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View From The Opposition - Birkirkara F.C
Vinny 7:51 Mon Jul 20
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View From The Opposition – Birkirkara
West Ham face Maltese side Birkirkara in their next competitive game in the 2nd leg of the Europa League 2nd Qualifying round.
The first leg finished 1-0 to West Ham with James Tomkins scoring the only goal in the 90th minute.
West Ham struggled to get going in the first leg despite naming a very strong starting line up and if the hope was to ease through with a comfortable lead going into the 2nd leg manager Slaven Bilic will know that the team he picks will again need to be filled with the majority of first team players.
West Ham fans will travel to Malta for Thursdays game with 3000 tickets being made available with the game moved to the Maltese national stadium.
We have caught up with Birkirkara FC fan Matthew Pace who has kindly answered some questions leading up to the game.
What did you make of the first leg?
Although West Ham were always on top, I think my team did us proud of managing to hold West Ham till the dying seconds. And you cannot not
mention the great display by Justin Haber!
Can you tell us a little bit about Birkirkara and it's history?
Although formed in 1916, Birkirkara Football Club's first major honour came in 1999 when winning the MFA Euro Challenge Cup. Since then we won 20 major honours the last one being the BOV Super Cup in 2014. We won the FA Trophy 5 times, the Super Cup 7 times, the Euro Challenge Cup 3 times, Super 5 Cup 3 times and the BOV Premier League 4 times.
What are the supporters of Birkirkara like? How do they compare to other teams in Malta?
Birkirkara Supporters are very passionate supporters, we love our team very much and nowadays always have high hopes for every season to be successful. From me, obviously we have one if not the best support in Malta with Valletta also having good support.
Who are are Birkirkara players we should look out for?
At the moment we have a lot of good players both young and experienced and most of them also play for our Maltese National team. One of my favourite players is Justin Haber our goalkeeper, been with us for a long time and is very experienced. Other players West Ham should look out for is Rowen Muscat which came out of our nursery and Paul Fenech who has been with us since 2008. But I think, our star man this year has to be Fabrizo Miccoli who has previously played for Juventus and Palermo. He also played for the Italian national team under Giovanni Trapattoni.
Did you know much about West Ham United and were you pleased with the draw?
Yes, I have a few good friends who support West Ham Untied and know a few things about them especially having produced great players like Rio Fredinand, Micheal Carrick and Frank Lampard. I was very pleased with the draw since West Ham Untied are such a big club and its very exciting to play against them. I'm looking forward to it!
Are there any West Ham players you are looking forward to seeing play?
Looking that I love players to stay loyal to their club, i'd love to see Mark Noble play against us! I love he's style of play and passion too, you don't find that very often any more.
What tips do you have for West Ham fans travelling to Malta for the 2nd leg?
Malta is a very small island with alot to do especially in the summer. St. Julians and Buggiba are 2 of the main places to go were you can find lots of bars and restaurants and also great beaches were you can have a swim. If you'll be coming to Malta I also suggest to try our local beer Cisk which for me is one of the best beers you can ever taste.
Who is the best player to have ever played for Birkirkara?
In my opinion the best ever player to play for us is Chucks Nwoko. Chucks Nwoko is Nigerian and he joined our Club in August 1995. The offensive midfielder made his debut in the 1-0 defeat against Floriana which was played on 26 August, 1995. Three awards in one season quickly became four. Despite the disappointment of losing the league in the very last match against Valletta, Chucks Nwoko had some consolation by clinching the Player of the Month award for May 1998.
Do Birkirkara supporters encounter any trouble with other fans on their travels either at home in Malta or away in Europe?
Away on our travels we don't encounter much trouble. In think the most trouble we have is when we play one of our local rivals Valletta FC. Every time we play each other it will always be a heated contest especially in the title deciders for the Maltese Premier League Trophy.
What is your prediction for the 2nd leg?
My heart is saying a 2-1 win but my head is going for a draw!
Massive thanks to Matthew for answering the questions and providing the View from the opposition.
Also a big thank you to the Maltese Hammers who put me in touch. I will do something on the Maltese Hammers before Thursdays game also.
Twitter @vinnywhufc
Blog - vinnywhufc.wordpress.com
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Luisa
11:59 Thu Jul 23
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Am out there now..got an apartment in Valletta and going to get me a bit tipsy and drive over about 6pm..not a lot to do at the National Stadium
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Hammers1993
12:50 Tue Jul 21
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It may be me getting confused but if he wants a 2-1 win, do away goals not count in qualifying?
As by that logic wouldn't that mean his team would be out?
Or is it me mis-reading something?
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White Pony
11:54 Tue Jul 21
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Seemed like a decent chap. Thank you Vincent, you really are a trooper.
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yngwies Cat
11:48 Tue Jul 21
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Good stuff Vinny, good read as always. Although we could learn a lot about our European cousins tastes in Crisps If you'd been arsed to ask it. :-)
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Admiral Lard
11:05 Tue Jul 21
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Apologies Vinny, great VFTO mate
thanks
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Admiral Lard
11:04 Tue Jul 21
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In Slaven we trust... I am sure he will play his strongest possible XI to ensure we get through.
It has to be born in mind the Birkirkara are equally under prepared as West Ham at this stage of pre season.
Slaven has a wealth of European experience, I am going for a 2 or 3 nil win
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whufcroe
10:58 Tue Jul 21
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Lily Hammer 10:44 Tue Jul 21
Spot on, there's a Noble thread if the idiots want to slag him down but you get the wasters trying to ruin a good thread.
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Lewisham_Hammer
10:50 Tue Jul 21
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....oh and thanks Vinny, a very good read.
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Lewisham_Hammer
10:49 Tue Jul 21
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Am I the only one that can see a potential upset here all be it through luck and catching us on a bad day? It would be the West Ham way and just our luck.
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Lily Hammer
10:44 Tue Jul 21
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Good stuff again, Vinny.
Nice to see you've got your appetite back for all this. I hope to see those excellent match reports for this special season.
Sick and tired of the Noble debate. My last word on it is he's a solid Hammer, a solid professional player and I'll trust the manager, who like the last 10 years worth of managers will almost certainly turn to Mark Noble time and time again. Bilic knows the score more than most.
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whufcroe
10:37 Tue Jul 21
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HairySpotter 3:31 Tue Jul 21
You make Fordy look relatively sane
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One McAvennieeeeee
10:06 Tue Jul 21
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"I have passion for West Ham, does that mean I can play? No because I am not good enough. Noble falls into that category I feel."
Hahahahaha
Yeah he falls into the category of never being anywhere good enough to be a professional footballer.
Fucking hell, Spotter son!
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young woody
9:38 Tue Jul 21
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Great stuff mate.
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El Scorchio
8:54 Tue Jul 21
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Seems like a nice bloke.
Hope everyone who is going has fun over there.
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Coffee
3:43 Tue Jul 21
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Thanks, Vinny.
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HairySpotter
3:34 Tue Jul 21
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*for the/his love of the team
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HairySpotter
3:31 Tue Jul 21
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Marco Boogers 8:51 Mon Jul 20
I guess I find it hard to see the passion when going sideways or backwards.
I have passion for West Ham, does that mean I can play? No because I am not good enough. Noble falls into that category I feel.
If Noble loves West ham like we all do, you included, then he should take a leaf out of Captain Oates book and go for that difficult cold piss.
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icwhs
3:22 Tue Jul 21
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Btw
Cheers Vinny
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icwhs
3:18 Tue Jul 21
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* for them vs us..
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icwhs
3:17 Tue Jul 21
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Tex
He played for Palermo yes, but not when they knocked us out, Birkirkaras manager, was on the bench at UP vs them though
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Texas Iron
3:03 Tue Jul 21
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Good job Vinny &fan...
Beware Miccoli a true goalscorer...
Remember him on the Pink Palermo team that knocked us out before...
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