Forum | General Discussion

The sinking of the Titanic was brilliantly made into a black and white movie entitled 'a night to remember' in which the band played on as the ship was slipped in to the sea, the musicians knew they had no hope of survival because of the lack of life boats but they played on until the bitter end.

Fortunately, Hammers fans night to remember has much happier connotations as the fans and players were able to truly celebrate en masse the club's first significant silverware for over half a century with an open top bus ride through the crowded streets of East London on a glorious evening in a blazing sun more akin to much warmer climes!

The sea of Claret and Blue stretched for miles as the procession 'kicked off' from the Hammers statue of the great Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters right next to the old Boleyn Ground and proceeded incredibly slowly to its final destination outside the Old Town hall in Newham, the exact same route that Hammers previous open top parade had done all those years ago.

The atmosphere was electric and eclectic as fans of all ages and from every group you could imagine gathered to party like there was no tomorrow. It might be referred to by some as the 'Micky Mouse' Cup, but the UEFA Conference Cup is the newest of European competitions that was designed to give 'minnows' a chance but has now become a much sought after trophy least ways because the winners gain automatic qualification for the more desirable Europa League.

"fifty years of hurt"

For many fans in attendance this was the FIRST time they had seen their beloved Irons attain ANY silverware at all, watching others pick up trophies regularly had become part of the DNA of a Hammers fan, but all that changed with Wednesday evening's 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the final in Prague.

European football beckons for the club for the third year running, West Ham will be competing in the same competition as Liverpool and Brighton whereas fierce rivals Tottingham have to make do with the much derided Conference League, Chelsea didn't even make the cut for ANY of Europe's competitions!

Special European nights were nearly attained at great cost as the Irons struggled even to stay in the Premier League due to a dire domestic season that saw the club only ensure its survival with three weeks remaining. Obviously next season's domestic campaign HAS to be much better, but for now fans can revel in being one of Europe's 'top dogs' and long may it continue, it is to be hoped that fans won't have to wait another 50 years for the next trophy!

There is a vast amount of uncertainty to be cleared up with regards to player recruitment, who will stay and who will go is still very much in the air, but for now fans can look forward to the future, however uncertain, and enjoy their memories of what was a 'night to remember'. - Ed

They came, they saw, they conquered! That was just the Press! Apart form a disgraceful act of stupidity which involved a deranged fan hurling a vape at one of tonight's opponents, Hammers fans bathed themselves in glory by ingratiating themselves with the locals in Prague and creating a carnival atmosphere as they took over the town!

The game might not have been pretty on the eye, however it was a really dramatic final that could have gone either way. Fiorentina came to play act, foul, time waste and con the referee. The Ref obviously had been given a word in his shell like at half time regarding how he was being duped because after the restart he began handing out yellows to the Viola and not paying as much attention to their whinging.

The end of first half goal that Fiorentina had chalked off by the narrowest of margins could have been a complete game changer, as it was it was fractionally off side and Hammers lived to fight another day! Benny the Penny's spot kick gave Hammers a deserved lead early in the 2nd half but the massive Irons contingent's joy was short lived as the Italians struck back within a few minutes.

With the scores level it was Fiorentina who were in the ascendancy and Hammers were under the cosh, however they stuck to their task and restricted the opposition to very little meaningful posssesiin where it really mattered. The game looked set to go to extra time when 'Pacman', who else? Slid through an inch perfect pass for Jarrod Bowen to spring the offside trap and race on to score past the flailing keeper.

All hell broke loose but Hammers maintained their discipline and saw out the huge amount of extra time to raise the club's first trophy in over FIFTY THREE YEARS! Pacqueta was immense as were most of the players. Kehrer was superb having to come on for the injured Zouma in the 61st minute and performed admirably in whatwas a real battle.

Declan Rice raised more questions than answers with his statement regarding whether he would be leaving the club or not, but that is for another time. Now is the time to celebrate, rejoice and probably acquire a bit of a head ache. West Ham are MASSIVE every where they go! - Ed

"We are in for a shaky ride" so said a Hammers stalwart ahead of the European Cup Winners Cup nearly SIXTY years ago! Those were the unforgettable words from the late and truly great Bobby Moore as he led his Hammers team out for the final. He was 24 years old, the same age as current captain Declan Rice.

The dialogue and parlance might have changed over the course of time, but the sentiment is exactly the same. Leading Hammers to their first European trophy since 1965 would be a fitting achievement for Rice before seeking pastures new, Moore was of course a one off unique payer, but Rice isn't far behind and has often referenced the great man when talking about his aspirations for the club.

If and it is obviously a huge if, Hammers can lift the UEAFA Conference Cup trophy tomorrow night, Rice will have drawn a line in the sand of 'fifty plus years of hurt' and finally cemented a starting point for a new generation of fans who have only known the Queen Elizabeth Stadium as their ground.

Gone are the days of the fans' Boleyn Ground, however success breeds success and if the team can put in a herculean effort against Fiorentina in Prague then a whole new era might well begin. Starved of success for an absolute age Irons fans have had to put up with being london's poorest neighbours when it comes to attaining trophies, a win could catapult the club to new highs!

A loss in the stupidly designated Fortuna Arena with it's microscopic capacity would be hard to take but not impossible to recover from. Having got to the semi final of the Europa League last season, the club will hope to actually win the much besmirched Conference Cup which many opposition fans are happy to belittle, but their clubs aren't in a final are they?

Not being the bookies favourites might play into David Moyes and his side's hands, being the under dog is not uncommon for West Ham and tends to bring out the best from the team. There are plenty of substitutes allowed during the game and it is hoped that the Hammers manager can throw off his shackles and USE his bench effectively.

It is already common knowledge that Fiorentina will try to exploit the 'dark arts' of football during the game, Hammers fans must expect time wasting and over exaggeration of fouls on an industrial scale. Such practices are standard in Serie A and Fiorentina are past masters at them, even the slightest of challenges will be met with a 'sniper in the crowd' reaction involving multiple pirouettes and screams of pain!

David Moyes has stated that he is aware of what the opposition might try but that his team will play the game properly, well that is an incredibly naive comment which he hopefully said tongue in cheek. If Hammers DON'T match the antics employed against them, then there will only be one outcome and it won't be a happy one!

We have nothing against the long serving Aaron Cresswell, but if Moyes starts him ahead of Emerson Hammers will be on a hiding to nothing, Cresswell just doesn't have the pace he once had and is prone to giving away the sort of fouls that red cards are dished out for in European competitions.

A slightly trickier decision for David Moyes is whether to start Vlad the Impaler Coufal or Kehrer at right back, both have performed admirably in that berth of late but the ex-Slavia Prague defender will probably get the nod as the game is being hosted in his old stamping ground.

The rest of the team virtually picks itself although there is a rumour that Moyes may start Fabianski in goal instead of Alphonse Areola, that would be a grave error because the French International has earned the right to play in the final having performed magnificently throughout the competition.

As the great man once said "We are in for a bumpy ride, so buckle up boys" let's see what you are made of! - Ed