Dublin Hammers - Club Meetings 2001 - 2002
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 27th May, 2002.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
The Dublin Hammers Supporters Club has 48 current members, it was disappointing that only 23 members bothered to turn up for what is probably the most important meeting of the season.
1. The 2002 Dublin Hammers A.G.M. opened with thank you's, and a brief resume of the season from Chairman Kenny Moran.
2. Secretary Liam McDonagh then took the floor to highlight a few problems from the Bolton trip and to express a need for some new blood to be voted onto the committee.
3. Charlie O'Reilly then presented the Treasurer's Report, and as usual everything was in good order.
4. The 'Dublin Hammer of the Year' Vote was then taken. Out of the 23 members present, 14 voted for winner Sebastian Schemmel.
5. The meeting was then opened to the floor;
I must say that this year this part of A.G.M. was more ordered than in the past, enabling people to make their points and be heard properly.
If you were there, you know what was discussed, if you were'nt... you'd better come along next time!
After a brief break we got down to the nitty gritty of electing a new commitee, who are as follows;
CHAIRMAN; Kenny Moran. (nominated; anto, seconded; josh).
SECRETARY; Liam McDonagh (nominated; gerry, seconded; mick).
TREASURER; Charlie O'Reilly (nominated; brian, seconded; fran).
TRAVEL SECRETARY; At present we have NO Travel Secretary!
OTHER ELECTED COMMITEE MEMBERS; Anthony Fortune, Dermot Kearney, Eddie Cox, John O'Leary, Dessie Doyle and Brian O'Flaherty.
So... only one new member elected.
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 24th April, 2002.
ARSENAL 2 vs WEST HAM 0.
All the faces came out for this one, and as the match kicked-off there was a lively atmosphere. There was a loud cheer as the camera's panned the stands to reveal Sven taking his seat with 'the dark haired one'. I bet thats the first time she's asked to come along to the footy, was it my imagination or did Sven look sick or wot?
Back to the game, after the first 10 minutes we could have been three down, but we hung on and then proceeded to make a few good chances for ourselves playing on the break. And then we scored, but according to the officials, we did'nt. The replay clearly showed the ball crossing the line before it was cleared... "Oh Lucky Lucky, Lucky Lucky Lucky Lucky Arse-en-nal" 0-0 at half-time then and those red bores were starting to look worried.
Arse stepped it up for the 2nd half, and it was a good 20 minutes into the half before we had an attack. Ironically, that provided the space for Arse to run down the other end and score. That knocked the stuffing out of us, and before long Kanu added a second. To be fair I never expected anything other than a home win, but it would have been nice to see how it would have ended up if we had been one up at half-time, as we should rightfully have been. Even now the officials refuse to admit it was a goal...?
Still it was good to see everyone, and it was nice to see a few girls knocking about! For those going on the Bolton trip, have fun and see you at the A.G.M... so what we gonna do with the money then?
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 15th April, 2002.
QUIZ NIGHT.
The meeting went well with a good turn out. We started off 'easy and slow' downstairs... by the time we got upstairs, a good few drinks had been consumed! Cue 'Quiz Night Mayhem', with order having to be called regularly. Well done to Anto, I thought the questions were a good mix of easy and damn right impossible which spices things up nicely... although I'm still not sure about: Which British football club are known as the Spiders?... QPR? Are you sure. Anyway nice one Anto. There were a couple of new faces, so welcome to them. A very enjoyable evenings entertainment all round. Four games unbeaten, Bring on the Arse!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 11th March, 2002.
THE MONSTER QUIZ NIGHT! Report by Charlie O’Rielly
Despite a disappointing turnout, the Quiz night was again a great success. Once again the quiz was hosted by Anthony Fortune, ably assisted on this occasion by Liam McDonagh. For a change the punters commented that the questions were a lot easier this time round and wondered if Anto was getting a bit soft (or was he just fed up getting stick for asking tough questions previously) Anyway, Anto says we're in for it next time!
The craic during the Quiz was brilliant and at times hilarious. The one-liners were flying and the slagging was fierce. At one point members were asked by Liam McDonagh to mind their language as there was a lady present - his wife Sandra. This led to a very embarrassing moment for Liam as it was pointed out, very sharply, that there has ALWAYS been a lady present at such events - the one and only Veronica behind the bar. Tail between his legs, Liam apologised, everyone roared with laughter including Veronica and we moved swiftly along. Questions about test tube babies, aircraft main bodies, Henry Kissenger, the Tour de France etc, etc, were asked and answered. The interval food of Sausages and Chips was well received and finally after more questions and answers a result was reached.
It emerged, after long deliberations on the part of Anto and Liam, that only one point separated the winners from the joint runners-up positions.
Sticking with tradition, the team that finished last, commonly known as The Simpsons, was announced. On this occasion the wooden spoon went to Josh, Stephen and Gerry (their surnames have been excluded for obvious reasons). In joint-second place were Sandra McDonagh, Dave Reid and Mick Brennan plus Gerry O'Keefe, Mark Duffy and Dessie Doyle. The overall winners were Jimmy Conway, Robbie Carpenter and Ciaran O'Brien who for their sins were presented with West Ham videos but also had the consolation of a free drink from the bar.
In summary a great night was had by all. Special thanks to Anthony and Liam for the quiz and also to Veronica for the food and drink. See you all on the 15th April.
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 11th February, 2002.
FREE TRIP DRAW & QUIZ NIGHT.
Well, what a good night! After the trials of last week it was nice to relax and have a few drinks! It took a while for the Commitee to 'get their arses in gear' but soon enough all the names were in the hat, and the lovely Veronica picked our three lucky 'Free Trip Draw" winners. They were, Robbie Carpenter, Kenny Moran and Dave Reid! Well Done to those lads.
Also a big WELL DONE to Dave O'Leary who runs the Free Trip Draw! This was the first year, in my knowledge anyway, that the Draw has yielded three trips, normally it's two. NICE ONE!
By the time the Quiz got under way everyone had a few pints on board... cue the usual Quiz Night mayhem and some... there were some very funny cracks flying around and everyone had a laugh and enjoyed themselves. Well Done to Anto Fortune for organising the Quiz questions. TOP EVENING!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 6th February, 2002.
WEST HAM 2 vs CHELSEA 3. FA Cup 4rd Replay.
Well what a sickener! Out of the Cup to London rivals again! With everyone well up for it, the game kicked-off with calls of 'Come on you Irons' and after a slow start the game came to life midway through the 1st half as chelsea started to put themselves about. Then low and behold when they got a taste of it back, talk about whinging, Grandma Le Saux was especially pathetic to watch.
The first goal came when defoe (do I like defoe or wot! Freddy who?) rifled in a shot that clipped john terry, hit Cudicini's legs, bounced up onto the under side of the bar, then down and over the line...cue total mayhem! Then just as we were beginning to think we might possibly hold on to a lead until half-time, Tomas Repka gave away a free kick on the edge of the area with a deliberate hand-ball. The ref then proceeded to stand in front of the ball, only to move out of the way as Hasselbaink curled the ball around the disorganised wall and into the net! Bollocks! (Referee Graham Poll and Hasselbaink were very matey-matey all night, and as it turns out they live near to each other and wait for it...Poll's a chelsea supporter?).
The second half was a real hum-dinger with chances at both ends. We went in front as Archie tore down the left, cut inside two chelsea defenders and his shot came off Cudicini's leg and fell for defoe to tap in...cue more mayhem! With everything going along nicely Hutch then gifted Forssell an equaliser. CRAP!
Both teams came close to scoring in the closing minutes of full-time, James made a couple of world-class saves to keep us in it. Then in the 3rd minute of injury-time, they got a corner and Terry made it his and put it firmly in the back of our net...stunned and sick.
As a club member said "West Ham beat themselves", They played well enough but shoddy defending on set-pieces let them and us down again.
Cheer Up! Trevor Sinclair has come off the transfer list and it's the Free-Trip draw on Monday (see above), 2 free trips for the Bolton game up for grabs!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 20th January, 2002.
CHELSEA 5 vs WEST HAM 1.
Well what a pile of crap! God do I hate those west london slags! A packed meeting saw us start well enough in the awful weather conditions, only to throw all the good work away seconds before half-time with sloppy marking from a corner! In the second half we struggled to keep the ball, constantly losing possession and getting punished again and again. Kanoute...sell him, Sinclair...sell him, talk about useless. DiCanio (playing yet another last game for West Ham) was harshly sent off after being attacked by 'on-trial thug' morris (is'nt jody a tarts name?). What was really laughable was the fact that morris was'nt even booked. Seconds later he then scythed down Hutchinson, he should have been off. Thank goodness for young defoe, at least when he came on we looked to have some threat, and sure enough a few minutes later chelsea were picking the ball out of the net, but all too late! SICK OR WOT!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 6th January, 2002.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN 0 vs WEST HAM 3. FA Cup 3rd.
A few faces missing for this meeting, an early kick-off and the match being live on BBC1 meant that some members preferred to stay at home . . . Lightweights! However those that did turn up enjoyed watching the hammers score three good goals. Apart from a dodgy 15 minutes in the first half I thought we did a professional job (for a change!), and once jermain had put us one up there was no looking back. Defoes second was the pick of the goals. John Moncur was again booked, and then sent off. A rousing chorus of "He's here, he's there, he's every-f**king-where, John Moncur, John Moncur" echoed around Brannigan's as moncs trudged off.
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 1st January, 2002.
LEEDS UNITED 3 vs WEST HAM 0.
A good turn out for the first game/meeting of 2002 saw an awful hammers performance. Six minutes into the game we were 2-0 down and looking in Blackburn away form, but then I thought for the remainder of the first half we got better, but for some woeful shooting things could have been different, but our 'shots-on-target' ratio was pathetic. In the second half we went from bad to worse and but for some superb saves from David James we could have taken another serious defeat! Robbie Fowlers goal at the beginning of the second half was 'a peach'. Order was called ten minutes into the second half as the half-time party atmosphere showed no signs of settling! We should have carried on such was West Hams poor performance.
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 19th November, 2001.
CHARLTON 4 vs WEST HAM 4.
Another full house for the away game against Charlton, plus a few new faces, so welcome to them, and we hope to see them again in the New Year!
The game itself, a 4-4 draw, must go down as one of the most entertaining games shown on sky this season. For the neutral it was a game that had everything, good flowing football, plenty of goals, plenty of defensive mistakes and goal-mouth scrambles! For Club members it was an emotional roller-coaster ride, and in the end disappointment that we could not hang on to the lead for the last 7 minutes of the game. I really thought we had done it when Defoe banged in our fourth goal to put us 4-3 up, but in the end I guess it was a fair result.
Still, it was great to see West Ham score four goals away from home, Paul Kitson's hat-trick was a "gem", and the return of Steve Lomas to first team action, who in my opinion we have desparately missed, was a bonus! Anyway COME ON YOU IRONS and BRING ON THE SPURS!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 10th November 2001.
SOCIAL NIGHT.
The social night was a great success and it was great to see people enjoying themselves! As usual the evening was well attended, all the crew plus wives/girlfriends and a few faces we haven't seen for a while, some members even had a shirt and tie on!
Many thanks to all those members who brought along something for the raffle. The prizes table was overflowing with 'great stash' so well done! Thanks to Brannighans for all the bar food, you can't beat a basket of chicken and chips after a few jars! Thanks to the DJ, the barstaff, and last but not least a big WELL DONE to the Dublin Hammers Committee for all their hard work in organising the night!
See photos from the Night!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 28th October, 2001.
IPSWICH 2 vs WEST HAM 3.
I missed this meeting, so the review is sparse! A 3-2 away win, a few drinks, the hammers playing well. Sounds rather good!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 14th October, 2001.
BLACKBURN ROVERS 7 vs WEST HAM 1.
Blackburn 7 West Ham 1, everybody enjoy their monday mornings back at work?
What a contrast to the Newcastle meeting/game! This quote just about sums it up... "Roeder's team played with such a lack of focus, courage and direction that you really have to wonder if any of them care any more" The game? Apart from Carrick's sweet goal, and the first 10 minutes of the second half when we had two good chances, (if we had taken these we would have been right back in it! But then again you need good players to take the chances when they come your way, not players who just think they're good!), it was downhill all the way. Then came the own-goal "what a winner that was" and just when you thought it could'nt get worse..it did! Certainly won't be forgetting that one in a hurry!
Anyway it was good to see everyone, a packed house as usual, lots of calls of "Roeder Out! Graham In!" Are you sure about that!, also lots of suggestions to Sinclair to "hurry on his way!" if he did'nt want to play for west ham. Oh well look on the bright side, its got to be worth a bet on the Mancs putting 10 past us!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 23rd September, 2001.
WEST HAM 3 vs NEWCASTLE UNITED 0.
A packed house for the 3rd meeting of the season saw a 3-0 home win for West Ham. A first win of the season, backed up by a solid performance sent dublin hammers members home with smiles on their faces! Highlights of the meeting were; the sound of Paolo DiCan-io echoing around the room after the man had just stuck away our second of the afternoon, and, after only being on the pitch 20 seconds, John Moncur was booked for a reckless challenge, which sent the meeting into raucous laughter. Back on the pitch, even Hutchinson was in fits! Classic!
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 10th September, 2001.
QUIZ NIGHT.
A Quiz night was organised for the second dublin hammers meeting of the season. The night was well attended and the usual quiz night mayhem ensued.
Dublin Hammers Meeting - 10th August, 2001.
SEASON OPENER.
All the usual suspects showed up for the first Dublin Hammers meeting of the season! This is how it went...
1. The Commitee went through the changes made to the Rules and Regulations.
2. Asked members to inform the club of any change of address so the mailing list could be updated!
3. Ordered another round of drinks!
4. Announced that the first trip of the season would be the Spurs game!
5. Announced that we would be seeing West Ham's PAY-PER-VIEW games this season.
6. A Social Night is planned for Saturday 10th November, 2001.
7. Then on behalf of the Travel Secretary, the Committee put forward the idea of making the next trip a 2 night stay over, instead of one. A lively discussion ensued. Some members were happy to go for the 2 nights, while others preferred the 1 night, various reasons for and against were put forward, in the end the Committee decided that a vote would be taken at the next meeting (to allow the Travel Secretary and those members who are away on holiday to be involved). The vote will be taken by all members wanting to go on the next trip.
That just about 'wraps it up', don't forget its double points for the 'End of Season Draw' at the next meeting!
All meeting reports by Paul Smith except where stated.