Ahead of tomorrow night’s match at home versus Premier League side West Ham United in the League Cup, which will be refereed by Josh Smith, we have done a Q&A with one of their supporters. Thank you to Rob for answering our questions!
QUIZ: How much can you remember/do you know about the League Cup ties between Lincoln City and West Ham United in 1982? Have a go at the quiz at the bottom of the page!
You can discuss what has been said in this article here, or in the comments at the bottom as well as get involved with our pre-match discussion, and many other topics on our 100% Imps forum!
How long have you supported West Ham?
I’ve been a West Ham fan since probably a toddler, having been born and grown up in Essex, perhaps swayed by the local paper at the time. 30 odd years on, I’m a season ticket holder and have finally seen us win a trophy. It’s never a dull day as a supporter of this club!
What are your hopes and expectations for the 2023/24 season?
Has to be winning the UEFA Europa League in Dublin! But if I’m honest having a better season in the Premier League and a decent domestic cup run has to be a must if we are to truly progress from the UEFA Europa Conference League win last season.
What are your views on your manager?
Where to begin? It’s been a rollercoaster with David Moyes. Since he came back, he’s delivered some of the best memories I’ve ever had watching West Ham and he deserves credit for winning the Europa Conference League last season. But it’s not been plain sailing. Last season in the Premier League was awful and it wouldn’t have been a surprise to have seen him get sacked at the end of it. I expect that this might be his last season given his contract situation, but so far we’ve started the season very well given the loss of Declan Rice to Arsenal during the transfer window and so deserves to see where we go from here at least.
Style of play and tactics – direct/passing/hybrid?
It’s been one of those seasons where at times it’s very clear to see what we do and at others, it’s fairly surprising. David Moyes’ teams are generally defensive in nature and we are best on the counter-attack and at set pieces (even more so with the signing of James Ward-Prowse from Southampton this summer). We play very well without the ball – especially against possession-based sides like Brighton. Yet, when we have the ball (vs. TSC Bačka Topola, UEL last week), we play some absolutely beautiful stuff. I expect against Lincoln we’ll see more of the ball but who plays on the night will determine in many respects what we do with it!
One(s) to watch now and in the future?
There are three I’d call out now and one for the future, who I’d expect to play this fixture.
* Mohammed Kudus: Made his full debut in the UEL but it’s very clear to see why we bought him. Class on the ball and has an eye for goal. Scored twice against TSC Bačka Topola.
* Edson Alvarez: another player we signed from Ajax alongside Kudus, and he’s more than replaced Declan Rice. Defensively solid, nicknamed “El Machin”, settled in very quickly and is more than able to bring the ball out from the back to get on the attack.
* Lucas Paqueta: Played every game this season and is arguably getting better and better. Scored one goal this season but his flicks and tricks compliment the fact he’s a hard worker in attack and defence.
* Divin Mubama: this young man is the player to watch for the future. Made his European and Domestic debuts last season, scoring one goal in Europe and a bag full for the U21s. Won the FA Youth Cup with us also. He’s very much a rapid forward with a bundle of energy. West Ham fans I talk to regularly love what he brings to the club and it’s clear David Moyes thinks there’s a role for him this season as he’s not gone on loan. I expect he’ll get game time in this match ahead of Michail Antonio – who should be rested.
Random fact about your Club?
There are plenty of famous West Ham fans out there, but (whilst not random to us so much) our right winger Jarrod Bowen is dating ex-Eastenders actor Danny Dyer’s daughter, Danni. I suspect you’ll get to hear the song we sing about that if he gets any game time in this fixture!
Which were your favourite and least favourite matches involving West Ham?
Favourites:
* Has to be the Europa Conference League final in Prague last season. Nothing will beat that for a long time.
* West Ham vs Sevilla, 2nd Leg R16, Europa League 21/22 – 1-0 down from the first leg, the boys turned it around at home with a raucous crowd to win 2-1 on aggregate. The best live atmosphere of any football game I’ve ever been to.
Least favourite:
* Relegation at Wigan in 2010/11 season. Absolutely heart-wrenching season ending with that. That said, it started the rebuild of this club so there is a silver lining.
Which sides do you think will finish in the top 4 and which do you think will finish in the bottom 3 of the Premier League?
Top Four: Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal (although I think that 4th place could go to any of about 4 teams right now including us, Brighton and Villa)
Bottom Three: Luton, Sheffield United, Everton
What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?
So. I have lived in the City since 2001 and as many of your readers may already know, I spent a lot of time going to Lincoln matches. I’ve not been since the Conference Promotion season and it’s night and day the difference in the club from those dark days to where the club is now. Obviously, Danny and Nicky Cowley are West Ham boys so it was really good to see them bring the club up to where it belongs. I wish the club and its fans nothing but success in its objectives of trying to finish as high up in the table as possible – I still keep an eye on results!
What is your prediction for this match?
As much as I’m sure a win for Lincoln would be buzzing for the city I call home, it has to be West Ham for me. I’m going 4-1 to the (Conference) Champions of Europe.
"We've started the season very well given the loss of Declan Rice to Arsenal." (Q&A):https://t.co/Lyjor775TQ
Thank you to @RobPatterson24 for answering our questions!#WeAreImps #WHUFC #CarabaoCup
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) September 26, 2023
