Hammers in secret scouting mission to Eastern Europe

 

Even as the Hammers sit majestically in fourth position in the World's greatest league, VERYWESTHAM have headed off on a secret mission in search of the next Ludo Miklosko and Tomas Repka.

SuperTom's new role

Braving the late October conditions, a crack team of scouts - all well-versed in the so-called WEST HAM WAY have been czeching out the very best that the Czech League has to offer and have compiled a detailed report for the Hammers board regarding opportunities to invest in the Czech footie market based upon their three-day mission.

After a series of clandestine communications involving secret passwords (e.g. "two more Budvar there Pavel, whenever you are ready mate") our undercover agents found their way to the stadium of Dukla Prague - well known to Hammers hipsters as the subject of the half-man-half-biscuit 1986 classic "All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit"

Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBmFuySb_Qw

Dressed up as Dukla ultra-casuals, our agents viewed a whole match but came away feeling that their presence must have been rumbled as the teams played out a rather drab match with few incidents to comment upon. In fact, the game felt as if it was being played between two sides composed entirely of Vladamir Labant clones! No sign of the Dukla heroes who dispatched an able Hammers side in the America's Challenge Cup final of 1963, winning 2-1 on aggregate!

However, our intrepid sleuths did take the opportunity to get a feel for watching footie in an athletics stadium and have duly decided to apply for an upgrade to the front row of the new stand in order to cut down on binocular costs.

either way, our heroes have vowed to continue in their efforts to identify the very best of Czech soccer culture by virtue of a sustained undercover mission into the underbelly of Prague tonight!

WH pose beside the statue of Dukla's most famous player: Josef Masopust-
European footballer of the year in 1962