60 years “Sound of Music”
West Ham has lost again on Friday against one of the newly promoted teams (Leeds 1-2). The Irons have not won a game since 31 August and are in deep trouble. Are there any worse teams in the Premier League than them at the moment? A dreadful return of just four points in total represents West Ham’s joint-worst ever at this stage of a league campaign, with the club replicating that tally in the second tier in 1932-33 and the 1973-74 campaign when they finished bottom. This season has written relegation all over it.
To distract yourself from these bad prospect here is something to delight your heart:
Rapid verliert fünf Mal in Folge
Es war ein optimistischer Saisonstart, wieder einmal ein Neubeginn! Diesmal mit dem erfahrenen Trainer Peter Stöger, der auch schon in Köln und bei Borussia Dortmund sehr erfolgreich tätig war und beim letzten Meistertitel der Wiener Austria am Verteilerkreis in Favoriten wirkte (2012/13).
Nachdem einige Negativserien zu Saisonbeginn beendet werden konnten und man bis 21. September nur Siege – wenn auch meist knapp (ausgenommen ein 4:1 gegen Wattens) – feierte, riss der Erfolgsfaden zunächst mit einem 1:1 mit Last-Minute-Ausgleich des GAK in Graz und dann endgültig mit der Derby-Heimniederlage gegen die Austria (1:3).
Der Oktober brachte seither nur Niederlagen für Grün-Weiß, und nun macht sich in Hütteldorf Frust breit. In der Europa Conference League endete gestern ein nasskalter Abend im Allianz Stadion mit einer 0:3-Niederlage (Gegentore in der 10., 49. und 89. Minute). Der Support vom Block West war wie immer 1A (siehe oben Bilder der Choreo), aber die Elf auf dem Rasen konnte mit der Fiorentina nicht mithalten – von einem magischen Europacup-Abend, den es in der Vergangenheit oft gab, ist man weit, weit, weit entfernt! Die Mannschaft wirkte verunsichert, es fehlte bei mehreren Spielern an der Form und auch der Einsatz und Kampfgeist scheinen durchaus verbesserungsbedürftig. Schließlich gab es auch Pfiffe nach dem Schlusspfiff.
Die letzte Serie von fünf Niederlagen in Folge für Rapid war im Herbst 2017. Die fünf aufeinanderfolgenden Spiele mit Niederlagen waren:
13. September 2017 0:3 gegen den FC Liefering im ÖFB-Cup.
Danach weitere Niederlagen in der Bundesliga gegen Admira Wacker, Sturm Graz und RB Salzburg.
Die fünfte Niederlage in Folge war am 21. Oktober 2017 mit 0:1 gegen den LASK.
Nun sind das Auswärtsspiel gegen SV Ried und dann ebenfalls auswärts gegen den Tabellenführer der 2. Liga in St. Pölten die nächsten Form- und Charaktertests im Oktober für Rapid – und für Peter Stöger vielleicht schon entscheidende Partien für seine Weiterbeschäftigung in Hütteldorf!
Come on you boys in green! See you again in Hütteldorf in November!
“The Greatest Story Ever Told”
Recently I have read Bear Grylls’ book „The Greatest Story Ever Told“ about the life of Jesus Christ which he describes from the perspective of eyewitnesses.
He recounts the story of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of Mother Mary, he writes how various apostles experienced Jesus, and which kind of encounters Mary Magdalene had with Jesus. The book is written in a very lively style and does make us aware of Jesus’ wonderful teachings and life, and the salvation brought about by his death and resurrection. I can really recommend this book.
Diane Keaton Dies Aged 79
Meine Lieblingsschauspielerin Diane Keaton ist im Alter von 79 Jahren in Los Angeles verstorben.
Einige Jahre lang war „Der Stadtneurotiker“ (Annie Hall, 1977) mein Lieblingsfilm. Ein paar Jahre später wurde er dann aus romantischen Gründen durch „Jenseits von Afrika“ (Out of Africa) abgelöst.
In einem vierzig Jahre später gedrehten Film (Hampstead, 2017) spielte Diane Keaton (geboren am 5. Jänner 1946 in Los Angeles) eine alleinstehende Dame, die in meiner Londoner Lieblings-Neighbourhood Hampstead wohnt und einen in einer Baracke auf der Heath lebenden älteren Aussteiger kennenlernt. Als der aus seiner selbst gezimmerten Behausung vertrieben werden soll, organisiert die Dame einen Rechtsanwalt, der tatsächlich das Bleiberecht des Mannes durchsetzt. Am Ende des Films wird Diane Keaton (die im richtigen Leben stets unverheiratet blieb und sich selbst als “oddball” – Sonderling – sah, von anderen aber als “witzig, originell und ehrlich” beschrieben wird) von Brendan Gleeson mit einem Boot von ihrem neuen Haus an der Themse abgeholt.
Nun ist die große Schauspielerin nicht mehr unter uns.
RIP, my thoughts and prayers are with you!
Austria‘s new record goalscorer & record win
The “Schützenfest“ against San Marino not only helped ex-Hammer Marko Arnautovic with four goals leapfrog Toni Polster as Austria‘s new record goalscorer with 45 goals in 128 matches, but also topped Austria‘s so far highest win, a 9-0 victory over Malta in Salzburg in April 1977.
In that game which also was a World Cup qualifier Hans Krankl (below) scored the first four goals (all within the first half) and hit the back of the net again twice in the second half. The other goalscorers were Josef Stering (2) and Johann Pirkner (2). In 1977 Austria qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. Now Austria has been waiting since 1998, but the prospects of another World Cup are good, Austria has not lost a single point in their group so far!
Video ▶️ Austria vs. Malta 30 April 1977
▶️ Austria vs. San Marino 9 October 2025
Update: After their 0-1 defeat in the away game in Romania, Austria‘s team is still topping their group with two games to go, but qualification could still be missed depending on the results of their last two games. The upcoming matches played from November 15th to 18th are:
Cyprus vs Austria, Bosnia vs Romania; Austria vs Bosnia, Romania vs San Marino.
Vor elf Jahren …
Das alte Rapid-Stadion wurde durch einen Neubau am selben Ort ersetzt. Klappsitze, Tornetze, Rasenstücke und auch Bugholzsessel aus dem VIP-Klub konnte man um symbolische Preise wie z.B. „€ 18,99“ erwerben, um sich zu Hause an das alte “Weststadion” vulgo “St. Hanappi” zu erinnern (siehe oben links)
Der Neubau wurde gedreht, sodass die von mir meist frequentierte Südtribüne nun dem „Block West“ gehört, die „Süd“ wanderte nach Osten und wurde zur „Allianz Tribüne“, wo es im Sommer mit Blick in die Sonne ziemlich südländisch heiß werden kann!
Einer der weithin sichtbaren Flutlichtmasten blieb stehen, ansonsten ist alles neu und schön in Hütteldorf – nur ein neuer Meistertitel konnte im neuen „Weststadion“ = „Allianz Stadion“ noch nicht gefeiert werden. 2008 gab’s zuletzt eine Meisterfeier und „Teller“-Übergabe, da stand noch das Stadion, das der vorletzte Meistertrainer des SK Rapid, Pepi Hickersberger, „St. Hanappi“ getauft hatte, nachdem es vorher in Erinnerung an seinen Planer, den ehemaligen Rapid-Spieler, von „Weststadion“ in „Gerhard-Hanappi-Stadion“ umbenannt worden war.
Wie jede Saison träumten wir auch heuer am Beginn der laufenden Spielzeit davon, dass wir diesmal dominieren und triumphieren würden, doch aktuell ist – schon zu Herbstbeginn – Sand ins Rapid-Getriebe geraten und Peter Stögers neues Team musste nach einem 1:1 gegen den GAK die ersten beiden Niederlagen hinnehmen: just im Derby gegen die Austria (1:3) und dann beim Conference League-Auftakt gegen Lech Posen (1:4), wobei das grün-weiße Team sich bedenklich schwach präsentierte.
Hoffen wir, dass Peter Stöger die richtigen Worte und die richtige Taktik findet, um sein Team wieder auf Kurs zu bringen. Die Zeit, von jedem einzelnen Spieler deutlich mehr zu fordern und eine gewisse Mannschaftsbildung faktisch zu erzwingen, ist genau jetzt, schreibt Michael Mandl in seinem Kommentar auf abseits.at. Das neue Stadion wartet schon allzu lange auf seinen ersten Titel!
A draw at the beginning
Achieving a 1-1 draw away at Everton and being the first opposition team to score a goal in the Toffee’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium is not a bad start for West Ham’s new head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, and West Ham can draw some hope from this result.
Gary Jacob writes in The Times that this result gives Nuno “something to build on”. The new manager who had conceded that three days in charge was not nearly long enough for him to understand and digest all of West Ham United’s idiosyncrasies, will be a little clearer after a night that amounted to „something of a crash course in the recent fortunes of the club“:
“There was a goal conceded from a set piece, Michael Keane’s header the eighth occasion already this season West Ham have been breached in such fashion, before the brilliance of Jarrod Bowen announced itself to drag those around him out of the mire. That was enough to ensure the new manager had his bounce.“
“Overall, it was impossible to shake the impression that the visiting team had displayed more resolve in clambering off the canvas than had been evident during the torrid final weeks of Graham Potter’s tenure.”
“Bowen became the first visiting player to score here and [Everton manager] Moyes would have recognised Bowen’s desire to seize the moment. After all, he had taken him to the London Stadium during his own time at West Ham and watched the winger win the Conference League for him.”
“Further positives [for West Ham] could be extracted from the cameo of Crysencio Summerville, whose darting runs off the left flank offered suitable support to Bowen and could become a feature of the counterattacking style that will surely follow under the new man.”
At the final whistle Nuno led his players over to the corner of Hill Dickinson Stadium, where the away supporters were gathered. “We have to deliver so they can appreciate the work of the boys. It was a nice moment for us, moving forward that bond is important. But we are only starting now. There is a lot of work to do,” the new gaffer who thanked the fans for travelling to Liverpool on a Monday night, said.
Next stop for the Hammers is the Emirates with another away game against Arsenal. Another tough match for the new regime that now has four days to prepare the team for this visit to north London.
Martin Samuel wrote in The Times before the Everton game that West Ham “need a little of the oomph that has been missing, with Potter seen as too docile, too reactive; a training-ground coach without the personality or dynamism to handle the very real problems encountered when Saturday came — or Monday, when the real work begins.” It seems Nuno is capable of reenergising the team. He “wanted to get cracking, three away fixtures in his first four games, against Everton, Arsenal and Leeds United, did not faze him.”
In the second half at Everton, West Ham appeared transformed. “The Nuno effect is up and running”, Jason Burt writes in The Telegraph:
“It may have only been a draw, they may remain in the bottom three, but it was a result that not just vindicated the sacking of Potter but also its timing. It will not stop the protests directed at the owners but there was a change of mood, however small, at a club who have been engulfed in turmoil and unhappiness for so long.”
WHUST: Protests won‘t stop
From: WHU Supporters Trust info@whust.org
Date: 29. September 2025
Re: Forthcoming protests
POTTER WAS NEVER THE PROBLEM
The sacking of Graham Potter has not resolved the real problem that saw West Ham fans issue a vote of no confidence and planned protests against the board.
It was 10 days after Brady issued a conceding statement with these words in response to supporters concerns, that Potter was sacked:
“Steps have already been taken to implement a new strategy and approach – particularly in the area of player recruitment. We have appointed Graham Potter as our new Head Coach. His role is to build and develop a first-team squad in line with the Club’s identity and objectives, with a continued focus on integrating young players from our Academy.”
Now the press are realising what the problem is…
The response to the recent voting about protests from our members had over 97% voting in favour of the protest before the home game against Crystal Palace:
For the forthcoming boycott of the Brentford home game, the vote was not so overwhelming, but still a majority in favour of the boycott.
There is mixed opinion on the boycott, so other forms of protest have been scheduled that we hope people will want to join in. It’s a personal choice as to which you should participate in – however the more that join in the various protests, the better the show of solidarity against the board and the more embarrasment for them.
The following are the protests that are currently planned.
For all our away games starting with Arsenal on Saturday 4th October it’s back to black balloons and No More BS flags. The Trust and other supporter groups are buying black balloons, but would also encourage those attending away games to get some – they’re really cheap on Amazon and eBay.
We won’t be protesting at the Everton match on Monday 29th September in respect of the tribute planned by Everton for the Bradley Lowery Foundation as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
A complete boycott of our home match against Brentford on Monday 20th October with the aim to show banks of empty seats for the match that will be televised live on Sky Sports.
For our home match against Newcastle on 2nd November at 2:00pm there is a planned sit in protest after the match finishes.
Before our home match against Burnley on 8th November there is a planned march. This is the big one and more details will be provided once arrangements have been finalised with the police.
If you have other ideas for protesting let us know. This could be a long campaign until Sullivan steps aside and Brady is replaced.
#NoMoreBS
Breaking…
The new head coach took training at Rush Green on Saturday afternoon ahead of the trip to the Hill Dickinson stadium on Monday evening.
“Nuno is a more reactive tactician in the mould of David Moyes, the last successful West Ham boss, and appears almost as a continuity appointment that erases the Lopetegui and Potter years,” Alex Keble writes on the Premier League website.
Nuno has an excellent Premier League record. He has taken both Wolves and Nottingham Forest from relegation candidate to the Europa League and, as the statistics show, his Premier League points-per-game average surpasses any manager in West Ham’s modern history.
Nuno’s teams are always comfortable sitting deep, keeping things tight, and allowing the other side to hog possession as they wait to counter-attack: his Forest team averaged 41.2 per cent possession last season, the third-lowest share in the division.
Under Nuno’s tutelage Raul Jimenez excelled at Wolves and Chris Wood became a top striker at Forest. Fullkrug could be the next in line.Lack of quick wingers though might be an issue, essential to any counter-attacking side. West Ham have Crysencio Summerville to play here and Bowen, too, but their options are limited since selling Kudus in the summer.
It’s a significant issue that will probably, as has so often been the case over the years, put pressure on the captain Bowen to help his new boss get off to a good start.
Albeit Nuno may bear the name “Espirito”, his appointment is an uninspired one for me. Also the fact that Graham Potter was sacked less than 24 hours after he had to do his pre-match press conference (for a game he now will not be in charge anymore), shows that much is going wrong at West Ham. For me the campaign against the current Board is still a just cause.
EXTRA TIME 
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