Chairman reveals our lucky mascot!
While the likes of Carlos Tevez, Lucas Neill, Alan Curbishley and co rightly earned the plaudits for our successful battle against relegation at the end of last season, Chairman Eggert Magnusson has revealed that the team also had a lucky mascot to count on.
14-year-old Alex Lee - the son of Mr Magnusson's PR advisor Mike Lee - attended a total of 10 matches following the takeover of the Club in November…and didn't see the Hammers lose a single one of them!
The remarkable record began with our 1-0 home victory over Sheffield United in November and then continued with Alan Curbishley's first match in charge a month later - the 1-0 win over Manchester United on December 17. After witnessing our FA Cup third round victory over Brighton, sandwiched between two Premier League draws against Fulham, Alex then attended the 2-0 home victory over Middlesbrough at the end of March, before enjoying the final four matches of the season - all victories against Everton, Wigan, Bolton and Manchester United at Old Trafford on the final day.
Considering that West Ham United avoided defeat in just 13 of the 27 league and cup matches played since Mr Magnusson's arrival, Alex's fortune in being present for 10 of those occasions - a ratio that any top goalscorer would be proud of! - is all the more significant...and certainly not lost on our grateful Chairman.
"It is quite amazing that Alex attended 10 games and did not see us lose!" says Mr Magnusson. "Towards the end of the season, it became almost a superstition, and when we travelled to Old Trafford on the final day, I insisted that Alex accompanied us!
"Of course, our performances on the pitch were the reason that we avoided relegation, but superstition and luck is a big factor to a lot of people involved in football, and I certainly felt confident knowing that Alex was there with us at the end of the season."
Young Alex, meanwhile, is modest about his involvement, and admits he was just delighted to enjoy the experience of following Alan Curbishley's men as they pulled off the great escape.
"I'm not so sure it was down to me," he says. "But Mr Magnusson basically thought that I was something of a lucky mascot, and the more games I attended, the more that seemed to be the case.
"I missed a couple of matches after we beat Middlesbrough at the end of March, and Mr Magnusson joked with my dad that he wouldn't pay him if he didn't make sure that I got to the games, so I came to the last four and we won them all!
"I was just happy that the team managed to stay up and that they will be playing in the Premier League again. I'm sure I'll eventually see West Ham lose one day, but hopefully my run can continue for a bit longer at the start of next season!"
For the record, the games attended by Alex last season were:
Nov 25 v Sheffield United (h), won 1-0
Dec 17 v Manchester United (h), won 1-0
Dec 23 v Fulham (a), drew 0-0
Jan 6 v Brighton & Hove Albion (h), won 3-0
Jan 13 v Fulham (h), drew 3-3
Mar 31 v Middlesbrough (h), won 2-0
Apr 21 v Everton (h), won 1-0
Apr 28 v Wigan Athletic (a), won 3-0
May 5 v Bolton Wanderers (h), won 3-1
May 13 v Manchester United (a), won 1-0
14-year-old Alex Lee - the son of Mr Magnusson's PR advisor Mike Lee - attended a total of 10 matches following the takeover of the Club in November…and didn't see the Hammers lose a single one of them!
The remarkable record began with our 1-0 home victory over Sheffield United in November and then continued with Alan Curbishley's first match in charge a month later - the 1-0 win over Manchester United on December 17. After witnessing our FA Cup third round victory over Brighton, sandwiched between two Premier League draws against Fulham, Alex then attended the 2-0 home victory over Middlesbrough at the end of March, before enjoying the final four matches of the season - all victories against Everton, Wigan, Bolton and Manchester United at Old Trafford on the final day.
Considering that West Ham United avoided defeat in just 13 of the 27 league and cup matches played since Mr Magnusson's arrival, Alex's fortune in being present for 10 of those occasions - a ratio that any top goalscorer would be proud of! - is all the more significant...and certainly not lost on our grateful Chairman.
"It is quite amazing that Alex attended 10 games and did not see us lose!" says Mr Magnusson. "Towards the end of the season, it became almost a superstition, and when we travelled to Old Trafford on the final day, I insisted that Alex accompanied us!
"Of course, our performances on the pitch were the reason that we avoided relegation, but superstition and luck is a big factor to a lot of people involved in football, and I certainly felt confident knowing that Alex was there with us at the end of the season."
Young Alex, meanwhile, is modest about his involvement, and admits he was just delighted to enjoy the experience of following Alan Curbishley's men as they pulled off the great escape.
"I'm not so sure it was down to me," he says. "But Mr Magnusson basically thought that I was something of a lucky mascot, and the more games I attended, the more that seemed to be the case.
"I missed a couple of matches after we beat Middlesbrough at the end of March, and Mr Magnusson joked with my dad that he wouldn't pay him if he didn't make sure that I got to the games, so I came to the last four and we won them all!
"I was just happy that the team managed to stay up and that they will be playing in the Premier League again. I'm sure I'll eventually see West Ham lose one day, but hopefully my run can continue for a bit longer at the start of next season!"
For the record, the games attended by Alex last season were:
Nov 25 v Sheffield United (h), won 1-0
Dec 17 v Manchester United (h), won 1-0
Dec 23 v Fulham (a), drew 0-0
Jan 6 v Brighton & Hove Albion (h), won 3-0
Jan 13 v Fulham (h), drew 3-3
Mar 31 v Middlesbrough (h), won 2-0
Apr 21 v Everton (h), won 1-0
Apr 28 v Wigan Athletic (a), won 3-0
May 5 v Bolton Wanderers (h), won 3-1
May 13 v Manchester United (a), won 1-0
posted by Yoo Thar Hmu at 9:42 AM
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