The John Lyall Years - Robert Banks

[swindon hammer]

"Apologies if this has been mentioned before but is anyone watching this series from Robert Banks on YouTube? The latest episode is the start of season 84/85 (My first season following West Ham) where John Lyall almost left to join QPR that summer. Great clips, great music and full of interesting historical Information about West Ham during the Lyall era. Highly recommended. It deserves far more views than it currently gets."

[swindon hammer]

Yeah same for me. Started supporting West Ham in 1984 and Cottee was my hero as a young kid. To think he scored 20 plus goals for 4 consecutive seasons (83-87) in the top flight at the ages of 18 to 22.

[Side of Ham]

I know there will be others but if i had to pick a striker for West Ham to score from a one on one situation it would be Cottee all day for me.....others will no doubt disagree.....

[swindon hammer]

"Kaiser, yeah Macca did a lot more than just score goals tbf to him. He worked hard for the team and was involved a lot in the build up play and that was acknowledged by the others players when he came in. You could tell he had played in midfield previously. He was very intelligent on the pitch. Cottee was the opposite and got called out for not working as hard for the team."

[Side of Ham]

:-)

[swindon hammer]

According to Frank he only started on the white stuff when he got injured in his 2nd spell. Before that he just liked to party at stringfellows after games but never 48 hours before one. That’s what he said in his book anyway!

[Kaiser Zoso]

"Apart from McAvennie and Cottee both being top class finishers, the Banks videos show what a proper grafter McAvennie was in that first season."

[Side of Ham]

I think there were other factors to Frankie Mac getting found out by the opposition......

[swindon hammer]

Macca only got 11 (7 in the league) in all competitions though. Teams had got wise to Frank after his first season where he literally came out of no where. TC had his best ever season for goals though with 29 in all comps. Sheringham & Clive Allen were similar signings in a way. Both historically prolific scorers who were now their 30s and past their prime but both had an end of career resurgence to help us get out off the championship. I remember watching us play at Swindon (Who themselves were in the top 6) near the end of the 1992/93 season and we needed to win to move into the automatic promotion spots and Clive Allen scored the 2nd with a clinical strike where he flicked the ball up and volleyed it in.

[Northern Sold]

Daft thing is TC and Frank still shared 40 goals between them that season... only twice has a pair of West ham strikers hit 40 since... both in the championship... Morley & Allen in 92-93 and harewood and Sherringham in 04-05

[Northern Sold]

Daft thing is TC and Frank still shared 40 goals between them that season... only twice has a pair of West ham strikers hit 40 since... both in the championship... Morley & Allen in 92-93 and harewood and Sherringham in 04-05

[swindon hammer]

I think from memory we started off 86/87 well with 2 wins and we all thought we would carry on from the previous season and then it all turned to shit for the next 3 years!

[Northern Sold]

Yeah was at that one SH... think Big Bad Dave Kelly got a couple IIRC?? Decent game in a season of mostly shit...

[Stepney.Ammer]

Cheers for the heads up on this Swindon. Started watching it a few weeks back and is a really well put together series. I started going in 86-87 season so looking forward to seeing this over the next few weeks. Also looking forward to seeing Leeeeeroy's diving header in the 3-3 draw with Forest in the 87-88 season. Was sat up on the ironworks at the back of the North Bank for that one...don't think I've seen it since that day.

[Side of Ham]

My old man wouldn't let me do the mod or skinhead thing as he said they were scruff bags the closest I could get was loafers with tassels for school......it worked against him though as the only thing left was to be a casual.....proper hit him in the pocket that one as all my earnings (paper round) went on attending West Ham....... :-)

[Northern Sold]

"I was 14 when I started going more with my MATES than Dad, Uncle etc… so would have been 81-82 season… found out from the first game was not the best idea to wear a fishtail parka as you got quite a lot of boots up the backside on the walk back to the station… flight jackets after that !!!"

[Takashi Miike]

"everyone should own 'They Played For John Lyall' by Tim Crane, the best £25 you'll ever spend"

[Side of Ham]

That season Sold was my first were I was allowed to go with my MATES instead of with the adults.... :-).....was in the North Bank and all I saw was this little feller leap as high as he could to nod it in.....what a way to mark your debut......

[Northern Sold]

Cottee's debut obviously...

[Northern Sold]

Managed to watch the 82-83 season (mainly as it was one where I was working a lot so probably only got to 4 or 5 that season).. managed to be at the Spurs game where he scored on his debut... have to say some of the footage is superb... I thought I had seen most over the years but he has dug up some superb footage I have never seen... proper labour of love it must of been... really enjoyed the stuff when Alan Dickens burst on the scene... what a player he could have been.

[Lato]

"After Dev's horrific injury which robbed him of that yard of pace, he still glided over muddy pitches with the ball seemingly glued to his boot. The first goal at the Bridge will live with me forever. What a player he was and a privilege to say I watched him live!"

[Side of Ham]

Swindon watching these can you not see why many get angry and refuse to support what Moyes is serving up....back then we had a style that was attempted to carry on through even when we were skint......G&S take over and this style of ours has sadly become reminiscing threads like this....

[zico]

"I seem to remember a few of the players felt that Stewart Robson wanted to do everything and by taking too many touches to upset the balance of the team and sent Dickens into his shell a bit. I think teams were defending deeper as well so Cottee and McAvennie couldn't chase as many balls over the top. That combined with the injuries, I mean any te4am losing Dev, Alvin, Gale and Stewart would have struggled."

[wanstead_hammer]

"Yeh, what a superb little series he’s put together. Have obviously watched the 85/86 season amoungst a few others so far. The music and the cuttings (the newspaper ones) are quality and set the scenes nicely. Was at most of em over over the years, so it’s good to fill in some of the blanks. (The Chelsea at home ‘81 brought back memories of the gates going in the south bank and aving it with ‘em on the concourse. And the west side coming over as well). Oh, and Geno’s goals of course!"

[british is best]

If we had mcavennie and cottee up front in the 82-84 sides we'd have won the title without a doubt. Watching the 83/84 season on it a couple of months ago the injuries we had were absolutely incredible yet we only missed on Europe by 3 points . Sir Trev knew we were close to a title challenging side and only retired due to devos injury. brooking could have played through to 86 no problem he was still outstanding in 84 .

[Northern Sold]

Yeah love a bit of the BM Revisited .... think I pretty much caught up with them all now as deffo the majority seem to have been shown 3 or 4 years ago