When Brighton fan Jules Breach got the call to lead BT Sport coverage of West Ham ’s European adventure, she never could’ve predicted the whirlwind she had signed up for.
It started against with a win against Dinamo Zagreb on 16 September as Breach was teamed with former Hammers favourites Joe and Carlton Cole in the BT Sport studio. Over seven months later the trio - and West Ham - are still going strong and take on Eintracht Frankfurt in their semi-final first leg at the London Stadium.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been a career highlight for me following West Ham in Europe this season,” says Breach, who has covered huge Champions League and major tournament games in her fast-rising broadcasting career. “It’s just been absolutely amazing.
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“It’s just been such a great story. To follow a team who haven’t been in a major European competition for such a long time, and for them to get this far, has been absolutely brilliant.
“You can’t help but feed off the excitement and all of the energy from the fans, and working with Joe and Carlton as well, there’s been such a good feeling around the club. To be there for all of it, covering every game, has just been a joy to be part of and, like the West Ham fans enjoying it, we just don’t want it to end.”
Much of the enjoyment has come from the on-screen rapport and infectious chemistry built up by Breach and the Coles. A clip of them wildly celebrating West Ham's goals in Lyon in studios in their last game quickly did the rounds on social media, and it is clear just how much they have become caught up in the story they are covering step by step.
“They have been so funny to work with,” Breach says of Joe and Carlton. “What you see on screen is exactly what they’re like off screen - they’re proper West Ham fans just desperate to see the club so well.
“The fact they’ve got a relationship with the players there at the moment, and their history as players, means there’s a genuine interest and genuine love for the club from both of them. You can’t help but have that rub off on you as well when you’re covering the games alongside them.
“They’re absolutely hilarious, and the stories they tell and the chemistry they have with each other makes my job so easy as well. We genuinely look forward to Thursday’s in that WhatsApp group all week, and thankfully West Ham have given us a lot more Thursday’s.”
There have been various points in the journey where those willing West Ham to victory feared it could be the end of the road. Given their experiences over the years, the east London club have become conditioned to a degree of pessimism.
“The fact they’ve got to the semi-finals is absolutely incredible,” Breach says. “I think when they drew Sevilla in the round of 16, who have won the tournament more times than anyone else, we all feared it could be the end of the road.
“To then beat Sevilla, and almost ease past Lyon, who have so much pedigree in Europe, has given them so much belief now. They’ve got a decent draw against Frankfurt and an incredible opportunity for West Ham to get into the Europa League final, which would be amazing.”
The manner of West Ham’s victory over Sevilla, via a late extra-time strike from Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko, ranks as the undoubted highlight of what has been an unforgettable season of Thursday nights.
“For me, the goal at the London Stadium that Yarmolenko scored against Sevilla was the moment of the tournament,” Breach says. “It was absolutely incredible.
“It was emotional because of everything happening in Ukraine, and the fact that was the goal that secured victory in extra-time, to beat the perennial winners of the competition, it was a huge moment.
“Being in the London Stadium for that, hearing the fans, it just gave me goosebumps and it was one of those moments in a football stadium I don’t think I’ll ever forget. That has to be the highlight.”
Their morale-boosting win over Sevilla was set up by a seamless run through the group stages with four wins from their six games.
“The way West Ham started the competition will stand out, because they got drawn in a pretty favourable group but it was still unknown territory for a lot of fans and players,” Breach comments.
“The fact they just raced through that group, finished top and got straight into the round of 16 in the new format, avoiding the qualifying round, seemed to give them so much belief.”
After storming past Lyon in the quarter-finals, they face Eintracht Frankfurt, who stunned Barcelona in the last round to continue their own fairytale journey.
“For West Ham, these two semi-finals are amongst the biggest games in their history,” Breach adds.
“Coming into this season, nobody really expected West Ham to go this far. There was a hope they could get this far, but I’m not sure anybody truly believed they would.
“The fact David Moyes has managed to achieve that with this squad, and also push so far in the Premier League, has been an amazing achievement.
“He’s managing to get the absolute best out of every single player in this squad, and it’s an incredible achievement to get this far.
“If the European journey does end in the semi-finals, it would still be a massive achievement, but lifting that trophy and playing Champions League football next season would be an absolute dream come true for everyone connected with the club.”
