Olympian Hammers sprint to Europa win

Three men and a stadium

West Ham 3  NK Domzale 0 (Europa League)

Phew. I get the feeling this could work. The OS will never be as intimate as Upton Park, but Bubbles sounded great at the kick-off and once we've played a few games against the bigger clubs the ambience will grow. We could see the action pretty well from halfway back in the East Stand and while the fans are getting used to the OS, as are the players, there were signs of an atmosphere developing by the second half. 

The green plastic covering the athletics track is going to be replaced by AstroTurf — or possibly some leopardskin carpet from David Sullivan's gaff — and with 60,000 due for league games there should be a big noise. A comfortable 3-0 win against Domzale was as good a start to our new history as we could have hoped for.

My evening starts with a burrito in Westfield and then a circuitous trip to find Stratford International, which is basically next to where I’ve started out. Fraser and Lisa are waiting in the Tap East. Despite a large crowd the bar staff serve us quickly and we enjoy a swift drink of specially-named real ales such as East End Mild, Boleyn Bitter and Number Six Blonde. The Central it ain’t.

The trek down Stratford Walk is undeniably exciting. It feels like a cup final and we’re now playing at Wembley every week. Shouts of “Irons!” accompany the march of camera-wielding fans. Vending caravans line the route, though nothing as good as Ken’s Café, but Lisa dos spot a falafel outlet. The “West Ham United” name on the OS certainly looks impressive and the club has done a decent job with wraparound portraits of Mark Noble, Winston Reid and co on the stadium.

PROGRAMME QUEUES

The programme selling needs a lot of work though. Huge queues have formed at every seller, at which point we’re met by Matt, who ever since the Wigan away debacle, has always ensured he gets a programme two hours before kick-off. After a twenty-minute wait I eventually get my souvenir edition from a vendor who’s running short of change, at which point Fraser quips could I go back and see if they’ve got Bournemouth from last season.

Entrance to the stadium is nice and speedy. Inside the gents a urinal is overflowing with someone quipping, “just like old times”. But it’s much easier to find a loo now and to get served at the refreshment kiosks. There’s an immediate sense of relief upon finding our seats that we can see the pitch and players, even if the dug-outs seem light years away on the far side and the pitch is much bigger than at the Boleyn.

Nigel’s eschewed the chance to see the spiritual home of Iron Maiden for a holiday, while Michael the Whovian is on thespian duties pronouncing that with Cresswell and Lanzini out we’re doomed, we’re all doomed. 

Alison and Scott from Maldon have made it to the seats behind us. Alison has had to remortgage her house to buy a stadium Coke, but despite some initial reservations about the sun in her eyes two hours before kick-off, admits that under May’s leadership we seem to have booked half-decent seats as we strive not to exit Europe.

After the interminable programme queue, it’s Bubbles time and the game kicks off almost immediately. West Ham make the perfect start after eight minutes when Valencia does well to run at the defence and get in a cross, Byram scuffs his shot towards goal and Cheikhou Kouyate backheels home before running to the new Bobby Moore Stand to celebrate. It's quite a shock to see a working scoreboard and a replay of the goal.

CHEIKHOU MATE

Domzale look a decent-ish side considering their resources, but Reece Oxford makes some timely interceptions at the back, Nordvelt looks more at home as a defensive midfielder and Feghouli (which is pronounced ‘Fehouli’ says my Algerian barber) is game on the right. Our full backs are getting forward well and from Antonio’s cross Andy Carroll cushions his header into the path of Kouyate who fires home his second. I text Michael the score and he says he never doubted Captain Bilic.

Quite a few “If you ’ate Tottenham stand up” chants go round the stadium as the crowd start to feel at home. At half-time we’re joined by Steve from Cornwall, who’s driven up to Ebbsfleet, then caught the train to the OS, and plans to drive home after the game. We admit he might be a full-timer.

I suggest that the London derbies will be a big test of the atmosphere. ‘We need to get Jermain Defoe here,” suggests Matt. “Or bring Paul Ince out of retirement.”

KISSING THE TURF

There’s a scare in the second half when Randolph has to save well from Crnic. But West Ham continue to press as Valencia and Feghouli both slice wide when clean through. The game is put to bed when Noble plays through Feghouli and this time the Algerian winger fires home with a crisp finish from the edge of the box. The winger kisses the turf and puts his shirt over his head, resulting in a booking from the jobsworth ref. Good celebration though, suggesting he might become a bit of a cult figure.

Huge gaps in the white seats appear in front of us as the game nears its end, which doesn’t look good, though perhaps the part-timers know something about the journey time to the tube. The Westfield route is closed and we’re directed past the shopping centre and then stand kettled in the train queue before a Blade Runner-style skyline, as a brief chant goes up of “We want the Boleyn back!"

IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT PINT

Stewards with “stop” and “go signs ensure steady progess, though there’s another long wait on the bridge before we escape Steve McQueen-style to find the pubs in old Stratford. The Queen's Head is packed and the Secret Weapon denies us entry, so we opt for the Refreshment Room, which has three real ales and a decent beer garden. But it’s taken 35 minutes to get there and there surely has to be a quicker route. Perhaps we’ll experiment with Stratford International or Hackney Wick next time.

Almost forgotten in the history-making is that we’ve reached the next round of the Europa League, as Fraser reminisces about dodgy police in Sicily when we played at Palermo.

Club and fans are still adapting to the new stadium, but after such a quick turnaround from the athletics, this first night was a successful start to life at the London Stadium in front of a record 54,000 fans. Now it’s back on Sunday for Juventus. Irons!

PLAYER RATINGS: Randolph 6; Antonio 7, Oxford 6, Reid 6, Byram 6; Nordvelt 6, Noble 6, Kouyate 8 (Obiang 5), Feghouli 7 (Quina n/a); Carroll 6 (Fletcher n/a), Valencia 7.

London Stadium calling…

Well, we're all set for West Ham's first game at he Olympic Stadium —now officially the London Stadium until a sponsor arrives, but please, please not Tesco. Saw the West Ham United sign going up last night and it looked rather impressive. NK Domzale are WHU's opponents - a Slovakian team so impoverished they had to sign a right-back via Linkedin. Their stadium has a capacity of just 2,813 and there are only 12,588 residents in Domzale. What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile the transfer mill grinds on. Diafra Sakho is said to be close to completing a £15m move to West Brom — which would appear to be a step down career-wise for him, so he's clearly pretty keen on leaving. The Sun has a bizarre story that West Ham are planing on signing Aston Villa's Jordan Ayew to increase the chances of signing Jordan's brother, Andre Ayew of Swansea. Why not sign his mum, dad and second cousin as well? The search for a left back continues, with Arsenal rejecting an approach for Kieran Gibbs and the club now said to be interested in Inter Milan's former Newcastle man Davide Santon, Swede Ludwig Augustinsson, Norwich's Martin Olsson and Hull's Andrew Robertson.

But the craziest rumour of the day is that there might be real ale on sale at the Olympic Stadium entitled Iron Ale and Boleyn Bitter. I'll believe this when I sup it…

Upton Park to go out with a thriller...

Had a look at the Boleyn Ground today and it's all looking a little moribund with the club sign and crests removed and the John Lyall Gates gone and now boarded up. 

Meanwhile a letter has been sent to local residents saying that Barratt has taken ownership of the ground, which is now referred to as Upton Gardens. The builders and undertaking "initial site surveys and archaeological works" (presumably they might  find our trophy cabinet) before demolition commences in September. Barratt also say they will be working around the "memorial garden commemorating loved ones affiliated with West Ham United" and the area will be preserved.

The letter also informs residents that production company Drybake Final Score Limited will be filming at the site from August 8 to September 16. The movie Final Score will be a Die Hard-style thriller about a desperate gang holding a 35,000 crowd hostage at a sports ground — which sounds a bit like playing the old Wimbledon. Though I do hope the movie doesn't end with Upton Park being partially blown up, as has been previously mooted, and the stadium is demolished behind closed doors and with a little dignity.

The other ground West Ham used to play at…

As West Ham prepare to move to a new ground it's worth remembering we have another old ground apart from the Boleyn. Earlier this year I visited the Memorial Recreation Grounds near West Ham tube, which is where West Ham played before moving to the Boleyn in 1904. In the centre of the park there’s a sculpture by Theresa Smith commemorating both Thames Ironworks FC and the HMS Albion disaster. Thirty seven spectators drowned when the Albion was launched from Thames Ironworks in 1898 and several viewing platforms collapsed. Smith’s sculpture takes the form of 11 metal posts laid out in the shape of the hull of HMS Albion, but also representing West Ham’s 11 players. Attached to each metal rib is a ship worker’s hammer and it all works rather well. 

Come on you Ironworks

West Ham have launched another kit for the Juventus game, a tribute to the all navy blue outfit worn by Thames Ironworks FC. The Union Jack isn't a nod to Brexit, it was actually worn by the Ironworks side at the insistence of patriotic owner Arnold Hills. Our lads certainly look well hard in it and might be able to get some extra work as bouncers outside the Boleyn. Do think it should come with a stick-on moustache though for that authentic 1895 Thames Ironworks look.

Is Andre Ayew the answer?

The latest press talk is that West Ham are preparing a £20million bid for Swansea City's Andre Ayew. He scored 12 goals in 35 games for the Swans last season, which is a decent return. Hammers fans might recall his crisp finish from a great cross for Swansea's second goal in the 4-1 home tonking by Swansea at the end of last season. 

It strikes me we've been too ambitious in our transfer targets so far. Without Champions League football to offer, the Irons have reportedly bid for the likes of Carlos Tevez, Lyon's Alaxandre Lacazette, Milan's Carlos Bacca and Michy Batshuayi, who ended up at mid-table no-hopers Chelsea. None of them fancied it at WHU.

So Ayew appears more our price range and type of signing. He's a decent player, but probably about the same standard as a fully-motivated Diafra Sakho. It still seems a shame we can't resolve whatever issues Sakho has, though Slaven has clearly had enough. A strike force of Ayew, Carroll, Fletcher and Valencia would lack a world class talent, but should still be good enough for another decent season.

A week is a long time in football…

Returned from a week in the Lake District to find West Ham have got their injury crisis in early and we're 2-1 down in the Europa League. Our party managed to survive walking along Helvellyn's Striding Edge, but I'm not sure too many West Ham players would have completed the ascent without slipping into the abyss below. The most disastrous news is that Aaron Cresswell is out for at least four months with a knee injury obtained in the friendly against Karlsruher. We'll miss his magic hat and great partnership with Payet.

Bilic clearly has little faith in reserve left-back Stephen Hendrie who will not be recalled from his season-long loan at Blackburn. Against NK Domzale in the Europa League qualifier Bilic played Sam Byram at left-back, where he looked out of position and Antonio at right-back, who was caught out for the Slovakian side's winner. West Ham clearly need a new left-back and current rumours claim we're after Hull City's Andrew Robertson (who is a decent overlapping left back) and former Liverpool payer Jose Enrique. who would be a big gamble. 

Then Manuel Lanzini got crocked with Argentina and there was talk that he might be out for four months, though thankfully the latest news is that he should be back for the Watford home match. Another worry though is that new signing Gokhan Tore is now having a scan on his injured knee.

The Domzale game might have been a good game to play James Tomkins in had he still been at he club, though even he's got injured at Palace like the true Hammer he is. Nordveit was played as an emergency centre back on Thursday though the return to training of James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna after the Euros might help our defensive crisis. It's hard to read too much into our first competitive game of the season, though obviously we should do better against a Slovakian side making their debut in Europe. 

Feghouli had a promising first half claim my pals watching the game at the Water Poet near Liverpool Street, but Carroll and Valencia need more games to look sharper up front. For the return leg I'd play Byram at right back, stick Antonio back into midfield and consider playing Ogbonna (or even Lewis Page, Reece Burke or Reece Oxford?) at left back.

Meanwhile it's 50 years today since West Ham won the World Cup through Moore, Hurst and Peters. Irons!