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How many wins this season?
Moyes said in his latest press conference ahead of Saturday’s away game at Nottingham Forest:
“I think you set up your team to get a result, regardless of the opposition. We want to keep up the good results we’ve had, and if we can pick up another five or so wins this season it will get us in a good position.”
“Five wins from 14 games and he thinks that’s acceptable?“ a member or the Austrian Irons supporters club asked. “What an inspiration he must be in a team talk,” he added ironically.
West Ham have ten wins and six draws from 24 games to their account this season, with none of these wins having come in 2024. There are still 14 games to play, and achieving another “five or so wins” doesn’t sound very ambitious. But taking into account that the Hammers are still to win in 2024, victories in more than a third of the remaining fixtures wouldn’t be bad, but far from guaranteeing European qualification again.
Only if West Ham were going to win the Europa League they wouldn’t need to finish in a European spot in the Premier League! But with a lack of ambition in the transfer market in January which left the Hammers with an even thinner squad than before, I fear it won’t be an easy spring for us.
But anyway, come on you Irons, maybe a string of good results is only one victory away!
A Nightmare of an Afternoon
West Ham verlor zu Hause erstmals seit dem schwarzen Neujahrstag 2007 gegen Reading (0:6) wieder mit sechs Toren Unterschied – diesmal gegen Arsenal, das in den 15 Minuten vor der Pause vier Treffer erzielte (Saliba, Saka/Elfmeter, Magelhaes, Trossard). Nochmals Saka und Declan Rice sorgten für den 6:0-Endstand. West Ham ist 2024 immer noch sieglos!
Da war mehr drin!
West Ham United fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat away to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the Hammers enjoying more shots and opportunities than their hosts in the first half, David Moyes’ side went in a goal down at the interval after Rasmus Højlund’s well-taken finish.
Tomáš Souček and Ben Johnson went closest for the Irons, registering decent chances just before and after Højlund’s strike, and the away side were a tad unfortunate to be trailing at the break.
But a clinical edge in front of goal was lacking for West Ham at Old Trafford with Michail Antonio and Lucas Paquetá still out injured. And to be trailing at halftime meant that the task of winning and keeping the Red Devils at bay in the table had become an “up hill battle” because Man Utd. never have lost a Premier League game at home if they were in front at the interval.
West Ham also had a chance at the beginning of the second half, but when Emerson squandered this one, the Hammers were made to pay by Erik ten Hag’s side almost immediately afterwards. Alejandro Garnacho struck twice, four minutes into the second half and also five minutes from the end, while Jarrod Bowen missed an other gilt-edge opportunity.
This defeat, the first one in the league since the 0-5 at Fulham in December, brought an end to the Hammers’ six-game unbeaten league run (3 wins in December, but only 3 draws in January), and the Irons now have been leapfrogged by Man Utd. in the table.
Benrahma and Fornals quit
Anscheinend war es einem Mitarbeiter im Sekretariat von West Ham nicht recht, dass zwei verdiente Kicker der Hammers den Klub im Winter verlassen sollten.
Wie Olympique Lyon, das Saïd Benrahma (28) verpflichten wollte, in einer Aussendung am Freitag nach Transferschluss mitteilte, habe West Ham “trotz wiederholter und kontinuierlicher Erinnerungen seitens OL nie das technische Verfahren eingeleitet”. Aufgrund des “Fehlens dieser Gegenreaktion seitens des englischen Klubs und aufgrund dieses unverständlichen Verhaltens, das Fragen aufwirft, konnte die internationale Transferbescheinigung nicht vor Ablauf der Frist angefordert werden“, und der Deal schien geplatzt.
Ähnliche Probleme gab es auch beim Wechsel von von Pablo Fornals (27) zu Real Betis.
Doch der Vollzug der Transfers war nur aufgeschoben und die Unterlagen konnten offenbar noch nachgereicht werden. Beide Spieler wurden am Freitag von ihren neuen Klubs präsentiert.
Saïd Benrahma war jener Spieler, der im Europacup-Finale 2023 in Prag die Courage hatte, den Elfmeter zu schießen, den die Hammers nach Foul von Biraghi an Jarrod Bowen zugesprochen erhalten hatten. Der Algerier behielt die Nerven und verwandelte zur 1:0-Führung gegen Fiorentina. West Ham gewann schließlich mit 2:1 die Europa Conference League!
Auch im Halbfinal-Heimspiel gegen AZ Alkmaar (2:1) hatte Benrahma einen Penalty verwertet, und der nun ebenfalls abgegebene Pablo Fornals war es, der im entscheidenden Rückspiel gegen die Holländer nach einem Solo von der Mittellinie das Siegestor in der 94. Minute das 1:0 erzielte und dann auf den Zaun sprang, um mit den Fans den Finaleinzug zu feiern.
Danke, Pablo und Saïd, für eure Zeit bei West Ham. Sorry to see you go….
Benrahma war 2021 von Brentford gekommen, Fornals kam 2019 von Villareal und verabschiedete sich nun mit einer Videobotschaft von den Fans.
55 years ago today …
Vor genau 55 Jahren traten die Beatles zum letzten Mal zusammen live auf: Für den Film „Let it Be“ spielten die Beatles am 30. Jänner 1969 zur „lunch time“ auf dem Hausdach des Apple-Gebäudes in der Londoner Savile Road Nr. 3 unter anderem „Get Back“. Das unangekündigte „Rooftop Concert“ fand an einem grauen Wintertag für die Öffentlichkeit vollkommen überraschend statt.
Da man auf der Straße die Musik zwar hören, aber die Musiker nicht sehen konnte, stiegen Angestellte der umliegenden Büros auf Balkone und Dächer und in der sonst vor allem für ihre Maßschneider-Shops bekannten Savile Row drohte wegen der wachsenden Zahl von
Neugierigen und Fans ein Verkehrschaos.
Deshalb schritt nun auch die Polizei ein, und Polizisten klopften an die Tür des Apple-Gebäudes. In dem über das Kontert gedrehten Film sieht man Apple-Mitarbeiter und Produzent George Martin im Gespräch mit den „Bobbies“. Man erwartete, dass die Polizei das Konzert beenden würde. Paul McCartney soll der Gedanke durch den Kopf gegangen sein: Was für ein tolles Ende, die Beatles beim Live-Auftritt verhaftet!
Tatsächlich aber baten die Beamten nur freundlich, dass man doch wenn möglich etwas leiser spielen solle.
42 Minuten dauerte das Konzert, bei dem die vier Beatles das erste Mal seit dem 29. August 1966, aber gleichzeitig auch das letzte zusammen live auftraten. Am Keyboard wurden sie dabei von Billy Preston begleitet. Zum letzten Mal vor dem 30. Jänner 1969 waren die „fab four“ am 1. Mai 1966 gemeinsam auf einer britischen Konzertbühne gestanden, das letzte Mal in ihrer Heimatstadt Liverpool waren sie während ihrer letzten England Tournee am 5. Dezember 1965 aufgetreten. Ihr allerletzter großer Live-Auftritt war ein Konzert vor 25.000 kreischenden Zuschauern im Candlestick Park von San Francisco gewesen. John Lennon sagte damals:
„Wir hatten für alle Zeiten genug von den Auftritten. Ich kann mir keinen Grund vorstellen, der uns zu einer weiteren Tour veranlassen könnte. Wir sind ehrlich erschöpft. Es gibt uns nichts mehr – es ist den Fans gegenüber wirklich nicht fair, das wissen wir, aber wir müssen an uns selber denken.“
Dann kam 1967 das Gesamtkunstwerk „Sgt. Pepper‘s“ und ab jetzt war jedenfalls nicht mehr daran zu denken, die Sound-Kunstwerke der Beatles vor kreischenden Menschenmassen live zu spielen.
Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play…”
Zurück zum „Rooftop-Konzerts“, bei dem unter anderem auch „I’ve got a feeling“ und „Don’t let me down“ gespielt wurde: Am Ende bedankte sich Paul bei den wenigen auf dem Dach anwesenden Gästen, während John mit gespielter Nervosität fragte, ob sie das Vorspielen bestanden hätten („have we passed the audition?“). Und das war‘s dann – vor 55 Jahren hatte man zum letzten Mal die Beatles in London live hören können, seither kann man ihre großartigen Songs nur mehr von der Schallplatte oder CD hören, auf Spotify streamen oder sich ihre Auftritte auf YouTube anschauen…
Das gefilmte Material, in dem man auch sieht, dass es ziemlich kalt gewesen sein dürfte – John Lennon und George Harrison trugen Pelzjacken und Ringo Starr den roten Mantel seiner Frau Maureen, nur Paul McCartney kam mit einem dunklen Sakko aus – schnitt Regisseur Michael Lindsay-Hogg später übrigens so zusammen, dass der Eindruck entstand, die Polizei hätte das Konzert abgebrochen. Als der Film schließlich unter dem Titel „Let it be“ in die Kinos kam, hatten die Beatles sich bereits aufgelöst. Am Ende des Songs „The End“ auf ihrer nach „Let it Be“ aufgenommenen LP „Abbey Road“ heißt es:
„And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love
You make …“
The Magic of the FA Cup
Not since Blyth Spartans in 1978 have a team from outside the top five tiers of English football reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, but yesterday it was Maidstone United (from Kent, southeast of London) to do the same in 2024! They defeated Championship highflyers Ipswich Town 2-1 away to reach the fifth round proper of the FA Cup.
Their supporters, players and manager George Elokobi were overcome with emotion afterwards and now hope to be drawn against a Premier League club away in the next round!
“It would help us with the finances to ensure that we are sustainable for the next couple of seasons,” former Wolves defender Elokobi said.
“It will also give our fans another historic day out – something they really deserve. If we can have another big tie away from home then the magic of the FA Cup is still very much alive.”
Kalvin Phillips signed…
… on loan until the end of the season. He was confirmed by West Ham as their first signing of the window yesterday. This signing reminds us of an other loan signing from Manchester who also got highly popular at London Stadium. But contraty to Jesse Lingard, it was reported that there was an option to make the deal permanent in the summer. Though other reports deny that an option to buy clause is included in the loan contract with Kalvin Philips.
Anyway, this is a brilliant signing. The 28-year-old England international could play a pivotal role in West Ham’s midfield when the Hammers push for silverware in the Europa League and will try to remain in a European spot in the Premier League. The Irons have already dropped out of both domestic Cup competitions, but sit sixth in the top flight and have reached the round of last sixteen of the Europa League.
Phillips joined City from Leeds United in the 2022 close-season for around 45 million pounds, but was sidelined due to a shoulder injury, and never got really going at Manchester since his move. The defensive midfielder is vying for a spot in the final England squad for the Euros in five months, and regular playing time at West Ham could not only help the Hammers, but also the player stay on manager Gareth Southgate’s radar.
“I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season,” said Phillips, and added that he is “pleased”, and “cannot wait to play for West Ham”.
He can make his West Ham debut on Thursday as the Hammers will host Bournemouth at London Stadium.
Points dropped in drama
And after West Ham’s draw with Sheffield there was more drama later that Sunday when West Ham Women played Tottenham in east London. The claret and blue ladies lost the derby late in the second half though twice coming from behind in this game.
Wimbledon, it wasn’t to be
For the second time in little more than a year I tried to watch a game of AFC Wimbledon, only to get informed again shortly before the match that it was postponed…
Being a West Ham supporter I always would prefer to watch the Hammers when I am in London, but if they are not playing or playing away, I thought I still would be happy to watch a decent game of English league football played by other teams.
With West Ham playing at Sheffield this weekend, therefore I had a look at the plethora of other fixtures of the upcoming weekend and finally made up my mind to attend the game of QPR v Millwall.
But when I tried to book a ticket online it turned out that I was unable to book. Therefore, just having arrived at London some days prior to the game, I rang the box office of the west London club. They told me that in case I had not bought a QPR ticket before, it was impossible for me to get a ticket via the box office because of security restrictions applied for this derby game. However, I should write an email to the Club and try to get a ticket anyway.
I did so, but unfortunately the answer which arrived less than a quarter of an hour after my enquiry read:
Hi Wolfgang,
Many thanks for your email. Unfortunately we are unable to sell tickets to supporters who registered on our database after 12th December 2023. This is because Millwall is a derby match and this a restriction that has been put on by the police. Other games are available to purchase but it is just this one game that has the restriction.
Someone who has previous booking history at QPR can purchase a ticket on your behalf but sadly this is the only way we can get round the restriction.
We are sorry to give you a disappointing reply regarding this.
Many thanks
Khalim
Box Office
Queens Park Rangers Football Club
I did not know any QPR fans in London and didn’t want to search for someone with a previous booking history at QPR, therefore I was quick to scrap my plan to watch that game, and decided to move on and have another look at the fixtures played in London this weekend.
As I had already bought a ticket for a game of Wimbledon AFC some time ago, and the history of the south London club being founded in 2002 by former supporters of the original club which had relocated to Milton Keynes, miles away in Buckinghamshire, is quite interesting from a fan’s point of view, I lightheartedly swapped the Hoops for the Dons!
To buy a ticket online for Wimbledon’s League Two match against Crawley Town was no problem at all with their Plough Lane ground not having sold out on the Thursday before the game. And playing Crawley Town FC from West Sussex, there were obviously no security restrictions preventing me from buying a ticket. The email saying “Thank you for your order” was received immediately after having made my payment online.
Though with my history with Wimbledon I shouldn’t have been too complacent with this purchase! It was in December 2022 that I had already planned to watch a game of Wimbledon AFC. However, some hours before kick-off, I had received an email saying:
Dear ticket holder,
We are sorry to announce that today’s game has been postponed.
Everyone has done everything they could to make sure it went ahead, but the weather decided otherwise.
We will keep everyone posted on the updated fixture details as soon as possible.
Any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out.
We hope to see you in the new year!
With best wishes,
Sophia Axelsson, Women’s General Manager
But back then it had rained AND had been cold. This time the weather in London had been dry, though really unusually cold. There had been no rain or snow since our arrival on Wednesday evening, therefore I was not aware at all of possible problems with the pitch this time.
However, what did I see when I opened the BBC fixtures list on Saturday:
League Two
Wimbledon P-P Crawley
Match postponed – Frozen Pitch
Too bad! My second attempt to watch the Dons, and neither their Women’s team in 2022, nor their men’s squad in 2024 was willing to show their football skills in front of me!
I asked for a refund, and on Saturday evening the reply was in my inbox:
Hi Wolfgang,
Your refund has been issued; this usually takes 3-5 working days to show back onto your payment card.
Kind regards
Mandy Bynon
Club Office: 020 8547 3528
AFC Wimbledon
Thank you, Wimbledon! I had a nice walk on this Saturday afternoon instead, relishing the wonderful London view from Hampstead Heath.
But what have I learned from these unpleasant incidents with other football clubs?
They reply quite quickly to emails, but only to tell me that I cannot attend their respective fixtures.
Well, to be clear: football is not just entertainment, it’s much more than this. Football should only be watched when having “a history” with a club.
It seems the “gods of football” don’t want me to cheat on West Ham and have an affair with an other London club. Therefore I will be true claret and blue in the future, and stick with the Irons!
AFC Wimbledon might hold the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches in English senior football according to Wikipedia (having played 78 consecutive league games without a defeat between February 2003 and December 2004) and they may have a peculiar history (having been founded by their fans). However, I will stick with that club being founded as “Thames Ironworks FC” by shipbuilding workers which never will be unbeaten for more than some games, and always are likely to suffer an upset like losing 0-5 at Fulham or going out of the Cup against minor opposition…
Come on you massive Irons, champions of Europe, that’s what you are! Get back to winning ways today against Sheffield Utd away!
Well, you could argue that I still could have watched West Ham’s women’s team on Sunday evening playing Tottenham, but other commitments prevent me from going. Therefore l just can keep my fingers crossed and have a close look on my iPhone this afternoon and evening to learn about West Ham’s fate this weekend!
Come on you Irons!
EXTRA TIME 
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