Football makes happy!
Update (Friday): Well, that might not be true right now if you’re supporting West Ham:
Two games into the new season and already two heavy defeats with eight goals shipped and only one scored (Sunderland 0-3 away, Chelsea 1-5 at home)…
West Ham manager Graham Potter, who picked up fewer points (nine) from his first 10 home games in the Premier League than any manager in West Ham’s history (two wins: 3-2 Fulham in January and 2-0 Leicester on 27 February, three draws and five defeats), did not want to say whether a relegation battle beckons. The club are hopeful of strengthening the squad before the end of the window, but I fear this won’t happen due to owner David Sullivan‘s inability to make smart signings.
West Ham are only two games into the Premier League season but it has been two horrible defeats – added to a sequence of just five wins in the 18 league games Potter took charge of in the last campaign. Potter now has the worst home record of any West Ham manager in the Premier League, having not won at the London Stadium since February.
Apathy devours everything it touches, it could be an other drab season at London Stadium…
Come on you Irons, anyway!
Premier League first round
Spurs 3-0, Hammers 0-3 – what a start into this season! 😡
New book on West Ham
Tim Crane, author of several books on the history of West Ham United is writing an other book titled: A West Ham History – The Upton Park Years.
It will be A4, 260 pages hardback, and cover the 112 years at Upton Park, the Hammers’ spiritual home.
“Well someone had to do it”, Tim wrote in an email to the subscribers of his regular posts called “The West Ham Years” (subscription via Tim’s email: tcrane183@gmail.com).
“We will be the first Club in the world to have a book like this – every team group over 112 years!”
The foreword will be written by West Ham legend Clyde Best who played at Upton Park from 1968-1976.
More about the book and how it can be preordered you can find here:
Erfolgreicher schottischer Abend
Conference League. Nach 0:2-Rückstand kommt Rapid ins erste Elfmeterschießen der Europacup-Vereinsgeschichte. Tore für Rapid: Janis Antiste köpfelt nach einer Ecke, abgefälscht landet der Ball im Netz (63.). Nach Wurmbrand-Flanke jubelt Ercan Kara mit den 500 mitgereisten Fans über seinen Volley zum verdienten 2:2 (77.).
Rapid gewinnt das Elferschießen 5:4 und steht im Play-off gegen Raba Eto Györ.
Eagles win Community Shield
Just three months after their FA Cup win, Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace won their second trophy, the Community Shield against PL champions Liverpool.
Check out this video from inside the Wembley changing room:
However, Palace also has to accept a defeat on the legal front: After winning the FA Cup last season, Palace qualified for Europe’s secondary competition but were punished by Uefa for breaching multi-club ownership rules and therefore only allowed to compete in the Conference League. In the appeal proceedings the CAS upheld the original decision.
Nottingham Forest finished seventh in the Premier League last season and have been promoted to the Europa League in Palace’s place.
‘No wonder I was completely hooked’
This week, BBC are asking to share stories and photos about why you fell in love with West Ham. RapidHammer‘s entry has been published on Thursday:
Third kit and Paquetá clearance!
The last days brought some good news for the West Ham family:
The Hammers won their second game of the U.S. Summer Series (2-1 against Everton), they presented a beautiful third kit and Lucas Paquetá was cleared of the spot-fixing charges after almost two years of investigation.
The oversized Hammers replace the full Club crest on the chest and mark the first time they have stood independently on a West Ham shirt since 1985.
What was already leaked a few days ago has now been confirmed officially: West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá has been cleared of spot-fixing charges by an independent regulatory commission – almost two years after the Football Association launched an investigation into him and threatened to impose a lifetime ban.
The four charges of allegedly having got booked related to a Premier League game against Leicester City on 12 November 2022, as well as 2023 fixtures against Aston Villa on 12 March, Leeds United on 21 May and Bournemouth on 12 August.
The regulatory commission found these four charges to be “not proven” following the hearing.
Though Paquetá has been found guilty of two counts of failing to cooperate with the investigation. An appropriate sanction for these breaches will be decided “at the earliest opportunity”.
Paqueta’s lawyer, Alastair Campbell, told BBC Radio 5 Live his client is “very emotional and very delighted” and has “an enormous weight off his chest”.
The start of the investigation prevented Paquetá from leaving Wet Ham for Manchester City. It remains to be seen if the clearance from the accusations will be followed by a transfer or not… Anyway, everyone at West Ham will be delighted that this saga is finished now,
Back to back🏴Euro winners
“England haven’t had the most incredible performances but they’ve done it.
They are lifting the trophy again. Back to back winners. That is huge.”
(Jen Beattie, former Scotland defender on BBC5 Radio)
The list of England captains to lift a trophy: Bobby Moore (below) & Leah Williamson (twice; further below).
That’s the full list! 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏴
Vicki Sparks -> Commentary box scenes as England win Euros (BBC Radio 5 Live)
That‘s passion!
The Lionesses in my opinion have not been up to their best so far throughout this year’s Euros in Switzerland, but anyway have reached today’s final against Spain, and their games in the knock-out stage against Sweden and Italy were super-exciting and proved that the English team has passion and a “never-say-die-attitude” which could help them in the upcoming final against Spain. And passion also was shown by BBC commentator Vicki Sparks and pundit Karen Bardsley when England was on the brink of losing to Italy in the semi-final only to be saved by an equaliser deep in injury time (video below).
Sarina Wiegman’s team were only runners-up in their group after losing their first game against France (1-2), and needed a penalty shootout in the quarter finals to overcome Sweden (2-2 [0-2] a.e.t.; goals: Bronze 79′, Agyemang 81′).
In the semifinal against Italy the reigning European champions (2-1 victory over Germany in 2022) were 0-1 behind from the 33rd minute because of an unstoppable shot from Bonansea under the crossbar, and again substitute Michelle Agyemang was needed to save England from defeat with a goal deep in injury time in the 96th minute (video below). In extra-time it was a harsh penalty against the “Azzurre” then which spared England an other penalty shootout. In the 119th minute Chloe Kelly drilled home the rebound after her penalty was saved to send England delirious and into the final. One day later Spain defeated Germany 1-0 a.e.t.
The Euro 2025 final is a repeat of the Womens’ World Cup final in Australia when La Roja defeated England 1-0 in Sydney (goal: Olga Carmona) – a win which was overshadowed by the controversy which followed when the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, a kiss which was “not consensual” according to the player. Rubiales was forced to resign and later found guilty of sexual assault by a Spanish court. Hermoso was left out of the Spanish squad for Euro 2025.
Spain are a real force in Switzerland 2025, they defeated Portugal, Belgium and Italy by a combined score of 14-3 in the group stage, and then saw off a stubborn Switzerland side 2-0 (0-0) in the quarter-finals, before scoring an extra-time winner against Germany in the semifinal (goal: Bonmatí from an “improbable angle”, 113′). England have to do much better than so far in this Euros to win against a team which is leading all categories of the statistics at this tournament. Spain are playing in a league of their own so far:. 17 goals, 67% possession, 89.2% passing accuracy, 123 clearances, three goals conceded, three clean sheets.
Though England have not completely convinced me so far, they scored the second most goals (15), have the second highest possession percentage (57.2%) and the second most shots on target (94) of all sixteen teams. However, the Lionesses showed a defensive weakness which will hopefully not be exploited by the Spanish strikers. With six goals conceded, England only rank seventh in this category.
England’s two time saviour from the bench Michelle Agyemang was born on 3 February 2006 in Essex and plays as a forward for Women’s Super League club Arsenal. She’s a life long Arsenal fan and joined the Gunners as a six-year-old. She attended Holy Cross School Primary School in South Ockendon, Southend High School for Girls and is currently studying Business Administration at King’s College London. She is of Ghanaian descent, her surname literally translating to “saviour of the nations“. Last season she played for Brighton and Hove Albion being loaned out after having signed her first professional contract in May 2024, and so far has only six times played for Arsenal’s first team.
According to Wikipedia and an article in the Express her father is a Manchester United fan, her brother is a Chelsea fan, her sister is a West Ham United fan. Growing up, Agyemang’s favourite players were Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.
The Women‘s Euros 2025 final – England vs. Spain will take place on Sunday, 5 p.m. (BST) in Basel, St. Jakob Park.
EXTRA TIME 
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