West Ham fans of a certain vintage get misty-eyed when they remember the last time they saw their side in a major European semi-final. The rain was incessant, the pitch a muddy mess and those who were there insist that Upton Park was packed three hours before kick-off, the atmosphere bubbling and the nervous tension rising as the crowd prepared to roar John Lyall’s side on against Eintracht Frankfurt 46 years ago.
It was one of those wild East End nights, an occasion that has gone down in claret and blue folklore, and inevitably there have been plenty of references to it during the buildup to one of the biggest games in the club’s history. The boys of 1976 were at the training ground this week, regaling David Moyes with tales of their run to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976, and there is a temptation to assume that victory is written in the stars given that Frankfurt again stand in West Ham’s way as they attempt to keep their European adventure going.
