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  • Hammers (Un)united Folly

    Submitted by Louis Nixon on Mon, 27/09/2021 - 09:14

    At the Org we are split into two 'friendly' factions as to the stewardship of West Ham United since Gold & Sullivan took over the club from those venerable 'families' who had previously 'looked after the club, the Cairns and latterly the Brown's dynasties. For the term 'looked after', you can legitimately substitute the words 'didn't invest and took all the cash', so just remember how easy it is to 'vision', with claret & blue spectacles, how perfec' everything was back at the jolly old' Boleyn Ground.

    Believe it or not, a thousand years ago our founder was employed by Galaxy Publications who produced such high brow periodicals as Knave and Fiesta to sell 'legitimate' advertising to the booze and cigarette agencies in the hope that the smut on offer would be accepted for distribution in mainstream media outlets like WH Smith and Menzies if it had a lot of high profile 'respectable' advertising, and it worked!

    Amusingly, the person that Nev replaced in the role of director of advertising was none other than....Mr David Sullivan, who quickly saw the opportunities on offer and set up his own organisation called PRIVATE to sell border line' content and products, to achieve this he used a venerable advertising man named Mike Milne through his company Adaction to place adverts that no one would have accepted if they had known they were coming from Sullivan, particularly Russell Gay at Galaxy who had originally employed Sullivan to take the company's advertising to a different level, perversely Sullivan just did that by taking a great chunk of the smut market away!

    Sullivan is the chief protagonist now that David Gold is getting increasingly senile, and yes Sullivan has made plenty of errors, especially when he repeatedly tried to use his 'barrow boy' negotiating 'skills' for player acquisitions, with ultimately only a ONE in TEN success rate!

    So the Org should be jumping on the GSB out bandwagon and should be firmly behind the Hammers United 'protest' planned to coincide with the home game against Barclays Premier League newcomers Brentford shouldn't we? Well the answer to that one is a big fat NO, YES they have been embarrassing and have generally been stingy with their expenditure, but it is what it is and any remonstrations, in our opinion, should be made when the season is over. Of course feelings run high and we understand fans' frustration, but there IS a time and a place to make representations, during what could be yet another landmark season, we see no reason to do anything that will have a negative effect on the club's current incredible upward trajectory.

    Or do fans really want to shoot the club in it's own foot? If that's what you want, please demonstrate with gusto! However remember that despite earning vast amounts, some say obscene amounts of money, players are only human and anyone who thinks the players are unaffected by demonstrations before, during or even after a game are ill-informed or deluded or both.

    Like we say, Gold Sullivan and even that other one are not the most popular people here at the Org, but to demonstrate when the club is enjoying it's best spell for at least 15 years is absolutely ludicrous, there IS a time and a place for everything, however this is neither the time, nor London Bowl the place, to offer constructive criticism only negative pessimism, there is plenty of time off season to protest, or do Hammers United want to wreck the club's tenuous progress merely to perpetuate their own existence and follow their own agenda?- LN

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  • normal service has been resumed

    mcbikeman's picture
    Submitted by mcbikeman on Mon, 27/09/2021 - 09:05

    Forums:

    Spuds fans bleating and crying into there beer Ole moaning about opposition players doing exactly what they do when pens awarded against them ahh yes football getting back to how it should be...

    Meanwhile those cocky little erberts West Ham have the cheek to win when they play below standard ahhh you just have to love that dont ya now.

  • Moyes To Use ManUtd 'B' Team For Rapid

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sun, 26/09/2021 - 11:43

    We recently held a poll to see if David Moyes should use his 'Man Utd' 'B' Team to play against Rapid Vienna for Thursday evening's Europa League cup tie, the response was overwhelmingly YES! For the first and supposedly most difficult group, stage fixture against Dinamo Zagreb Moyes chose :Fabiański, Fredericks, Zouma, Diop, Cresswell, Rice (c), Souček, Vlašić, Fornals, Lanzini, Antonio Subs: Areola (GK), Randolph (GK), Coufal, Johnson, Masuaku, Ogbonna, Dawson, Noble, Král, Benrahma, Yarmolenko, Bowen.

    For the victorious Moose Cup tie at Old Trafford the Irons manager chose: Areola, Fredericks, Johnson, Diop, Dawson, Masuaku, Kral, Noble, Lanzini, Yarmolenko, Bowen Subs: Randolph, Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Fornals, Vlasic, Benrahma. Bowen and Benrahma both put a shift in at Leeds yesterday, Bowen also started the Moose cup tie on Wednesday evening, both players need a bit of a rest, particularly Bowen.

    Coufal needs a break, but that will depend on Fredericks' recovery from injury, promising youth player Harrison Ashby is the only other option at right back, because Johnson would already be occupying the left back berth vacated by Aaron Cresswell. Thursday might just be the time to elevate Ashby to the main squad, albeit the 'glorified' B team!

    Moyes can have Antonio and several other 1st team players on the bench in case things go belly up, as it is a home game it will not detract from those players' recovery time if they have to bench warm. Managing the squad and it's commitments is a challenge David Moyes seems able and willing to meet, how refreshing is that ?

    You may need to pinch yourself to realise just how far the club has actually come since the days when the Undertaker that was Avram Grant was manager?

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  • "We Go Again" Says Moyes

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sun, 26/09/2021 - 08:55


    For years and years Hammers fans have gazed enviously at other clubs from the capital, as they progressed up the food chain, in Chelsea's case, or maintained their 'top club' status from the past inexorably. Arsenal were serial Champions League qualifiers and Tottingham did their best to actually win something without success.

    Before fans smirk at the misfortune of Arsenal and to a lesser degree their neighbours, it should be remembered that the gulf in facilities available to those clubs as opposed to West Ham is the reason why it has taken so long for all three clubs to be on a level playing field.

    The flip side of aiming to maintain a top six slot is the levels of expectancy and also the added commitments that success brings, initially Hammers faced a minimum of SIX Europa League group stage fixtures. Should the club successfully navigate the group stage, which it seems there is a good chance of, then the serious fixtures begin with the knockout stages which feature clubs that have dropped down from the Champions League.

    After the Group stage there is a play off for those that finished 2nd in their group, then there is a round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and eventually the final to be held at Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in Spain.

    Asked how his players will cope with the increased workload of playing the Europa League games, David Moyes responded by saying " It's a nice problem to have isn't it? he continued "We'll just go again, we have a great bunch of lads who will give it their all and play for each other, we have got some strength in depth, maybe not as much as I'd like, but we'll give it a go, we go again!".

    Although Hammers have Champions League aspirations, it is important to remember just how far the club has come in the last 18 months, after the group stage there are only three games required to reach the final! As David Moyes so succinctly said " We go again". - Ed

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  • Great Win At What Cost? Leeds 1-Irons 2

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 25/09/2021 - 20:28

    To the neutral this wasn an entirely enthralling encounter between Leeds and West Ham at Elland Road, however to those deeply involved, from either side, it was a roller coaster ride of high powered football and high pressure fit bit busting anxiety!

    Elland Road is an old school stadium with the smallest pitch in the Barclays Premier League, an 'asset; that the home team exploit to the max in front of their loyal and occasionally vociferous fans. Hammers started brightly but Leeds soon began to impose their brand of 'murder ball', they ran Hammers ragged and were good value for their 1st half goal. Things did brighten up a bit towards the end of the 1st half, with Antonio making an absolute menace of himself and Fornals forcing Leeds' excellent 6'6"keeper Meslier to make a fine save, something he did throughout the entire game.

    Second half, no doubt 'influenced by David Moyes and his support staff's half time 'chat' Hammers looked a completely different team and as the game wore on began to pressurise the home team into errors, mind you they were still lethal on the break!

    Eventually something had to beat the home keeper, and it was a massive deflection that non plused him, fortunate for Bowen who's shot was going well wide. Initially the equaliser spurred Leeds forward as they sought to try and put the game to bed, unfortunately for them they simply ran out of puff!

    Their tired players who made up a makeshift team due to a mass of injuries ran themselves ragged but eventually were undone by none other than Michail Antonio, beautiful finish, job done. Mikey's fifth goal this season was a joy to behold but as he said in his post match presser he was "Relieved" to get the three points and that the game was over "hard work" he continued.

    This was a mega tough game from a physical and mental point of view, David Moyes' players put a lot of effort in, a hell of a lot of effort, Thursday's Europa League fixture against Rapid Vienna looms large, it will be interesting to see how Moyes approaches a game that is on paper against lesser opposition, but all the good work done against Zagreb will count for nought if there is a slip up against Rapid, he will have to balance his team selection carefully.

    Great victory today, last minute winner AND other teams at the top dropping points, one joyous result being Manchester United's 2nd home loss in FOUR days, today's loss courtesy of a missed last minute penalty and of course Brentford's draw with the scousers.....Karma - Ed

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  • Live Leeds V West Ham Line Ups

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 25/09/2021 - 14:03

    Leeds: Meslier, Dallas, Cresswell, Cooper (c), Firpo, Phillips, Shackleton, Klich, Raphinha, James, Rodrigo Subs: Klaesson, Roberts, Harrison, Gelhardt, Hjelde, Drameh, Summerville, Greenwood, McCarron
    West Ham: Fabiański, Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice (c), Souček, Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals, Antonio Subs: Areola, Johnson, Dawson, Diop, Noble, Král, Lanzini, Vlašić, Yarmolenko

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  • Never Mind The Opposition-Who Ever They Are

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 25/09/2021 - 08:37

    Ahead of Hammers away game against Leeds today, there seems to have been an inordinate amount of coverage in the build up given to the fitness and availability of several key players for the home team. A day hasn't gone by without some news emanating from Elland Road about this player and that and whether they can make the 1st team.

    Painful experiences of the past will surely have taught fans NOT to read too much into these 'snippets' for a couple of reasons, namely NO ONE gets anywhere near a 1st team without having earned the right, and no manager demands more from their players than Leeds' Marco Biesla. His famous training methods, referred to as 'murder ball' by his players, should be indicative as to what he demands from his team.

    Consequently most of the coverage about who is and who isn't available to face West Ham, is vacuous to put it mildly. Whichever team Bielsa sends out will give it their all, Hammers will need to be on full alert as they try to cope with Leeds' frenetic fast paced game.

    This fixture has added significance for David Moyes, a win or a draw will 'cement' Hammers upward trajectory towards being regular top six contenders, anything else won't be the end of the world, but it won't be the best of beginnings.- Ed

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  • No more Arsenal Rejects Please-Lacazette!

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 24/09/2021 - 09:56

    In 2016 West Ham's then manager Slaven Bilic tried to sign Alexandre Lacazette, negotiations were protracted given the huge fee involved, as is so often the case Hammers tried to low ball the selling club and as a result another team pipped the club to the post evenytually.

    A massive offer from the Irons of £42.7 Million was made for the Frenchman, this being only a couple of weeks after the club’s transfer record purchase of Andre Ayew. for £20.5 Million. Lacazette was 25 at the time and in his prime he was therefore very choosy as to where and when he would go, eventually after nearly a year of indecision he chose to join up with his compatriot, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, for a fee of £46 Million.

    Fair play to Lacazette for 'following his heart', as well as his wallet! The player has performed well for Hammers North London rivals over the years but now, at the age of 30 his contract has been allowed to enter it's final year without renewal.
    Lacazette's availability has tweaked the interest of several high profile clubs, including Atletico Madrid and supposedly West Ham! Crystal Palace have also expressed an interest in acquiring the forward who reportedly earns an eye watering £183,000 per week at the Emirates, too rich for Palace and too rich for West Ham as well.

    David Moyes does need a traditional number nine going forward in addition to Michail Antonio, who is currently the joint top ranked striker in all of Europe, but Lacazette represents a step backward and a path towards the retro thinking so beloved in the past by the Hammers board.

    OK, he could be available on a free if he isn't suddenly offered a new contract by Arsenal, however he is 30 years old and on humongous wages, the only way David Moyes would sanction such a deal would be if the player took a 50% hit on his wages, Palace are so keen to show improvement under their new French manager that they will probably agree to stump up a ridiculous salary for Lacazette, EXACTLY what West Ham would have done in the past!

    Under David Moyes the club has moved on from emergency 'band aid' signings, old player on big money always represent a risk, and for Moyes, Lacazette definitely represents a risk. Admittedly there is now a significant Gallic presence at the club in the form of Kurt Zouma and Alphonse Areola, as well French speaking Authur Masuaku and Said Benrahma. However the pluses don't outweigh the minuses of going for Lacazette, a fine player who might possibly do well at the London Bowl, but it is highly unlikely that he would be prepared to take the significant drop in wages that would be required.

    If he does for some strange reason actually end up at the club by accepting a huge drop in his wages, then perhaps he COULD be an ideal signing, but it should also be remembered that he rejected joining West Ham not once, but twice before, and anyway hasn't the club had enough of signing other team's rejects? LN

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