228. Next Stop: Prague

So this is it. The last time James and Will sit down to chat before West Ham embark on a first European final for 47 years. The next time you hear from us, we could either be Europa Conference League champions and looking ahead to another campaign of Europa League football. Or we could be entering a summer of unknown, with key players potentially looking for an exit due to defeat and a lack of continental competition for them to showcase their talents. Amongst all the excitement, anticipation and nerves, this game does represent something of a crossroads for the club. If we win it further cements our place in Europa and makes us a far more attractive proposition when it comes to summer recruitment. Lose, it there's the risk that we lose a number of key players and slip back into mid-table obscurity. The latter doesn't bear thinking about right now, because don't forget what we're currently experiencing is exactly what the club promised the fans when they forced us away from Upton Park and relocated us to Stratford. This was the deal. Move away from our spiritual home in return for a better football team regularly competing in Europe and for trophies. So losing out on the chance to compete again in Europe does come with the risk of us slipping back to a stage where the club stops holding up their side of the deal. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Also on this week's pod, Lorenzo Lepore from the SpaceViola Fiorentina Podcast joins us to give everyone the full lowdown on what to expect against his beloved Fiorentina on Wednesday night, while James and Will mull over all the headlines in the build-up to the club's biggest game since the 2006 FA Cup final. The next time you hear from us will be later this week in Prague - we'll be doing a reaction special on Thursday. Hopefully, we'll be celebrating! It's another brilliant pod, so get your ears around it and get behind the lads for the last few weeks of the season! 🍻 Buy us a pint: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Wearewestham 🎧 Subscribe: https://podfollow.com/we-are-west-ham-podcast 📱 Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAre_WestHam​​​​​​ 👍🏻 Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearewesthampod 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearewesthapod 🗣️ Something to say? Send us your voice note: https://www.speakpipe.com/WeAreWestHam 📧 Email us: wearewesthampod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices