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.

Hampstead (Diane Keaton mit Brendan Gleeson)

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!

October 12, 2025 at 12:57 pm Leave a comment

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.

Table Group H

October 10, 2025 at 3:15 pm Leave a comment

Vor elf Jahren …

…hieß es Abschiednehmen von „St. Hanappi“.

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)

Modell von „St. Hanappi“ im Rapideum

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!

Rechts der „Block West“, links die Osttribüne

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.

Hanappi-Portrait im Allianz Stadion

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!

Wohin geht die Reise 2025/26 für Rapid?

October 4, 2025 at 11:00 am Leave a comment

God Gives You The Opportunity…

October 4, 2025 at 6:25 am Leave a comment

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.

Everton’s new stadium at the Bromley Moore Dock where the Toffees have moved to by the start of this season

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.”

Bowen became the first visiting player to score at Everton’s new ground in a competitive game. He was extending his impressive run to 11 goal involvements in his last 12 league outings.

“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.”

September 30, 2025 at 5:57 am Leave a comment

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…

▶️Telegraph. ▶️Guardian.

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

September 29, 2025 at 6:38 am Leave a comment

Breaking…

▶️ WHUFC official website

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.

September 27, 2025 at 4:20 pm Leave a comment

Nuno set for West Ham job

West Ham are set to appoint former Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach after sacking Graham Potter, BBC reports.

Nuno is expected to be in place before Monday’s Premier League match against Everton, having said he has had positive talks with the West Ham board.

Potter, 50, was dismissed on Saturday morning after only eight months in charge, with the club 19th in the table. Potter took charge of 25 West Ham matches after being appointed in January – winning six – and they finished 14th last season.

Nuno, 51, was sacked after 21 months in charge at Forest – and only three games into this season.

Last term the Portuguese guided them to seventh in the table – their highest finish since 1994-95 – as they qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades.

September 27, 2025 at 2:31 pm Leave a comment

Club Statement: Potter left

One day after his press conference on the upcoming game against Everton (which will be played on Monday) head coach Graham Potter and his staff had to leave West Ham

On Saturday, 27 September, West Ham United informed in the morning that Head Coach Graham Potter who had joined West Ham in January 2025, has left the Club. This is the Club’s statement:

Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025/26 season have not matched expectations, and the Board of Directors believe that a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible.

The Club can confirm that Assistant Coach Bruno Saltor, First Team Coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach, Lead Goalkeeper Coach Casper Ankergren, and Goalkeeper Coach Linus Kandolin have also left with immediate effect. 

The Board would like to thank Graham and his coaching staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.

The process of appointing a replacement is underway. The Club will be making no further comment at this time.

September 27, 2025 at 11:18 am Leave a comment

Charlie Kirk Memorial


Charlie Kirk, a well-known US conservative political activist and firm believer in Jesus Christ, founder of Turning Point USA, was killed on September 10, 2025, when speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
A large public memorial was held on September 21, 2025, in Arizona, drawing a huge number of mourners. Albeit there were religious statements like the ones in the video above, commentators said that the event had much of a political rally. President Donald Trump, vice-president J.D. Vance and other high calibre Republicans held speeches at the Memorial.

Pastor Rob McCoy on Charlie Kirk‘s mission ▶️Instagram

September 22, 2025 at 5:44 am Leave a comment

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