West Ham and Aston Villa share a lot in common and soon it could be even more than many might have thought just a few years ago.
West Ham and Aston Villa, two Premier League rivals but two similar sized clubs fighting to disrupt the so-called “Big Six”.
Villa and the Hammers may share the famous claret and blue but many of their fans were at one another throats on social media last summer.
West Ham supporters have been gleefully reminding everyone they play that they are champions of Europe this season.
And why not after the club won its first major trophy for 43 years in Prague 10 months ago as they lifted the Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa are – quite rightly – incredibly proud of the fact they won Europe’s elite competition back in 1982. That was a time when the European Cup, as the Champions League was known then, was “proper”.
When West Ham lifted their first major European trophy for 58 years by beating Fiorentina in the Conference League final, it was a momentous occasion.
West Ham’s players, staff and fans celebrated for days after that triumph.
Villa looking to emulate West Ham
And hundreds of thousands of jubilant Hammers fans lined the streets of east London for the victory parade.
While that was going on, many Aston Villa fans took a pop at West Ham for “over celebrating” what was dubbed a “two bob” trophy. Indeed Villa’s Jacob Ramsey mocked the Conference League and his own fans for celebrating their qualification for the competition.
They weren’t the only rival fans to have a pop at West Ham of course. And some of them did congratulate their Premier League rivals too.
But as winners of the “proper” European Cup some 41 years ago, some Aston Villa supporters took the frenzy around West Ham’s triumph as something of an affront to their past achievement.
Fast forward to present day and Aston Villa are trying to emulate West Ham by winning the Conference League to end their own near 30-year trophy drought.
West Ham’s big Aston Villa conundrum as fate conspires
Like the Aston Villa are right now, West Ham have been pushing the Premier League elite in three of the last four seasons.
Villa look on course to go one better by securing Champions League football by finishing fourth in the Premier League.
And they made the semi-finals of the Conference League with a penalty shootout victory at Lille.
Meanwhile West Ham were knocked out of the Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen and face a tough task to seal a top seven finish and a fourth consecutive season of European football.
And it all gives West Ham a big Aston Villa conundrum as fate conspires for rivals too long in the shadows.
Rivalries aside, West Ham fans should want Aston Villa to go on and win the Conference League.
Villa could help West Ham make Europe
Firstly because it could boost West Ham’s hopes of a European spot as Villa would already be in the Champions League or Europa League at the very least.
Secondly because West Ham fans know only too well what it’s like to go decades without winning a trophy.
Villa are long-suffering, working class fans like them. So Hammers supporters should be happy for a club on a similar level – who has experienced relegations in the not too distant past – to taste some glory like they did.
But then comes the quandary.
Would Villa triumph cheapen West Ham’s legacy?
Would Villa winning the Conference League in some way cheapen or lessen West Ham’s achievement?
So far Roma and the Hammers have won the competition.
If Aston Villa add it to their trophy cabinet then it’s another historic name on the list for the Conference League.
But West Ham fans spent as much time defending their side’s achievement as they have celebrating it.
So if Villa rock up the very next season and win it, does it take something away from what David Moyes’ side did?
If every English club that enters the Conference League goes on to add it to their honours then it undoubtedly will.
West Ham fans argue they had to beat a quality Serie A side in Fiorentina to lift the trophy.
Well that’s who Villa look likely to face in the final too, should they both make it there.
Villa have picked up the scalp of Ajax along their journey too.
Ironically Villa take on Olympiacos, who West Ham played twice in the group stage of this season’s Europa League, in their semi-final.
The Hammers lost 2-1 away but won 1-0 at home as Moyes’ side topped their group.
West Ham and their fans will always have that night in Prague.
But Villa winning it one year later might just take the sheen off it a touch.
Although rather them than Spurs or another of West Ham’s bitter rivals of course.
