15 years ago today
… Peter Pacult taught the boys to play – and Aston Villa’s nightmare against Rapid Vienna began.
On August 20, 2009, Rapid and the Villans met in the first leg of the Europa League play-off at Rapid’s Hanappi Stadium. Rapid scored a very quick goal immediately after the kick-off through Nikica Jelavic’s header.
I remember that I celebrated much too enthusiastic by spilling my beer onto the floor of the former North Stand, second tier, our favourite stand in Rapid’s old ground where my friend Alfred and I usually were sitting. I also remember that Nigel Reo-Coker, the former West Ham skipper who now played for Aston Villa, made a bad foul which annoyed me so much that I started swearing at him.
But apart from that there was nothing to be annoyed, but very much to be amazed: The score remained 1-0 and Rapid travelled to Birmingham with a narrow lead and the chance to reach the Europa League group stage which was played this season (2009/10) for the first time.
The second leg in Birmingham was lost 1-2 by Rapid, but thanks to their away goal, scored again by Croatian striker Jelavic, the “green-whites” qualified for the group stage. Manager Peter Pacult called it his „most beautiful defeat“, and there was more beauty to come: Rapid started their Europa League group matches with an emphatic 3-0 home win over Hamburger SV and a brave 1-1 draw away against Celtic Glasgow.
The next season saw Rapid and Aston Villa paired together again and the nightmare returned for Aston Villa. This time the first leg in Vienna ended 1-1. Therefore this time a defeat at Villa’s ground would not be enough and really the unexpected happened: manager Peter Pacult’s men this time won away courtesy of goals by Atde Nuhiu (who had also scored Rapid’s goal in the first leg), Mario Sonnleitner and Rene Gartler.
Hence the hero of 2009, Nikica Jelavic, wasn’t missed. He had gone on strike to force a transfer to Glasgow Rangers which eventually took place; later he played for Everton, Hull City and West Ham.
This season Aston Villa has qualified for the Champions League for the first time, and Rapid is in the Europa League play-off against SC Braga.
Come on you boys in green!
Traumstart in die 3. Liga …
…für Dynamo Dresden. Nach dem verpassten Aufstieg in die Zweite Bundesliga startete Dynamo Dresden mit zwei Siegen in die neue Saison, zuerst 2:1 auswärts gegen Viktoria Köln und dann ein spektakulärer 4:2 „coming from behind“ Heimsieg gegen Cottbus!
Und im DFB Cup am Sonntag schlug die SG Dynamo die in der 2. Bundesliga spielende Fortuna Düsseldorf mit 2:0 (1:0) und stieg in die zweite Runde auf!
Zwei Niederlagen für Claret and Blue…
…innerhalb von drei Tagen – was mich allerdings nur in einem Fall störte!
Der SK Rapid spielte in der 3. Quali-Runde für die Europa League gegen den Dritten der türkischen Liga, Trabzonspor. Die Klubfarben des 1967 gegründeten Klubs sind die selben wie jene von West Ham Utd: weinrot und hellblau = claret and blue.
Und ebenso wie West Ham gestern, Samstag, als Verlierer vom Platz ging (1:2 gegen Champions League-Starter Aston Villa), so mussten sich auch die türkischen “clarets” zwei Tage vorher geschlagen geben. Der SK Rapid zog mit einem 2:0-Sieg und einem Gesamtscore von 3:0 souverän in das Europa League-Playoff ein.
West Ham verpatzte die Pflichtspielpremiere des neuen Cheftrainers Julen Lopetegui und musste schon in der 4. Minute das 0:1 nach einem schlecht verteidigten Corner hinnehmen, und dann fiel in der Schlussphase des Spiels das 1:2 und es gelang nicht mehr der Ausgleich wie nach dem 0:1 (Elfmeter durch Paquetá). Nächste Woche geht es auswärts gegen Crystal Palace, dann zu Hause gegen Meister Manchester City. Kein einfacher Saisonstart…
Und keinen einfachen Gegner hat Rapid nun für das Europa League-Playoff erwischt: es geht gegen SC Braga aus Portugal, den Vierten der „Liga Portugal“, der sich in der letzten EL-Qualifikationsrunde mit 0:0/2:1 gegen Servette Genf durchsetzte. Zuerst spielen die Grün-Weißen in Portugal, das Rückspiel ist dann wieder, wie gegen Tranzonspor, in Hütteldorf.
Hoffen wir, dass die Rapid-Fans nach dem Heimspiel wieder so jubeln können, wie letzten Donnerstag:
▶️ www.instagram.com/reel 👍🏼 💪🏻
▶️ www.instagram.com/reel/2 🇳🇬
Premier League is back!
display which underlined that they will go for an other challenge of reigning champions ManCity once again (goal scorers Havertz and Saka).
West Ham though didn’t get off to a flying start:
Steve Sidwell, BBC: “There have been glimpses for West Ham and they will only get better the more time Lopetegui has to spend with them.”
„Wien-West-Hüttel-Dorf!“
Rapid ist wieder in Europa!
2:0 (0:0) – Heimsieg gegen Trabzonspor! (3:0 agg.). Tore: Seidl, Lang.
A promising window
West Ham’s activity in the transfer window has been quite promising so far. Apart from the Scot Andy Irving who has returned to the UK from Klagenfurt and young winger Luis Guilherme who comes from Brazil, the club has already signed goalkeeper Wes Foderingham from Sheffield Utd, central defender Maximilian Kilman from Julen Lopetegui’s former club Wolves, German international forward Niclas Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund, winger Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United and Argentinian international Guido Rodriguez, a holding midfielder. According to transfermarket.at West Ham has invested €126.8 million in new signings so far this summer, making the club one of the four biggest spenders in the world.
Niclas Füllkrug played in the Champions League final 2024 for BVB and also for Germany at the Euro 2024 where he scored two goals when coming on as a substitute against Scotland and Switzerland. He scored 40 goals in 90 games for Werder Bremen and last season 12 in thirty games for BVB.
But also Summerville is a prolific goalscorer: the Dutch scored a total of 21 goals in 49 games in all competitions for Leeds during 2023/24 and helped them finish third in the Championship table. He was subsequently named the league’s Player of the Season.
Guido Rodriguez comes from Betis Sevilla and is a member of the Argentinian squad that won the Copa America last month.
Well, that’s looking good, but I’m sure there’s more to come as the Hammers are still looking to further strengthen their squad.
On Saturday the last test before the start of the Premier League one week later (against Aston Villa) will take place at the London Stadium against Spanish outfit Celta Vigo.
Come on you Irons!
“Wear the Greatness”
West Ham will play the first game of their pre-season Florida tour against Wolves on Saturday. In this match the Hammers will wear the new Claret and Blue 2024/25 kit which celebrates the 60th anniversary of West Ham United’s European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph of 1965.
The cinematic launch film for the new Home Kit features cameos from some of the Club’s well known supporters, including film and TV stars Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Tony Way and Harry Collett, 1965 Cup Winners’ Cup-winner Brian Dear and Roberta Moore, daughter of the late, great West Ham and England captain Bobby Moore, who lifted the trophy at Wembley six decades ago, alongside members of the men’s, women’s and Academy squads.
The film boasts a specially commissioned soundtrack from The Rifles, which was mastered at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in St John’s Wood. Hammers fan and lead singer Joel Stoker was so enamoured with the instrumental version that he wrote lyrics and recorded the track ‘Sweet Euphoria’ with the band to be released as a single in conjunction with the new Home Kit.
It was shot in E.Pellicci – the best-preserved old school café in Bethnal Green, right in West Ham’s East End heartland – and created, produced and directed by lifelong Hammer Neil Felton from the WTF Creative agency.
The film is filled with details nodding to West Ham’s historic success of 1965, which Felton explained are all part of making the experience of watching it special for every fan…
After the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the former club of their new head coach Julen Lopetegui at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, the Sunshine State Tour will continue with a match against south London outfit Crystal Palace on Sunday, 4 August, in Tampa.
EXTRA TIME 
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