Saturday, June 27

Congratulations to Adrian

Few would have thought that Adrian would leave West Ham to go on and win a Premier League Champions medal. But the popular keeper has played 11 times for Liverpool this season and played a full part in Liverpool's early unbeaten run. Congratulations Mr Adrian San Miguel del Castillo. He's now Klopped the ultimate prize which proves that West Ham really do have the anti-Midas touch. Still, at least we got the great Roberto as a replacement...

Friday, June 26

Farewell Zab

Sad to see Pablo Zabaleta leave the club. Pablo was a rarity, a big-name player who came to West Ham and always gave it everything. My pal @matthewgeorgewh summed it up perfectly with his tweet: "Zabaleta was as good a professional as I’ve seen in the shirt, giving everything whether at left back, wing back, even defensive midfield. His attitude coming from the country’s best team to one that usually struggled contrasted with those who just wanted a paid holiday in London." Jeremy Ngakia could certainly learn a bit about attitude from him.

Wednesday, June 24

It's not happened again...

Tottenham 2 West Ham 0

The Irons are in deep trouble after a second Restart defeat. At least Antonio worked the keeper in the first half, almost scoring a copy of his winner last season. Against that Fabianski saved well from Moura, Kane missed a good chance and Son had a goal on 45 minutes correctly disallowed for a marginal offside.

With the score goalless Fornals missed another good chance after being set up by Bowen. Spurs' opener was lucky, a corner that deflected in off the Soucek's thigh. It could also have been disallowed had VAR spotted a slight handball. Snodgrass had a goal disallowed at Sheffield United in similar circumstances, but we can't rely on hard luck stories anymore. 

Moyes brought on Lanzini and Anderson to try and create something, but could have acted sooner. The key moment came when Anderson did well to cut the ball back to Bowen who fired against the outside of the post. With West Ham pressing a breakaway goal seemed inevitable and Harry Kane duly obliged after Antonio lost possession and Diop and Balbuena were outpaced. 

It was a better performance than against Wolves but that isn't saying too much. Moyes has to get brave and go for wins now. But it doesn't look like it will get any easier with Chelsea the next visitors to the London Stadium and no crowd to fire up the home side. Relegation is now looking increasingly likely.

Tuesday, June 23

Kick racism out of football

Very disappointing to see that "White Lives Matter" banner flown by some so-called Burnley fans at Man City — and also on certain West Ham sites there have been a few Herberts who have expressed similar sentiments. That "White Lives Matter" phrase was thought up by neo-Nazi white supremacists — the sort of people many fans' parents and grandparents fought against in the second world war. The #blacklivesmatter movement isn't about politics, it's simple humanity. We are all equal. 

As a kid I grew up watching Pele at the 1970 World Cup and then Clyde Best at West Ham and seeing those players certainly made me question my own family's views on Empire and race. I remember what Clyde had to go through both from opposition fans and the 'banter' from his own fans. He recounted some of this in his book The Acid Test and it was great to meet him at his Newham Bookshop signing. As he said the ball doesn't recognise any colour. 

West Ham have had many great and not-so great black players since then, George Parris, Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson, Bobby Zamora, Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio and many more. So I'm proud to see Premier League footballers take the knee. Taking a stand against the murder of innocent people shouldn't be too hard for anyone to tolerate.

Sunday, June 21

Tame Hammers savaged by Wolves

West Ham 0 Wolves 2

After a battle to sign in and download Now TV my voucher is eventually accepted and it's off to an empty London Stadium, where the murals at least make the ground appear slightly more enclosed. 

Haller and Ogbonna are injured already and there's mysteriously no sign of Snodgrass or Masuaku. Jeremy Ngakia is selected despite threatening to leave on June 30, which might be a ploy by Moyes to persuade him to stay.

After both sets of players take the knee, which is good to see, the first half is pretty poor with Wolves dominating early on. Mark Noble creates a chance for Fornals after 12 minutes but the Spaniard blazes wildly over the bar. West Ham look very rusty though, with Anderson and Fornals struggling. The main positive is that Rice has looked at home at centre back and the side has defended quite well, while creating very little.

West Ham actually get a shot on target in the second half when Jeremy Ngakia, who's played reasonably well, tests the keeper with a long range effort. But it all goes wrong when Traore comes on. After an early run and cross as a warning, the Wolves man then beats Fornals and Cresswell on the right before sending in a perfect cross for Jiminez to head home. Diop should have been tighter on his man.

West Ham stage a slight revival and win a couple of corners. Rice forces a save with a far-post header and a fine cross by Lanzini, who looks better than either Anderson or Fornals, is not met by any striker. Too late Antonio makes one of his bulldozing runs and fires just over.

It's all over when Traore finds Doherty on the left, Creswell isn't close enough and the right-back's cross is brilliantly volleyed home by Neto. Back of the bloody Neto. Wolves look what they are, a top six side, and deserve the win. 

"We are so going down," suggests Mystic Matt on WhatsApp and he might be right. It's looking bad. This looked like a side struggling in a pre-season friendly and WHU have to find some rhythm and drive fast. Haller looked a lot better in his absence.

After three months of tranquility it's just like West Ham to bring the eternal note of sadness in. At least we can now all remember what it's like to have our weekends ruined. Things have to improve at Spurs on Tuesday.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Ngakia 6 (Fredericks n/a), Diop 5, Rice 7, Cresswell 5: Anderson 4 (Lanzini 6), Noble 6, Soucek 6, Fornals 4 (Yarmolenko n/a); Antonio 5, Bowen 5.

Saturday, June 20

Strange days for Rob Green and all of us

These are strange times and our former keeper Rob Green seems to have been affected worse than most having gone for the Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver meets Spinal Tap look. Or is it the post-apocalyptic biker look? 

Meanwhile my pal Nigel informs me that today's Times reveals that West Ham are on course to finish with a negative goal difference for 27 out of 28 years in the top flight - the exception being the final season at the Boleyn. Even when WHU finished fifth under Harry we still had a negative goal difference.

Another shock was watching Norwich versus Southampton for free on terrestrial TV last night. The recorded crowd noise was weird though it was at least recognisably (reserve?) football with added drinks breaks. And at least Ings could only get better. Though I take it it's a given that Hawkeye's failure to award that ghost goal for Sheffield United against Villa will be the decision that sends West Ham down.

Meanwhile the bad news is my Sky code has arrived from the club and I'll be able to watch West Ham against Wolves on Now TV. The club is also going to be allowed to use its  bubble machine to blow (social) bubbles around the empty London Stadium. And at a truly surreal time there's even a claim that Jack Wilshere is fit. Come on you Fan-Free Irons!

Monday, June 15

West Ham restart preview



Apparently something called football is returning. My West Ham restart preview can be found in the Observer. Click on the link to read...

Thursday, June 11

Farewell Ken's Cafe — a legend in its own lunchtime

Very sad to hear that Carol and Ken are retiring from the legendary Ken's Cafe. Here's a request from their family for memories from West Ham fans....

Dear Fellow Hammers

Ken’s Cafe is retiring 1967-2020!!

I am after a little help from you all if you can. My Nan and Granddad own Ken’s Cafe in Green Street. This was the 1st cafe as you left the Boleyn ground heading towards Upton Park tube (also had a burger table outside the shop front).

Ken and Carol Lucas have decided that after 53 years, this is the right time to close their kitchen for good!! For the majority of their years, West Ham and the supporters were a significant part of their lives and business

Many of you may have your own memories of the cafe over the years. As a memorial to their time owning the café, We (the family), would like to make a scrap book/ collage for them, from their customers, supporters, happy hammers and friends that they have made over this lifetime of trading. And this is where I ask you for your help.

We would like you to use the email address at the bottom of this post to send any good wishes, memories, Experiences and photos etc, that you may have and wish to share with them, for us, so we can present them in a scrapbook /collage of them to keep, as West Ham and you have been such a big part of their lives for such a long time.

We are looking to give this to them at the end of the month so please if there is any help you or someone you may know, that went into the cafe and could take a few moments to send a quick e mail, that would be gratefully appreciated

Any information will only be privately used for Ken and Carol to keep as a scrapbook/collage

Many thanks in advance

Family of Kens Café

Kenscafe1967@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 9

Jeremy on his bike

Looks like Jeremy Ngakia is leaving after four (four!) games for West Ham. His agent appears to have turned his head and after a £5k a week offer from West Ham he's refused to sign a new contract. Yes, West Ham could have offered more, but had he stayed and won a first-team pace Jeremy would surely have been offered a better deal eventually. He looked a great prospect in his first four games, and watching him up close in our last match against Arsenal he didn't look at all worried by their superstars. Ngakia would surely have benefitted from establishing himself at West Ham before thinking he's made it after four games. 

But in the club's defence there was always the chance Ngakia might do a Reece Oxford and fade after a promising debut. At least Ryan Fredericks and Ben Johnson are both now fit, along with Pablo Zabaleta, so there are options at right-back. But a pretty sad comment on the game when youngsters want a move so soon. Still, at least we've got out post-lockdown crisis in early...

Friday, June 5

Football's coming home — sort of

Just when we'd got used to not worrying about relegation. At least football is returning in some form on June 17. It seems a sensible move of David Moyes to have West Ham training at the London Stadium so the lads can get used to performing in front of an empty stadium. And we're already used to a carpet gap between players and fans. Liked the idea of cardboard fans at stadiums, though surely this would give Arsenal an inbuilt advantage as they already have 60,000 cardboard fans used to sitting in silence. Another idea has been recorded fan noise, though at WHU it might be more a case of recorded insults. 

In some ways the lack of a crowd might free-up West Ham. We have a lot of Fancy Dan players (Anderson, Lanzini, Fornals) who might be better in a training-like situation than with a crowd hollering at them if they lose the ball, while younger players like Jeremy Ngakia will be under less pressure too as it will seem more like an Under-21 game. Five substitutes is an exciting idea, though it will test Moyes' conservatism. Let's hope it goes well. Though if WHU do go down how will we mount a pitch invasion? Perhaps we'll just have to invade our gardens instead.