06 May 2024 22:21:27
Moyes deserves a major send off on Saturday, although the football has been defensive, because of it we won a European trophy. Many deride the Conference trophy, yet Spurs did not win it and it's likely Villa won't win it either. Therefore, whether you like the manager or not, the man deserves a serious applause on Saturday. For the record, I am in the Moyse camp, although I recognise a time for change.

1.) 07 May 2024
07 May 2024 04:32:15
? Talk about a contradiction in terms. I’ll be putting out the bunting.

2.) 07 May 2024
07 May 2024 10:04:02
Agreed Brooking10, some of us are entitled not to be so bitter and reverse our previous thoughts on reflection! Then some will be moaning about the next Manager?
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3.) 07 May 2024
07 May 2024 12:01:25
Well, I’m not flip-flopping and changing my mind because Moyes is on his bike. He has been bloody awful. He should have gone 18 months ago, around the time of the last World Cup. We would still have won the European Conference League while the incompetent Moyes was upstairs collecting fares. As for his replacement, I think he should be given a decent chance before anyone assesses his capabilities. Now that the divisive ogre has been given his marching orders, I hope we can all get behind the team as one voice and not go out of our way to disagree just for the sake of it. Come on you Irons!

4.) 07 May 2024
07 May 2024 20:17:24
Were you posting the type of derogatory comments about DM after he took over from Pellegrini when we were 4th from bottom in Dec 2019 and kept us in the PL and thereafter? ⚒⚒⚒⚒⚒

5.) 08 May 2024
08 May 2024 01:18:20
In answer to your question, Chelmsford, if you check back over my posts, I’ve always thought he was the wrong man to manage WHU, but at first I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, even though I’ve always sai he is incompetent. It didn’t take long to confirm my worst fears. I often questioned his past record at Everton, Man Utd, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, disagreeing with TV pundits who always painted a picture of this successful manager who, in fact, did not exist. I called for him to be replaced on this site around the time of the World Cup and I remember saying the World Cup break was an ideal time to ‘bed in’ his replacement. I have not seen any evidence since then to change my mind. Unlike yourself, I never have been in favour of him as our manager and along with several others, I was accused of being negative when I criticised him. I am just pleased that we are at last getting rid of him. Not soon enough.

6.) 08 May 2024
08 May 2024 05:03:18
Just read:
"Manchester United have ‘chosen’ Gareth Southgate to replace Erik ten Hag after Sir Jim Ratcliffe made the England manager his ‘top target’."
What a joke! Replacing one poor manager with an even worse choice. Really? The clueless Southgate? Hilarious.
The other option might be Thomas Tuchel. That would be akin to buying a ringside seat at a street brawl. Only a Southgate appointment would be worse. Honestly, is this the best Man Utd can come up with? And we thought we had problems! ?

7.) 08 May 2024
08 May 2024 10:40:34
Tinlegs, you say 'We would still have won the European Conference League while the incompetent Moyes was upstairs collecting fares', yet Spurs did not win it and Villa are struggling to win the same competition, therefore, whatever Moyse did - it brought us success

8.) 08 May 2024
08 May 2024 12:09:49
Just look at the other teams in the tournament during the season we won it and compare them with the opposing teams this last season. No wonder we were red hot favourites! Douglas Bader could have been playing for us and we still would have won it.
Now check out Gonzo from West Ham Chat on YouTube “West Ham Fans Are Being Framed - Smear Campaign and Vendetta”.
The fact remains - Moyes has been sacked, let go, contract not renewed - call it what you like, but it all adds up to the same thing. He wasn’t good enough and they’ve got rid of him. I’m cock-a-hoop.

9.) 08 May 2024
08 May 2024 21:11:08
You can only beat what is in front of you, and this years Conference Cup looks no harder.

10.) 09 May 2024
09 May 2024 02:02:56
Absolute nonsense. If that’s true, why aren’t Aston Villa red hot favourites like we were? ?

11.) 09 May 2024
09 May 2024 08:47:01
Not sure your argument stacks up. Villa are not favourites because they got tonked at home by a team we beat at home and finished above in the mini league last season. The other semi finalists are Bruges are Fiorentina. Not bad sides, not world beaters. I think this tournament is the equivalent of the old cup winners cup, which we never denigrate and rightly so….

12.) 09 May 2024
09 May 2024 09:24:35
But we were red hot favourites before a ball was kicked!
And I would say the current Europa League was more the equivalent of the old Cup Winners Cup. The Conference League is a competition one level lower than that.

13.) 09 May 2024
09 May 2024 21:30:51
I'm pretty sure that Villereal were the favs the year we won the trophy. We were 3rd favs I think. I think Fiorentina were 2nd favs.

14.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 00:30:53
Nope. You are wrong. We were hot favourites from the start.

{Ed001's Note - not the way I remember it. In England they may have been, but nobody on the continent expected it to be West Ham. In fact I remember them being seen as just there for the ride, especially as Moyes was a laughing stock in Spain.}

15.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 03:25:04
I disagree. That’s not how I remember it. I remember discussions about West Ham getting an “easy draw” with some European journalists pointing out that West Ham were lucky and consequently stood a better chance than most. The teams qualified that season were even jokingly in some sources, described rather disingenuously, as “a bunch of farmers and goat herders”. MThe media in the UK (and a fair number of continental countries) considered West Ham as the strongest team in the tournament. Admittedly, my main memories are from German media where I have family, but the Italian press quoted West Ham as a ‘strong contender’, nothing like a laughing stock. It’s also been mentioned a few times in the media since West Ham won the trophy, that they were the competition favourites, whereas the previous season they were seen as the underdogs.

{Ed001's Note - I never said West Ham were a laughing stock, just as your own memories are clearly only saying West Ham had a good chance because they had an easy draw. That is nothing like the same as being "red hot favourites". You need to learn to actually read what is being said rather than just making up things in your head.}

16.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 06:11:02
So my memory is an invention because it differs from yours?

{Ed001's Note - omg you don't even read your own writing do you? You have just typed something completely different from red hot favourites. Can you not understand basic English or are you being deliberately obtuse to troll me? You are inventing things such as "red hot favourites" and that I called West Ham a laughing stock. If you can't understand that what you typed as a response in no way refers to West Ham as "red hot favourites" or that I in no way suggested that West Ham were a laughing stock, then you are wasting everyone's time.}

17.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 09:02:02
Villereal were 6/1 favs, Foorentina 13/2 and we were 7/1. These were the odds pre tournament.

18.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 09:44:28
Ed,
I can assure you I have neither the time or the inclination to 'troll' anyone. I have always prided myself on my being honest, even when my honesty has resulted in my being immersed in hot water with my friends, family and other West Ham supporters! My character dictates that I would be remiss if I did not point out mistakes or inaccuracies.
If we are being pedantic, and putting aside the insults that I make things up and have an inability to understand my mother tongue after 73 years, I must ask you to take your own advice and actually read what has been written during our short exchanges. I did not state that you had called West Ham a laughing stock. My exact words were: "Admittedly, my main memories are from German media where I have family, but the Italian press quoted West Ham as a ‘strong contender’, nothing like a laughing stock." All that says is that the Italian press did not consider West Ham to be a laughing stock. You are not mentioned. You have surmised, erroneously, that I extended your use of that phrase to refer to the club and not David Moyes.
As for the phrase 'red hot favourites' -- my memory (not made up) suggests that I borrowed these words from at least two media sources. One of which was an article in a German newspaper which I read at the time during a visit to my family in Bremen. This was admittedly at the conclusion of the initial group stage which saw West Ham as the only team out of 32 contenders to have played all their six matches with a 100% points return. As a result, the article reaffirmed an earlier prediction that West Ham were "red hot favourites" to win the competition. A singularly spectacular performance which rightly deserves the phrase used to describe the tournament predictions, wouldn't you agree? If memory serves me well, that phrase and the use of "farmers and goat herders" was used at the time on this site also.
Not wishing to disagree with your superior knowledge to mine of the media reports in Spain (I am assuming you refer to the Spanish media, but I am willing to stand corrected), I find it puzzling that Spanish media sources would consider the West Ham manager as 'a laughing stock' given that the previous season he coached the club to the latter stages of the Europa League, only losing to the eventual winners in the semi-final.
I submit this reply in the spirit of discussion, without any intention of taking or delivering umbrage.
Regards,
TinLegs.

{Ed001's Note - no one said anything about West Ham being a laughing stock or it being any relation to Italy, but you are talking about Italian press like that has any relation to Moyes being a laughing stock in Spain amongst the Spanish people. You think the Spanish care what he did in England? They just know what a mess he made of things when working in Spain.}

19.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 11:08:48
And in England!

20.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 11:16:59
Brooking,
You are quoting betting odds which differ from gaming company to gaming company. I am referring to the media and fanbase predictions of who they fancied to win. Different things mate.

21.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 12:51:37
No problem. I just went by your statement "But we were red hot favourites before a ball was kicked! ", therefore, I assumed you meant betting industry odds.

22.) 10 May 2024
10 May 2024 15:11:03
The trouble with gaming industry odds is that different companies offer different odds, based on money waged with their companies. As you know, they can be vastly different from one betting company to another.