kips 6:51 Fri Apr 15
Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
|
I still have this one in my failing memory bank as one of the great evening mid-week European games. Frightening as it is, I suspect you would have to be well into your sixties to remember this one. But if you were there at the Boleyn on the night, like me, it was unforgettable.
Played on a pudding of a pitch after raining on and off for most of the afternoon and evening, West Ham were playing the second leg of the Semi-final Cup-winners cup against the very talented German outfit.
Despite playing well over there, where Graham Paddon, scored an unstoppable left footer, the Germans took a 2-1 lead in the tie. Just like this week, the Hammers seem to have it in them to produce something special when they are up against it in two-legged cup matches.
Bonds, Brooking and Co turned out that night to give a masterclass on playing in awful conditions. Brooking was unplayable that night in front of a packed house. The atmosphere was spine-tingling by the time we got the third goal to kill the tie off.
I stood in a packed out old West enclosure, watching Trevor put in a world class performance. All balance and poise, he drove the team forward producing pin-point passing all game and rounding it off with his second goal after a slalom of a run through their defence to round off a magnificent evening.
Mid-week cup matches in the East End are something special. Fingers crossed for a second such encounter 46 years on.
|
|
|
Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
charleyfarley
7:42 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
https://fb.watch/cnA575XDds/
|
Manuel
7:55 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Trevor is going to be loving this. Good for him after watching so much shit down the years, like we all have.
|
frank marker
9:37 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I was there for this one and Ararat Yerevan. Still got the programmes. Can still smell the hot dogs. Went with my brother, got seperated on the North Bank in one of the surges. It was so packed we never met up again till after the game. Different times.
...waits for spam from SAGA and Tenna for men.
|
Admiral Lard
9:49 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
At the Reipas Lahden game with the famous Harri Holli in goal, we won 3-0 missed the Den Haag and Ararat games then stood on a very very wet north bank for the holy grail of football matches.
That game is the reason we sat through so much crap over the years. The Boleyn rocked from when the doors opened at 5.30 to when we left.
On the North Bank could not breath it was so packed, the crowd reported as 39,000. the pushed us kid=s through the turnstiles in twos and gave us 50p back, probably closer to 50,000 in that night
|
wd40
10:02 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
One of the Greatest night .
Foundations of the ground physical
moved .
|
Northern Sold
10:19 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Yup was there as a 9 year old with Dad unc and cousin in the chicken run.. one of the real games stuck in the memory banks... only the Ipswich play off comes near.
|
only1billybonds
10:24 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Iv'e spoke more about this game than any other in all the years iv'e been posting on here so wont go through it all again.
If you were there,you know.
Upton park.
Under the lights.
Pissing down.
Very full house.
The rest writes itself.
|
Syd Puddefoot
10:30 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Longer vid for the full flavour experience!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4LC7jNqHfg
|
El Coucho
10:36 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
This match took place a few days before my ninth birthday. I was in the chicken run and I got helps to the front where am I Dad and Granddad were further back. I remember queueing up for ages to get in and the fact that the rain was so bad some people were even saying the game could be cancelled.
In front of me was a steward who is using language like of which a young me had never heard before. He was convinced that we weren’t going to do it. Then Brooking scored. Stewart went wild spread his arms out wide, and spun round. In doing this he almost took my head off slapping me across the face and not even noticing (maybe because he was wearing gloves). I was kind of crying but they were not in tears of joy. Then an old boy next to me said “ere Yer are son” and offered me a drink. This was my first experience of a hip flask and whiskey, and so now I had a burning throat as well as a sore face.
For me this was an absolutely magical night and the passing of time and the fact that I was there with my dad and grandad makes it all the more special.
|
GreenStreetPlayer
11:28 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I was 13 and queued up in the afternoon in the rain with family members for the chicken run.
Perhaps the best night ever at Upton Park, for those that have never seen the game go on youtube. It was so close and the Germans went close at the end to make it 3-2 which would have put us out.
I wonder what ever happened to that huge flag the Germans kept waving from the seats above the chicken run. Towards the end of the game they dangled it too far and the run got hold of it and with the tugging war the pole snapped.
|
arsegrapes
12:38 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I wonder what ever happened to that huge flag the Germans kept waving from the seats above the chicken run. Towards the end of the game they dangled it too far and the run got hold of it and with the tugging war the pole snapped.
I was in the NB behind the goal, when we left which took time as it was rammed, I remember as if yesterday if the same big German huge stomach was still waving huge flag standing all game in seats above chicken run, he was about 20 ft infront of us down green street heading towards the tube until he got jumped and the flag and pole were snapped and flung into the air huge cheers. Standard fayre back in the day.
|
zico
12:55 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I've been reading John Lyall's book again and he describes all the European adventures. First class hotels and luxury and problem free travel it certainly wasn't back then. Was just a kid watching on a small TV set and can still see Brooking, Bonds and Co gliding round what was like a ploughed, flooded field and of course Keith Robson's rocket.
|
Mike Oxsaw
3:15 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
This game set a very high bar for the experience of European football "under the lights".
For years and years I'd buried this - not because of what happened that night, but what has happened since then. Could it REALLY have been that good?
Then others started posting up similar memories and clips of the game started appearing on You Tube and the tide in my mind stared to turn; maybe it wasn't (all) claret & blue tinged fake memories. Maybe it did actually happen. Maybe I, too, as a youngster on a journey, was really part of that night.
If you get a chance (not that you really need to find an excuse), take time and watch the posted videos of the game. When they say fans can bring something to the match, and help lift the team, you'll be pushed to find a better example
|
northbankboy68
3:31 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I was there. It was an amazing team performance driven on by Brooking as you say. Looking forward to a repeat performance hopefully. COYI!
|
SDKFZ 222
3:32 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I was at the home leg, standing on the South Bank behind the goal and level with the cross bar. I could see Robson’s shot going in from the moment it had left his foot.
I didn’t go to the away leg, but are there any on this page who went to the old Waldstadion? I actually went there two years later to watch Frankfurt play Borussia Monchengladbach, and fondly remembered when there that this was where Paddon had scored his ‘screamer.’
|
BubblesCyprus
3:41 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Season ticket for the home game one of the best night's I can remember at U.P Also went to the away game on a Lacey's coach from the supporters Club . Absolute mayhem when Paddon scored in Frankfurt.
|
Mad Dog
4:14 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I have no memory of this as it was 3 weeks before I was born
|
cygnet
5:29 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I'd love to say I was at the game but I wasn't. In those days only the final was shown live on TV so I tuned into Radio 2 for the commentary.
The main memory I have was the enormous grown that momentarily went up around the stadium when Keith Robson over ran the ball when clean through (or should I say muddy through) A moment later a deafening roar went up as he smashed a left footer 30 yards into the top corner.
Also it goes without saying that West Ham couldn't just win 3-0. No no, they had to concede a late goal to leave everybody hanging on the edge of their seats.
|
BruceLee
6:12 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
Yep was there in the North Bank, I remember us singing "you're gonna get what Adolf Hitler got" to the Frankfurt fans......ahh the days before political correctness
|
eastend joker
6:53 Fri Apr 15
Re: Memories of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt April 1976
|
I have a very old memory of as a 15 year old walking into a knocking shop in Frankfurt on the afternoon of the game ,very enlightening and struggling to find the supporters club coach after the game in that forest
|
| 
