This Week in Hammer’s History

Dreams of the twin towers of Wembley dominate the week 6 to 12 March in Hammer’s history.

This Week Hammers HistoryIt was cup fever all the way in the week 6 – 12 March in Hammer’s history as the FA Cup heads towards its exciting climax.

Having been held to a draw in a 1985 5th round tie at Plough Lane on Saturday by second division Wimbledon replay was scheduled for just two days later at Upton Park.  The Hammers made no mistake on the second time of asking rattling in 5 goals (to a single Wimbledon replay) courtesy of a Tony Cottee hat-trick and goals from Alan Dickens and Paul Allen.  The reward was a 6th round tie on the following Saturday away at Old Trafford  where three goals from Norman Whiteside steered Manchester United to a 4-2 victory; the West Ham goals coming when a Manchester defender deflected a Paul Allen cross into his own goal before Allen himself notched West Ham’s second.

There was revenge just one a year later though when the teams met again in a 5th round tie.  West Ham had only been able to play one league game since mid-January due to frozen pitches but were strangely able to fulfil cup fixtures which included seeing off Ipswich in a three match 4th round marathon and then drawing at home to Manchester United in the initial 5th round tie.  The replay at Old Trafford on 9 March saw a superb Hammer’s performance end in a 2-0 victory thanks to a spectacular 18 yard headed Geoff Pike goal and a Ray Stewart penalty bravely awarded for a foul on Alvin Martin.

 

Other 6th round matches to mention before getting on to the main event were a 2-1 home victory over Everton (in what I remember as the Stuart Slater match) with goals from Slater and Colin Foster; a creditable 1998 draw at Highbury (Ian Pearce) when I really had a feeling that we were on our way to Wembley; and a frustrating 3-2 defeat at home by Tottenham in 2001 where two fine goals from Sergei Rebrov (later to become another in a long line of West Ham flops) gave the visitors the advantage; the Hammers goals coming from a Stuart Pearce bullet and a neat Svetoslav Todorov finish.

In the victorious 1975 campaign West Ham were drawn away in the 6th round to a struggling Arsenal side which gave some hope as we made the short trip across to north London.  Of all the matches in the 1975 cup run this is the most memorable for me (including the Final) with the game was played on a sodden Highbury pitch where the ball frequently got stuck in the mud.  The unlikely hero was Alan Taylor who had only previously played in a handful of league games since his transfer from Rochdale at the end of 1974.  Taylor had been injured when Rochdale played their early round FA cup games and so was not cup tied and was surprisingly given a start in the quarter final tie.  A goal in each half were Taylor’s first for West Ham with the pitch having a hand in both goals, the first after a Graham Paddon cross and the second following a smart interchange with Trevor Brooking.   A contentious decision that unusually went West Ham’s way occurred when goalkeeper Mervyn Day raced out to clatter John Radford to the ground, probably a red card offence by today’s standard but the referee waved play on.

Day, McDowell, Lampard, Bonds, Taylor, Lock, Jennings, Paddon, Taylor, Brooking, K Robson.

On the same day five years later, second division West Ham were at home in the quarter final to Aston Villa, at the time riding high in the first division.   Despite the difference in league status the match was dominated by the Hammers but they struggled to get past a resolute Villa defence and when they did keeper Jimmy Rimmer was in fine form.  With the game looking to be headed for a replay at Villa Park the game changed with just two minutes remaining when Ken McNaught inexplicably knocked a cross away with his hand.  Up stepped Ray Stewart and despite the pressure (and a few of his team-mates refusing to watch) placed the perfect penalty low to Rimmer’s right.  West Ham did make it to Villa Park but for a semi-final appointment with Everton.

Parkes, Lampard, Brush, Stewart, Martin, Devonshire, Allen, Pearson, Cross, Brooking, Pike.

Finally, this week in 1966 witnessed our first ever League Cup final appearance in the first match of a two legged affair against West Bromwich Albion.   Looking to make it a hat-trick of cup victories in successive years, goals from Bobby Moore and Johnny Byrne gave West Ham a 2-1 advantage to take into the second leg.

5 Observations from the Chelsea lesson

Not unexpected but defeat by the champion’s elect gives the sense of a season that is fizzling out.

5 Things WHUThere Are No Easy Games?

Observers like to say that there are no easy games in the Premier League and, in fact, Slaven Bilic said exactly the same in the build up to the visit of Chelsea on Monday night.  Yet from Chelsea’s point of view this was much of a stroll in the Olympic Park.  Sit back and absorb the expected early pressure, do what you’re good at and hit on the break, once in front take the foot off the gas, give your best players a rest and coast to a comfortable victory.  In the record books the result will have the look of a closely contested game but in reality it was far from that; there was only going to be one winner the minute Eden Hazard tucked away the opener.  Of course, money plays a big part and Chelsea’s squad strength bears no relation to our ramshackle collection once you get past a competent dozen or so.  But what Chelsea have under Conte this season is remorseless organisation that allows flair players opportunity to flourish; something that had been lost under Mourinho.  Organisation, preparation and motivation are as important managerial attributes as are tactics and selection, and remain part of the reason that I continue to have reservations about our own manager.

Oh So Predictable!

It is true that the absence of Michail Antonio left few viable attacking options and it was a case of a return for a rusty Andy Carroll whether he was ready or not.  In the more recent games where Carroll has played with Antonio just behind we have been able to mix play up a little but on this occasion, particularly in the first half, we were back to the agricultural tactic of lumping long hopeful high balls into the area.  If we felt that this ploy would come as a surprise to Chelsea then we were sadly mistaken.  Space on the flanks was effectively kept to a minimum and wide players rarely got behind the defence into those areas where crosses are more difficult to defend.  As it was Chelsea’s central defenders were able to deal with the threat with ease and probably had enough time to send the odd tweet in the meantime if they really wanted to.  The game was effectively all over early in the second half and although, to the player’s credit, no-one gave up Chelsea rarely needed to get out of low gear.

Square Pegs and Round Holes Again.

Once again team selection has the look of choose the favourite available eleven players and then decide how to fit them in to some semblance of a formation.   The need for specialist full-backs has long been a West Ham blind spot and the current management appear to have the same blinkers.  It is a scenario that you might expect in Sunday morning park football but this is supposed to be the world’s elite league competition.  Is there any evidence to suggest that either Kouyate (or Antonio before him) were effective in this position?  I know some supporters don’t rate Byram but I would think, injuries permitting, he should be given a run in the side to prove himself or otherwise, there is not now much to lose.  He looks as capable a defender as Cresswell to me even if he hasn’t demonstrated too much going forward yet.  I can view the selection as putting off the difficult decision in central midfield now that Pedro Obiang has cemented his starting position.  One of Noble and Kouyate has to be benched (Noble in my opinion) although Slav may have a ‘get out of jail card’ with the injury to Winston Reid.

Ambre Solaire Time

I have already sensed an end of season unwinding feel in recent matches and my fear is that it will only go one way from here.  We do not look the fittest or most motivated of teams at the best of times and it would come as a surprise to me now if we ended the season in the top half.  Despite West Brom’s defeat at the weekend they are still some way clear and I reckon that both Stoke and Southampton will finish ahead of us.  A 7th or 8th place finish is a reasonable benchmark for a club of our size and so anything less looks like underachievement.  There have been some positives for the season but overall it has been disappointing and if the club wants fewer white seats to turn up to games next year they need to address the disjointed team issues as a matter of urgency.

Squad Renewal

In an after match interview David Sullivan was quoted as saying that ‘we are a few players short of a very, very good side’ or words to that effect.  I can only hope that he was either misquoted and purposelessly putting out misinformation.  You could argue that, in the unlikely circumstances of everyone being fit, we could field a decent starting eleven but after that it the squad has the familiar bare-bones look to it.  After the failings of the summer transfer window (and the gap-filling nature of the January one) the squad needs a major overhaul rather than a few tweaks if we are serious about challenging for greater things.  The squad lacks quality, depth and pace.  It would be comforting to think that we had a style of play in mind and recruited players to fit that style but I don’t see that.  Our approach appears to be an opportunist one that recruits players in isolation rather than considering how they are going to fit into a system.  Not everything is the fault of the manager and the lack of a longer term vision is worrying.  The reported new one year rolling contract for Bilic feels like a hedge play.  He is either the right man (not just a good enough one) for the job or he isn’t.

Ratings: Randolph (6), Kouyate (5), Reid (6), Fonte (5), Cresswell (5), Noble (5), Obiang (6), Feghouli (5), Lanzini (7), Snodgrass (6), Carroll (5) Subs: Byram (6), Ayew (6), Fernandes (5)

West Ham 1 v 2 Chelsea

Well beaten but we gave it a go!

West Ham Chelsea

I watched a game of football on Monday night. I actually quite enjoyed it. I thought we did OK. I wouldn’t say any better than OK, but we were certainly better than how we performed at home against Manchester City and Arsenal in recent times. Once again the match emphasised to me the gulf in class between the top sides and mid-table ones like ourselves. Chelsea were undoubtedly superior to us in defence, in midfield, and going forward. But that is not to say that with our limited capabilities we didn’t give it a go. I thought we tried hard. But they are so organised that with our lack of pace and guile when attacking it was always going to be difficult to break them down.

I have written before on many occasions that I am not a fan of statistics so I really shouldn’t start using them now to emphasise a point. But I will. We had more of the ball than our opponents and more shots than they did. But it is what you do with the ball that counts, and how good your shots are. I am amazed that highly paid professional footballers can fail to hit the target as much as they do when shooting at goal. I was only a Sunday league player myself but my dad taught me something very important when I was very young. It helped me to score quite a few goals at the level I played at. It was simple. If your shot is not on target then you won’t score. How many times do our players shoot wildly over the bar or wide of the target?

I even saw some statistics today that purported to show that Noble had a better game in midfield than Kante did. I did laugh. Much as I love Noble and his commitment to our club, I know who I would prefer in our midfield. Apparently one of the pieces of data showed that Noble found a team mate with 95% of his passes compared to Kante’s 90%. There was other data which the writer used to show that Noble won the midfield battle on the night. I didn’t see the data that showed how many of Noble’s passes went sideways or backwards though.

Now would someone please answer this question for me. We have a free-kick central to the goal about 25 yards out, and it is obvious we are going to have a shot at goal. Yes that makes sense. Occasionally they go in. More than occasionally if your name is Payet, or even Snodgrass playing for Hull. But Lanzini takes the kick, it hits the wall, and we have secondary possession. Most of our defence has been thrown forward, which I don’t fully understand if we are going to have a shot as opposed to trying to put the ball in the air. Now with all of our tall defenders plus Carroll in an attacking position, Noble has the opportunity to put the ball into the box. But no. Some dilly-dallying and a few seconds later Chelsea have broken at speed and we are one down. Has anyone not watched Chelsea play this season? Wouldn’t it have been prudent to have more players back to face a fast breakaway. It’s not as if we haven’t been caught out by this before – remember West Brom away for example?

I wouldn’t lay the blame specifically on Noble. I wouldn’t blame Randolph for the end result, although with hindsight (a wonderful thing) I reckon he would have acted differently. No, it is a collective thing that we should be better organised to avoid the situation happening as it did. We broke at pace (unusual I know) at Chelsea on one occasion in the second half and a Chelsea player “took one for the team” to ensure that we didn’t get too close. Once we had found ourselves so outpaced and outnumbered in the breakaway, then we let Hazard go unchallenged. We really should have one or two of our fastest players back. I suspect Byram would have coped better, but don’t get me started on leaving a specialist right back on the bench when we are facing a player of the calibre of Hazard, and using Kouyate in a position that is not natural to him. Actually I reckon Kouyate committed five fouls in the game, usually as a result of being slightly too slow when tackling, nothing too malicious. It was amazing that he avoided a booking from Marriner, who is not my favourite referee, but I thought that the officials had a good game. It is good to look back on a game afterwards without being seething about some of the decisions you have witnessed. Byram may be a bit green in some respects, but to me he looks quite speedy, he looks like he can tackle, and he will get better with experience (if he is given the chance!).

On three occasions we were awarded free kicks inside the Chelsea half out wide. These would have been ideal opportunities for our tall players to go up and a high ball into the box. Not always, but a fair tactic, especially when Carroll plays. So what did we do? On all three Noble took the kick very quickly, sideways or backwards, and we ended up passing it around in our own half, and one of those went all the way back to Randolph. Does anybody sit down after the game and analyse with the players the course of action we have taken, and how we might have done better?

So our naivety cost us the first goal that we conceded, but what about the second? Just a couple of weeks ago I was alarmed at our inability to defend a corner when we allowed West Brom a late equaliser. And in the next game we now allow Chelsea, not particularly noted for their ability at set-pieces to do the same. Surely we must practice defending corners? Everyone must know their job. But what happens? We all get drawn to the near post, Randolph doesn’t come, a West Ham player flicks it on, and the unusually quiet (and non-snarling) Costa is totally unmarked six yards from goal. Quite frankly it is appalling to concede a goal in this fashion. This is what training sessions for the defence should be all about. Did you see how well organised the Chelsea defence were for our corners and set-pieces?

Lanzini’s goal was well taken, but by then it was of course too late. It put some respectability on the scoreboard. I read some internet reaction after the game. Some said we were awful, usually accompanied by expletives, and they are entitled to their opinion. But I don’t think that is a fair reflection of the game. Some said we deserved a point. I don’t concur with that point of view either. We gave it a go, but we were undone by our own mistakes and lack of preparation against a side who will undoubtedly be champions at the end of the season by a big margin I reckon. How many of our team would be in the reckoning to get into the Chelsea team? Obiang and Lanzini might make their bench perhaps?

Matchday: West Ham take on leaders Chelsea

Will it be a fired up Hammers who face Chelsea at the London Stadium cauldron for the Monday Night match?

West Ham ChelseaWhen compiling reasons to dislike the top teams it doesn’t take long to come up with a long list for tonight’s visitors. They have few redeeming features and represent much of what is wrong with the uneven playing field that the modern game has become. An average mid-table team that were transformed to greatness by winning the Russian lottery. It does make you wonder though what might have happened had Roman Abramovic landed his helicopter at Upton Park rather than Stamford Bridge all those years ago. Would we now be pining for the days of academy players, dodgy loan deals and a bare-bones squad or would we be happy to bask smugly in the reflection of a roomful of domestic and European silverware of more recent vintage than 1980. Perhaps one day West Ham will themselves win the Arab-millions raising the dilemma of whether success trumps working class east-end traditions after all.

I still think Chelsea can be caught. There are many point to play for and there are no easy games in the Premier League. If they slip up, which you can in every game, others teams need to be ready.

– Slaven Bilic on there being no easy games.

I have sensed an uneasy end-of-season feel during our last two matches as mid-table obscurity leaves little left to play for apart from a few extra million in prize money and a new contract for Slaven Bilic. Still the visit of the west London league leaders should be enough to rouse both players and supporters in delivering one of those ‘obscene’ displays of floodlit energy and enterprise.

Head to Head

A record that was once lent slightly in our own favour has been skewed and reversed since the roubles went on deposit at Stamford Bridge. Victories for the Hammers since the turn of the century have been few and far between and in the last 12 league encounters there have been just 2 West Ham wins and two draws. Of course it would have been 3 wins had it not been for a shocking refereeing display in the away fixture at Stamford Bridge last season. Strangely our all time cup record against Chelsea is very poor and so it was doubly surprising to have seen them off in the EFL cup earlier in the season.

For anyone interested I read somewhere that this will be West Ham’s 64th Monday night match fixture of the Premier League era during which time we have won 19, drawn 20 and lost 24.

Team News

Michail Antonio misses the game against his apparent would-be employers through suspension and Sakho, Ogbonna, Tore and Arbeloa (remember them) are still absent through injury. Andy Carroll is listed in the media as doubtful which in historic terms means that he is out for a further 6 weeks. We must hope that on this occasion it is the exception that proves the rule as Carroll’s availability is essential if we are to give Chelsea a decent game.

Elsewhere I don’t imagine Bilic will pull out any surprises and will again avoid any difficult midfield decisions by sticking with Cheikhou Kouyate at right back, making it the same starting eleven as at Watford with the exception of the enforced Carroll/ Antonio switch.

We will know the other results of the other teams. (There will be) positive or negative pressure, but we are ready to play this game and to try to do better than the last game.  We are preparing different solutions also to try to limit the strength of our opponent.

– Antonio Conte

I haven’t bothered to check the Chelsea injury situation as with plenty of full internationals to fill every position several times over and a dozen or so others out on loan it is fairly academic. No doubt Costa will score at some time but the bigger danger is that we let Eden Hazard run us ragged. Although Chelsea tend to win matches through organisation and work-rate I fear a capitulation (of Arsenal and Manchester City proportions) if we cannot find a way to stop Hazard running through from midfield.

If we can raise our performance as well as our tempo then maybe, just maybe we can get something from the game, and ironically doing Tottenham a big favour. It is a long shot but if we do I will be as happy as the nearest person called Larry.

Man in the Middle

Welcome 46 year old Andre Marriner from the West Midlands. This is Marriners 4th encounter with the Hammers this season having previously officiated in away games with Manchester City and Swansea and the home fixture with Stoke City. Last season he was in charge of the rousing victory against Spurs at Upton Park. In 27 games (all competitions) this term Marriner has brandished a whopping 107 Yellows and 6 Red Cards. What chances of there being 22 left on the field by the final whistle tonight?

West Ham v Chelsea Preview

Can we reverse the disappointing result of the first Premier League game of the season, and perhaps repeat the EFL Cup win against the Premier League runaway leaders?

West Ham Chelsea EFLWe face a Chelsea side on Monday, who, with 20 wins and 3 draws in their 26 Premier League games to date this season, have a ten point cushion at the top of the league, and are odds on with the bookmakers to repeat their title success of the season before last. Of course, last season they had a very disappointing time by their own recent standards, finishing tenth and therefore missing out on playing in Europe for the first time in the last twenty years. Perhaps their lack of European games is a contributing factor to their record this season?

We faced them at Stamford Bridge for the opening game of this campaign, and lost 2-1 in the closing minutes to a goal from Costa, who in my opinion should not have even still been on the pitch at the time. You’ll remember we had Antonio playing at right back and he gave away a penalty for their first goal. James Collins equalised a quarter of an hour from the end, and Ayew limped off early in the game, not to be seen for some time afterwards.

Far better to recall the EFL Cup game in October, when a marvellous Kouyate header from almost 18 yards put us one up after about ten minutes, and then a fine strike from Fernandes made it two in the second half. All Chelsea could muster was an injury-time consolation strike from Cahill. This victory came about against the odds based on form at the time, and we hoped it would kick-start our season. But it didn’t really. We didn’t win another game after that until Burnley were the visitors in mid-December and we managed a (lucky?) 1-0 victory.

Whatever you think of Chelsea, and I for one don’t particularly care for them at all, you have to say that they have had a magnificent season so far under their new Italian manager, Conte. After winning their first three league games in the month of August they had a miserable September, drawing with Swansea and losing at home to Liverpool, and 3-0 at Arsenal. But from that point they went on a tremendous run, winning all 13 league games in the months of October, November and December, scoring 32 goals in that period and conceding just 4. The run included victories over Manchester United (4-0), Everton (5-0), Tottenham (2-1), and a 3-1 win at Manchester City, all teams in the top seven in the table. Our EFL Cup win over them was their only defeat in the last quarter of 2016.

They began the New Year losing 2-0 at Tottenham, only their third league defeat of the season, but since then they have recorded four wins and two draws in the next six games. They have also progressed to the Quarter-Final of the FA Cup where they will face Manchester United next weekend. Their record is a formidable one, and shows the difficult task we have ahead.

It appears that we only have three players from the first team squad unavailable to play in the game. Ogbonna and Sakho are long term injuries of course, but it is disappointing that Antonio will miss the game through suspension due to being sent off at Watford for an innocuous hand ball offence. OK by the letter of the law we can have no complaints about the dismissal, but it does seem harsh that we have to face the champions-elect without Antonio because he handled the ball in the middle of the field.

Our all-time league record against Chelsea in the twentieth century was a positive one, and we beat them more times that they beat us. But since the turn of the century, and mainly as a result of the Abramovich effect, we have not done so well. Ironically we did the double over them in our relegation season of 2002-2003 with a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge, our goals coming from Di Canio (2) and Defoe, and then in our final home game, and the last time we saw Di Canio play at Upton Park in a competitive match, we beat them 1-0. Di Canio came off the bench to score the only goal of the game. It wasn’t enough to keep us up in the end and we were relegated with a massive 42 points. Trevor Brooking was our caretaker manager at the time.

We didn’t beat them again in the league until December 2012, when goals from Carlton Cole, Diame and Maiga helped us to a 3-1 victory. And of course we famously beat them last season with goals from Zarate and Carroll, who came on as a substitute to score the winner. This was another game where Mourinho was sent to the stands, and he was pictured looking forlorn standing in front of one of the boxes.

Without underestimating the task ahead, I am hopeful that we can become only the fourth team to beat them in the league this season. We beat them 2-1 last season, 2-1 again in the EFL Cup, so I am predicting a third 2-1 home victory in a row against them. What are the chances? Bookmakers will give you odds of around 17/1 on a 2-1 victory, and around 9/2 on a win by any score. It is about time we created an upset against one of the top teams this season, so where better to start than on Monday night?

I Wouldn’t Bet On It 33

Modest stakes on West Ham to repeat last October’s success and beat the champions elect once again at the London Stadium.

Fancy A BetI was convinced that we would see off Watford last week but it wasn’t to be. Our balance after our 15 points stake last week has now gone down to 100 points, exactly where we started! We’ve come very close to some big wins, but we have just missed out, a bit like the team.

This week it is Chelsea, who are massively odds on with the bookies to beat us. And not surprising really, given that they are ten points clear in the Premier League. But, we all remember what happened when they visited the London Stadium in October …..

We’ll continue with our fun bets. One of these weeks it will happen. So for this weekend:

4 points on West Ham to beat Chelsea @9/2 (22)
1 point on West Ham to repeat the EFL cup score, and win 2-1 @17/1 (18)
1 point on West Ham to win and both teams to score @9/1 (10)
1 point on Costa to score the first goal and West Ham to win 2-1 @100/1 (101)
1 point on West Ham to come from behind and win @22/1 (23)
1 point on an accumulator with the following teams to win this weekend: Man United, Leicester, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom, Tottenham and Man City @ 40/1 (41)
1 point on an accumulator with the following teams to win this weekend: Man United, Leicester, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom, Tottenham, Man City and West Ham @220/1 (221)

The total stake this week is a modest 10 points, bringing our balance down to 90 points. The potential returns on winning bets are shown in brackets. What are the chances?

The Lawro Challenge – Week 27

The season long Lawro predictor challenge is a neck and neck two horse race as we enter the final furlongs.

Lawro Crystal BallWe have now predicted the results of 258 matches. In Week 26, Rich scored 6 points, Geoff 6 points, and Lawro 9 points. Lawro has extended his lead at the top of the leaderboard, but, as we approach the business end of the season there is all to play for. Although Rich has predicted more correct results than Lawro, the ex-Liverpool pundit has had better fortune with his correct prediction of actual scores. This could be an important week in our challenge as the results forecast by Rich and Lawro differ in half of the games, and in only one match the same score has been predicted. Can Lawro increase his lead still further, making it difficult for him to be caught, or can Rich keep the contest alive? It seems unlikely that Geoff can make up the ground to challenge, but no doubt he will continue to play for pride and hope for a comeback of Lazarus proportions.

In this challenge we award one point for a correct result, and a further two points (making three in total) if the score prediction is spot on.

We now proceed to week 27.

  Rich Geoff Lawro
Total after 25 weeks 202 155 203
Score in week 26 6 6 9
Total after 26 weeks 208 161 212
       
Predictions – Week 27      
  Rich Geoff Lawro
Saturday      
Man U v Bournemouth 3-0 2-1 2-0
Leicester v Hull 1-1 3-0 2-0
Stoke v Middlesbrough 1-0 2-0 2-0
Swansea v Burnley 2-1 1-1 1-1
Watford v Southampton 1-1 1-2 2-1
West Brom v Palace 2-1 2-1 1-1
Liverpool v Arsenal 1-1 2-2 2-1
Sunday      
Tottenham v Everton 2-0 2-1 2-0
Sunderland v Man City 0-3 1-3 0-2
Monday      
West Ham v Chelsea 2-1 1-1 0-2

My Favourite Games: Number 7 – West Ham 3:2 Burnley, February 29 1964

A series of occasional articles recalling my favourite West Ham games, and songs that topped the charts when these games were played. This week we leap back to an FA Cup game played on 29 February 1964.

There have been so many great games in the last 58 years and many are described in my book, Goodbye Upton Park, Hello Stratford. They are remembered for different reasons, the importance of the game, the goals scored, and the spine-tingling atmosphere generated by our fans. Hopefully my memories of these great games will evoke fond memories of fans, (especially older ones like me!), and the music in the charts at the time.

Favourite Games 7

How many people can claim to have seen West Ham score a goal on February 29? Of course the date only arrives every four years, and even then there may not be a game on that day. In my 58 years of watching the team there have only been three games on that date. In 1972 we lost 3-0 at Sheffield United, and in 1992 we lost 2-0 to Everton at Upton Park. The only other game played on a leap day was in 1964 and it was a cracker.

I was ten years old, and I remember turning up at Upton Park at 11am with my dad to queue to get in at mid-day for the 1964 FA Cup quarter final against Burnley that kicked off at 3pm (as all games did in those days). We stood very close to the half way line beneath the West Stand at the very front crushed against the wall and saw a famous 3-2 victory with two goals from Budgie Byrne and another from John Sissons (an own goal some believe, but we didn’t have the dubious goals panel in those days). This preceded our semi-final victory over Man. United (3-1) and Preston (3-2) in the final. In fact three was the magic number in that year’s FA Cup run as we scored three goals in every round on the way to winning the trophy. It was the first time we’d won a major competition in my lifetime, and of course it hasn’t happened many times since!

Back to the game itself, and I was a very disappointed young boy in the first half. John Connelly, an England international, and who two years later would be part of the successful World Cup winning squad, had scored an early goal with a dribble past at least three of our defenders before lashing the ball home. Burnley still led 1-0 at the interval, and it looked like it wasn’t going to be our day.

We pushed forward in the second half, and with nearly an hour of the game gone our pressure eventually paid off when a cross from John Sissons was turned into his own net by a Burnley defender. Then came a goal that I’ll never forget. A team move started by Bobby Moore, and involving Geoff Hurst and Peter Brabrook was finished off by Johnny Byrne with a spectacular volley. It was one of the great goals seen at Upton Park, although I doubt that it was captured on film. Despite being an FA Cup quarter final game, very few games were recorded for TV in those days.

A few minutes later, Byrne scored another to put us 3-1 up, although this was contentious in that many thought he had fouled a Burnley defender to win the ball, before he rounded the keeper to sidefoot the ball into an empty net. Burnley pulled a goal back to make it 3-2 after a mistake by Jim Standen in our goal, but we held on for a famous victory.

The pop chart on February 29 was headed by an Irish trio called the Bachelors with a song called Diane. It was their only chart topper, although they had a few records in the charts in the 1960s. Cilla Black was at number 2 with Anyone Who Had A Heart, a future number one, whereas a previous number one was at number three, Needles and Pins by the Searchers. The Dave Clark Five were at number 4 with Bits and Pieces. This was their follow up song to Glad All Over which is sung by the Palace fans today. Gerry and the Pacemakers were at six with I’m The One, which reached number 2. This was the following record to three number ones, the last of which was You’ll Never Walk Alone, famously sung of course at Anfield. Other notable chart songs at the time included 5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann, and the Hippy Hippy Shake by the Swinging Blue Jeans.

This Week in Hammer’s History

European Cup Winner’s Cup action and desperate relegation threatened encounters with Tottenham in the week 27 February – 5 March in Hammer’s history.

This Week Hammers HistoryThe European Cup Winners Cup is at the forefront of the action in this week’s Hammer’s History.  Having won the competition at the first attempt in 1965 the Hammers were in the following year’s competition as holders.  In the 3rd round (Quarter Final) stage in 1966 the opponents were FC Magdeburg from East Germany, a country not recognised by the UK at the time.  In a closely fought game in the first leg at Upton Park Magdeburg came close to causing an upset but the tie was settled in the first minute of the second half when Geoff Hurst nodded down a Martin Peters cross for Johnny Byrne to score from close range.

Ten years later at the same stage of the competition it was Dutch opponents in the form of FC Den Haag (now ADO Den Haag).  The first leg was away in The Hague and with manager John Lyall incapacitated through illness there was a brief return to the manager’s chair for Ron Greenwood.  The Hammers found themselves 4-0 by half time which included two very soft penalty decisions and another that was scored from a breakaway amid confusion after the (East German) referee awarded a drop ball.  Tactical changes at half-time altered the shape of the game and two goals by Billy Jennings put some respectability on the scoreline and gave the Hammers hope for the return leg.

It is not often that you will find supporters including a 4-1 home defeat among the list of their favourite games yet the first leg 3rd round ECWC defeat by Dynamo Tiblisi is often cited among the most memorable games at Upton Park.  In 1981 West Ham were flying high as runaway leaders in Division 2 as well as having already booked a League Cup final appointment against Liverpool.  Dynamo Tiblisi from Georgia were, at the time, representing the Soviet Union and their performance at Upton Park was a masterclass, with spectacular performances particularly from Chivadze, Kipiani and Shengelia.  The Hammers were 2-0 down at half time and although they momentarily offered a glimmer of hope when David Cross pulled one back early in the second half, the Georgians restored their two goal advantage a minute later and added another to make it 4-1 with twenty minutes to play.  To their credit West Ham won the second leg in Georgia by the only goal, just a few days after the League Cup final,  but it was not enough to prevent Tiblisi going on to win the tournament.

In domestic competition there was a 6th round tie in the 1963/64 FA Cup as West Ham saw off the challenge of Burnley to set up a semi-final clash with Manchester United.  A more detailed review of this game will appear shortly in Richard Bennett’s series of Favourite Games.  In the same week West Ham also faced Burnley in the league, losing 3-1 at Turf Moor.

In League action two home games against local rivals Tottenham stand out in relegation threatened seasons where the outcomes of the games and the seasons brought very different emotions.  In 2003, transfer-window signing Les Ferdinand scored his first goal for West Ham against his former club to put the Hammers en route to a well deserved 2-0 victory, the second goal converted by Michael Carrick.  The victory left West Ham level on points with Bolton Wanderers in the fight to avoid the third relegation spot which was ultimately beyond them.

A thrilling encounter between the two teams in 2007 produced a first West Ham goal for Carlos Tevez as the Hammers took a 2-0 lead, were pegged back to 2-2, went ahead again with just 5 minutes remaining only to concede two late goals to lose the game 4-3.  Defeat left West Ham bottom of the table and seven points behind fourth from bottom Wigan Athletic.  Despite the set-back the performance signalled the start of the great escape that would then trigger the Tevezgate saga.

Notable Birthdays

28 February        Noel Cantwell                    d. 2005
1 March                Bobby Ferguson               72
2 March                Harry Redknapp               70
2 March                Trevor Sinclair                    44

Watford 1 v 1 West Ham: Kouyate in La La Land

West Ham recover from a reckless early penalty award but then fail to take advantage of second half dominance.

Watford v West Ham

“How do you fancy going to the cinema on Saturday evening?” my wife asked me earlier in the week. We are regular cinemagoers and she wanted to see one of the films that were in contention for best film at the Oscars on Sunday, Fences. Last week we went to see another of the contenders, Lion, which was an excellent film, and thoroughly enjoyable. She forgot to tell me until Saturday morning that the 8.45 showing was full booked, so she had booked for the earlier 6.00 one. I hadn’t mentioned to her that West Ham were live on TV with a 5.30 kick off.

In the past this would have been a problem but with Sky Plus I was not too concerned. All I had to do was to set the game to record, and then watch it “as live” when we got home at 9pm. This was just a modern day version of the famous Likely Lads episode of fifty or so years ago, where Bob and Terry had to go to great lengths to avoid finding out the score of an international match where they wanted to watch the highlights later in the evening. All I had to do to avoid knowing the outcome was to switch off my mobile phone (a requirement in the cinema anyway), and ensure that the car radio was switched off when we got back into the car after the film. Living in Bury St Edmunds there was little likelihood of hearing anybody talking about the West Ham game.

All went to plan, and as I was watching the preamble to the game, I forgot and switched on my mobile phone, and there was a text from a friend timed at 5.40 which said “What the hell did Kouyate do that for?” I quickly switched off the phone, but could tell that it probably wasn’t good news close to the start of the game. I wondered what he had done. Scored an own goal? Missed an open goal? Still, I had avoided knowing the outcome of the game. As the game started, and only a couple of minutes had elapsed, I watched in horror as Kouyate fouled our old friend Zarate for absolutely no reason with the clumsiest of challenges, and I had to agree with the text. What the hell did Kouyate do that for? Deeney’s penalty was well taken and we were one down almost before we had started. My wife made the comment that perhaps it was a good thing we hadn’t stayed in to watch the game live!

The first half was pretty boring and more than once I was tempted by the fast forward button because I couldn’t really see us scoring. At least the second half started brightly, but it looked like one of those games where we weren’t going to score. I wondered how much benefit we had got from the warm weather training in Dubai? Then Antonio’s pace took him clear and he managed the almost impossible, to hit both posts with one shot, but no fear, Ayew was there to tuck in the rebound. I thought that we’d go looking for the winner then, but our equaliser seemed to rejuvenate Watford who had looked poor in the second half, sitting back defending their one goal lead. And of course they should have scored with the last kick of the game, where Noble played their attack onside, but fortunately they didn’t convert a relatively simple chance.

The irony was that, at the end of the weekend’s games we had actually climbed into ninth place, thanks to Stoke’s capitulation at the hands of our North London neighbours. One things that struck me when reflecting on the game was how far both teams, who are comfortably in mid-table are lagging behind the top six teams in the league. We are long way short in terms of quality of personnel and tactical ideas to get anywhere close.

On Sunday afternoon I watched the EFL Cup Final with two teams I don’t particularly care for serving up an entertaining game for the neutrals. I was neutral until the horrific linesman decision to raise his flag, quite erroneously, to wipe off a perfectly legitimate Southampton goal. From that point I wanted the South Coast team to win and, despite outplaying United for most of the game, they lost to that late Ibrahimovic goal. The game might have turned out quite differently if the early Gabbiadini goal had stood, as it should have done. I then thought back to the night before when watching Match of The Day, in particular Chelsea v Swansea. The game was locked at 1-1 when Swansea had a perfectly good shout for a penalty when Azpilicueta clearly handled the ball, but referee Swarbrick waved play on. Inexplicable, I thought to myself as Chelsea went up the other end and scored to take a 2-1 lead. How the game might have turned out differently if the right decision had been made.

Once again, there were two examples of the “big team” getting away with a dodgy decision which had a big influence on the game. It is hard enough to beat the top teams anyway, without incompetent officials making it even harder. Video replays must be introduced as soon as possible, because with the fast pace of the modern game, and in some cases sheer incompetence, the officials just cannot seem to get important decisions right. And it is amazing how often the big teams are the beneficiaries.