Blowing Bubbles

23/01/2025

James Tomkins: ‘It was just too weird coming back to play against West Ham after I left’
The former Hammer reflects on his journey from boy to man with West Ham including our farewell Boleyn season

There are pivotal moments in a player’s development that set the tone for his future career, and Basildon boy James Tomkins was no exception. ‘I joined West Ham as a kid when I was seven

23/01/2025

‘The Club talks about giving fans a voice but will they listen to us?’
There were comments in the Club’s latest accounts that jumped out to the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust

Publication on the penultimate day of 2024 of West Ham’s accounts covering the 2023/24 season was a spit-out-your-tea moment for fan groups. As bold as brass the accounts said: ‘Fans are the lifeblood of our

23/01/2025

When were your favourite moments and periods supporting West Ham?
We all have parts of our lives where we enjoyed watching our heroes play each week

Being a West Ham supporter can be challenging and it is so easy to look at the low moments, like the times when we were relegated, or the dark days of Pellegrini. Even recently when

23/01/2025

‘After a bad winter, an exhausted squad crawled over the line to finish ninth’
We deep dive into the club’s fortunes during John Lyall’s tenure continuing with the 81-82 campaign

Before the days of the Premier League, the playing field was a lot flatter than it is today. It was common for promoted teams to finish in the top six and indeed Nottingham Forest had won

23/01/2025

Opposition View: ‘Palace are nowhere near where we want to be as a club…’
We catch up with Crystal Palace fan Matt Hurst ahead of our Premier League clash

How is your season going at Selhurst Park? We’re not doing great to be honest. We are nowhere near where we want to be as a club. I’m hoping that it was just a rocky

23/01/2025

‘Wouldn’t it be great if all foodbank fan groups were to close down?’
We hear of a recent visit by our heroes as the ISF looks ahead to a busy 2025

Last month, for the fourth year running, West Ham United players and staff held a foodbank collection for Newham Foodbank. They also invited our matchday volunteers to Rush Green to collect the donations, which filled

23/01/2025

How do our survival hopes compare to previous struggles in the league?
We’re no strangers to battling relegation but does this season feel like one where we could drop down?

Whilst I’m only 24 years old, I have always grown up with West Ham being a mid table team all my life – other than the past few years – Champions of Europe! I got

23/01/2025

‘Antonio is more than just a footballer – he’s a symbol of resilience’
His crash last month sent shockwaves in football but will we see his Beast mode ever again?

In a season marked by struggle and uncertainty on the pitch, the news of Antonio’s car crash in December hit West Ham fans like a thunderbolt. This was a hugely shocking event for every Hammer, although

23/01/2025

Could Bowen be tempted by a move away for Champions League football?
Or is Jarrod locked in for the long term with his young family?

When Jarrod Bowen limped off in the Liverpool game, my sixth sense tingled, and I thought it wasn’t good, as in properly not good. Social media did its usual conspiracy thing, with one relatively well-known

23/01/2025

Opposition View: ‘Can Fulham fire themselves into Europe next season? We’re hoping so…’
We catch up with Fulham supporter Christian Dune ahead of our Premier League clash

What are your thoughts on your season so far? Incredible, can we finish the season here? I mean what a start we’ve had. We’ve been absolutely brilliant straight from the start of the season all

23/01/2025

‘Potter needs wave his magic wand to cut out our sloppy mistakes’
'Our new boss also needs to get a tune out of our attacking players to help us turn a corner'

The departed Julen Lopetegui’s calling card was perhaps the porous backbone of his side during his tenure. He suffered eight heavy defeats during his 21-game reign at the club, conceding three or more goals in

23/01/2025

‘I wish Lopetegui the best – but now it’s time for a new era’
Let’s hope Potter can now finally help us turn the corner toward a brighter future

The news that manager Julen Lopetegui has been shown the door at West Ham wasn’t really a shock – let’s be honest, most of us saw it coming. But the way it unfolded? Pure farce.

23/01/2025

Opposition View: ‘We’re hoping Villa can go all the way in the Champions League…’
We catch up with Aston Villa supporter Steve Williams ahead of our FA Cup clash

How is Champions League football treating you? Amazing, it’s absolutely brilliant to travel Europe and play the top teams and players in the world. Not only that but to welcome them to Villa Park. The

23/01/2025

Lucy’s Last Word: ‘We’ve hit the panic button, now it’s time to hit the reset button’
'We can get out of the trouble we’re in in the league with a bit of structure and the assumption that there are three worse teams than us'

With the new year comes a new manager. Hooray? Everything feels a bit strange. I haven’t been this unhappy with a manager at the helm for years – I’m always the one calling for them to

23/01/2025

Pub Talk: ‘Lopetegui’s time at West Ham will be soon forgotten…’
The Blowing Bubbles team sit down and reflect on Julen Lopetegui's time as West Ham boss...

Initial reaction when you heard Lopetegui was leaving?  David Meagher: Relief. I am not one for shuffling managers but we have looked lost almost from the start under J-Lo. Everybody understood that we would be

23/01/2025

George Parris: ‘Can Potter cast an instant spell on us and turn this season around?’
'I know Graham from when I played at Birmingham and if he’s given time then hopefully he’ll turn things around'

Lopetegui has been a dead man walking for a while, just like some of the others who have been sacked lately. It seemed to be a weekly occurrence of will he or won’t he get

23/01/2025

‘It’s time for Sullivan’s circus to leave town once and for all’
We need a new owner to come in and only then, after the ringmaster finally leaves town, will Noble’s words ring true

23/01/2025

ExWHUemployee: ‘It’s key we don’t make any more high profile mistakes after our summer flops’
'We never tend to spend too much in the January window and I’m not sure this window will be any different'

So we go into yet another transfer window with uncertainty surrounding what our actions will be. A big factor will be the departure of players and how much money can be raised from those sales