Forum | General Discussion

If you think the media coverage of the Barclays Premier League is excessive, then spare a thought for the players currently plying their trade in Spain, the media there take absolutely NO prisoners and have been known to take 'intrusion' to the nth degree!

It is always interesting to see how West Ham are viewed as a club from afar, so when Hammers come calling for players in Spain this is how the club are currently appraised in the Spanish media: "Of the three Premier League clubs that want Nabil Fekir -West Ham are the most 'powerful': The growth of the London team in recent years is quite remarkable. Little by little, West Ham is establishing itself in the noble zone of the Premier League, and in the UEFA Europa League it is the leader of its group".

OK a little is lost in the translation, but the comment IS indicative as to how the club is seen by others. It is wonderful to observe recognition of the club's recent progression, although the Spanish media's comment from the other day does have a touch of irony attached. Namely that David Moyes' long time striker target, Nabil Fekir, plays for Real Betis, who are of course are managed by that long time venerable receiver of back handers, Manuel Pellegrini!

Having shafted the Irons in more ways than you can find out in one of Mr Gold's accessory shops, the Pellegrinophile will now attempt to 'milk' the club of anything that was left in what he thought was a bare cupboard. Doing business with Real Betis is an odious prospect bearing in mind that Pellegrini would be the beneficiary of any funds generated, however it should be remembered that Hammers cult hero, goalkeeper Adrian, was acquired from Real Betis and the two clubs DO have a good relationship.

David Moyes is very stoic when it comes to his transfer targets, he doesn't tend to be put off and generally plays the long game which usually turns out well. Mentioning the need for an additional top striker sounds like a scratched record, that is if you remember vinyl, but irrespective of whether you a LynSondec type of person or a media stick data muncher, you would have to have been stuck in a cave not to be aware of the situation.

Sometimes Moyes can appear to be painfully slow, but if anything Aesop's hare and the tortoise fable is an accurate analogy of how he operates, and let's face it, he hasn't done too badly so far has he?

Vlad The Impaler Coufal has just spoiled Manchester City's £100 Miilion signing Jack Grealish's weekend.
Signing a new three year deal with an option for a further year with West Ham United, means he will repeatedly be able to renew the players' acquaintance. Grealish's 'experience' at the hands, or more literally the feet, of Vlad left the poor lad emotionally scarred last season at Villa Park, especially when he tried to make the Hammers defender jump by feigning a head butt towards him, Coufal's withering 'is that all you've got?' look was a sight to behold and left Grealish looking like a powder puff in a sauna!

Any hopes the England player had of Coufal departing the Irons have evaporated, as West Ham confirmed the long awaited signing of the right back's new improved deal. Apart from scaring the Bejesus out of Grealish, Coufal's signing has firmed up the club's intention of rewarding players that give their all, and no one can say that Vlad doesn't give his all.

Hopefully The Impaler will be OK'd to play against a very accomplished Brentford attack tomorrow that features Ivan Toney, this is a very tricky fixture indeed. The Bees' players will relish playing on such a vast pitch and their travelling fans will get to appreciate the unique acoustics of the London Bowl that can make them sound rather loud if they wish.

Although Hammers have suffered only one Barclays Premier League defeat at home and are flying high in Europe as well as knocking Manchester United out of the Moose Cup, it is sobering to remember that there has only been one win at home in the League!

West Ham have to be at their absolute best to beat or even draw against Brentford, fortunately there was the pre-season friendly that helped acquaint David Moyes with Tomas Frank's style of play, but the stamina levels of the Irons will be tested to the limit.

The collateral effect of playing an awful lot of games in such a short space of time might catch up with Declan Rice and the rest of the team, but if they can just see this one over the line it would leave Hammers hale and hearty going in to the International break. - Ed

Sooner or later West Ham United along with other Barclays Premier League clubs will be releasing various NFT's (non fungible tokens) on various platforms, yield App have announced their partnership with the club which that entitles users to benefit from the opportunity of experiencing hospitality at home fixtures, through regular competitions throughout the season.

All very good and shows that the Irons are not going to be left behind in the wake of 'new' technology and it's developments, however what is far more relevant to David Moyes, his support staff and his players is maintaining the levels of fitness required to pursue trophies on four different fronts.

To that purpose it is CRYO, and not CRYPTO that interests Moyes and his staff, Cryotherapy has gained popularity among athletes across many sports. The main goals of cryotherapy, and specifically whole-body cryotherapy, are for injury prevention and counteracting negative inflammatory symptoms following athletic performance in hopes of improving recovery.

It is the use of CRYO, in conjunction with intense manipulation and physiotherapy, that has helped Vlad the Impaler Coufal be made available for Sunday's 'crucial' home game against newly promoted Brentford. You may ask yourself why the home game against the bees is so crucial? The answer is simply that every game from hereon in is crucial for the Irons if they are to maintain their current upward trajectory, anything less than 100% will see the club slip into the 'mediocre' category of midfield 'safety'.

So, forget Crypto chat for now, and listen out for the Cryo chat! - LN

Anyone attending the Europa League cup tie last night between West Ham and 'Rabid' Vienna, as opposed to those watching on TV would have noticed a large banner that 'suddenly' appeared on the hoarding where the away fans were located which read 'God Loves Ultras'.

It was quickly ordered to be taken down but it set the tone and was indicative of the away support, perhaps they were just blown away by the unbelievable pyrotechnic display that preceded the game which was at full WHO live volume!

Three arrests were made following disturbances during the game, 'Rabid' Fans hurled objects at Hammers fans on numerous occasions, while a number of Rapid fans jumped over the advertising barriers. The Met Police said two arrests were made for the alleged assault of an emergency services worker and one for possession of an offensive weapon.
'Declan Rice's opener, triggered the first disturbance with a number of the 1,300 Rapid Vienna fans jumping over barriers and objects being thrown between both sets of supporters, after a brief respite trouble continued as Rapid had a penalty chalked off with 20 minutes to go and Said Benrahma's injury time goal agitated the away fans further.

"We want to be a club in Europe and be there regularly. Because of that we want to behave correctly. We don't know who started that but we don't want that reputation," said David Moyes. Uefa are waiting for the referees report before deciding whether to investigate the incidents further.
Whatever 'God's Ultras' thought, they came to the wrong place to exhibit their brand of support, they were lucky the Police in attendance didn't call on the 'tooled up' back up that is available for every fixture due to terrorism considerations. We from the Org witnessed at first hand the'Ultras' trying to cause as much trouble as they could, in the event, a combination of fans who wouldn't put up with, police and security as back up and a shattering loud PA was enough to quell the rowdy visitors behaviour.

Watching the fans of Rapid Vienna was like being in a time warp, it was like going back to the 70's and shows just how far the game in this country has progressed, both on and OFF the pitch. Fans travelling for the return fixture might want to consider their safety, especially if they are accompanied by younger supporters. - Ed