Snow in the City
It has started snowing on Sunday afternoon in Manchester where Man City hosts West Ham in a match between the third and the fourth placed teams of the Premier League.
The match of Claret and Blue vs. Light Blue can go ahead despite of the snowfall, while in Burnley – situated only one hour north of Manchester – the Clarets’ game against Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor had to be postponed because of heavy snow. Referee Peter Bankes said that Burnley “worked as hard as they could but within 10 minutes the pitch was covered again.”
In snowy Manchester the hosts have taken the lead against the Hammers in the 33rd minute, then Johnson saves on the line… but also West Ham tries its luck on the break, and the pitch in Manchester becomes white as more and more snow falls in Manchester.
1-0 at the interval – and a bunch of groundsmen rush onto the pitch with their snow shovels!
After having a walk with the dog in the Vienna snow, I’m back with 58 minutes on the clock. But it takes until the 78th minute until I can take note of West Ham’s first attempt on goal in the second half: a shot from Declan Rice from outside the box is saved by City keeper Ederson.
Then I’m able to watch two more goals: unfortunately it’s 2-0 first and, much too late with the very last kick of the game, Lanzini scores the 1-2. Only a consolation for David Moyes’s men and the travelling fans, but really a beauty of a goal, that’s for sure!
Two defeats in the last two Premier League games for West Ham on the road. For the first time since April the east Londoners suffer successive defeats in the league, but the Hammers remain fourth, though with Arsenal now level on points. Now a home game is coming up in midweek and another one on the Saturday after three away matches: Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea FC will be the visitors at London Stadium.
Erste Bundesliga-Niederlage für RBS
Peter Pacult, letzter Rapid-Meistertrainer 2008 und danach eine Zeitlang selbst im Dosen-Imperium von Red Bull in Leipzig tätig, hat mit Austria Klagenfurt geschafft, was vorher in dieser Saison in Österreich noch nicht gelungen ist: die Bullen vlg. Dosen aus Sbg zu schlagen. 2:1 gewann die Klagenfurter Austria im schönsten Stadium Österreichs, am Wörthersee, leider Lockdown-bedingt ohne Zuschauer.
Matchbericht: https://www.skaustriaklagenfurt.at/news/21-pacult-team-biegt-meister-salzburg-1853
Hier die Pressekonferenz: Pezi Pacult, wie er leibt und lebt („kein Grund zum Herzumtanzen, nur drei Punkte…“):
Wales vs Austria in World Cup Play-offs
Wales will host Austria on March 24th next year in the play-off semi-final for the 2022 World Cup, while Scotland have been drawn at home to Ukraine.
The winning sides of these matches will face each other in a final for a spot in Qatar with the winner of Wales v Austria playing at home.
Wales are bidding to reach their first World Cup in 64 years, while Scotland and Austria have waited 24 years to play in one. Austria are in the play-offs courtesy of winning their Nations League group ahead of Norway, Romania and Northern Ireland.
There are three different one leg play-offs, that will determine the three teams to take the final spots. The semis include Italy v North Macedonia and Portugal at home to Turkey. That draw means either European champions Italy or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will not be at the World Cup, with the winners of their semis meeting in a final.
The third final will be played between the winners of Russia v Poland and Sweden v Czech Republic.
The semifinals and the finals, both played over one leg, will take place over the course of five days from 24-29 March.
West Ham Waltz A Déjà-vu-Defeat For Rapid Vienna
In a match played “in camera” due to lockdown in Austria, West Ham comfortably waltzed into the Europa League round of last 16. Beating Rapid Vienna in their Weststadion with exactly the same result as in London eight weeks ago, and the result of Dinamo vs Genk going our way, the Irons secured top spot in their group.
— Weiterlesen: www.westhamtillidie.com/posts/west-ham-waltz-a-dj-vu-defeat-for-rapid-vienna
🎦 Behind the scenes: https://fb.watch/9yVdt3VlNh/
West Ham in the Town, But Nobody Can Watch Them
It was too good to be true! Rapid Vienna and West Ham United in the same Europa League group: two really special games for Vienna based RapidHammer… He now can only look back on his trip to the first leg (Post from blog “West Ham Till I Die”)
When back in late August the result of the Europa League group draw was West Ham United and Rapid Vienna playing in the same group, my phone was brimming over with messages that “congratulated” and asked me who I was going to support in the the games between Rapid and the Hammers, and if I would travel to London. My answer to the latter question was “of course”, that’s a “no brainer”. Who I would support and how I’d feel when one of my teams scored against the other one, was a more difficult question: “I don’t know yet how that will feel,” was my reply. I would find out later – subject to the conditions of getting tickets and being able to make the trip to London without having to quarantine in the UK.
An other task on hand was to find out who was going to accompany me to London Stadium and if the best wife of all would also be part of our West Ham Tour Group. We ended up being five: my friend Alfred who supports Rapid and Aston Villa (but also has a soft spot for West Ham), his son (also supporting Rapid and not having a soft spot for West Ham), our pastor from the ICF (that’s really the name of the church I’m going to in Vienna!) and Mrs. RapidHammer who never goes to footy in Vienna but likes to accompany me to West Ham games in London – or even Reading some years ago.
Once the number of the travelling fans was known, we had to get tickets and to find out how to travel to London in times of Covid.
And there were also various messages coming in from the UK to be answered in September, when friends based in London started asking if I could help them with getting tickets for the Vienna game in November.
Tickets for London and for Vienna could be bought, the flights and hotels in London were booked and then, as the day of the trip was drawing near, the task of filling in the UK Passenger Locator Form and booking a so-called “Day 2 Test” in advance took some hours of my precious time (prior to a trip/holiday, it seems there is always such a lot of work to do in the office!).
It was our first flight within almost two years and it was a great feeling to be back to London after such a long time. I really had missed these nice chats with the migration officers at Stansted. I was asked the reason for my trip and in the following conversation I told the officer I was a travelling football fan and supported West Ham. He looked at the “LL.M.” in my passport and said: “I see you’re a clever man, so why are you supporting West Ham?” Well … what would you have answered?
“Well, everybody makes a mistake at one point or another,” I smiled, “and this one cannot be undone”.
However, though the main reason for the trip was of course the Europa League game, the RapidHammer couple would not be leaving immediately after the game and stay until the Sunday. Therefore we had not booked an accomodation in east London, but stayed in a hotel near Westminster Bridge with a wonderful view over the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
On matchday with the kick-off at 8 p.m. BST, we had plenty of time to explore what had changed with Covid and Brexit since our last visit to the British capital. We noticed that there were slightly more closed shops on high streets and also the petrol station near our hotel was closed. But the streets are full of people and London seems to be a brimming and lively city as it has always been. Only two thirds of passengers are wearing masks on the tube, something that would not be possible in Austria. Last time when I forgot to put on my face covering when I got on a bus in Vienna, two old ladies immediately shouted: “Sie haben keine Maske auf!”
Our match day started with the “Day 2 Test” according to the appointment we had made before flying off to the UK. Our friends who travelled with us had booked a test that was brought to their hotel and even was cheaper than ours, but we had opted for a test facility near London Bridge, nearby Borough Market. I had told a friend that we would be there in the morning, and really I got a call by him and we met up and had a coffee together. Great to hear that he was doing well after having had Covid some weeks ago; being vaccinated twice he had not been severely ill.
We then learned that the Indian restaurant we had loved to go to on previous stays had not survived, but of course it wasn’t difficult to find something else, and then, in the afternoon, we had to get ready for the football and travel from Westminster to the fairly distant London Stadium. Sitting in the home end I dressed in West Ham colours (as I always do, of course, when I watch West Ham), but I have to confess that I wore a green and white shirt underneath.
In the London Stadium we managed to meet up with friends who planned to come to Vienna later, had a beer with them and handed over the Rapid tickets for the reverse fixture in November that I had brought with me.
West Ham’s game against Rapid in front of an almost sold-out crowd of 55,000 under the lights with a pre-match light show to mark West Ham’s first ever Europa League group stage game at home was really a win-win-situation for me. A very good first half of West Ham, with a goal from Declan Rice and two shots rattling the woodwork of Rapid’s goal, was followed by a welcome not-so-bad second half from Rapid. I did really enjoy every good move of both teams, and the match was highly entertaining for me.
Somewhere deep in my heart I would have fancied a shock result in Rapid’s favour (which could have been possible if the VAR had not ruled that it wasn’t a foul when Rapid winger Marco Gruell was tripped inside the box in the second half). West Ham’s second goal was much deserved though and I happily tuned in when “Bubbles” and “West Ham are massive” were sung during as well as after the game, alongside “Twist and Shout” and “Sweet Caroline” which were played when we left the East Stand to have an other beer with our friends to celebrate a memorable evening – only the second match of West Ham vs Rapid in history. But a third one would follow suit and we would meet again in Vienna within less than two months, we said.
I had bought one of those controversial split-scarfs prior to the game, paying almost double of the price that it was sold after the match, but in case of Mr. RapidHammer that was a “must” and I thought I would proudly sport it again in Rapid’s Weststadion for the return leg in November.
But that wasn’t to be as we all know since the Austrian government has decreed an other “lockdown” – the fourth now for Austria as a whole and the fifth for the Vienna region since the outbreak of Covid in 2020, though rumour goes that this directive was not issued because of rising infections but because of “West Ham being so massive that Austria had to close the whole country”. Well, since the measures have not been revoked after West Ham’s defeat on Saturday this theory might have got a little implausible now…
In his recent post “Irons1959” tells us about the trials and tribulations prior to his cancelled trip to Vienna. I could also tell you about all the messages and calls I had with various friends who wanted to come to Vienna, all the information I provided about hotels, always changing Covid measures, test facilities in Vienna, kosher restaurants, getting tickets despite of the UEFA ban for the away end, and much more, and all the anticipation and looking forward to meeting up in Vienna’s West Ham Pub, “The Tube Station“. But all to no end …
On Thursday I will wear the split scarf only in front of my TV, no friends will come to Vienna, but at least Rapid has confirmed that there will be a refund for the tickets we have bought for the game that will be played behind closed doors now. A weak consolation though for the West Ham fans who will not experience the atmosphere in Rapid’s ground. It would have been brilliant in this sold-out match under the lights.
Is a shock result on the cards in this fixture now with David Moyes rotating his squad and Rapid having got a new (caretaker) manager in Steffen Hofmann, Rapid’s so-called “football god” being the green and whites’ record player with a total of 540 appearances for Rapid, after Didi Kuehbauer had to resign due to a bad run of results in the Austrian Bundesliga? Or will West Ham, as I also hope, already secure their place in the knockout stages in Vienna? We will know on Thursday evening, though unfortunately we will not be eye-witnesses of this event and cannot cheer on the teams in the Allianz Stadion aka Weststadion in Huetteldorf.
All I can do now is comfort me with saying:
At least we have been to the first leg in London.
Rapid Confirm Refund
Two days ahead of their Europa League game against West Ham which has to be played behind closed doors due to the recent “lockdown” in Austria, Rapid Vienna have confirmed that the cost of all tickets purchased for this match will be refunded. Rapid will provide further information in due time.
As soon as these informations are published on Rapid’s website, RapidHammer will pass on all details which are necessary to claim the refund for tickets sold by SK Rapid.
Tickets in the away end though which were allocated to West Ham have to be dealt with by the Hammers. Supporters who have purchased their tickets through West Ham have already been told that they will receive their refund automatically by Wednesday, 24 November.
The majority of fans who have bought tickets for this sold out fixture however need to be patient until further notice…
Sechs Mal Steff
Wenn Zoki Barisic “nicht bald in die Gänge kommt” und nicht vor Weihnachten schon einen neuen Cheftrainer für den SK Rapid präsentiert, dann wird “Fußballgott” Steffen Hofmann die Grün-Weißen jetzt in sechs Spielen betreuen.
Vor seinem Debut gegen Altach sagte er zu seiner Trainer-Philosophie, dass Rapid in jedes Spiel hineingeht, um es zu gewinnen. “Wir sind Rapid, wir wollen jedes Spiel gewinnen, egal wer daherkommt!” Und noch kürzer formuliert: “Wir g’winnen. Fertig.” Ob das jetzt gegen Altach ist oder West Ham.
Gegen Altach am Samstag hat es jedenfalls geklappt – wenn auch mit keiner berauschenden Leistung, aber immerhin. Und Rapid ist erstmals seit Langem wieder auf einem Tabellenrang, der die Teilnahme am Meister-Playoff garantiert. Dem Steffen und Filip Stojkovic’ erstem Tor für Rapid sei Dank!
Pressekonferenz ➡️ fb.watch/9rRRnvA1BB/
Lockdown & Impfpflicht kommt
Aufgrund des dreiwöchigen bundesweiten Lockdowns, der am Montag beginnt, wird die ordentliche Hauptversammlung des SK Rapid am 22.11.2021 verschoben… vorläufig auf unbestimmte Zeit. Der Termin soll im nächsten Jahr nachgeholt werden. Bis auf Weiteres gibt es nur mehr “Geisterspiele” in Österreich. Das letzte Bundesligaspiel vor der Winterpause am 12. und auch das am 5. Dezember stattfindende Wiener Derby fallen in den Lockdown, also wird man erst im Februar 2022 Rapid wieder live sehen können.
THE UK is unlikely to follow Austria into lockdown: “We’ve had high rates but fairly stable. I don’t think that things will happen quite in the same way as they have done there.” (Professor John Edmunds, who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – Sage)
Angesichts des erneuten Lockdowns für Alle:
Ich bin nicht gegen eine Impfpflicht.
Eine Impfpflicht greift natürlich in Grundrechte ein: körperliche Integrität und Privat- und Familienleben.
Der Lockdown für alle ist aber genauso ein Eingriff in mehrere wichtige Grundrechte, persönliche Freiheit, Erwerbsfreiheit, Freiheit der Kunst etc. Diese Rechte werden nun de facto von denen eingeschränkt, die auf den Intensivstationen liegen – und dass das so viele sind, liegt vorwiegend an den Ungeimpften. Eine Impfpflicht (natürlich mit begründeten Ausnahmen!) ist ein gelinderes Mittel als der vierte und fünfte etc…. Lockdown!
Sofern Staaten eine Impfpflicht gesetzlich vorschreiben, und dazu Ausnahmen zulassen, für den Fall des Nichtbefolgens nur Verwaltungsstrafen und keine zwangsweise Impfung vorsehen, sowie ein effektives Beschwerdesystem vorsehen, ist eine Impfpflicht mit der Menschenrechtskonvention vereinbar, also kein Grundrechtsverstoß (Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte 8.4.2021).
Adele‘s Comeback Continues
For the first time in four years Adele will perform in a live show in the UK. She will perform songs from her new album “30” witch was released last week. The live show takes place at the London Palladium. “An Audience With Adele” is going to be aired on ITV tonight. She said she was ‘thrilled’ to appear before a celebrity audience that included Samuel L Jackson, Lord Lloyd-Webber and Stormzy.
0:1 und 1:0
Wie starteten West Ham und Rapid Wien nach der „international break“ am Samstag wieder in die Meisterschaft?
In der letzten Länderspielpause dieses Jahres hatte West Ham-Star Declan Rice Grippe und konnte daher nicht für England spielen, während der bei West Ham’s erfolgreicher Schlacht gegen Liverpool (3:2) am Knie verletzte Angelo Ogbonna operiert wurde und bis Saisonende ausfallen wird. Michail Antonio dagegen erzielte „on international duty“ zwei tolle Tore – seine ersten – für Jamaica.
Bei Rapid wurde während der „international break“ Trainer Didi Kühbauer entlassen und „Amateure“-Trainer Steffen Hofmann „Fußballgott“ interimistisch zum Betreuer der „Ersten“ bestellt und Österreichs Team mit Rapidler Marco Grüll in der „starting XI“ schoss in zwei Spielen 8 Tore.
In der Premier League hatte West Ham an diesem Samstag einen klassischen 3 p.m.-Termin. Es ging auswärts gegen Wolverhampton Wanderers und die Hammers spielten mit der selben Aufstellung wie vor knapp zwei Wochen gegen Liverpool. Die Irons waren aber nach der Länderspielpause schwach und wirkten seltsam „subdued“. Sang- und klanglos verlor man 0:1 im „Molineux“ – die Weste Auswärtsniederlage der Saison ließ „massive West Ham“ vom unglaublichen 3. Tabellenplatz, den sie vor zwei Wochen eingenommen hatten, zurück auf den vierten rutschen, weil Liverpool 4:0 gegen Arsenal gewann und nun wieder Zweiter hinter Leader Chelsea ist. Manchester City spielt erst Sonntag gegen Everton.
Die gerüchteweise von der englischen Presse in der letzten Woche in die Welt gesetzte Möglichkeit, dass der bei West Ham so erfolgreiche David Moyes ein „unfinished business“ bei Manchester United hätte und statt des heuer recht erfolglosen Managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer zu den „Red Devils“ wechseln könnte, bekam an diesem Nachmittag auch neue Nahrung: Man Utd ging nämlich mit 1:4 gegen Watford unter – die eigentliche Sensation dieses Nachmittags! Für Solskjaer ist das „You‘re getting sacked in the morning“ nun schon sehr wahrscheinlich und am Sonntag war es dann auch soweit: Solskjaer wurde nach nur einem Sieg in den letzten 7 Premier League Matches entlassen.
Erfolgreich startete Steffen Hofmann in seine neue Trainerfunktion bei Rekordmeister Rapid und war damit der Lichtblick des Samstag-Nachmittags: mit 1:0 wurde Altach durch eine echte Rarität bezwungen, nämlich eines der seltenen Tore von „right back“ Filip Stojkovic. Da Ercan Kara in der 87. Minute einen Elfmeter vergab, musste Rapid gegen die nach einem Ausschluss in der zweiten Hälfte dezimierten Vorarlberger, die von dem vor ein paar Jahren bei Rapid gescheiterten Damir Canadi betreut werden und bei denen der aus England zurückgekehrte Ex- Rapid-Stürmer Adte Nuhiu spielt, bis zum Ende zittern! Aber diesmal gab es in Rapid-Viertelstunde nur ein kleines Ärgernis durch den vergebenen Elfmeter, aber keine resultattechnische Katastrophe, wie schon so oft in dieser Saison; zB im ersten Spiel gegen Altach, als die Vorarlberger in der 82. und 91. Minute aus einem 0:1 einen 2:1-Sieg machten.
„Es ist nicht besser geworden“, kommentierte mein Freund Robert Rapids Leistung und sprach von einem „grausamen Spiel“. Aber immerhin beendete der organisierte Rapid-Anhang im Block West seinen Support-Boykott, den man aus Protest gegen die „2G-Regel“ im Stadion ausgerufen hatte – obwohl diesmal sogar „2G+“ angesagt war – und verabschiedete den entlassenen Trainer Kühbauer mit einem sehr netten Transparent. Mit den drei Punkten plus schoben sich die Grün-Weißen nun auf den 5. Tabellenrang und stehen nach diesem Erfolg ohne Schönheitspreis endlich nach längerer Zeit wieder im „Meister-Play-off“.
Schließlich sei noch das Berliner Derby erwähnt, das am Samstag Abend in der „Alten Försterei“ einen verdienten 2:0-Erfolg des 1. FC Union über die Hertha brachte. Ein Tor schoss Ex-Rapidler und Union-Kapitän Christopher Trimmel, der damit nach seinem Länderspieltor gegen Moldawien auch im nächsten Spiel wieder einnetzen konnte! Rapid und Union stehen damit auf Platz 5 in ihrer jeweiligen Liga, während West Ham auf 4 bleibt.
Nächste Woche geht‘s weiter mit dem leider „behind locked doors“ ohne meine englischen Freunde und auch ohne mich stattfindenden Europa League-Duell Rapid vs. West Ham. Dann spielen die Hammers ein drittes Mal hintereinander auswärts und müssen bei Manchester City antreten. Union Berlin spielt in der Conference League auswärts gegen Maccabi Haifa und anschließend in der Bundesliga gegen Eintracht Frankfurt (A), bevor dann die Ost-Rivalen aus Leipzig in die „Alte Försterei“ kommen. Rapid muss nach dem West Ham-Match nach Ried und der 1. FC Union spielt in Frankfurt.
So schaut‘s aus, bevor wir ab Montag wieder Lockdown haben und nächstes Jahr eine Corona-Impfpflicht kommt…
PS: Das Fußballwochenende endete mit einem 1:0-Auswärtssieg von Venezia bei Arnie‘s Bologna und einem Spielabbruch in Lille: Olympique Marseilles Dimitri Payet wurde von einem Gegenstand getroffen, das Spiel wurde abgebrochen.
EXTRA TIME 
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