West Ham League Position: 10th
Chelsea League Position: 4th

West Ham recent form: LWDDWD
Chelsea recent form: WWWWDW

Probable (hopeful) West Ham Line up: Green, Neill, Upson, Gabbidon, McCartney, Etherington, Noble, Solano, Parker, Ashton, Cole

Prediction 1-3 : We'll be lucky to get anything from this. I'm holding out a ray of hope but we've found Chelsea very difficult to deal with in recent years. We used to always do well against them and maybe with their change of management we may find a chink in their armour. Don't hold your breath though - our slow defence may be over exposed in this encounter.

Next Brisbane Hammers meeting will be on Saturday 1st December at the Pig n Whistle Eagle Street, 10:45pm kick off. Meet from about 9:30pm.







Big game this weekend so lets get everybody out for it and out sing the glory hunters.

Come on you Irons!


Pig n Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane

Chelsea -v- West Ham
Saturday December 1, 2007
9:45 pm kick off
Floreat Athena Football Club, Litis Stadium, Britannia Road, Mt Hawthorn


A real test. Obviously a tough game that we are not expected to get anything out of. However, we are due a result at the Bridge and a surprise might be on the cards here. We have nothing to lose in this game and it would be good to see us play like that with full committment.


As I say, both games will be shown regardless of numbers. This is good of Athena to do this for us. As always it's great chance to meet up with fellow Hammers and have a few beers and a chat.

Team - Green, McCartney, Gabbs, Upson, Neill, Matty, Mullins, Noble (Parker 63), Solano (Spector 82), Cole, LBM (Ashton 72). Subs Not Used Wright, Collins

For large parts of this game you could be mistaken for thinking that Spurs were the home team. In particular for at least the 1st half hour of the 2nd half and before we scored in the 1st half the Yids dominated the game.

Our goal came against the run of play when a blunder from Kaboul allowed LBM to do well and feed it through to Nobby who in turn slid it across goal to CFC who was completely unmarked. Good work by all three.

Keane blew a golden chance to equalise when put straight through on Green who did amazingly well to put him under pressure and Keane put his flick towards goal wide before any contact. Keane was infuriated not to get a penalty but a) he'd flicked it too far and was never gonna get it and b) he was offside in the first place. In any case the contact was no more than a brush across the chest with Green's trailing leg, so Keane can fuck off.

After the goal we were the better team for the remainder of the half and things looked rosy going in at half time.

Unfortunately we just weren't at the races for about half an hour after the break. We just looked ordinary.

Not singling him out but Lucas still worries me..when get's forward he turns it over too easily resulting in us being caught out and him having to scamper back (and he isn't that fast) or he gets sucked into centre back when Upson & Gabbs have it covered and leaves his side free for someone to glide in...we nearly conceded a goal for just that reason.

Their equaliser unfortunately was entirely down to Greeno...he didn't need to come but having done so he had to get there earlier and with authority...this was the sort of blue I had been dreaming of Robinson making but dream turned nightmare...

Their goal did polarise us into looking like we gave a fuck again.

Somebody (Beex?) needs to tell Curbs that Spector is not an impact player FFS.

Where the fuck was Freddie? He can captain his country mid-week but not get a look in for us...he would have been far more useful than Spector to try and find a winner...

Ashton as usual will take about 200 minutes of football to look sharp. He did force a good save out of Robinson.

Parker didn't really have an impact although he nearly found the bottom corner with a cool bit of composure on the edge of the box.

Georgie also forced a goal line clearance. Having not been that much chop for the 1st half hour we did have at least 3 clear cut chances to score a winner.

But like any good script there was still time for a twist. Was it a penalty? Not one you would normally see given..he did tug his shirt a touch and grapple with him a little but I'd have too say it was very harsh.

If anything can make up for missing all 3 points it would have to be little Judas missing a penalty in injury time...magic and just the tonic for all those hammers fans unfortunate enough to work with a yid or two..instead of copping it in the neck for not seeing it out we'll be heckling the sad cunts lol.

Given our depleted line up it would have been awesome to get away with 3 points but to be honest I don't think we played well enough to feel cheated.

Chelsea & Blackburn away next and neither will be a walk in the park...

West Ham League Position: Top half
Spuds League Position: Bottom half

West Ham recent form: LLWDDW
Spuds recent form: DDLLDW

Probable (hopeful) West Ham Line up: Green, Neill, Upson, Gabbidon, Spector, Etherington, LBM, Solano, Ljungberg, Ashton, Cole

Prediction 2-2 : If Ashton is fit we could do well here but it's touch and go as to whether he'll play. Also Ljungberg needs to come back from Sweden unscathed. I think we could win it but I'm gonna play it safe and say a draw as Spurs will want to try and drag themselves up the league table. Our home form isn't as it should be either to date.

Gonna have a big one coz the local Spurs club is coming down too. Unfortunately I can't make it (ironically in Brisbane at the time) but it should be good.

WEST HAM UTD V SPURS
26 NOVEMBER 2007 - 12.25am KICK OFF

DICKSON TRADIES Club,
2 Badham Street,
DICKSON ACT
PH: 6162 5656

If you are not a member, Page either Danny Brosnan or John Ilchef to sign you in.

Any problems, questions or more info please contact either Danny on mailto:dante_121@hotmail.com or call 6127 7203 or John on dante_121@hotmail.com

Tottenham 25 November

We are LIVE on Fox again on Sunday night 25 November however as its
Tottenham there is sure to be demand to see us turn over our small
northern neighbours!

SYDNEY OZ Hammers are meeting @ The Hakoah Club, 67 Hall Street,
Bondi Sunday night 25 November! (KO 12.30am Monday morning)

Spurs have a new manager and have finally won a game so some of the
pressure is off. The Hammers should have several long term injuries
back for this game so all the stars are aligning for an absolute classic!

Ozhammers have a new Web Site under development and hope to launch this
inside the next 4 weeks. This initiative will bring together the
Hammers supporters groups throughout Australia and offer membership
and a host of other benefits.

Forever blowing bubbles!!

Okay so it’s no secret that we’ve been working on a launch of new forums since it has become apparent we’ve outgrown our current discussion format.

The blog is still to be the focal point of whu-au and as such will now be reachable from the domain www.whu-au.com although we will remain with blogspot so the existing address will still get you here.

The new forums are now live and will be an offshoot of this site via a link in the menu bar on the left (to be updated) or by following the link http://forum.whu-au.com/

We will still be posting the usual articles on here so be sure to navigate here on a regular basis. We will also link to pre & post match reports on here from the discussion board.

It has been noted during testing that the forums sometimes can run a little slow but we think this is just for a short period whilst our host backs up its server (was slow for a while this morning but seems back up to full throttle now). We will monitor this and look to make changes to our host if necessary but please be patient in the meantime if you experience any slow speeds.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everybody for their input to this site and hopefully we now have the platform in which we can continue to grow and share our thoughts on everything that is West Ham United FC.

There's a lot of fuss about at the moment over a potential quota for foreign players in the English league. As I understand the argument, foreign players are coming in and taking the places of young English players. As a result the English players aren't getting enough game time, and so there aren't enough decent English players coming through.

If you ask me, that's all rubbish.

John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, the list goes on. Not enough decent players? What a load of bollocks!

Foreign players often struggle when they come to the English league. People will tell you that it's because the English league is the best in the world. But the opposite is also true - how many England internationals play outside of England? How come successful English players keep going overseas, and failing? Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Jonathan Woodgate and even David Beckham have all had failed or mediocre careers outside England. Owen Hargreaves is the only player I can think of who's been reasonably successful recently, but he's the exception.

And with so many good English players - who, after all, excel in supposedly the best league in the world - how come the English national team isn't successful?

The real problem - if you'll let me put aside the utter incompetence of Steve McLaren - is that the English league is too insular.

After years of inbreeding, the English football came has become so different to any other in the world that foreigners have trouble playing it, and English players can't play the same way elsewhere because it just doesn't work. The English players only know how to play against English or English-style opponents, and so they just can't play in other leagues and they can't compete in international matches.

Every time an English player faces a foreign opponent, he doesn't know what to do. He's just not used to any other style of play. It's got nothing to do with talent, and more about the way the talent is applied.

And most foreign players who are successful are either geniuses or are brought into the league very young, where they can learn the English game. Older and less talented (but still skilful) players don't succeed because they can't learn too many new tricks, no matter how good they were elsewhere.

As the problem continues, English players get less and less overseas experience, and foreigners are less and less able to influence the English game. And the more insular the English game gets. And the more the problem worsens.

Take Brazil for a prime example of a successful international team. Plenty of Brazilians in their own leagues, no doubt about that. But once talent is spotted, they're immediately whisked away to Europe somewhere, where they get the opportunity to learn foreign (to them) styles of play. The top clubs in most European countries are pretty multinational, so players get to come up against a whole raft of different opponents. Obviously there's more to Brazil's success than that, but there are more examples. Look at Argentina, or Spain, or France, or Germany, or Holland, or (to a lesser extent) Italy. All have great national teams, but their players also ply their trade outside their home country as well as in it. England seems to be the only country that keeps its players within its borders.

Since the English game is possibly the most lucrative in the world, and given its reputation (among the English at least) as being a top league, not to mention the kudos English players get from their own fans for staying in their home country - it's hardly a wonder they don't want to play anywhere else. Foreign players see the English league primarily as a good way to make some money, and by the way it's a decent league too. But they know that it's a tough league for foreigners to succeed in, so they're wary - and ask for higher wages. Then they play like shit and go back home a bit richer. Either that or they're exceptional (Zola, Henry, Cantona...) and succeed, but there's no accounting for genius.

It's not an easy problem to solve. Reducing wages will have the short term effect of a mass exodus of talent, and ironically would probably result in more English players in the English league. Limiting the number of foreign players in the English league of course won't cure the problem. Sure, clubs will invest more in their own academies, and English players will become better in the English game, but the players won't learn anything about foreign styles and the problem will continue or worsen.

Sir Alex Ferguson knows Manchester United have an exceptionally strong youth academy from which he can draw. No wonder he likes the idea of a foreign player limit - most of his players are English anyway and will continue to be for years.

Perhaps the solution is to send youngsters on loan to foreign clubs for a while. They'll get the experience they need and, if they're good enough, return to the English league and have a successful career.

Oh, while I'm on the subject of xenophobia - apply the above to coaches too. And sack Steve McLaren. I know the English hate the Dutch but if Australia can get the likes of Hiddink and (fingers crossed) Advocaat, then so can England. They did the right thing with Sven Goran Eriksson, but it just backfired (but who's to say that Sven just did the best he could with a bad hand? Look at what he's doing with Man City!) - don't put that one-off down to "all foreigners are shit". They shot themselves in the foot with Scolari and Hiddink. There's no reason why someone like Mourinho or Beenhakker couldn't manage England.

Rant over!

This is getting silly now. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7091054.stm

OK maybe it was self defence, or whatever, since he's running around with a watch that would keep most of us in beans and toast for about 5 years.

But this is exactly the sort of crap that we don't need at a difficult time of the season leading into the transfer window. I'm getting pretty damn sick of wobbly-gob junior at the moment but we really need guys like him to perform for us - it's not like we've got a lot to choose from unless we just tie their frail, injured little bodies to the goalposts.

I'm not entirely sure what my point is here. Maybe I'm sick of all the off field antics that have gone on in the last couple of seasons and want West Ham to be a bloody football club again and not Eastenders.

...or so I've heard.

Anyone want to do a match report?

*** Sticky post please scroll down for recent articles ***



Next Brisbane Hammers meeting will be on Saturday 10th November at the Pig n Whistle Eagle Street, 1am kick off. Meet from about 11pm.







I'd like to say easy points but I don't think they will be. With our injury situation and Derby desperate for wins this could be a tough encounter.

So do your best to all come out and have a good sing song and a few beers whilst we cheer on the lads.

Come on you Irons!


Pig n Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane

*** Sticky post please scroll down for recent articles ***


Calling all Adelaide Hammers for a get together for the Derby game. We are going to meet at the Strathmore Hotel (opposite casino),we will be there from about 10pm and hope that the Adelaide fans will come out and make there support known here in Adelaide.

Recent turnouts have been dissappointing so lets have a big turnout to cheer the hammers on to victory!

Thought I'd bring back the match prediction article that got abandoned mid way through last season through lack of enthusiasm due to such poor form.

Anyway here we go.....

Ground: Pride Park
Capacity: 33,597



West Ham League Position: 11th
Derby League Position: 20th

West Ham recent form: LLLWDD
Derby recent form: LDLDLL

Probable West Ham Line up: Green, Neill, Upson, Gabbidon, McCartney, Etherington, Mullins, Solano, Bowyer, LBM, Cole

Prediction 1-1 :Expect a hard fought encounter with Derby desperate for points and a Hammers team struggling to field a fit first 11.

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php

Being widely reported that Lucas Neill wants a payrise since Scott Parker & Freddy have trumped his £60k a week wages by £15k. Its probably just tabloid mischief since the new regime have been tight lipped about wages etc.

But if it was somehow true then the only change I'd be agreeing to if I were the club would be a performance based one where he gets bonuses for clean sheets and forfeits £££ for howlers.

He might owe the club some cash on that basis after some of his earlier games this season...

Gutted! As Risky said, was not happy conceding so late. But as Dave's said, we've knicked our fair share of games lately so I guess we were due, maybe?

TBH Bolton scare the life out of me. With the exception of our last meeting, they always seem to have our measure. Regardless of where they are in the table at present, I expected them to be a bastard to play against and they were. Other than missing Anelka, Bolton on paper appeared to have a pretty strong side. As an aside, had to laugh when they showed the travelling supporters end, fuck me, there was more spare seats there than at a K-Fed gig!

Anyway, another patchwork side, you all know why, with the usual suspects at the back, any mid-fielder who could still kick a ball in the middle and Cole on his todd up front.

It was never going to be a classic but I thought we were OK considering. I couldn't fault our effort, which is all you can ask but we just didn't have enough quality on the pitch to really grab the game by the short and curlies. We played some good stuff in patches but individually the lads gave the ball away far too much. They did play like strangers at times but that's to be expected given the current circumstances.

Green flapped at a few crosses, giving me a heart attack in the process. If you come, you've got to get the ball. For the first time in a long time Green looked average.

Gabbs still looks well out of sorts to me. Upson and Lucas were ok but as usual Linda was the standout. The lad scores, goes forward, links up well, crosses, get's back, clears off the line, and leaps small buildings in a single bound! Our best on the day for me. At one point we lose the ball while in attack, he's out of position, as he's pushed forward, but you could see him yelling at Matty to get stuck in while he get's back into position. Matty did respond when yelled at but it wasn't his first instinct to pressure the man with the ball, Linda had to set him straight.

The midfield was all over the place. LBM had some flashes of brilliance but he also looked liked a retard at times. He was playing so out of position mind so I'll forgive him this time. Only saw Solano when we had a free kick or corner. He needs to get more involved. Bowyer ran his arse off and probably played as good as he can. Mullins was the pick for me and I'm not a huge Mullins fan but he knows his job and did it well on the day. IMO we looked a far lesser side when he went off. Matty was all over'em, he does look good when he's running at players. More off the same please Matthew. And Cole in the lone striker role was again a pain in the balls of the opposition. Really pleased to see the UP crowd give him a round of applause when he was subbed, if any player deserves it, it's him after all the shit he's had too put up with.

Another point should've been 3 but it wasn't to be. For me the most pleasing aspect of the team at the moment is the effort being displayed, we don't give up and even though we're not playing well we keep picking up points.

11th in the PL with a league Cup qtr final to come, after last years nightmare, I'm happy enough.

I should think Derby will be another scrap, but as long as the lads keep getting stuck in we're a show, what more can you ask ?