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Decent read. Any Whoers go to this game ?
Chased down streets, 24-hour sunshine and a team that could have won the title – West Ham’s European adventure
Roshane Thomas
It is September 1999 and West Ham are in Croatia, set to play their first-leg game against NK Osijek in the UEFA Cup. It is almost a month since the Hammers won the Intertoto Cup but that is now a distant memory as they find themselves in unknown territory.
Osijek, which is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of more than 100,000, was not a place for the faint-hearted to visit during the 1990s. It was one of the most heavily bombed cities during the Balkans conflict.
When Steve Lomas and his team-mates arrived for their European tie they were given a harrowing insight into how the Croatian War of Independence impacted the town.
“I’d never seen so many bullet holes in my life,” says Lomas. “The town was very war-torn and what we saw was just frightening.
“The place we stayed in was a hospital, which had been converted into a hotel and Igor Stimac knew the guys that had defended the city. I remember him showing us where the town had been badly hit.
“There were a lot of people and then this guy opened up the boot in his car and there was an arsenal of weapons, from AK-47s to Uzis. I think 300 people defended the city during the civil war. I thought Belfast was bad until I saw that place.”
The story of West Ham winning the 1999 Intertoto Cup is one that will live long in the memory of supporters. August 24th is the 20th anniversary of the night they won the away leg against French side Metz, 3-1, clinching the tie 3-2 on aggregate. It was the second time in the club’s history they had lifted a European trophy, having won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965.
Their journey towards beating Metz started at Hillsborough in August 1998 when a solitary goal from summer signing Ian Wright secured a win over Sheffield Wednesday in their first match of the new Premier League season. A year earlier, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, West Ham finished eighth in the league and reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup, losing to Arsenal on both occasions. The following season would be even better.
“At West Ham there were a lot of ups and downs considering the club was primarily fighting to stay in the division,” Lomas tells The Athletic. “From 1998 to 2000 we had three consecutive seasons where we finished eighth, fifth and ninth. It was one of the most successful periods in the club’s history in the top division.
“We played Arsenal in the quarter-final of the FA Cup in ’98 and Dennis Bergkamp got sent off. We should’ve won that match. Alex Manninger had an unbelievable game in goal and we lost on penalties. That year we had such a great chance to win the FA Cup. Wolves made it to the semi-finals and Newcastle made it to the final. The Intertoto was good but I would’ve certainly preferred an FA Cup or a League Cup winners’ medal.”
In the summer of 1998, Redknapp signed Neil Ruddock from Liverpool, and then brought in Scott Minto, Marc-Vivien Foe and Paolo Di Canio during the 1999 January transfer window. An impressive spring, which saw the club lose only four league games, meant they secured fifth place, finishing with a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough on the final day of the season.
“Fifth is still West Ham’s highest league position in the Premier League,” Redknapp says. “Winning the Intertoto was special but to produce six players out of the academy was the highlight for me. I watched Joe Cole play when he was 11. Seeing him come through the ranks was fantastic. As was seeing Rio Ferdinand walking into the building at 14 and realising you have the best centre half in Europe on your books.
“People always talk about Manchester United producing the class of ’92 (Beckham, Butt, the Nevilles, Scholes and Giggs) but they weren’t any better than the six boys we produced at West Ham. If you put those two groups of six against each other, there would be nothing in it. Ferdinand went on to win championships, Frank Lampard won everything, Cole won everything and Michael Carrick won everything. Then you have Glen Johnson who won Premier League titles and Jermain Defoe who had a terrific career.
“If the kids had stayed at West Ham what a team that would’ve been. That would’ve been six England internationals in one team. That was the difference. Manchester United kept their youngsters and that’s what enabled them to become a great team. If I kept those six players together I’m certain I would’ve won the Premier League.”
Finishing fifth in 1998-99 meant West Ham missed out on automatic qualification for the UEFA Cup. League Cup winners Tottenham and FA Cup runners-up Newcastle qualified along with Leeds, who finished fourth in the league. The club’s aim of bringing European football back to Upton Park could only be achieved via the Intertoto Cup. The three winners of the three pools of the competition would progress to the first round of the UEFA Cup.
The Hammers’ memorable summer started with a 1-0 win at home on July 17 against Finnish outfit FC Jokerit (who dissolved in 2004). The second leg took place a week later, finishing in a 1-1 draw at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
“I remember the sun didn’t set at all,” Shaka Hislop says. “It was the first and only time I had to deal with 24-hour sun. The Intertoto was a strange tournament because it was in pre-season and in our year there were three different winners for it (West Ham, Juventus and Montpellier). The big attraction around it was if you win it, you would qualify for the UEFA Cup and obviously bring European football back to the club.”
Redknapp’s side kept winning, seeing off Dutch side Heerenveen 1-0 over both legs of the semi-final to advance to the final. West Ham fan Shane Thulborn, who was a season-ticket holder at the time, attended all the home games with his dad and brother and fondly remembers the air of excitement among supporters.
“I was very young at the time and it was probably the best summer of my life as a West Ham fan,” he says. “My dad took us to the games and that summer we had some proper matches against foreign teams.
“The squad we had back then was one of the best in our history. Di Canio was insane, Paulo Wanchope was great for us and Lampard was my favourite player. I had his number 18 on the back of all my shirts.
“People thought the Intertoto Cup was a low-key entry into the UEFA Cup but it certainly didn’t feel like that. This meant a lot to us as fans. We finished the season and before we knew it we were playing games that meant something. We didn’t want it to end, it was such a special summer.”
The 25,372 spectators who arrived at Upton Park on August 10th to watch the Hammers take on FC Metz in the first leg of their final witnessed an upset when the French side beat the hosts 1-0. A baby-faced Louis Saha scored the goal as he enhanced his burgeoning reputation.
“Saha was very good when he played against us,” says Lomas, “and we all came in afterwards and said, ‘Jesus, he’s going he be a top player’. He scored against us and we were telling Harry to sign him but it was out of his budget.
“Saha would have been great in a West Ham shirt. Could you imagine him alongside (Frederic) Kanoute, Di Canio or a young Defoe? The club didn’t back Harry and they missed out on a gem in Saha.”
West Ham were more clinical in the second leg when goals from Trevor Sinclair, Lampard and Wanchope sealed a 3-1 win at the Stade Saint-Symphorien. The visiting enclosure was captivated by this famous win but the victory was marred by crowd trouble when fans tried to pull down fences and police had to intervene. West Ham were later charged with misconduct.
John Moncur played in both legs of the final.
“That game against Metz, I’ve never known an away game like it,” he says. “The West Ham fans were amazing. They stayed at our hotel and it felt like we were all together. We never really won anything at West Ham. We felt hard done by when we finished fifth and in the end we felt justice that by winning the Intertoto Cup we were able to qualify for Europe.”
When the players were presented with the trophy, many of them were surprised at how small it was and the fact they were not given a winners’ medal. For all their hard work there was no collector’s item in sight, which to this day leaves a bittersweet feeling.
“The trophy was so small you wouldn’t be able to get a bottle of champagne in it,” Lomas jokes. “The Intertoto Cup is the only trophy I won in my career. That little small egg-sized cup. I was hanging about for the big one and then I realised that was it.
“Looking back now the club should’ve got us a medal but that was typical of West Ham during that era. Every pound was a prisoner. I think John Moncur might have kicked the cup across the changing room, so in West Ham’s trophy cabinet there might be a dent in it. All the lads were saying, ‘Is this what we bloody played for?’ We didn’t even get a medal.”
Despite his young age, winning silverware was already becoming a regular theme for Cole, who also won the FA Youth Cup with West Ham in 1999. But similar to Lomas, one of Cole’s proudest moment at West Ham is tinged with disappointment.
“It was a good year for me and the club,” says Cole. “I was playing in the first team when I was in the youth team as well. I was playing every three or four days and I absolutely loved it and it was a really happy time. Finally we were able to bring European football back to Upton Park.
“It was a proud moment for the club because it had been a long time coming since West Ham won something. It was a great achievement and I loved playing at Upton Park. The nights there were very special with the old-school stadium feel to it. You take it for granted at the time.
“I will never forget the excitement from the supporters leading up to the games. Having all those big European names coming to Upton Park felt so important to the club. Hopefully, one day, West Ham will get back on top.
“I don’t know why we didn’t get a medal, so if there is anyone from UEFA out there — we could do with our medals, thanks.”
And so back to Osijek, almost a month after West Ham’s players lifted the (less than impressive) Intertoto Cup.
Hislop, who had been named Player of the Year for West Ham the previous season, recalls an unpleasant experience he and Lomas endured when they were wandering the streets with Stimac.
“All the buildings were riddled with huge bullet holes,” says Hislop. “The devastation in that town was ridiculous because every single building had extensive damage. It was pretty scary just being there. The town had a ghostly feel to it and it just took your breath away.
“One day me and Steve went out with Igor and a few of his friends to see more of the town. We were out wandering round the town and he needed to pee. We couldn’t see anyone around so he walked up to this field to pee and then all of a sudden five or six guys charged out of this bar shouting all sorts of stuff at us.
“Igor then told us to walk backwards very slowly and at this point I’m just praying to myself that nothing bad happens. It was so frightening. I don’t remember much about the game against Osijek, but I definitely remember that.”
West Ham comfortably won the first leg 3-0 thanks to goals from Wanchope, Di Canio and Lampard. The second leg was a 3-1 victory and the Hammers advanced to the second round.
Hopes were high but the European dream sadly did not last long, with Romanian side Steaua Bucharest knocking them out 2-0 in the second round.
The team disbanded and the club were relegated four seasons later. But the memories live on. And the hope they can one day shine again in Europe does, too.
I remember watching the Metz game on tv, it was brilliant. I was going bananas, all great goals too
Match report and highlights of the goals from Metz here. 😊
https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/june/17-june/50greatestmatches-13-fc-metz-1-3-west-ham-united
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