Forum | General Discussion

Tottenham: Forster; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Royal, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Davies; Richarlison, Kulusevski, Kane. Subs: Austin, Sanchez, Son, Perisic, Danjuma, Porro, Tanganga, Moura, Sarr.
West Ham: Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd; Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Downes, Emerson; Antonio, Bowen. Subs: Areola, Johnson, Cresswell, Scamacca, Fornals, Lanzini, Ings, Benrahma, Casey.

"The Moysical Mystery Tour Is coming to take you away, coming to take you away, the Moysical Mystery Tour Is dying to take you away, dying to take you away, take you today! That's an invitation, to make a reservation I think I've got everything you need, satisfaction guaranteed!"

Hammers travel across London to the modern massively indebted and as yet commercially unnamed White Hart Lane Stadium from their own massive unnamed Stadium for a clash of this season's Premier League under achievers. Tottingham are struggling to hold on to the coat tails of the Premier League's elite, whereas West Ham are struggling just to be in the Premier League next season, two seasons of steady progress 'count for nout' at the end of the day.

Relegation for West Ham and failure even to reach the 'Con Cup' are genuinely possible, neither club could possibly have envisaged such a desperate and disparate season which still has time for many twists and turns. For Hammers the question has to be asked, "is David Moyes a busted flush?" Unfortunately the answer is almost 1,000 % a resounding YES!

In many areas of life you are judged by your past, but ONLY if it is as an addendum to the future, in the case of David Moyes he has exhibited little if any sign of having taken on board (a) he gravity and (b) the severity of the situation the club now finds itself in, is Moyes in denial? Many fans AND pundits think so!

It is easy to knock a man when he is down, but we are not talking about a 'normal' situation, Premier League players and managers receive such obscene wages that sympathy is thin on the ground, it is hard to fell sorry for someone who earns more in a month than a 'normal' person can earn in an entire decade.

So bearing in mind David Moyes' financial security and accumulated wealth, it doesn't seem unreasonable to have a 'pop' at the Irons beleaguered manager, after all he DOES earn a fortune and has done for many many years! There is nothing wrong with earning huge amounts of money, but when the earners decisions has massive consequences, some of which could be irreversible, then it does seem appropriate to write about things as they are, NOT as they should have been.

David Moyes has a GOOD squad, NOT World beaters but definitely a decent squad to work with. For many years fans pleaded, screamed and tried to cajole the owners to spend big AND keep their mouths shut! Both wishes have been granted and yet the club finds itself on the precipice of the unthinkable, RELEGATION!

Yesterday's results went about as badly as they possibly could, ahead of this afternoon's fixture Hammers find themselves in the bottom three. Only a draw or a win can keep the Wolves from the door (sic), even a point or three will only see the club 'chip away' at what has now become a significant rock fall, a cave in no one predicted and one that no one seems to know how to solve.

The Board have placed their faith in David Sullivan for the time being, but even IF the club do survive and it is a MASSIVE if, Moyes will surely know that his time in East London is coming to a close. Moyes HAS the squad, he just doesn't seem to be able to use it! -Ed

From across the Pond right now, things aren’t looking great for West Ham. We sit 16th in the Premier League and have been in pretty poor form recently, but let’s not forget that this team has regularly been the underdog and triumphed when the odds were stacked against us. In this article, let’s have some positivity and look back at some memorable underdog moments. There have been plenty throughout the club’s history but these five stand out. This includes high table finishes, surprise cup glory and epic results against teams we probably shouldn’t have beaten.

Don’t forget that when you are watching the Hammers this season, you can place wagers on them to win and even on things like who the goal scorers will be. This can make the games more bearable and you can at least turn some of our deplorable performances into a monetary win! , sportsbooks have a whole host of sports covered, such as MLB, rugby, and NBA and March Madness picks.

Now, on to the article – let’s relive the five top underdog moments in West Ham history.

1. FA Cup Final 1980 – West Ham stun Arsenal 1-0

FA Cup Finals are always amazing and what’s better than a London Derby FA Cup Final? This is what transpired in 1980 when West Ham played against Arsenal. At the time, the Hammers were in the Second Division while Arsenal were continually one of the top teams in the First Division.

Of course, everyone expected the Gunners to win comfortably and claim more silverware. However, West Ham had other ideas! In the 13th minute, Alan Devonshire banged in a cross on the left wing and Trevor Brooking eventually managed to scramble the ball into the goal, with his head after a mad dash. Despite many attempts from Arsenal, West Ham held strong, retained possession throughout much of the game and pulled off their third FA Cup title.

2. 2007-08 EPL season – West Ham beat Man U 1-0

You really couldn’t have a matchup of greater contrasts. On the one hand, you had Manchester United, who had already been crowned Premier League winners, and on the other, the Hammers, who were on the precipice of relegation and needed a point to avoid the chop. It was expected that Man U would win easily and further their claim as the Premier League’s top team. However, West Ham fought as if their lives depended on it and the legendary Carlos Tevez scored just before half-time to put West Ham 1-0 up. The game remained at that score and they pulled off a fantastic victory that ultimately kept them in the Premier League for the 2008-09 season.

3. 2020-21 EPL season – West Ham finish in sixth place

The 2019-20 EPL season was not a great one for West Ham and we finished 16th (which is our current standing this season and why many fear Moyes will get the sack!). This, in its own right, was a follow-up to our worst ever season since our relegation in 2010/11. No one expected anything big from the Hammers, therefore, in the 2020-21 season. However, the underdogs once again proved
everyone wrong and ended up with an incredible sixth-place finish that saw us get into the UEFA Europa League! We had a winning record of 38/19/8 and finished with 65pts – only four points off third place and a Champions League finish!

4. 2016-17 EPL season – West Ham beat Man U 3-2

It’s funny that many of our underdog moments seem to come at the expense of Man U and this win in the 2016-17 season was no different. This was a great underdog moment and also a poignant one as it was the last ever game to be played at the Boleyn Ground. The match was a thrilling one, with five goals in total. Sakho, Antonio and Reid put three in for the Hammers, which topped off this
unexpected win against EPL juggernauts Manchester United.

5. 2021-22 – West Ham defeat Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League

It had been a long time since West Ham had any European action, so our 2-0 win against Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League was an unexpected but welcome moment. The previous leg had seen Sevilla beating us 1-0, but we triumphed 2-0 and won 2-1 on aggregate. This was met by a record home attendance crowd and one of the better moments in the 2021-22 season.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to be a proud West Ham fan! Yes, we know that we have seen better times and things are looking a little bleak in the Premier League. But don’t despair! How many times have we turned things around and gone against the odds to survive and excel? The 1980 FA Cup win against Arsenal has to be our favourite underdog moment – which one is
yours and are there any that we have missed?

West Ham United has a rollercoaster of footballing history, with many highs and lows. Throughout the club’s existence, there has also been an incredible range of unexpected wins. These were games that we either shouldn’t have won due to facing vastly superior opponents, or victories that great that they simply defied the odds. In the following article, we look at five of our best unexpected wins in recent club history.

Let’s hope that we continue to get some more unexpected wins during this Premier League season – we certainly need them! Unexpected wins make for amazing bets at sportsbooks too – aside from helping us stave off relegation, you can also enjoy better odds and payouts! If sports betting is your thing, you can gamble on a range of leagues and competitions apart from football, including NBA and NCAAB March Madness picks .

1. West Ham 1-0 Arsenal – 1980 FA Cup Final

West Ham have won three FA Cups to date – the best of these has to be the 1980 final against Arsenal. West Ham were just a lowly League 2 squad and were never expected to even reach the finals. In contrast, Arsenal were a great League 1 team and most people expected them to win. That was not the case! Trevor Brooking scored the winning goal after just 13 minutes and West Ham defended excellently for the rest of the game. ​
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2. West Ham 2-0 Sevilla – UEFA Europa League Round 16

West Ham hasn’t enjoyed much European success. Therefore, the 2-1 triumph over Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League was unexpected. This was all the more unexpected, as the first leg at Sevilla saw the Spanish La Liga team triumph 1-0.

Hopes were low but attendance was high and the Hammers stadium had a record turnout to see the lads try for European glory. Indeed, that’s what happened. Tomas Souček and Andriy Yarmolenko both scored to put West Ham through to the UEFA Europa League quarter finals. They won the match 2-1 on aggregate and it was a fantastic performance from the entire squad. It’s matches like this that make shareholders like David Sullivan continue their support for the club.

3. West Ham 1-0 Man U – 2007-08 EPL season

The 2007-08 Premier League season could have been incredibly dark for West Ham had it not been for Carlos Tevez. We teetered on the very edge of relegation and needed a draw or better from the last game of the season to stay up. The opponents, unfortunately, were already crowned champions Manchester United. They had been amazing all season and everyone expected them to continue that form. But that was not to be! Tevez scored just before the half-time whistle and the game remained 1-0 until full time. The likes of Ronaldo and Giggs couldn’t break the Hammers’ defences and this unexpected win kept our Premier League hopes for another season.

4. West Ham 3-2 Man U – 2016-17 EPL season

The Boleyn Ground was the home of the Hammers for over a century and it was a both a sad memory and a triumphant one when West Ham unexpectedly beat Man U 3-2 in the last ever match to be played there. It was the 2016-17 season and West Ham were not expected to beat the Red Devils. Indeed, things were not looking great as Manchester quickly took a 2-1 lead. However, Antonio equalized and Reid scored a close-up header to clinch the win. It was the perfect send off for The Boleyn and we would not have wanted the club’s history to end here any differently.

5. West Ham 8-0 Macclesfield Town – League Cup third round

Did you know that West Ham has actually scored eight or more goals seven times since 1919? This is pretty amazing and one of our largest ever wins was against Macclesfield Town in the English League Cup third round. We get that the outcome of this match wasn’t unexpected – the Hammers were the favourites to win.

However, it was the scoreline that was unexpected! Fans were treated to an incredible show of goalscoring prowess as the Hammers thumped poor Macclesfield 8-0. What made it even more special was that the score was only 3-0 at half-time! West Ham went on to blast another five goals past the Macclesfield keeper to finish one of our greatest League Cup showcases ever.

For me, the FA Cup victory in 1980 stands as THE best unexpected win – you couldn’t have imagined it! But all of these matches were amazing in their own right for different reasons. Which one is your favourite? Or do you have any unexpected wins that we have missed? Let us know and share your thoughts below.- USA H