Forum | General Discussion

"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

There has been plenty of 'paranoia' parlance regarding the clash of playing and managerial appointments at London rivals West Ham and Tottingham, never one to miss a trick Daniel Levy the de facto dictator at White Hart lane is ALWAYS keen to try and put a spanner in the works if he can when it comes to West Ham, so news that Levy is chasing Celtic's manager and a host of players that have neem monitored by West Ham should come as no shock!

Levy still hasn't recovered from being 'robbed' over the London Stadium deal, he thought that giving the Queen a lift back from the races in his private plane would be enough to help seal the deal his way, alas he forgot that the Queen's Mother had been an ardent Hammers fan.

Besmirched by the official and open application system, Levy employed scurrilous methods to try and halt Hammers progress in taking over the London Olympic Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth Park. In fact, word is that he was INCENSED by the final outcome and swore to build a bigger and better Stadium for all to come and see and 'worship'.

Unfortunately the development project went massively over budget and co-incided with the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, thus depriving the North Londoners of vital funds JUST when they really needed them, furthermore despite building what is a magnificent Stadium, the infrastructure surrounding White Hart Lane was and still is NOT fit for purpose, getting to and from the ground is a nightmare and the area closest to the Stadium is still butt ugly on arrival and departure, even Tottingham fans refer to the area as a bit of a **** hole!

Levy has refused to play ball over any transfer since and actively looks to hijack and snipe Hammers transfer targets, well....let him have them! Levy's ability to self destruct is blatantly visible when looking at some of the players who were signed as a direct result of him wanting to beat the IRONS to the chase, long may it continue.

The reality is that Tottingham is a much wealthier club than West Ham and is bank rolled by a huge off shore investment and betting syndicate, as such they will ALWAYS, at least in the near future, be able to out spend West Ham, but that might change if and when David Sullivan and the estate of the late David Gold sell up their shares in the club.

Much better to play the long game and let Levy fiddle while his empire burns, eventually his cost efficiencies WILL catch up with him, in the meantime Hammers should just let Levy have his way instead of getting involved in any type of bidding wars....let him have cake! - Ed

It might be a case of adding two and two and getting five, however there does seem to be some legs on the stories emanating from both Roma and West Ham that there could potentially be a swap deal in the offing between both clubs involving strikers Tammy Abraham and Gianluca Scamacca.

Scamacca has endured a torrid time in England and Tammy has fallen out of favour at Roma and is also longing to return to the Premier League, having 'experienced' a full course of Italian culture during his tenure with Jose Mourinho in Rome.

There would be some form of financial adjustment if a deal is done due to Roma's £40 Million plus valuation of the ex-Chelsea striker, but the deal would value Scamacca at £35 Million so the difference in valuations would not be a deal breaker in the slightest.

Would it be good for West Ham? There are those who say that Hammers have 'taken the pain' with the Scamacca transfer due to his injuries and should now reap the benefit of a fully fit and reinvigorated Scamacca, whereas others feel the Italian is NOT suited to the remorseless pace of the Premier League.

Abrahams could slot straight into a West Ham team IF he is given enough game time, Scamacca could walk in to the Roma team and be welcomed with open arms. A lot depends on who is going to be in charge of what at BOTH clubs, as each are in the process of assessing how to move forward.

Having already been severely 'mauled' by the Sebastien Haller transfer, West Ham will be keen to avoid a repeat and may well see a swap deal as the best way to recoup any potential loss. It makes business sense but fans will feel the only reason Scamacca really wants to return to Italy is because of David Moyes' reluctance to alter his 'fixed', some say totally stubborn, approach to how he sets his team up!

Big Mikey Antonio is well on the wrong side of thirty and will obviously need replacing at some point in the future so the club MUST avoid a situation where they are totally reliant on the big fellows hamstrings 'holding out' through the entire season although his fitness levels have improved dramatically die to a dietary reset and a different playing style.

Exchange deals are loved by the bean counters at clubs, especially when they factor in 'player ammortisation' which is their smoke and mirrors way of manipulating end of year accounts. Unfortunaterly Hammers lack the resources to be able to keep Scamacca AND bring another top striker to the club, there is also the fact that 'top' strikers want to be 'top dog'.

A difficult conundrum to solve but things could work out well, but then again there is no guarantee that Tammy Abraham wants to come to West Ham and may feel that he should be playing for a 'bigger club'. Only time will tell, but the striker situation HAS to be resolved well before the start of next season, irrespective of who is in charge of the club!- Ed