There’s been quite a few column inches in the press in the last couple of weeks being dismissive of so-called “tin pot “trophies.
Well, it goes without saying that they are entitled to their opinion. But like death and taxes, it is a fact that most fans will never see their team win anything. The Irons no longer belong there and can scoff at it now but let’s remind ourselves of West Ham history.
Let’s look at us.
Since West Ham fell out of the Premier League under Avram Grant with perhaps one of the finest squads we have ever had, we managed blow an FA Cup final against Liverpool, tripped up in a League Cup semi-final against Birmingham City, got well and truly battered 9-0 on aggregate to Manchester City in another and gifted a goal in the first minute of a Europa League semi-final against the eventual winners, Eintracht Frankfurt.
It seemed that we would always be in “so close but no cigar” land.
But now we can happily recall our own claret blue tinted show reel of Lucas Paquetá playing that pass, holding our breath as Jarrod Bowen ran through and fired the ball into the net for a last minute Europa Conference League victory; then a jubilant David Moyes running down the touchline and an invasion of the pitch by delirious players and staff.
Blimey it was good……wasn’t it?
But despite the Harry Redknapp led 1999 Intertoto Cup victory and a couple of extremely nerve shredding Championship playoff final victories, West Ham had not won anything since that Trevor Brooking header in the 1980 FA Cup final.
Winning the Conference League has arguably been the catalyst for our best start in the league for years. Any trophy is a good trophy despite people being sniffy about it.
You have to remember that it is only a couple of years ago since a greedy, self- entitled group of clubs did their best to destroy all we hold dear about English football by wanting to create a “private members” European Super League.
It also goes without saying that the world and the football has changed since Second Division West Ham, beat Arsenal at Wembley 43 years ago. It is all about money now, feeding the big Premier League behemoth. Inability to compete financially has made it almost unthinkable for teams like ourselves to even have a look in for any English silver ware.
Although it does happen, albeit rarely. Since the start only of the Premier League era only FOUR sides outside the so called Top Six have lifted the FA Cup: Everton in 1995, Portsmouth in 2008, Wigan in 2013 and Leicester in 2021.
Footballing cynics, for there are many, would dismiss clubs such as our beloved Irons any chance of repeating Leicester’s 5,000-1 title win of 2016 any time soon
Or is there?