He came here with potential but hasn’t really lived up to it, and we wouldn’t be surprised if this is his last report card.

Konstantinos Mavropanos

With 18 attendance marks this term, ‘Dinos’ has shown some real improvements in his game. He took some time to get acquainted with his classmates, but has put in some impressive performances to earn precious points. We’d be delighted

to see his hard work continue next year for further improvement.

Ben Johnson

Ben probably didn't get as many chances as he’d hoped this season, partly down to better performances from his classmates. But he did have a couple of really good games and it’s unfortunate that he didn’t get a good run to further prove himself. There’s more to come from Ben, he keeps improving.

Angelo Ogbonna

We’d be sad to see Angelo leave after so many years of having him around but it’s likely that’s what will happen. He’s been his trademark cool-self when called upon this season and is as much of a team player as ever. It’s just maybe time for some fresh legs, but his presence will be missed.

Aaron Cresswell

Aaron dropped in when he was needed this term and he’s still been a solid backup, despite fewer opportunities to play. His effort is always noted and he’s consistent. We can always rely on Aaron to put energy into going forward toothat’s been the same for the last decade and we’re glad he hasn’t changed.

Tomas Soucek

Soucek has been a standout pupil this term, albeit unexpectedly. Last term we asked him to “find his feet again” and he surely did. He

put in some incredibly important goals, took more knocks for the team and kept a smile on his face while he did it. We’re so pleased he found some positive form this year with seven goals, two assists and four big chances created. Good for you Tomas.

James Ward-Prowse

Teacher’s pet James settled in effortlessly this term and hit the ground running with some commanding performances. He got a little quieter over the course of the academic year and perhaps didn’t have the all-round impact we’d hoped for. But all the same, he’s a threat to the opposition and can make a game-changing difference on his day. We just need to see more spark, which might come with a new headmaster in town.

Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed has been really impressive this term with seven goals, six assists and an eagerness to impress. He’s been exciting to watch and scored some memo-

rable goals that did put him in contention for star pupil. We want to keep seeing more of his abilities because he could continue to be a standout pupil next term.

Lucas Paqueta

We know how much Lucas has to offer, he’s the most naturally gifted pupil we have. He just needs to knuckle down and sometimes be a bit less…dramatic! We feel he could have chipped in with more than four goals, because he has the ability. But he did significantly contribute to class efforts with 12 big chances created. It remains to be seen whether he will graduate to ‘bigger’ pastures in the summer holiday.

Edson Alvarez

Edson was another close call for star pupil with a really positive impact on the class. He filled in a big gap left in midfield and was solid defensively. The only thing he needs to work on is his discipline - too many yellows lead to a time out and we don’t want to have to put him in the naughty corner again.

Kalvin Phillips

Unfortunately, Kalvin was bottom of the class in many subjects this term. We don’t know if he was just unlucky or a little complacent but his cameo appearances pretty much all lead to errors and opposition goals. We can’t give him a positive grade, but he seems like a nice chap…if that’s any consolation?

George Earthy

We couldn’t let Georgey go without a report card, even though he only had limited attendance. He soldiered back from a hefty head injury to score his first senior goal, which was a wonderful moment for the whole class. His patience and hard work have been rewarded, well done George.

Jarrod Bowen

Star pupil once more for Jarrod. This term has seen him equal Di Canio’s Premier League scoring record for the Hammers, which is a fantastic achievement and something we’ve longed for. His efforts are never in doubt and, as the records show, he’s our most consistent striker in recent history. Well done, again, Jarrod.

Michail Antonio

We feel like Micky picked up his act a bit this term. While we can accept he isn’t quite at the same technical standard as his classmates, he has still chipped in with important goals, six in the league and one in Europe. But with one goal for every five shots, he’s got more potential. We hope his confidence grows again under a new headmaster and he can further cut out costly mistakes.

Danny Ings

Danny chipped in with one league goal this year, which did earn a point, but he spent most of his time on the bench. Sadly, he just doesn’t make an impact as a substitute often enough. He had two starts, which we understand isn’t enough to prove a point, but with those games being against Fulham and Sheffield United, he had a good opportunity to shine.

Maxwel Cornet

With just seven appearances this term, Maxwel hasn’t had the chance to show his flair and make strides.

It’s been a tough ride for him and we’re sorry he hasn’t been able to prove himself.

Divin Mubama

Divin got limited minutes this term but we don't think we've seen the last of him. He’s confident and lively, which we love. He got more time in Europe than in the league, but he's been keeping busy playing in PL2. We really hope he keeps improving.

Emily Pulham @makingthemarrow

A is for Angry Areolas: It sounds like a bad porno, but stay with me. Areola’s wife stirred the pot of drama and sprinkled some salt in after West Ham’s final home game of the season on her Instagram account, posting a message saying ‘save of the season OK, but it should have been player of the year… it won’t be the case and we all know why.’ Listen, Areola was vital this season - he made incredible saves all season long - but it’s a bold statement about a player who also let in 53 goals and kept only four clean sheets in the Premier League this season. Areola added it to his story - adding to the curiosity of what it is that we all know about an award the fans voted for…

From Areola’s missus to Zouma, it’s been an interesting season!

Our A-Z of the season looks back at the good, the bad and the ugly of our last campaign under David Moyes...

B is for Bicycle Kick: We suspected nothing good would happen playing Man City on the last day of the season, with the Premier League title still to play for - but Kudus yet again flipped the script, scoring an unstoppable bicycle kick and reminding us what an exceptional player he really is. We must keep Kudus at all costs.

C is for ‘Careful What You Wish

For’: a collective movement of critique from pundits who felt West Ham fans should be grateful for our five wins in all competitions in 2024. It was most notably used by Alan Shearer on BBC's Match of the Day, after West Ham lost 2-0 to Fulham. If you're outside the 'big six,' fans aren't allowed to want the best for their club, they are meant to just be grateful for what they've

got. That's how the whole league works, right? No one wants to win?

D is for Don’t Back Pass, Dinos!: Our giant Greek defender has had both moments of brilliance and flashes of horror in east London, but one thing he has been consistent in is playing terrible back passes. Against Crystal Palace, he attempted a no-look back pass which was scooped up by Palace who got their equaliser and ended up costing us two points. He did some damage in the FA Cup also, playing a terrible back pass which completely caught Lukas Fabianski off guard as Bristol scored and knocked us out of the FA Cup.

E is for European Record Holders for an English team: When West Ham beat FC Frieburg 2-1 in the early stages of our European run, we set a new record for ‘consecutive unbeaten European matches for an English team.’ It’s a mouthful, but it’s still meaningful.

F is for Five or More: which seemed to be the scoring record of teams against us this season. Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Fulham all easily put five (or more, in the case of Arsenal) past us. That’s 25% of Premier League teams. If we opened this up to teams who put four past us, we’d use up our entire word count listing them.

G is for George Earthy: Fans have been begging for more youth involvement this year, and our wishes seemed to be granted

when this academy prospect took to the pitch against Fulham. His first touch was a perfect pass; his second saw him knocked unconscious and taken to hospital. It wasn’t the best omen - but he wasn’t phased, and had a far more fortuitous re-debut against Luton Town, where he scored his first senior goal just a minute after coming on. Expect big things from him, especially immediately after he makes an appearance.

H is for Hammer of the Year: and you won’t believe it - it’s Jarrod Bowen! You’d imagine his shoulders are pretty tired from carrying his teammates all season but he’s still managed to become the first player since Marlon Harewood to smash through the 20 goal barrier (a surprising record to have lasted for 19 years, admittedly) and to match Paolo Di Canio’s 16 goals for West Ham in a single Premier League season. Not bad for a year's work, and a very deserved accolade - unless you’re Mrs Areola.

I is for Ice Cold: aka Kudus’ ice cold goal celebration of taking a seat after a goal - whether that’s by borrowing a stool from a steward or by hopping up on the advertising hoardings. The trouble with greatness is it’s always imitated, and of course everyone got an opportunity to do the Kudus in front of him, as we conceded so many damn goalsbut it was incredibly sweet to see him ‘saving a seat’ for young goal scorer George Earthy at the tail end of the season.

J is for January Transfer Window: which was the catalyst for our terrible 2024. We shipped out extremely useful squad players, and goal-scorers, in Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals, and replaced them with Kalvin Phillips, who gave away goals, got sent off, got injured and never played again.

Years from now, this transfer activity will be scrutinised in criminal trials, so it’s nice to know we’re living through history.

K is for Kickabout: which is what the March second leg against SC Freiburg turned into. For once, West Ham were on the right end of a 5-0 thrashing, and they made beating the Germans look like a walk in the park. West Ham went into the game having lost the first leg 1-0, but goals from Paqueta, Bowen, Aaron Cresswell, and a brace from Kudus sent West Ham flying into the quarter-finals.

L is for Leaving it Late: This season, Tomas Soucek developed a taste for a late winner, scoring a number of goals in the dying minutes of the game to secure a last-grasp win for the Hammers. Against Forest, he scored in the last two minutes, he grabbed a stoppage time goal against Burnley, and in the 89th minute he scored against FK TSC Bačka Topola - all to win the games.

M is for Moyes: Love him or hate him, you absolutely have to respect him as one of the greatest managers in West Ham history. He earned us our first major trophy in 43 years, and kept us in Europe.

The time is right for a changeand maybe a manager who has more than a passing interest in keeping goals out - but he’s given us amazing memories and a sturdy platform to build on.

N is for Nolan: I can’t believe how sad I am at the announcement that Kevin Nolan is finally leaving West Ham United in the year 2024. Nolan helped us to two trophies at West Ham, the play-off final as captain in 2012 and the European Conference league as first-team coach in 2023.

No one anticipated his longevity at West Ham United, but he's become a valuable and integral part of the club's history. We will miss seeing him get booked both on and off the pitch.

O is for On The Road: On fire goalscorer Jarrod Bowen failed to score in away games in the top flight in the 2022-23 season, but he set the world alight at the start of this one as he scored in his first three away games, matching a record previously held by Hammer Vic Watson. If the name is unfamil-

iar, that’s because he’s held this record since the 1930-31 season.

Bowen went on to become the first ever West Ham player ever to net in the first four - and then five, and then six - away games in the season, the latter accolade being a first for the entire Premier League.

P is for P-P-Pick up a Paqueta?: Having a Brazilian international playing for little old West Ham is not on anyone’s bingo card, and so it’s always been a question of how long we can keep him.

Rumour has it that he’s prepped and ready to sign for City and, since the rumour, his effort on the pitch…well you wouldn’t bet your life on him turning up for a game.

The odds aren’t great as City are reportedly still concerned about the inquiry into suspicious betting activities; ironic really, as they love a rule-breaker, City. If we want to keep him, a few trips to Paqueta Island to put some money on him staying might just tip the odds in our favour.

Q is for Quarter Final: as we played in our third consecutive Eu-

ropean quarter final this year! This is a huge measure of progress for little old West Ham, and what an absolute tragedy it was for us to get drawn against the most unbeatable team in the world. We gave them a game to remember and almost beat them. It was a game - and a run - to be incredibly proud of.

R is for Record Breaking: as we set a new Premier League record for West Ham. Congratulations to everyone involved for conceding the most West Ham goals in Premier League history, even beating Avram Grant’s previous record which he held for 13 years.

S is for Should have Signed for a Big Club: It didn’t take long for this to ring out across the London Stadium during Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat and Carabao cup exit at the hands of West Ham. Declan Rice looked dejected, and ‘you have to wonder how long Arsenal can keep Rice if they aren’t winning trophies’ did the rounds online.

We went on to easily beat Arsenal again, this time 0-2 in the league

in December, but by February it wasn’t so funny anymore, when Arsenal went 7-5 up on aggregate as we sat by in stunned silence. Still didn’t win any trophies though.

T is for Top Ten: as we just - and only just - managed to sneak a finish in the top ten, a huge result for a team that spent most of the season in sixth.

U is for Undisciplined: which is a quicker way of writing out Edson Omar Álvarez Velázquez. He’s an incredibly valuable player and is missed when he isn’t on the pitch, which is unfortunate as he does miss games, mostly through behaviour issues.

He racked up an intimidating 11 yellow cards in the Premier League, a further four in the Europa League, and one apiece in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - a real head scratcher when you consider he describes himself as ‘disciplined.’ He saw himself benched at the end of the season for reportedly daring to argue back against Moyes’ tactics against Chelsea. Tactics that saw us lose 5-0, of course, so perhaps ‘tactics’ is too strong a word.

V is for Vital, Valuable, Victorious: no just kidding, it’s for VAR. West Ham had an incredible three goals ruled out in their March draw with Aston Villa, including one that became the Premier League’s longest ever VAR check, topping out at 5 minutes and 37 seconds. If you’re taking over five minutes to review footage, there is nothing clear nor obvious

about it.

We’ve had clear cut penalty appeals turned down against Burnley, Freiburg and Sheffield United. The latter side hauled Bowen to the ground in what Rio Ferdinand would later describe as a ‘stonewall penalty,’ and the player in question said the footage, that was broadcast live on TNT, had been edited to favour West Ham. He then posted an image of him fouling Bowen set to wrestling music on his social media.

A penalty was given to Newcastle when their player stood in front of Phillips while he was clearing the ball. They all know what they are doing, and they are getting away with it.

W is for Whining Wolves: It’s remarkable that in a season full of horrific VAR decisions, it’ll be a correct call that has galvanised Wolves to lead the charge to rid the league of this troublesome pest. Late in stoppage time, Wolves thought they had an equaliser to West Ham’s 2-1 lead - but a lengthy VAR review showed a Wolves player in an offside position blocking Lukaz Fabianski’s view of play and the ball.

Former West Ham player and Wolves manager Gary O’Neill lost his damn mind about it, saying it was ‘possibly the worst decision I have ever seen’, while West Ham fans celebrated the first known correct use of VAR for the east London club. Out of this, the clubs vote this summer on whether or not to keep the controversial season.

X is for X-Rated Gesture: which in this case is courtesy of one Kalvin Phillips. He was captured on film giving the middle finger to West Ham fans after the defeat to Newcastle - when we had been winning until he joined the game, gave away a penalty, and we went on to concede two more goals and lose the match. All in 15 minutes. After being yelled at by fans outside the ground, he flipped the bird at them. Listen, staying around for hours post-match just to tell Phillips he sucks is weird - but everyone knows, when you’re at work you’ve got to keep it professional, and flipping off fans when you’ve been struggling helps no one.

Y is for Year of Achievement: 2023 wasn’t just the year we beat Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal (twice), it was also the year we finally beat Brighton. That’s right, it took until the year 2023 for West Ham to beat Brighton in the Premier League. The Hammers finally coasted to an away win over the seagulls in August, with James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio all grabbing goals as West Ham soared to the top of the table after this historic win.

Z is for Zouuuu: but it could equally be ZZZs as our defence looked asleep for half the season. Jury’s out on how many more Zs we get out of him as it wasn’t his best year. He missed a lot of games through injury and couldn’t grab consistency on the pitch as West Ham conceded their record number of Premier League goals.

Blowing Bubbles writers Lucy Farrell, Geoff Hillyer, Meirion Williams, Brian Penn, Robert Banks, Olivia Elliott, Chris Wheal, Milly Thomson, David Bowden and Emily Pulham help us choose our End of Season award winners

Player of the Season: Jarrod Bowen

Lucy Farrell: Strangely, there were a few options for this, which didn’t seem likely this season. But my vote is for Bowen. He’s had such a big impact in terms of goals and we couldn’t have done without him. Gutted he didn’t get to break his record on the last day of the season.

Geoff Hillyer: Bowen equalled the record for goals scored in a single season in the Premier League alongside Paolo Di Canio. Without him, we would have finished much

lower in the league. Kudus gets an honourable mention here.

Meirion Williams: Bowen as a converted striker was simply outstanding this season and his England call up shows that others thought so too. It has to be Jarrod for me and no it has nothing to do with him being a local Herefordshire lad

Brian Penn: Jarrod Bowen flourished when switched to centre forward and became our top scorer. But how long will we hang onto him?

Robert Banks: Jarrod Bowen continues to improve in leaps and bounds and his 16 Premier League goals beats John Hartson’s Premier League record of 15 goals for West Ham in 1997-98. In fact, he’s our highest individual top flight scorer for 37 years when

Tony Cottee got 22 in 1986-87. Enough said.

Young Player of the Season: George Earthy

Olivia Elliott: It was like it was written in the stars after an unfortunate debut that left George Earthy injured. To come back with the same energy and passion we saw a glimpse of on his debut and to then score on his return it was the perfect story.

Chris Wheal: First a head injury and then that goal. That was some comeback for George Earthy. Moyes seemed to hate young players and rarely gave them a chance. Not many played and not for very long. I hope we see more of our young stars.

Milly Thomson: It hasn’t been the easiest season for George Earthy

in the first team after getting taken off on a stretcher on his debut but every time he has come on he looks so hungry to get on the ball and I loved seeing his reaction after scoring against Luton. Hopefully he gets more chances next season.

David Bowden: George Earthy effortlessly slotted into the Hammers team during his limited time with the squad towards the end of the season. The way he moves on the ball and finds space reminds me in a small way of Phil Foden, and his goal against Luton was my moment of the season. Like many others, I look forward to seeing him thrive in Claret and Blue for years to come.

Emily Pulham: We’ve seen so

few young players come through the ranks lately, so even though we’ve seen very limited glimpses of young George Earthy, he’s done incredible work with his fleeting time on the pitch. He made four senior appearances for West Ham - and scored in one of them within a minute of coming on.

Goal of the Season: Mohammed Kudus v Freiburg (5-0 H)

Brian Penn: Mohammed Kudus v Freiburg Europa League, round of 16. It almost picks itself. An amazing solo effort, picking up the ball in his own half then dribbling through Freiberg's defence, Virtuosity at its very best.

Robert Banks: Only one contender for me – Kudus’ first goal against Frieburg. Up there with the absolute best. If Maradona or Messi had scored that it would be on a continuous loop on Sky Sports. It would have its own channel in fact. It was good.

Olivia Elliott: Kudus’ goal against Freiburg. As soon as that goal went in, I said that’s better than

Rice's goal against Gent. What a run, what a player, and what a goal. He effortlessly went round four Freiburg players from our own half - what an incredible goal!

David Bowden: I am stuck between two Mo Kudus stunners. His wonder goal at the Etihad comes a close second to his solo strike against Freiberg. Watching how he breezed through that midfield and defence was a joy. We are lucky to have him, and you fear we might have to make the most of him while we have him, as it won't be long before the vultures start to circle.

Emily Pulham: Emerson v Brentford. Against Brentford, Emerson found himself in space 25 yards out from the goal. He was searching for the pass when the crowd screamed for him to shoot. This technique normally doesn't workbut in this case, he took our advice to heart and sent an absolute screamer into the back of the net to guarantee West Ham's first win of 2024, in late February no less - showing just how vital this win was for our points tally.

Best Team Performance of the Season: Against Arsenal (0-2 A)

Lucy Farrell: I think the 2-0 win at Arsenal was impressive. Not a game we were expected to win, with what was at stake for the Gunners. We stopped their enthusiastic attacks, scored two and looked confident.

Brian Penn: The 2-0 away win against Arsenal after Christmas is a real standout. A disciplined and controlled performance that stopped Arsenal going top of the table.

Robert Banks: I’ve been watching West Ham live since 1983. The first 45 minutes against Bayer Leverkusen is up there with the best efforts of the boys of 86 or anything the ‘exciting’ teams managed by Redknapp could muster. Sheer effort, focus and intensity. Without Emerson or Paqueta too.

Olivia Elliott: Arsenal away. It was perfect and quite literally a Moyes masterclass performance. Every player on the pitch worked so hard and got the reward at the

end. To win 2-0 against Arsenal and Declan to give away a penalty was the cherry on the cake. Well done boys.

David Bowden: Arsenal away. The game that you could argue ultimately cost Arteta’s men the title. Defensively superb and efficient in attack, it was the ultimate Moyesball, which proved to be the last evidence of the season.

Best Individual Performance of the Season: Jarrod Bowen v Brentford (4-2 H)

Geoff Hillyer: Bowen v Brentford at home. His first career hat-trick, he terrified the Bees all afternoon. Can’t remember the last time a West Ham player scored a hattrick, so this gets my vote.

Brian Penn: Jarrod Bowen's hattrick against Brentford was pretty special. He was been in irresistible form all season.

Chris Wheal: Bowen’s hat-trick at home against Brentford. Three very different goals. In the right place at the right time but with clinical finishing too.

Milly Thomson: Jarrod Bowen vs Brentford at home. It is not often a West Ham player scores a hat trick so I have to give this one to Bowen. After the few weeks of bad results that we had, it was a must win game against Brentford and Bowen made sure that we left with a deserved win.

Emily Pulham: Alphonse Areola v Everton, March 2024. Areola has had a lot of work to do this season with the amateurs in front of him, but some of his best work was during West Ham's 3-1 victory at Everton. Areola made a remarkable nine saves during the match, and saved a penalty. It wasn't quite a clean sheet - but it's just as important to keep out goals as it is to score them.

Pub Talk

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

Looking back to August, what were your expectations for this season in the league and domestic cups?

Lucy Farrell: I suppose as with most seasons, you just want improvement on the last. So I expected us to finish higher than 14th, although that was a particularly poor result so I hoped to maybe match the 7th from the season before. And again, I would have expected to match getting to at least the fifth round of the FA Cup from last season.

Meirion Williams: I always hope for a top 10 finish and a domestic cup final. I thought that the league placing was pretty nailed on with the level of competition but I must admit I was getting a little concerned towards the end. As for

my hope for a domestic cup win, well that was my heart saying that but of course my head said not a chance.

Geoff Hillyer: I hoped for top seven but secretly thought that given the trials and tribulations of the prior season, a top-half finish would be acceptable. I had hoped for progress in the cups, but given the sheer number of games that we played, I do think it was right to prioritise Europe, so I didn’t truly expect to win one. Next season though…

David Meagher: Losing our captain and best player was always going to be tough. I guess we knew he was key to our robust defence, so I worried that we might really struggle but we started well and with Alvarez and Kudus ad-

justing so quickly, I hoped for top seven and a decent run in Europe. We almost realised that, but a thin squad and disastrous January transfer window hit hard.

West Ham Rambles: I was hopeful for a decent cup run in one of the competitions, and a European spot again. I also hoped we would evolve slightly as a team, and move on from 20% possession no matter who we played.

Was there any part of you that thought we'd win the Europa League at the start of the campaign?

LF: There was a little part of me that did believe, yes. I knew it wouldn’t be plain sailing and it depended on the draw, but I felt like we might prioritise Europe

and Moyes would have added incentive to get the bigger trophy. Plus with the final being in Dublin, I got carried away with hope that I’d get to a game down the road.

MW: Like Lucy, I thought we had a good chance of making an all-English final meeting with Liverpool in Dublin. I also agree that the European campaign would be second only to Premier League survival in our list of priorities. It soon became apparent though that there was some pretty big teams in the Europa League this season and so my belief disappeared especially when we drew Leverkusen.

GH: No, I didn’t. I mean, it’s nice to dream, but it’s a harder competition than the Europa Conference League and reaching the final is an achievement in itself. A quarter-final was pretty much what I expected, given how tired the players obviously get towards the back end of the season.

DM: We have shown that we are a decent team in Europe and on our day can put it up to anyone. Dublin for the final always seemed too good to be true, and so it turned out.

West Ham Rambles: No. A step too far with such a skinny, unbalanced quad.

What were your highlights of the season?

good account of ourselves against all odds. We didn’t deserve to be two down after the first leg, and we made it interesting by scoring early in the second leg. Maybe because it was a game of little expectation, it took the pressure off of watching.

MW: I have to be honest I didn’t really enjoy this past season. Some will say our win against Arsenal but for me, it’s probably that second half performance against Luton. We played so poorly in that first half that I fully expected a defeat was on the cards. But then to see us turn it around and especially to see George Earthy getting his first goal was a joy to behold.

DM: Thumping Arsenal twice, beating Man Utd on the eve of Christmas and that amazing Kudus goal were high points but the home game against Leverkusen was truly amazing. The passion on and off the field was almost overwhelming, if only Bowen's strike had gone in…

West Ham Rambles: Some of our attacking play, the trio of Paqueta/ Kudus/Bowen was sublime. Beating Freiburg 5-0 was a thoroughly enjoyable romp!

What would you consider a successful transfer window this summer?

LF: I think we say every year that we just need a bigger, reliable squad. We’re starting to look sharper going forward but need a more consistent goal scorer who will work well with Bowen. We’re weak at the back, so we definitely need to strengthen there. With a new manager in though, it’s hard to know if he’s going to be allowed to choose who the board signs.

LF: Perhaps weirdly, I really enjoyed the two legs against Leverkusen. I thought we gave a really

GH: Beating Arsenal in the League Cup so comprehensively was a nice surprise. I agree with Lucy, I enjoyed the two legs against Leverkusen – there was a little bit of me that was appreciating it because who knows how long it’ll be until that comes around again? And yes, glimpses of the future against Luton gives us something to look forward to.

MW: This is a tough one as the lack of squad depth is a worry. I guess keeping Bowen and Kudus would be a good start. I’m not worried if Paqueta leaves as I think he was on the beach a while ago. The problem is the squad needs strengthening throughout. Centre back is a must. I also agree with Lucy that we need more attacking options. The problem is it seems the West Ham way to make a good striker bad. Let’s

hope our new manager has a few tricks up his sleeve and brings in some fresh blood as we certainly need it.

GH: More squad depth is desperately required. Someone to take the pressure off Bowen. Defensively we’re not good – more than 70 goals conceded last season? Shambles. I do think that the squad is in transition, and more than just ‘tinkering’ is required.

DM: We need a new approach to squad management that thinks much bigger. In the end we were using only 15 players which simply isn't enough. A new manager will surely want two strikers, a total reshuffle at the back and a creative midfielder.

West Ham Rambles: Two centre backs, a proven centre forward, a left-winger, a right back, and that's for starters. Sullivan needs to leave this window to Steiden and get his short arms in his long pockets.

What are your hopes for next season - and also longer term for West Ham?

LF: Improvement into next season is what I normally hope for. Another finish in the European spots would be nice and with no Europe to play in, I think we should really put effort into the domestic cups. Silverware would just be nice. Longer term would be to get that all elusive Europa League trophy in our hands.

MW: A top half finish and if I’m honest, I would be happy to finish 10th as long as we win a domestic cup. Europe was nice but I’m old enough to remember when the FA Cup mattered. I would love us to lift that trophy, it’s been too long since Brooking scored the winner with a header. It’s time to put those years of hurt behind us. Longer term, it has to be Europe but I think we need new ownership to do that. You have to be a rich man's plaything these days to be a consistent every season European team.

GH: I would like a top half finish, but I agree, I would like to see us really go far in at least one of the cup competitions. With no European football to worry about next season, that should be

easier. Longer-term, consistently challenging for Europe I think has to be the aim.

DM: Next season is a rebuilding period and we need to be patient. Top half would be excellent. In the longer term, we are now a much bigger club than in the Boleyn days. Whatever you think about Gold and Sullivan, they delivered on Premier League security, a world class stadium, which we will continue to mould it into a football stadium with time, European action as a regular event and affordable live football - three season tickets with decent views for myself and my boys cost £800 per season which is tremendous value and with Stansted a short spin up the road it's all very doable from a distance. Hats off to the Davidsthe future is bright!

West Ham Rambles: A new style of play under Lopetegui. A younger, more energetic side, playing more attractive football. A run in one of the cup competitions, with a larger squad able to manage the Premier League and the cup competitions. Longer term - a new ownership.

Players we didn’t rate at first

David Blackmore @DavidBlackm0re

There have been many players who have arrived at West Ham with a lot of hype, only to flatter to deceive.

But which players did our team not rate at first but went on to prove us wrong whilst still a Hammer?

For Meirion Williams, it was a ‘World Cup star’ that we signed in August 2010 that proved him wrong.

‘My first thought was that there was no way that would happen but then it was confirmed and it was a player from New Zealand so not exactly a star in my eyes, and so a certain Winston Reid joined the Hammers.

‘I thought let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he will be worth all that hype. But I was there when he made his debut at Villa Park. It was horrendous. A 3-0 defeat where Winston was simply awful.

‘It even resulted in him being benched for the next three months. In the words of Jim Royle, ‘World Cup star! My a**e’. But how wrong was I?

‘He was a slow burner. That first season was him just warming up and he soon became one of the first names on the teamsheet.

‘He scored some memorable goals and even got his own terrace chant. Sadly injuries put paid to his West Ham career but Winston certainly proved me wrong during his time in the claret and blue.’

‘We should’ve known better than to dismiss

Reid, Green, and Vaz Te’

There are players that haven’t excited us when they arrived at the club but went on to prove us very wrong

It was another defender that Emily Pulham didn’t rate when he first arrived at West Ham. ‘I wasn’t just unimpressed when we signed Craig Dawson; I was angry.

‘I thought it was a signing that lacked any ambition, that would cause us to leak goals, and that it would be the worst signing of my lifetime.

‘I’ve never been so glad to be wrong; Craig was an incredibly reliable and determined player. He committed to every game he played and threw himself into blocks with an extremely useful disregard for his own safety.

‘He became an incredibly valua-

ble player and we continue to miss him after he returned north for family reasons.’

Milly Thomson agreed: ‘I knew many Watford fans at the time we signed Dawson and they were practically laughing at me after the season he had, so I was fearing the worst when we started him against Southampton.

‘But since that incident with Che Adams he went on to be one our most solid centre backs. From the many challenges against Sevilla at home to scoring away at Lyon. He is a player I would happily bring back now.’

For Marcus Johns, it was a

certain shotstopper who went on to represent England at the World Cup.

‘“If Rob Green could play for England so could I” was the rather outlandish claim that I, someone who had previously played in goal for a club in the 7th tier before giving it all up to play a different sport, made when he was called up for the national squad following Norwich's relegation.

‘He hadn't particularly impressed me from the small clips I'd seen on Match of the Day and in my eyes, looked more like a farmer than an international goalkeeper. This irrational disdain seemed somewhat justifiable when during a 2006 World Cup warm up game, he managed to rupture his groin taking a goal kick and missed out on the tournament.

‘With Green still injured, it was a shock to me when I saw that we had signed him for £2m. What did we need him for I wondered?

‘We had just signed Roy Carroll and Jimmy Walker was back to fitness too. What a mistake we had made, I thought. Well, as we all know, the mistake was mine.

‘Whilst his injury meant it was a few months until we saw him, what a player he turned out to be for us. Consistent, commanding, and a great shot stopper.

‘Indeed his bedding into the side coincides with the turnaround we encountered in the Great Escape season - the performance away to Arsenal in our 1-0 win away being one of the all-time great individual performances in our club’s history.

‘He even went on to win back his England place in time to start

the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, but the less said about the US game, the better.

‘So, whilst I had pre-judged reservations based on nothing but small clips, I've never been so pleased to have been wrong. For me, still the best goalkeeper since Ludo, Rob Green - I salute you and your wonky finger.’

Ex-Spurs winger Matthew

Etherington was a player that a then teenage Lucy Farrell was unimpressed with when he arrived at Upton Park.

‘In 2003 I was 15 and had a season ticket, so when we signed players I wanted them to all be exciting internationals. Etherington didn’t fit that bill. Judgy, teenage me was also unimpressed that he came from Spurs.

‘Over the course of that season, he went on to win me, and many other Hammers’ fans, over. He was quick, he had some flair and he was determined. We were playing in the Championship, so we needed players like that to get us out of it.

‘He was pivotal in getting us to the play-offs and won Hammer of the Year. Then he played a big role in getting us to the final by scoring in the 2-0 win over Ipswich in the second leg of the semi-final. That is still one of the greatest moments of my West Ham supporting life.

‘It’s fair to say that not all of his five and a half seasons were as rip-roaring, but he still turned my opinion around from being lessthan-impressed, to being a really important player across at least two seasons that were crucial in

our modern history.’

And speaking of players from London rivals arriving to east London, Robert Banks admits he wasn’t keen on the signing of one particular Arsenal striker.

‘I wasn’t keen on the signing of Ian Wright in the summer on 1998. For a start, I had hoped that West Ham had moved away from buying big name washed-up has-beens especially after the scorching season that Hartson, Kitson and Berkovic had just enjoyed.

‘Wright to me, was past it, arrogant and just there for the money. It took approximately 84 minutes of his debut for me to change my mind as he slotted in the winner at Hillsborough celebrated with the West Ham fans like he’d been there all his life.

‘Only a short spell – 26 appearances but nine goals, including a magnificent brace at St James’s Park in a 3-0 win, and 100% commitment reflected in nine yellow cards and one red. Not one of them was deliberate.’

Fast forward 14 years, and Olivia Elliott wasn’t a fan of one of then manager Sam Allardyce’s signings.

‘Big Sam knew Ricardo Vaz Tê from managing Bolton when he signed for West Ham in 2012, and at the start, myself, my brother

and Dad would joke about him only playing well when the sun was out as he would just stand where the sun was shining onto the pitch

‘He hated the shade and we found whenever he was in the shade he would give the ball away but in the sun he turned into Messi.

‘We weren't sold on him at first as we weren't too sure if he was good enough to play due to his inconsistency every week. Now after scoring the winning goal in the Championship Play-Off final, which I still thought he put it over the bar, it’s quite hard to not like him.’

David Bowden agreed with Liv’s choice. ‘When the Portuguese winger joined the club, he was enjoying a steller Championship season, so on paper, it looked like a good signing. But I wasn't convinced.

‘His career had taken him to Barnsley, and his injury record wasn't great. It seemed his purple patch at the start of the season had saved his career and when Big Sam came calling he naturally leapt and the chance.

‘In my mind, I just hoped that he could handle the bright lights of London and West Ham and turn into a flop. Boy, was I wrong; it wasn't a purple patch and a classic case of not judging a book by the cover.

‘He continued to bang in the goals, and it could be argued that the former Bolton man scored the most crucial goal in recent West Ham history. I will forever be grateful to him for giving me

my Bowen-in-Prague moment as someone who wasn't lucky enough to be in the Czech capital.

‘His last-minute strike at Wembley will live with me forever. Sadly, his injuries did predictably catch up with him. But he scored plenty of important goals for the club and will always be remembered for that Wembley moment.’

Paul Brand’s choice was a player who came good against his better judgement before the gloss of the Premier League.

‘Mike Small was our original Antonio. My first impression was of a big lump with an ungainly touch.

‘But thanks to Trevor Morley being incapacitated by an even more ungainly domestic spat, he was the best we had and promptly proved me wrong by going on a scoring streak that led to semi-ironic calls for an England call-up.

‘Eighteen goals in all for a team rock-bottom in the league was a handsome return. Sadly, he couldn’t do it in the new First Division, getting sent off in the first game of the 1992/93 season and barely featuring thereafter.

‘After leaving West Ham, the only goals he ever scored were for Sligo Rovers, so perhaps my first impression wasn’t too far off after all.’

For West Ham Rambles it was a certain Yossi Benayoun that he didn’t rate at first but grew to love him over time.

‘When he signed, he was one of those players that had been hyped for a while, and I thought he'd end up playing a couple of times, and never be seen again.

‘How wrong, I was? What a player. Hints of Devonshire, and Ian Bishop and a joy to watch, a real West Ham-type player.

‘I remember his first goal, against Villa, in a 4-0 win, and then that chipped goal against Fulham.

‘Looking at his stats, he scored eight goals and provided five assists for us over 78 appearances - it felt like more.

‘I was gutted when he moved on to "bigger things" and went to Liverpool. He never quite went on to hit the heights I expected, but I loved every minute he played for us.’

And finally, for Chris Wheal, it’s a player currently plying his trade at London Stadium that he wasn’t initially convinced by.

‘James Ward-Prowse was Mr Moyesball in midfield. He passed the ball backwards three times as often as he passed it forwards.

‘His first glance around him was to ask “who’s behind me?”. It just seemed like he’d been told to play by the laws of rugby and only pass the ball sideway or backwards.

‘Every TV commentator and radio pundit spent the entire season saying what a hot-shot he was from the set-piece. Google him and there are YouTube videos of the “set-piece specialist” and “Every James Ward-Prowse freekick goal”. Sadly he’s wearing a Southampton shirt in all those clips.

‘I spent the entire season asking when he was going to do that for us. And then he slotted that corner straight into the net against Wolves.’

Brian Penn

Looking back on standout European nights at Wembley and Upton Park

It’s not just been recently where West Ham have thrived against teams on the continent

As the dust settles on a thrilling if disappointing campaign in Europe, it's worth reflecting on the club's level of success over the years.

Nine seasons in Europe have produced two wins, one final, two semi-finals and two quarter-final appearances.

Only twice have the Hammers failed to reach the last eight. Two ill-starred qualifying campaigns between 2016-2018 have been excluded.

Epic failures against Astra Giurgiu in consecutive seasons merits no more than a passing nod. But in 60 years of European competition West Ham have enjoyed some memorable nights:

European Cup Winners Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg: Home v Lausanne, won 4-3 (23 March 1965): The Hammers were 2-1 up from the first leg, and the return

at Upton Park seemed a straight forward task. However, an exhilarating game ebbed and flowed to an exciting conclusion.

It was the visitors who struck first as Kerkoffs headed home. West Ham looked vulnerable with the tie poised at 2-2. However, Eli Tacchella put through his own net in the 42nd minute; while Brian Dear scored after the goalie parried a Sealey shot.

The Swiss roared back in the 49th minute as Hertig capitalised on a defensive error. The pendulum briefly swung against West Ham as they absorbed intense pressure.

Relief was at hand as a Martin Peters header made it 3-2. But Lausanne came back yet again as Eschmann squared the game with a memorable overhead kick. Brian Dear scored in the final minute and finally put the game to bed.

European Cup Winners Cup Final at Wembley v Munich 1860, won 2-0 (19 May 1965): West Ham reached the final with an all English line-up, a rare feat even in the 1960s.

Their opponents Munich 1860 were cast in the same stylistic mould and favoured flowing, attacking one-touch football. They had already been crowned Bundesliga champions and would be formidable opponents. The pace and movement of two evenly matched sides was breathtaking to watch.

However, the game remained goalless for over an hour. But then Ronnie Boyce slipped an inch perfect pass through to Alan Sealey who rammed home a thunderous strike.

Bobby Moore inevitably claimed an assist for the Hammers’ second and decisive goal. He clipped in an inviting cross that hit Martin Peters and fell to Alan Sealey who duly obliged.

For Ron Greenwood it was fulfilment and vindication of how the game should be played.

European Cup Winners Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg: Home

v Den Haag, won 3-1 (17 March 1976): At one point the Hammers were 4-0 down in the first leg, and on the receiving end of some highly dubious decisions.

A brace from Billy Jennings kept the tie alive at 4-2. A surprisingly lightweight attendance of 26,000 witnessed a memorable turnaround. The Dutch game plan looked obvious as we were caught offside on 18 occasions.

Alan Taylor made the breakthrough in the 28th minute. Five minutes later Frank Lampard connected with a Trevor Brooking pass to level the tie.

In the 38th minute Tommy Taylor was felled in the penalty box. Our very own captain fantastic Billy Bonds steps up and converts with ease.

With the Hammers 5-4 ahead on aggregate it would be a nervous second half. Shoemaker’s goal on the hour left us with a win on away goals.

European Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg: Home v Eintracht Frankfurt, won 3-1 (14 April 1976): The Hammers got off to a flier in the first leg as Graham Paddon struck a 30 yarder in the ninth minute.

Eintracht later edged to a 2-1 win but West Ham stole a priceless away goal. By April Upton Park’s pitch was a curious mix of sand and putrefied mud.

Add a good old fashioned April shower and it looked like a scene from a really bad horror movie. It remained goalless at half time. Four minutes after the restart Trevor Brooking ghosted in with the header no one seems to

remember.

That would have been enough to take the Hammers through on away goals; but then a sumptuous pass from Brooking found Keith Robson, who initially mis-controlled but then buried a looping, rising shot.

A wonderful individual display from Trevor Brooking was capped by a third goal. A nervous finale was guaranteed as Eintracht pulled a goal back through Beverungen.

Various body parts were put on the line as West Ham set out to survive the onslaught; Frank Lampard caught the ball between his knees on the goal line, and the Upon Park mud pools also played their part.

But the final whistle blew and West Ham were through to their second Cup Winners Cup Final.

European Cup Winners Cup Final at the Hysel Stadium v Anderlecht, lost 4-2 (5 May 1976): A claret and blue army of 10,000 travelled to Belgium for the final.

At the time Anderlecht were one of the best club sides in Europe. Hope turned into ecstasy when Pat Holland slipped behind the full backs to put the Hammers ahead.

Then disaster struck as Frank Lampard misjudged a back pass and tore a stomach muscle. Anderlecht were suddenly back on terms.

The incident forced Lampard’s substitution which altered the gameplan. The Belgians edged ahead as Francois Van der Elst scored early in the second half.

However, Trevor Brooking’s curling cross found the head of

Keith Robson to level at 2-2. It was a short lived reprieve as Anderlecht swamped the Hammers and added two more goals.

It had been a classic final in much the same vein as 1965 but minus the happy ending.

Intertoto Cup Final 2nd Leg: Away v FC Metz, won 3-1 (24 August 1999): A fifth place finish in the Premier League would ordinarily have nailed a UEFA Cup spot. But the vagaries of qualification demanded we qualify via the Intertoto Cup.

Two preliminary rounds subsequently matched the Hammers against Metz, a useful side that included Louis Saha.

Trailing by a single goal the outlook looked bleak for the return. However strong travelling support roared them onto a famous victory.

West Ham raced into a 2-0 by half time with goals from Trevor Sinclair and Frank Lampard. Louis Saha made us sweat with a goal in the 70th minute. But Paulo Wanchope sealed the win twelve minutes from time.

Europa League Round of 16 2nd Leg: Home v Sevilla, won 2-0 (17 March 2022): A 1-0 deficit from the first leg was retrievable but Sevilla would still be a stern test.

Six Europa League titles gave them a certain mystique, and the players needed the fans to play their part. A record attendance didn’t let them down as the rumble of ‘irons’ carried around the stadium.

Tomas Soucek converted a Michail Antonio cross to level the aggregate scores. But the match

drifted into extra time. It took an Andriy Yarmolenko goal in the 112th minute to cap a memorable night.

Europa Conference League Semi-Final 1st Leg: Home v AZ Alkmaar, won 2-1 (18 May 2022): On the threshold of their first European final for 47 years the Hammers made a nervy start to the tie.

Alphonse Areola fumbled Tijjani Reinders’s low shot to leave them a goal behind at the interval. The fightback began in the 67th minute when Jarrod Bowen was fouled by AZ goalie Mat Ryan. Said Benrahma converted the penalty and would soon perform the service again. Fifteen minutes from time Michail Antonio stabbed home the winner after Aguerd’s header was blocked on the line. It was a narrow lead but ultimately good enough to send us through.

Europa Conference League Final at the Fortuna Arena v Fiorentina, won 2-1 (7 June 2023): The night that framed a thousand memories for the fans. Some of whom were too young to remember the last time West Ham won a major honour.

Thousands descended on Prague, most locked out by a feeble capacity in the Fortuna Arena. The Italians dominated possession in the early exchanges. They had a goal disallowed and Declan Rice went close in the first half.

Patience paid dividends in the 62nd minute when Biraghi handled in the area. Said Benrahma coolly slotted the penalty home. We were enraptured for five whole minutes.

Then Giancomo Bonaventura clinically finished a smart move. The minutes ticked ominously down to extra time and penalties. Five minutes into added time inspiration struck.

With the stroke of a cultured left foot Lucus Paqueta repaid the £45 million he cost to buy. His pass tripped the offside trap and set Jarrod Bowen free.

Somebody must have leaned on the slo-mo button as a powerfully struck shot passed under the goalie and into the back of the net.

David Moyes danced down the touchline like a five-year old on Christmas morning. The universally hated white shirts with orange trim was suddenly the ‘must have’ accessory for fans. What a difference a game makes?

Europa League Round of 16 2nd Leg: Home v SC Freiburg, won 5-0 (14 March 2024): Victory in the Conference League secured a spot in the Europa League and a record busting third consecutive season in Europe.

The Hammers finished top of their group ahead, and the only blemish to an otherwise perfect record was an away defeat to Olympiakos.

West Ham drew Freiburg in the round of 16. We had already beaten the Germans twice in the group stages, so a 1-0 defeat in the first leg was mildly surprising.

The return produced a record 5-0 victory in European competition. It also featured one of the goals of the season, a stunning solo effort from Mohammed Kudus.

In Pictures: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Moyes’ final season in charge

Dawud Marsh reviews the season through his camera lens and reflects on the highs and lows

European Football: The Europa League has offered some amazing games under the lights and there is nothing like European football on a Thursday evening. Those games were electric and the atmosphere alone gave you goosebumps.

Jarrod Bowen: An absolute stand out player for us this season, who has ended an almost 20 year wait for a player to score 20 or more goals in a season. He is able to change games with his driving runs, and with Kudus and Paqueta in the team, we have the potential to score against any team on their day.

A leaky defence: Our defence has been shocking this season with heavy losses home and away. We ended the season with the highest number of goals conceded in a top flight season since 1917/18 season when we conceded 68 goals.

Beating Man Utd: We had an early Christmas present with a fantastic home win against Manchester Utd. Bowen and Kudus were on the scoresheet, and the result lifted us to sixth in the table at the halfway point in the season. Life as a West Ham fan was pure heaven.

Defensive mistakes: There have been far too many to mention this season but the one that sticks out in my mind is Ogbonna making an horrendous error against Backa Topola in September.

Kalvin Phillips Loan: He joined in January in an attempt to fight his way into the England squad for the upcoming Euros. But the loan ended early through a calf injury and can only be described as a disaster.

Substitutions:

Sixty minutes into the match, regardless of how we are playing or whether we are winning or losing, Moyes was always ready to make a substitution. There was often no real rhyme or reason to who came off or on to the pitch.

Arsenal Hammering:

It doesn’t get much worse than being thumped at home by London rivals Arsenal but the 6-0 defeat was surely one of the worst displays by a West Ham Utd team in a generation.

UGLY

UGLY

Olivia Elliott @LivistarOlivia

‘He’s

clocked up 200 games but how much longer will Tomas be here?’

Is Soucek’s time as a Hammer coming to an end with Moyes leaving and a new era starting?

With the departure of Declan Rice we saw a glimpse of how high Soucek can play up the pitch and actually have an effect on the game this season.

However, it seems that when us fans all spotted the freedom he had, it seemed to all of a sudden stop and now he hasn’t been as high up the pitch as we first thought.

I have an incredible amount of love for both our Czech Republic kings Soucek and Coufal.

I think they both work really hard in every game we play. They rarely miss any minutes through injury and always have their name on the starting line-up sheet.

Tomas Soucek has scored six goals for us in the Premier League this season which is on par with

how many Rice has scored for Arsenal.

Soucek only scored two goals in the Premier League last season so you can see a slight difference in how far up the pitch he is playing to score these.

Soucek has clocked up more than 200 games now for West Ham but it seems to be that some West Ham fans aren’t enjoying

watching him play.

I remember being at a few games last season and Soucek was getting some abuse thrown at him for being in the starting 11.

All I can say to that is he isn’t the one who gets to pick whether he starts or not so to give the player some abuse was wild to me.

He wasn’t going to say no he isn’t going to play because I truly believe he loves this club and gives it his all.

He is one of those players who you will scream for him to be taken off and want someone else on the pitch but you will then see the massive hole it leaves and will be screaming for him to come back on the pitch.

It’s a tough one because he is a good player and I know he gives it 100% but we don’t really have any other options on the bench.

Soucek has been known for working hard on the pitch and actually has an average of playing 83 minutes of football.

He worked so hard against Leverkusen and was arguably one

of the best players on the pitch.

When I saw he was in the starting lineup against Palace I was shocked. Although he is probably the fittest player in our squad by playing every game, I do think he looked absolutely knackered against Palace.

Soucek’s best moments this season have probably got to be scoring against Everton and doing the helicopter celebration.

I just laugh every time he does it but that goal against Everton is by far his best goal for West Ham.

He caught the ball on the half volley and put it in the top corner. Something about scoring away from home is so much more special and that goal was a brilliant one to score away.

Not only can he score with his head but he can also score a goal on the half volley.

I do still think Soucek offers us something in this squad. I actually noticed something when we played Liverpool and when Van Dijk took out Bowen on the half way line the ref played advantage but nothing came from our attack.

The ball went out 30 seconds to a minute later and Soucek ran over to the ref and I presume he said you have to go and talk to him about that tackle as he was pointing to where Bowen got taken out.

I think we need more of that in our team. I always say we are far too nice towards the opposition and the officials.

I’m not by any means saying we need to get in their faces and scream but by going over to the ref like the other 100s of players in the league do, mentioning a tackle or incident that happened will help remind the referee.

I think Soucek helps this team out massively and although he might’ve dropped off form recently he still offers us the attacking and defensive player he is.

I hope our new manager understands when he needs to have a break because he plays every game for us and he does sometimes either need a break in the starting line up or just a game or two off to help his body recover.

@whealie

It’s time to put MPs under a bit of pressure ahead of the election

When rain-soaked Rishi Sunak stood outside Number 10 to call a snap general election, he pulled the plug on the long-fought-for regulator for English football. With widespread cross-party support, it was thought that the Bill that grew out of the Fan-led Review of English Football might go through on the nod.

There is an official procedure when Parliament is about to end. If the opposition and government

can agree on either entire bills, or elements within them, they can be voted through in the final days before Parliament is dissolved. This procedure is called Wash Up.

The Football Governance Bill was still under scrutiny among MPs. There were elements of disagreement still. So instead of wash up, the Bill was washed out. This was a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. But all is not lost. It might be

that both main parties agreed not to include the Bill in wash up because they want to campaign on the issue. A lot of voters are football fans.

Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher famously invented Basildon Man as the stereotypical hard working ordinary bloke who was determined to get ahead and make a better life for his family. This might be a way for sometimes distant politicians to show they

The West Ham United Supporters’ Trust want us to push the Football Governance Bill up the agenda

Chris Wheal

are on the side of Basildon Man.

The thing that was never mentioned about Basildon Man is that he would have been a West Ham fan. It’s not something that’s escaped the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust (WHUST).

WHUST has a former civil servant on its board. Nick Drane has been working closely with the Football Supporters’ Association on the Football Governance Bill. He wants fans to use the election as a chance to push prospective MPs and parties to commit to real regulation.

He says: ‘The key next step is for the FSA and fans to press parties and those likely to be senior ministers in a new government to include in their manifestos a commitment to implement the Fan-Led Review in full.’

Drane believes there is hope. He suspects a Labour government might be more inclined to go for tougher regulation or to extend the scope of the regulator’s powers. But the Tories too might offer more if they think fighting for fans can win round voters.

'The delay is two edged,' Drane says. 'It’s disappointing because it means prolonging uncertainty for clubs and fans, but it is an opportunity to get a better Bill.'

The elephant in the room when MPs were discussing the now washed-out bill was ticketing. The word did not even appear in the Bill.

The Fan-Led Review said ticket prices should not be regulated.

Ticketing – rising prices and the end of concessions – is something WHUST has been pushing to be included.

The FSA had been resistant, up until now, wanting to get a regulator on the statute books and to work on strengthening it later. But with that now down the drain, WHUST’s Drane thinks we have more opportunity.

The FSA has been gathering supporter groups’ signatures to write to all party leaders. It demands that should they win the election, they agree to work with the FSA in a new Parliament to reintroduce legislation in the first King's Speech.

WHUST will be pushing within the FSA for ticketing and ticket prices to be included. We will also be urging West Ham fans to raise this with local candidates in the coming weeks ahead of the general election.

The figures on this year’s season ticket price rises speak for themselves. The table shows how the abolition of concession prices in all but the cheapest two bands will hurt families at what West Ham still likes to call 'the home of affordable family football'.

WHUST told MPs scrutinising the Bill: 'A regulator that cannot regulate the cost to consumers and protect concessions will be no regulator at all.'

From Cole to Collins, should former players return to previous clubs?

Paul Brand tests the conventional wisdom that returning to old haunts results in disappointment Never

There is a sizeable contingent among us who have refused to get off the tube at Upton Park or take a stroll down Barking Road since Barratt Homes turned the Boleyn Ground into Upton Gardens. Going back would be too painful. But at least you could ease the pain with a pint at the immaculately refurbished Boleyn Tavern. And it’s not as if you’d be expected to put on any sort of performance all these years later or be the exact same person that you once were. It's perhaps easy to see why players are routinely advised

against trying to recapture past glories.

The mantra of 'try, try again' should not apply to aging bodies and/or bruised egos. Yet it can also be tempting to return 'home', to a place where you felt loved or were at your best.

However, even Carol Ann Duffy (remember her from GCSE English?) has advised against trying to turn back time.

In a poem that shares a title with this article, she wrote, ‘The smoky mirrors / flatter; your ghost buys a round for the parched, / old faces

of the past. Never return / to the space where you left time pining till it died.’

I don’t suppose Frank McAvennie has ever read any Duffy, but perhaps he should have.

Casting my own mind back, with a little help from Google and social media because, like the reflexes of an ageing goalkeeper or the finishing of a geriatric striker, the grey matter’s not as sharp as it once was, I’ve put together a horribly lopsided first XI of players to have pulled on the claret and blue across separate epochs.

Shaka Hislop: His fine early form (Hammer of the Year 1998/99) was rewarded with the high-profile signing of David James, resulting in the relegation of Hislop to the bench and the Hammers to the Championship.

Redknapp took him to Portsmouth before Pardew brought him back and rotated him with Roy Carroll. Sadly, the defining image of his second spell is diving in vain for Steven Gerrard’s Cup Final piledriver although, in fairness, it probably would have taken a pair of goalies to stop that most depressing of great goals.

George McCartney: The hybrid Beatle always felt like more of a Herman’s Hermit, a reputation for being steady if unspectacular damning him with faint praise, which is perhaps a bit unfair on the 2007/08 Hammer of the Year runner-up (stint one) and 2011/12 Players’ Player of the Year (stint two).

Being traded back and forth between Sunderland and ourselves can’t do much for one’s self-esteem so credit to George for the quiet consistency that makes it difficult to differentiate between his two periods in east London.

Julian Dicks: There are plenty of reasons to dislike Liverpool but Graeme Souness taking my favourite player away from Upton Park when I was barely out of short trousers is right up there.

At least they were good enough to return him quickly, albeit a tad diminished by the enervating experience of a year up north.

The first five years of hard-man heroics for an embattled West

Ham would have been enough to secure cult-hero status but five more, including being top scorer in 1995/96, makes him a bona fide legend.

Joe Cole: He immediately follows Dicks as another personal favourite it hurt to see leave. His performances in the 2002/03 relegation season were a mesmeric blend of skill and tenacity.

“

Moyes refutes the 'never go back' theory more strongly than any player.

It’s just a shame nobody else seemed as bothered, the ensuing fire-sale taking him from us before full bloom. There was nostalgia in having him back but the second dance was undoubtedly more sedate.

James Collins: Initially played second fiddle to Danny Gabbidon. Spell number one ultimately went well enough to earn a move to Villa but if it had ended there he’d be little more than a sidenote in our Premier League history.

But 134 further games saw the Ginger Pelé easily surpass the likes of Gabbidon, Upson and Dailly in club folklore.

Lee Bowyer: After an underwhelming cameo in our 2002/03 relegation, Bowyer opined that he had 'unfinished business' so came

back in 2006 to complete the half-arsed job of representing his boyhood club.

Bryan 'Pop' Robson: A native Mackem equally at home in east London as the North East, Robson was a proto-McCartney in alternating between Sunderland and West Ham, however he did so with a little more gusto.

Some 104 goals split evenly between two three-year spells at the Boleyn is a healthy return and the latter-day Robson caught the eye of a young Tony Cottee, who has enthused about learning tricks of the goalscoring trade (if not hairstyling tips) from the venerable 'Pop'.

Syd Puddefoot: None of us is in a position to cast judgement on Puddefoot’s time (1913-1922 and 1932-33) from personal memory.

The facts, however, indicate that his first decade with 102 goals in 158 games, culminating in a world-record, crowd-funded £5,000 transfer to Falkirk of all places, was immeasurably better than the twilight year, which saw him score three goals in 22 games and relegation.

But it appears we were doomed to the drop before Puddefoot returned, so he is absolved of blame.

And we’re not gonna cast shade on someone who had the nerve to cross the Turkish divide by managing both Fenerbahçe and fierce rivals Galatasaray. Plus, he played cricket for Essex, so clearly an all-round good egg.

Iain Dowie: Some stars are meant to burn bright for a limited time only. Dowie could never be

our 1990/91 promotion charge –his four goals in 12 games were enough to light the way back to the elite.

It wasn’t clear he himself belonged there so we packed him off to Southampton for a small profit. And he didn’t exactly set the world alight at Saints or Palace so it was a bit of a mystery why we brought him back a few years later.

Always an honest trier, and best of luck to him in his current recovery from a cardiac arrest, it’s regrettable that Stockport were the main beneficiaries of the big man’s second spell.

Tony Cottee: The 1986 PFA Young Player of the Year was still only 23 and fast approaching 100 club goals when Everton, forlornly trying to recapture their glory years, paid a handsome sum for our crown jewel.

Cottee fared better in Liverpool than Dicks after him but he never really belonged there and his homecoming six years later felt a

there was scant hope of he or the team recapturing the zip of ’86, especially partnered with the likes of Marco Boogers and Dani rather than…

Frank McAvennie: The warning signs were there from the moment he appeared on Wogan. It is alleged he only returned to London from Celtic to be near his model girlfriend and celebrity lifestyle.

Then Chris Kamara snapped his leg and he reportedly discovered cocaine in his downtime. Frankie Mc was scoring in all the wrong places, but his loveable rogue persona means he’s still regarded fondly by the masses despite never coming close to recapturing the earlier magic.

And what of the manager’s chair? David Moyes is the only one to have sat in it twice, although Bonds, Redknapp and Bilić all mortgaged their playing reputations to have a crack at being gaffer.

It’s arguably the most exposed

teammates to share the flak.

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall of the boardroom when Moyes was invited back at the bitter end of 2019.

He had every right to tell Sullivan where to shove it but truth is his stock was still low as no other club had shown serious interest since his original short-term deal had expired, and the redemption arc was incomplete.

Moyes refutes the 'never go back' theory more strongly than any player. And when asked if he could be tempted back if West Ham came calling a third time, he replied, 'You never say never in this game. I’ve always enjoyed my time here, so who knows?'

My advice for Moyesy? Second time was a charm, much as a few misanthropists attempted to sour it, but evidence suggests this is the exception rather than the rule.

Don’t chance the hat-trick because you’re not known as a prolific goal-scorer.

The first thing and one of the biggest things that have changed this year is our on growing fan base for the women’s side.

Compared to the other teams in London, we have always had one of the smaller fan bases and we rarely ever sold out our stadium,

But this year that has changed massively. Also the fact that the men’s side will not be playing as much on a Sunday, there will be a higher chance we see even more fans at the Chigwell Community Construction Stadium next year. Also by having more fans at the club it allows more money.

With that in mind, that links to my second point of having more money put into the club.

Over the last two years we have generated a lot more money which we have used to bring in better players but also change our stadium to the one we are in now to create better atmospheres and experiences and year on year we are starting to see this.

The next area is how we are finding ways to interact with the fans to give them more reasons to come down and cheer on the girls when we have needed them the most.

For example, before many of the home games our injured players have done meet and greets and shirt signings with the fans who have match day tickets.

The players and manager have given the fans a very close connection and have given them even more reasons to go back especially for the younger fans. I also believe it has shown the

Seven things we have learnt about West Ham women this season

Milly Thomson reflects on a season of transition and looks ahead to the future with hope of success

players how many fans are truly connected with our wonderful club.

Through the last four years we have changed manager three times and I believe this hasn’t helped us grow as they have all come in with different styles of play and wanting different players.

It seems now as we have given Rehanne Skinner a long contract, we will have her for at least a few years.

The end of the season after she got two transfers windows you could tell how she wants to play and which players fit her model.

This has given me hope, going forward, that we will be a lot more successful and hopefully we have another good few transfer windows and keep backing Skinner and we can witness some very good times at West Ham.

The fifth thing I’ve taken away from this season is one thing that needs to change next season is our defensive display.

This season we have conceded 45 goals in the league and the league consisted of 22 matches. A lot of our goals came through players being free in the six-yard box.

It didn’t help that we were dealt with many injuries defensively this year but with this in mind we so need to sign a few more players in these positions. We need to ensure that we sort out these issues going into the 2024/25 season.

On the other side of this we had two great strikers this year with both managing seven goals each and one assist in the league. If we can keep this form and add a few players around them to help create more chances next season, they could both easily be hitting 10 or more goals next year and that will be a huge help in helping us get to where we want to be.

The final point, and one of the best points, is how we are now attracting a higher calibre of players for example these include American World Cup winner, Kristie Mewis, and Australian internationals, Mackenzie Arnold and Katrina Gorry.

It just adds to the point that our club is on the way up and if the manager and her team can keep being backed well she can bring in so many world class players.

We caught up with Man City fan Reece Carter, Aston Villa supporter Stuart Southgate, Arsenal fan Nathan Frost, and Luton supporter Finn Cannon to give their view on West Ham’s campaign

Your thoughts on West Ham’s season?

Reece: West Ham have done well but not as well as I thought they would. I thought they would finish higher in the table with the squad they have and qualify for Europe again. However, they got far in the Europa league and I would like to see them fighting for that position again next season.

Stuart: You’ve done really well. You’ve played more games than nearly everyone around you and I think finishing 9th is probably a kick in the teeth for your fans but it’s incredible to see how far you’ve come when only a handful of years ago you were fighting down the bottom.

RIVALS TALK Olivia Elliott’s

(Just don’t blame her for the answers)

ably wanted to finish higher but the inconsistency of results and losing games where you should’ve won let you down. However, you did pick up points where everyone was against you to get anything so credit where credit is due.

and hopefully you’ll be back soon.

What player from West Ham would you take?

Reece: Other than the obvious one being Paqueta, after seeing Kudus play at the Etihad, I would take him. He went round four or five of our players multiple times that game. I think the players were just as shocked as us fans were. You have a fantastic player there.

Nathan: A decent season for West Ham and probably just about right finishing in 9th. I think you prob-

Finn: They’ve done really well despite not qualifying for Europe again. The team is probably exhausted from the amount of games you’re playing so close together and the travelling to and from other countries. I would’ve loved to have seen you in Europe again next season but there’s always the season after. Well done for the Conference League trophy

Stuart: Personally I really like the look of Alvarez. He seems to hold your midfield and be the core of your team, minus Bowen. I would take a winger from you like Kudus and Bowen but we have too many of them ourselves. But Alvarez is a brilliant player. Every time I watch West Ham, he gets stuck in and that’s what we love as football fans.

Nathan: We’ve already taken Rice so we can’t be that greedy. If I had to take one I’d probably take Kudus. He's a brilliant player and I think the way he’s able to somehow keep the ball at his feet is mind blowing. Sometimes you

think it’s just luck but with him you just know he knows exactly what he is doing.

Finn: If I had to pick one I’d take Bowen. What a player he has turned out to be. He can score and assist goals. He’s always there to put it in the back of the net and knows what he’s doing when he’s got the ball. He makes great decisions and I just hope that we can find a player like him.

What are your hopes for next season?

Reece: To keep on winning the Premier League. We need to keep up this run with winning it now and can’t let it drop. We have to keep fighting as all the teams around us are getting stronger. We go into the so-called ‘easy’ games with that mentality and come out the wrong end. We need to remember this is the best league in the world.

if we’re dealt with a nice group. But if not, I’d love us to win a trophy whether that be the FA cup, Carabao, or dare I say the Premier League. We’ve proven we’re serious and the squad and manager we have can take us there.

Nathan: To win the Premier League. It's frustrating that Arsenal have come so close for the past two seasons now but next season I think we will do it. The effort is there but we need to pick up points against City to be able to win the league.

Finn: To come back to the Premier League. I know it’s a league where all clubs are brilliant, that's why everyone wants to play in it. But we had some great results against some clubs and we have proven we can beat them. I just hope it’s not too long until we are back.

Your thoughts on Man City winning the Premier League?

Reece: It never gets old. It just gets better every time. To do it four on the trot after the season we’ve had, being knocked out of the Champions League, it’s incredible. Especially being able to keep Arsenal's hands off of it for another season.

best teams in the world or should I say they were chasing us. It’s unfortunate but that’s how the game goes and hopefully next season we can come out on top or at least finish with a trophy.

Your thoughts on Aston Villa qualifying for Champions League football?

Stuart: It’s what dreams are made of. To think we could be playing Real Madrid away next season is crazy to me. Aston Villa have worked so hard all season and have really shown us fans and the rest of the league that we can actually push and play Champions League football.

Your thoughts on Luton being relegated?

Stuart: To get as far as we can in the Champions League hopefully we can get out the group stages

Your thoughts on finishing runners up in the Premier League?

Nathan: We gave it a good run and I’m happy with the season we have had. It’s always so difficult when you’re chasing one of the

Finn: It probably was always going to happen but there’s always that “but what if” hanging over you. We have had some really unlucky results with opposing teams scoring late on in the game. We gave it a good try and we enjoyed ourselves. Just hopefully we will be back.

LAST WORD Lucy's

It’s going to be interesting to see the remoulding of Moyes’ squad

If West Ham fans could have a catchphrase, it would probably be: ‘We didn’t do as well as we’d hoped’.

We live in expectation every season, but are so often left wanting more. Whether it’s league positions, cup runs or signings, for as long as I’ve been supporting West Ham, we’re just one step behind where we want to be.

This is a big summer coming up for Lopetegui. A small squad was a big issue for the last couple of seasons but there are also players that need to go.

We need strengthening defensively, definitely. It was a woeful read to look at the goals against last season, and that was with a ’keeper who could have been player of the season for us.

It’s no small task for a new manager to come in, make a team his own and then live up to the expectations of a board and the fanbase the following season.

It’s a shame not to continue our European run into next season - we’d have loved the chance to go to the next level and win the Europa. Surely it’s only a matter of time.

But as the old saying goes, at least we can concentrate on the league.

That being said, there have been some highlights from this season - thumping Arsenal in the League Cup, putting in a good shift against Leverkusen, signing

James Ward-Prowse. It's not all been bad.

Having a shake up will be interesting. David Moyes really ended up making this team his own, sometimes against the will of the board and the fans.

We're hoping for more attractive football, a top half finish and probably a decent domestic cup run. I personally can't see all three being realistic targets, but of course I'd love to be wrong.

This summer, we've got the Euros to look forward to. Fingers crossed for Jarrod keeping his place in the squad, but he's got really stiff competition.

He's been brilliant for us again this season, he deserves the place and he deserved the coveted Hammer of the Year trophy too. We'd be lost without him.

Hopefully the summer competition will be a great shop window for our new manager and a success for European Hammers.