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Hammers to play on through World Cup

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Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Now for the good news – the Hammers will be involved in playing games during the World Cup break.

At a personal level I have absolutely no interest in the World Cup as international football leaves me cold, but the disaster of Qatar is something else again

The stadia have been built by immigrant slave labour and people have died in constructing them – that is reason enough for most people to give it a miss even were one interested in the first place.

In November of any year, I am only interested in watching the Hammers and although they will simply be friendly games that has to be preferable to World Cup football in my world

David Moyes says West Ham have friendlies planned for World Cup break as the Hammers go into the unknown.

He told talkSPORT that the club have some friendly matches in the pipeline for the break between November 13th and Boxing Day.

“Yea we have (got a fair few who will be remaining here and not going to the World Cup),” Moyes said on talkSPORT Breakfast.

“And it will mean that it will be a decision of how we’re doing, what sort of games we’re going to have to play.

“We’ve sort of got a couple of friendlies half prepared at the moment for when we do have the break.

“But again, it’s a really difficult thing. We don’t know how it’s going to be, how are other clubs going to work when players get knocked out in the group stages, are they giving players time off or are they bringing them straight back into training because most of the players will be back in.

“If players get to quarter-finals, semi-finals or finals of this competition, they’re having no rest time at all so I think that those players will probably be their club’s best players as well so for example if England go on to do really well and reach the final or win the final, it’ll be very hard to get those players back playing on the 26th of December if you ask me.

But that’s the way it’s planned and that’s why I’m not quite sure how exactly the league is going to go at the moment, but it’s something new for everybody.”

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

9 comments

  • Austrick says:

    You were lucky, I got to see the 65 final thanks to my older brother but I don’t think he was that interested in going again to watch England the following year. I was lucky enough to watch England games in 86 and was so disgusted with the refereeing against Argentina I gave my final ticket away. Wouldn’t mind seeing England play again with 2 or 3 WH players :-). Watching friendlies are ok if your expectations aren’t too high.

  • SydneyC says:

    There is greed and abuse all over the world, but I have no stomach for a World Cup staged on the graves of dead migrant workers. At some point, personally, I have to draw a line. Won’t be watching.

  • hammeroo says:

    Well it looks like I disagree with all of you. I was proud as punch when I was at Wembley Stadium in 1966, still a football mad schoolboy, and was there at the World Cup Final to see England win it. Maybe it means nothing much to you guys because you are so conditioned to disappointment through the years since. But I still want to watch (on TV) and hope that England can finally do it again.

    On the other hand, unlike Hugh Southon, on a personal level I have absolutely no interest in a bunch of friendlies that the Hammers may or may not play. They are good for the players, for sure, but rather pointless (no pun intended) for the fans.

    I was also at Wembley in 1965 to watch West Ham beat TSV Munich 1860 in the European Cup Winners Cup Final. Bobby Moore was my hero (and I used to be his newspaper delivery boy!). Those were truly glory days.

    So Come On You Irons and Come on England!

  • Doctor Doom says:

    Ah yes, Qatar, that giant of Middle Eastern football…

  • Nicko37 says:

    Zouma looks weird when he walks. The knees must be really hurting him.

  • 4FF says:

    Agreed!

    However, the only effective protest is with one’s feet.

    In this case, do not play!

    The wearing of armbands etc are pointless gestures and are only intended to make the wearer or who they represent feel better.

    The protagonists could not care less about bright colours on someone’s arm and it will have no effect other than to annoy them a little.

    During the 90’s, I installed networks on some ships which transported Indian workers (slaves!) between the Gulf states and Calcutta and if the people were not forlorn enough before they went, they certainly were upon their return.

  • Pessimist says:

    Could not agree more. Qatar was and is an appalling venue for so many reasons. Personally, I would like to suspend all International Football for a couple of seasons to give Clubs the chance to recover from the Covid crisis and the Cost of living crisis. Everyone is short of money and cannot afford to have valuable Players injured or tired.

  • Bella100 says:

    Totally agree with your comments on international football & the forthcoming world cup in Qatar,
    Its a pity Mr Beckham hasn’t got the same morals instead of him increasing his already massive wealth…………..it just shows that to the Beckham family, money really does speak lowder than words !!!!!!

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