West Ham Thread

[sodhat]

First topic message reminder :

Didn't play badly but just cannot put it in the net. We may have signed Carew this week but we need a goalscorer like a Chopra, Miller or Phillips. Until then we will continue to get rolled over.

We didn't deserve to lose that one, but good luck to Cardiff, great set of fans and a passionate club. We will just have to get those three points back later!

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Hi Kwini - yes, it will be an evening full of emotion at Upton Park. (It always used to be called Upton Park in the years that I attended rather than the Boleyn Ground, as far as I recall!).  

There was a great atmosphere there.  At times it could get a bit too heated - I recall a couple of games, against Arsenal and Newcastle, when the fans of both sides in my area of terracing were hurling insults at each other, very much the worse for wear, and violence felt quite close to the surface.  I didn't actually go to many other grounds so am rather lacking in comparisons.

Among the players I watched Brooking and Devonshire stood out as immensely creative and talented.  Too often they were hacked out of the game by opponents and so were frequenlty missing through injury.  Other regulars in the broad era I attended regularly included Mervyn Day (who generally seemed to make a least one howler a game), Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard, Pop Robson, Pat Holland, Tommy Taylor, Alvin Martin, Alan Curbishley (who often had the crowd on his back!), Geoff Pike, Billy Jennings.  

I even managed to see a rare collector's item - a goal by Derek Hales for West Ham.  He was a striker who came to West Ham, from ?Charlton, with great hype but eventually left after scoring very few goals.  

Whatever the result tonight, I agree that the Hammers have had an excellent last season at their old ground.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

(PS: JJW must have been among the oldest living England cricketers, possibly along with In(ar)sole and Smith?)

Three oldest living England cricketers are now:

Don Smith (92 ys 331 days)
Hubert Doggart (90, 297)
Doug Insole (90, 22)

So JJW quite a youthful 88 at the time of his death!

[kwinigolfer]

Happy days Corporal.

My son, born and raised in genteel US, went to Upton Park (agree, you never used to talk about the Boleyn Ground even though one knew the name) while he was "studying abroad" in England - he was stunned by the "quality/vocabulary" of the vitriol that was hurled at certain players, Jonathan Spector coming in for regular (and probably richly deserved) mouthfuls.

I always used to prefer to stand in the chicken run; humour usually politically incorrect, especially where Clyde Best was involved, but invariably funny, even got Best laughing on occasion.

Always fantastic at nurturing young, usually local players - imagine that will be a thing of the past everywhere, Mark Noble could be the last of such a heritage.
Plus the Fenton/Greenwood academy for managers, almost as much as players, with the likes of Cantwell, Bond, O'Farrell, Allison, Sexton and the rest all graduates of the cafe whose name escapes me.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Goodbye old girl. Sad not to get a ticket tonight, but least my last memory will be beating Spurs

[guildfordbat]

Hi Kwini and Corporal,

Following up on a few things quickly.

1. Clyde being photoshopped out is utterly disgraceful.
2. Heard about Martin Peters recently. And to think, if W Germany hadn't equalised in the 90th minute he would have been the man who scored England's World Cup winning goal. Knew about Stiles and Wilson. Banksy is also apparently very ill - kidney cancer. All very sad.
3. When I worked in London a few years ago, I went once or twice to a decent pizza restaurant off Ludgate Hill that Billy Jennings was running (and, I think, owned).
4. Off topic I know but re oldest England cricketers - I saw Micky Stewart last week at Guildford cricket club and had a quick word. He seems in very good health and bright as a button. A bit younger than those listed above by the Corporal - he'll be 84 in September - but might one day become the oldest living one. Btw, if anyone complains about cricket chat here - Micky Stewart also played football for Charlton and Wimbledon. He would also have played football for Great Britain in the Olympics but was banned late in the day due to being a professional cricketer!
5. Cassettari's Cafe. I knew it was an Italian name but confess to cheating!

Hope your boys go well tonight.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Thanks Guildford.  Enjoyed hearing Sir Trevor Brooking talking at half time about hiis partnership with Alan Devonshire.

Predictably Man U score early in second half to level the match after Hammers failed to convert couple of golden chances in first half.  T'was ever thus.

[kwinigolfer]

Fortunately Johnny Byrne and Ken Brown rescued a difficult situation. All's well that ends well.
WHU 3 vs Man Utd 2.

(Hope Billy Jennings' place is good. I'll put Ludgate Hill on my itinerary next time.)

Long live Micky Stewart.

[jimbohammers]

What an incredible night. Come on you irons!

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Resurrecting this thread simply to note that the Hammers eventually finish 11th in their first season in new stadium.  Not exactly an inspiring season but, as a longsuffering Hammers fan, I'll settle for avoiding relegation with a couple of games to spare.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Think we've done alright all things considered. Forgettable, but usually our bad seasons are nightmares we can't forget.

Sounds like Slav is definitely keeping his job too which is great news

[wisden]

Very happy with the signing of Zabaleta. At 32 still has a couple of years left in him, and think he can do a very good job for us, good start to the summer, in the transfer window

[Sponsored content]