A disappointing afternoon
Graham Potter had got two weeks of preparations ahead of West Hamâs match against Brentford as the Hammers didnât have to play last weekend when the fourth round of the FA Cup had taken place.
But one could only wonder what the manager and his squad had done within this time. West Ham were shockingly weak in the first half of their game against Brentford.
They were lucky to go into the interval only 1-0 down as two more goals scored by the âBeesâ were disallowed for offside. The Hammersâ display in defence as well as offence was dire and pathetic, and the halftime whistle was greeted with boos from some parts of the West Ham supporters.
The Hammers started into the game much better in the second half; with three changes made by Graham Potter who brought on James Ward-Prowse, Evan Ferguson and young Oliver Scarles in the 46th minute. And immediately there was much more energy and attacking spirit – at least within the first ten or 15 minutes after the break. But unfortunately Mohamed Kudus missed the Hammersâ best chance almost immediately after the break when new loan signing Evan Ferguson had played him free at the edge of the box. And albeit the crowd were getting behind the team and there was a sense that the Hammers could at least take a point from this encounter, there weren’t many more clear-cut opportunities to get an equaliser, and Brentford was able to see the game out.
That was a very disappointing afternoon for the West Ham faithful and me at Stratford. We all were âSADDENED BY: West Ham’s inability to score a goalâ, as Iain Dale put it in his Sunday newsletter a day after the game.
And also the way back to the hotel was tedious. It was raining and an east London Saturday evening traffic jam made the trip agonisingly slow. Bloody London! In the end I got off the bus and took a black cab for the last few miles paying over the odds for this ride back from West Hamâs defeat.
Some ham, bread, olives, red wine and Dubai chocolate as well as worship music helped to get into a better mood at last⊠but still âbloody footballâ somehow had ruined the day.
Tomorrow Beethovenâs Fifth Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall as well as a Sunday service at HTB hopefully are going to raise the spirit!
Fehlstart
Update: auch das AuswÀrtsderby gegen die Wiener Austria ging 1:2 (1:1) verloren.
Update 2: LASK – SK Rapid 2:1 (1:0)
Wembley Toni
John Barbuti wrote an interesting piece on Austrian footballer Toni Fritsch in BBC Football Extra. Ahead of this weekendâs Super Bowl and on the day when Austrian football finished its winter break, we remember a player who scored historic goals for the Austrian national team at the home of football, even earning him the nickname âWembley Toniâ, before switching to American Football, setting records and winning the Super Bowl. Toni is unique in having been an international footballer who went on to have a successful NFL career.
Aged 20, he was a promising striker for Rapid Vienna but would have been almost completely unknown to English football fans until he scored twice in five minutes as Austria beat England, twice coming from behind, 3-2 (0-1) on 20 October 1965 at Wembley, highlights available thanks to British Pathé.
This was an England side just months away from becoming World Champions, an England side that had only ever lost twice at home to sides outside the UK and an England side expected to thrash Austria.
Toni had other ideas, almost single-handidly silencing 65,000 fans when he scored in the 73rd and 80th minute but, alas, this was not to be the start of a very glorious football career. Toni three times won the Austrian Nationalliga and twice the ĂFB Cup with Rapid Vienna, but no further international goals would follow in nine matches, and also for Rapid the striker didnât hit the back of the net regularly in his 123 league games for the green-whites.
Therefore aged 26, Toni thought that a change was needed, and it came when NFL side Dallas Cowboys set up their “Kicking Karavan” in Vienna and Toni had a trial with them. His first attempts at scoring field goals with the egg-shaped football were pretty successful. The scouts put a deal to Toni, the new recruit putting pen to paper on a contract he probably understood little of not knowing a word of English.
âAs if written by Hollywood, Fritsch’s kicking success helped the Cowboys to the Super Bowl in his first season (1971), but injury ruled him out of the game itself. He had earned his Super Bowl Ring though and next season his influence only grew, setting a franchise record for field goals. He also, as you can watch here, introduced the Rabona to the NFL, using it at a crucial moment in a playoff game.
Fritschâs NFL career lasted from 1971 to 1982 and was very successful. He had seasons leading the league for kicking points scored and three where he was top for field goal kicking percentage. He received Pro Bowl and All Bowl honours and 20 years after winning the Austrian title in football, was coming out of retirement to play for the Houston Gamblers where he would have an 84% field goal success rate.
He was to settle in Houston, but regularly returned to his birth city of Vienna. Tragically, on one such visit, he died aged 60, suffering a heart attack on 13 September 2005. Tickets were found in his jacket for the following night’s Champions League clash between Rapid Vienna and Bayern Munich. The crowd observed a minute of silence in his honour. In 2011, the âToni-Fritsch-Wegâ in Vienna-Floridsdorf (21st district) was named after him.
What an extraordinary story written by the ex-Rapid Vienna player Toni Fritsch!
Three In in the Window
New West Ham manager Graham Potter who replaced Julen Lopetegui by the beginning of January oversaw a quiet transfer window. West Ham had to wait until Deadline Day to recruit a much-needed forward following the injuries to Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Niclas FĂŒllkrug. The new signing is someone Graham Potter knows very well in Evan Ferguson, who has joined on loan until the end of the season from Brighton. In his first interview after signing for the Hammers Evan explained that he considers himself an “old school number nine” who just wants to score goals.
Potter gave the 20 year old Irish international his Premier League debut at Brighton. Letâs hope Evan will do well at London Stadium and score the goals which help West Ham move up the table and bring some delight to their suffering fans. Unfortunately West Ham have not included an option to buy in their loan deal with the Seagulls which means that Evan might have to return to Brighton in the summer.
An other Deadline Day signing is James Ward Prowse who was recalled from his loan to Nottingham Forest. JWP has only made three late substitute appearances in the Premier League since Christmas, and his comeback at West Ham should be a fresh start and a new opportunity for the player who did very well under David Moyes before he left for Nottingham in the summer.
West Ham’s first signing of the window was young striker Josh Landers (17) who joined from Hibernians Edinburgh and will play for the Hammers’ development squad.
With manager Graham Potter’s arrival West Ham have also appointed a new head of recruitment: Tim Steidten was replaced by Kyle Macaulay who already worked with Graham Potter at Chelsea and Brighton. It is understood Steidten did not lead West Hamâs recruitment in the January transfer window.
West Ham have loaned out Maxwel Cornet to Genoa and young defender Michael Forbes to Colchester Utd.
1 W – 1 D – 3 L
Graham Potter has managed the Hammers in five games so far, starting with a narrow 1-2 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round. In his next game Fulham was beaten 3-2 at the London Stadium, followed by a 0-2 home defeat to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace and a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa away. In this week’s Monday night game West Ham took the lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but conceded two goals in the second half and condemned Graham Potter to his third defeat in five matches. West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen had returned from injury in this game and scored the first goal (his sixth of the season) for the Irons.
The next game will not take place on the upcoming FA Cup weekend due to West Ham’s defeat in the third round in Graham Potter’s first game in charge. Therefore their next match will not be played before Saturday, 15 February, 3 p.m. at London Stadium against Brentford.
I am looking much forward to this game, having bought a ticket for it from the Ticket Exchange! Let’s hope that on this trip to London I will be able to witness a West Ham win!
Come on you Irons!
West Ham Women in League Cup semifinal
West Ham United womenâs team are through to the semi-finals of the Subway Womenâs League Cup!
First-half goals from Seraina Piubel and Kirsty Smith helped wipe out Martha Thomasâ tenth-minute opener away at Tottenham Hotspur, and following their 2-1 triumph, the Hammers will now travel to Chelsea in the final four on either 5 or 6 February.
New signing Verena Hanshaw did not play in the League Cup on Wednesday, but has already joined up with the squad.
West Ham United: M. Walsh ©, Smith, Cooke, Såez, Mengwen (Denton 63), Siren (Gorry 63), Bergman Lundin, Piubel (Asseyi 63), Harries (Ueki 96), Pavà (Tysiak 85), Martinez
Subs not used: Szemik (GK), BrynjarsdĂłttir, Zadorsky, Houssein
Goals: Piubel 39, Smith 44
Was wollte er damit sagen?
Wer auf einer politischen BĂŒhne bei einer politischen Rede vor einem teils rechtsextremen Publikum den rechten Arm schwungvoll und mehrmals schrĂ€g in die Höhe reckt, macht den HitlergruĂ. Es braucht da kein “vermeintlich” oder “Ă€hnlich” oder “umstritten”. Die Geste spricht fĂŒr sich, sie ist im Video dokumentiert. Wer sie dann uminterpretieren will, wer den HitlergruĂ nicht sehen will, tut das auf eigene Rechnung. Wer beispielsweise gerade jetzt meint, den Ă€lteren “RömergruĂ” als vermeintliche Musk-Referenz entdecken zu mĂŒssen, beweist damit vor allem seinen Willen zur gefĂ€lligen Umdeutung.
Musk hat also den rechten Arm ausgestreckt und lĂ€sst alle drĂŒber springen â das ultimative Stöckchen. So beginnt am Tag der Inauguration nicht nur formal die zweite PrĂ€sidentschaft Donald Trumps. Auch das damit verbundene Aufmerksamkeitsregime wird so gut sichtbar wie selten zuvor.
Denn darum geht es: Aufmerksamkeit. Sie ist das umkĂ€mpfteste Gut in einer Welt, in der prinzipiell in jeder Sekunde jeder Schnipsel, jedes Bild, Video und Zitat um Aufmerksamkeit buhlt. Trump und Musk sind Meister in diesem Wettbewerb. Vor allem, weil es ihnen gelingt, selbst negative Aufmerksamkeit fĂŒr sich zu nutzen. Siehe HitlergruĂ.
Denn was jetzt passiert, ist absehbar: Neonazis und Rechtsradikale dĂŒrfen den gestreckten rechten Arm als VerbrĂŒderungs- und BestĂ€rkungsgeste deuten. GemĂ€Ăigte, wohlwollende AnhĂ€nger als eskalierte Jubelgeste. Und alle anderen stehen vor einer unmöglichen Wahl: entweder den Tabubruch ignorieren und so zu dessen Enttabuisierung beitragen. Oder ihn als Tabubruch markieren und so die Empörung produzieren, an der sich dann wiederum die Gegenseite ergötzt und hochzieht. Man kann das beklagen, aber man muss wohl damit rechnen, dass es einem relevanten Teil der Menschheit mittlerweile nur noch als virtue signaling gilt, den HitlergruĂ zu skandalisieren.
Die politische Rendite ihrer Aufmerksamkeitssiege besteht fĂŒr Trump und Musk nicht nur in der Gewöhnung des Publikums an ihre konkreten Positionen und ihren Stil. Sondern generell darin, dass sie es sind, die darĂŒber bestimmen, woran man sich gewöhnt. Dass sie die gröĂte Macht haben ĂŒber das Fenster des Sagbaren.
Vor 30 Jahren hat der Politikwissenschaftler Joseph Overton das Konzept vom “Overton-Fenster” erfunden. Es teilt die politischen Ansichten ein in die populĂ€ren, sinnvollen und die gerade noch akzeptablen Positionen, die innerhalb des Fensters liegen. Und in die radikalen und undenkbaren Positionen auĂerhalb. Politik gemacht werde letztlich nur innerhalb dieses Fensters, meinte Overton, und wer wirkliche VerĂ€nderungen wolle, mĂŒsse deshalb das ganze Fenster verschieben. Das ist es, was seit Jahren geschieht. Bis schlieĂlich, im Januar 2025, ganz am rechten Rand im Fenster des politisch Akzeptablen, der HitlergruĂ sichtbar wird.
Ehrenwert, aber hilflos
Lenz Jacobsen meint in seinem Kommentar auch, die Aufrufe, man dĂŒrfe sich an politische Ungeheuerlichkeiten “nicht gewöhnen”, seien zwar ehrenwert, aber hilflos, weil Menschen Anpassungswesen seien, Gewöhnung sei eine der wenigen Konstanten der menschlichen Existenz.
Kann man also gar nichts dagegen tun, dass das âPolitikfensterâ sich immer weiter und weiter nach rechts verschiebt? AfD-Chefin Alice Weidel sagt mittlerweile öffentlich, dass Hitler ein Linker war.
Es bedarf Standhaftigkeit und Mut, um sich dem stetigen WeiterrĂŒcken der Politik in eine Richtung, die Menschenverachtung, Rassismus und Unbarmherzigkeit salonfĂ€hig macht, zu widersetzen und zu verhindern, dass man vielleicht sogar selbst ein StĂŒckchen âmitrutschtâ in diese Richtung.
Mut, wie ihn die amerikanische Bischöfin Mariann Edgar Budde bei einem Gottesdienst in Anwesenheit von Donald Trump am Tag nach dessen Angelobung bewiesen hat, als sie sagte, der neue US-PrĂ€sident möge sich barmherzig zeigen. Sie sprach dabei unter anderem von Menschen ohne gesicherten Aufenthaltsstatus, denen unter dem neuen PrĂ€sidenten âMassenabschiebungenâ drohen. Auch wenn ich nicht in allem, was sie sonst sagte, mit der Meinung der Bischöfin ĂŒbereinstimme, das war mutig!
Trump meinte dazu zunÀchst nur, der Gottesdienst sei nicht gut und sehr langweilig gewesen. Bald darauf aber schrieb er auf social media, Budde und ihre Kirche schuldeten ihm eine Entschuldigung.
ZurĂŒck zu Elon Musk: Ein HitlergruĂ ist ein HitlergruĂ ist ein HitlergruĂ. Was soll das, Herr Musk????
DafĂŒr bedĂŒrfte es einer Entschuldigung des kĂŒnftigen Co-Leiters des Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) und gröĂten Wahlkampfhelfers von Donald Trump! Die tapfere Bischöfin Mariann Edgar Budde muss sich fĂŒr gar nichts entschuldigen!
Auch Papst Franziskus hat Trump vor der AmtseinfĂŒhrung aufgefordert, von âHass, Diskriminierung und Ausgrenzungâ Abstand zu nehmen, und hat die geplanten Massenabschiebungen als âSchandeâ bezeichnet.
Verena Hanshaw joins WHU
Austrian defender Verena Hanshaw is the first Austrian to play for West Hamâs women’s team.
The Vienna-born defender started her career at USC Landhaus Wien in 2009, making 15 appearances and scoring her first professional goal in the process.
A year later, she made her first international appearance for Austriaâs U17s and would then go on to represent their U19s before breaking into the first team.
She made her maiden appearance on the international stage in 2011 and has gone on to play a further 109 times to date.
She shone at UEFA Womenâs Euro 2017 as Austria progressed all the way to the semi-finals of the competition. Hanshaw also started all four of Austriaâs matches at UEFA Womenâs Euro 2022, but they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Germany.
Verena Hanshaw is now the third Austrian player to have signed for West Ham in the Clubâs 130-year history, joining Emanuel Pogatetz and Marko ArnautoviÄ.
Hanshaw enjoyed a very special first day at West Hamâs training ground Chadwell Heath, as she celebrated her birthday on 20 January, and was surprised with a birthday cake at the end of her first interview with the Club!
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