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Rice A Class Above!
There is something of the late great 'Sir' Bobby Moore about Declan Rice, albeit in the format of a modern day footballer earning vast amounts of money compared to when Bobby played the game. Apart from putting in a true captain's performance against a team Hammers 'owed one', Rice showed he was just that little bit more special with the heartfelt kindness he showed to a young fan at the end of the match that saw visitors Manchester United beaten by a Said Benrahma goal.
Seeing the youngster clearly disconsolate, the Hammers captain went over to see why the little lad bedecked in his Irons kit was crying after such a wonderful victory, "I don't know" said the youngster "I can't help it", at which point Rice have the boy a lovely cuddle and then when the tears had stopped and Decs was asked if he could give the boy his shirt he immediately acquiesced saying he had promised his shirt to Marcus Rashford but that the boy could ave it instead.
This was the mark of a man who is proud to wear the captain's armband of such a great club steeped in the tradition of working with youngsters, irrespective of when he eventually moves to a club that can guarantee Champions League football EVERY season, with the likes of City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid more than interested in buying him, it is a question of where to? Not IF he leaves.
It will be a shame to see Declan go, but no one can accuse him of not giving his absolute all for the club just as he did during yesterday's memorable game in which he shoved the words of so called experts back down their throats again with his imperious display all around the pitch.
The atmosphere at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium was magnificent, those who perhaps have only visited there once or twice or not even at all would have to admit it was rocking, an atmosphere as good if not better than many nights at the beloved Boleyn Ground.
This did prove a point that if the team play with the endeavour and skill exhibited on Sunday the crowd WILL get behind them and make a mockery of the fact that the crowd IS TOO far away from the action! One day the Stadium will be partly rebuilt and acquire a proper name!
In the meantime all the crowd can do is to get behind the team for the 'Con Cup' semi final on Thursday and the game against Sama Allardyce's Leeds United for the final home game of the season. - Ed
Blackburn thanks for a great bh monday
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Millscum 3-1 up at ht lost 3-4 and drop out of the playoffs gotta love that.
VAR again
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We played probably the best match of our season yesterday with every player putting in a shift and deservedly winning the match with that powerful unstoppable shot by Benny! but once again VAR and Attwell the var ref conspired against us in what was an obvious penalty to everyone except him and the spud Jenas.
How long is this going to continue?will it only stop happening when Mr Webb runs out of space to email his constant apologys for the mistakes made.
The ref sometimes cannot see the incident and in the old days he'd rely on one of his linesmen but nowadays they have better than that they have refs in a comfy studio looking at the screens zooming in rocking the pictures back and forth drawing sometimes straight lines sometimes the wrong lines so there can be no doubt as to a proper decision being made! how wrong can they get it....and i do believe it was Attwell who again did not give a clear penalty for us against the bindippers.
When you see this happening and mainly in favour of the Cabal of the premier league you cannot help but think of corruption...gone are the days when a manager meets up at the motor way services for the old brown envelope.
this time we did not need the decision and got the points thankfully but how long will it be before a side gets relegated because of obvious mistakes by VAR decide they are not having it and a court case arises.
Live Now West Ham v Man Utd Team Line Ups
West Ham: Fabianski, Kehrer, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice (c), Soucek, Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma, Antonio.
Substitutes: Areola, Anang, Johnson, Fornals, Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ings, Emerson.
Man Utd: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Malacia, Casemiro, Eriksen, Antony, Fernandes (c), Rashford, Weghorst.
Substitutes: Butland, Maguire, Martial, Sabitzer, Fred, Dalot, Sancho, Williams, Garnacho.
Cobbled Squad Spells Trouble!
The mystery illness that has been raging through Hammers squad shows no sign of abating, in fact such has been the effect that assembling a team that is well enoigh to face Manchester United this evening is proving to be such a difficult task that there is a rumour that the cllub may try to get the game postponed due to a lack of fit players!
There IS a Premier League ruling that does allow for fixtures to be cancelled if a 'significant' number of first team squad members are unavailable, Arsenal have utilised this facility before now, so there is an outside possibility tyhat the fixture might be moved.
Medicals will be held during the day up until midday to determine what is the best course of action, however fans travelling from Manchester will be left in a quanduary as to whether to set off for the game or not.
More news to follow as soon as we get it! - Ed
Sometimes you just have to laugh
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So having a browse this lunchtime for various stories about West Ham and you get all the usual stuff then i saw a little story saying that "West Ham" are really worried they could lose both Rice and Soucek this summer.
Had to smile and laugh and say it would not come as a surprise to me or any fan that we have no plans in place as to what they will do if & when it happens.
When the seasons over i will be taking a break from the site and keep away from all the rumours because it does do your head in sometimes.....and i have a feeling this summers goings on will tip many a fan over the edge! but hey take a look across the channel and PSG it seems they are now trying to rival us as the biggest circus in town!
Live Now Man City v West Ham Line Ups And Links
Man City : Ortega; Walker (c), Stones, Dias, Ake; Alvarez, Rodri, Silva; Mahrez, Grealish, Haaland. Subs: Ederson, Phillips, Gundogan, Laporte, Gomez, Akanji, Perrone, Foden, Lewis.
West Ham : Fabianski; Coufal, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Cresswell (c), Emerson; Paqueta, Downes; Bowen, Fornals, Antonio. Subs: Areola, Anang, Johnson, Lanzini, Cornet, Ings, Benrahma.
Irons Players To Ditch Their 'Bra's'
With so few games remaining of the season West Ham United's back room staff have told players that they no longer need to wear their performance 'bra's' for the remaining fixtures. The monitoring singlets that do resmeble brassiers are a vital part of acquiring fitness information but are uncomfortable to wear and so have been deemed unnecessary for the remainder of the season.
Not all clubs use the singlets in the top flight,while they are incredibly useful they can distract players on occasions, they are uncomfortable to wear and do make some players hot and bothered, particularly when worn in warmer climates or during hot spells domestically.
Bra's or not, tonight the players won't need monitors to show if they are working hard enough, because they are likely to be run ragged by City's myriad of stars, especially Gollum's brother! No one can envisage anything except a defeat. It is the measure of the loss that is being thought over, goal difference might be an important factor by the time the last kick of the season has taken place.
To that purpose calls for Dino Moyes to make wholesale changes to rest the squad ahead of the home game against Man Utd fixture and the home game against AK in the Con Cup will probably fall on death ears, which is rather a pity given the game is essentially a dead rubber.
There are plenty of players that Dino could utilise but if his past choices have anything to do with it he will select his usual starting eleven who have just completed TEN GAMES in a month! The players looked jaded and completely off the pace during the games against Liverpool and Palace, surely Moyes must realise that the will to play cannot obscure the fact that his starting eleven are mentally and physically drained and ALL need a rest.
Some might say that the team are well payed athletes who should be able to cope with the relentless fixture list, whereas others realise that the mental strain of playing SO many games eventually wears players down allowing errors that weren't there before to creep into their games.
The city game will be a bitter poll to swallow but they are in a completely different league and as such writing the game of is NOI an admission of defeat, more a considered pragmatic realisation that there is virtually NO POINT in trying to win at the Etihad at the expense of suffering more injuries and more exhaustion ahead of fixtures when the team DO have a chance of winning. -Ed
Big Sam-Hammers Nemesis Or Club's Saviour?
News that Sam Allardyce will most likely become Leeds United's next manager will come as no surprise to some whereas he is the obvious choice to others as the club look to rescue what looks like an inevitably sinking ship. Realistically, Leeds have the hardest run in of ALL the relegation threatened clubs, but he is known for his defensive organisational abilities and will most definitely stop the flood of goals the club has been shipping on an industrial scale.
The fact that Hammers host Leeds for their final game of the season at the still as yet unnamed Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth Park will have or have not an ironic twist in the tale of this season's final outcome. Allardyce's brand of football is pragmatic, boring but effective, so don't be surprised if he manages to get a result if he is in charge for the game.
Even if Leeds do get three points from their game with the Irons their plight is still more than precarious if you look at their other remaining fixtures, the likely hood of them surviving is NOT in their hands, they will still rely on other teams 'doing them a favour'.
The atmosphere inLondon will be reminiscent of the old days to fans of a certain age, the fierce rivalry between West Ham and Leeds was fought as much off the pitch as it was on it during football's dark days of hooliganism of the seventies, culminating in the death of a Hammers supporter allegedly caused by the notorious Leeds inter city firm, that were only rivalled by West Ham's own ICF!
If Hammers get even a point it will surely send Leeds down, a win would certainly ensure Hammers own survival and even a defeat wouldn't mean the end of the World but it would mean having to get at least a point away to Leicester City on the final day, NOT a prospect Hammers fans will be looking forward to.
Of course there are other games to throw into the mix, but this one could send Leeds down and see Hammers stay up, so there was a lot riding on the fixture before the Big Sam story broke. However before Leeds fans 'rejoice' at Javier Gracia's removal they should be mindful that Allardyce's tactical Nous will be fully challenged in the two fixtures prior to the Hammers game, away to City and home to Newcastle...good luck their Sam!
Realistically three more points will see Hammers safely through the relegation minefield. where they come from is anybody's guess but the club is better suited for survival than Southampton, Everton, Forest and Leeds, on paper at least, but football isn't played on paper is it? - Ed
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