Upton Park memories

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I've just remembered another brilliant Upton Park memory: Alvero negredo's dummy 2 seasons ago. Someone played a ball to him and he did a kind of Laurel and Hardy dummy, where he pretended to go for the ball and then let it run on for Sergio.It fooled the entire West Ham defence and Sergio popped it in beautifully, but it was the comedy of the dummy which made it a thing of beauty. He dummies with his entire being, he pretty much did a comedy whistle and scratched his head as he let the ball run under his feet.
 
I've just remembered another brilliant Upton Park memory: Alvero negredo's dummy 2 seasons ago. Someone played a ball to him and he did a kind of Laurel and Hardy dummy, where he pretended to go for the ball and then let it run on for Sergio.It fooled the entire West Ham defence and Sergio popped it in beautifully, but it was the comedy of the dummy which made it a thing of beauty. He dummies with his entire being, he pretty much did a comedy whistle and scratched his head as he let the ball run under his feet.

Was thinking about this earlier today, one of my fav City moments,it was sublime,fooled the whole westham defence who didnt catch on and sergio was striding thru on goal.
i remember him scratching his head in a nonchalant fashion, altho i didnt see that bit until watching the goal later on MOTD.

My fav upton park memory tho was years ago,we had just come out of their supporters club bar after a pre match drink..making our way to the away entrance at five mins to three when i heard a burger stall owner shout " Half -price burgers, get your half price burgers!!"
i was off like a shot,doing my best pissed up linford christie impression,a 40 yard dash to the burger stall and brought two.
cant remember the year or the score but food does taste better when a. youre pissed and b. its half price.
 
First visit - start of the 77/78 season, Joe Royle got a late winner and the coach had half its windows put through.

Other happy memories, Tony Cunningham sliding home the winner in a League Cup replay around 84-ish. More recently a superb Yaya strike under Mancini and those goals by Sergio and Silva in Pellegrini's title-winning season.

And who could forget alan ball bringing on Guiseppe Mazzarelli as an impact sub...
Might be the same coach I was on. Didn't a copper get on and just told the driver to keep going ? When I got home ,went to a party and recall twating a member of Sad Cafe. Nothing to do with his music by the way.
 
I loved the place. Not going this time, but I always felt a bit of a thrill being stupid the ground so many great players had played at. This was where Bobby Moore and Geoff hurst played every week, and later on players like Brooking and even the lesser lights like Lampard (snr).

I suppose the same could be said about lots of grounds, but the home of the academy always seemed a special place. Good luck to West Ham in their new home but I will be sad to see them leave the old place.
 
Might be the same coach I was on. Didn't a copper get on and just told the driver to keep going ? When I got home ,went to a party and recall twating a member of Sad Cafe. Nothing to do with his music by the way.
Yes, that's the one, the copper was more interested in self-preservation, he should have let big Helen at them.

You could have twatted him for his music as well. ;-)
 
Manchester City-Fantastic club with real fans. Look forward to the game on Saturday at Upton Park. Spent a good 4 years up in Manchester mid 90's, city supporters quality then too. Hope you win the league.
West Ham fan
 
left it too late to get tickets for this game; would have loved to have gone. won't ever get the chance to go to what's one of my favourite away grounds. me n blueballs were at the famous pitch invasion game and we both admit we were shitting ourselves at first. can see west ham becoming a bigger force though with the move to the olympic stadium, and good luck to 'em (not for this weekend though).
 
Manchester City-Fantastic club with real fans. Look forward to the game on Saturday at Upton Park. Spent a good 4 years up in Manchester mid 90's, city supporters quality then too. Hope you win the league.
West Ham fan
Nice one pal, classiest fans in London by absolute miles
 
My last visit was May 1967 when we dew 1-1.
I'd parked my car in an underground park in the centre of London as I didn't want it vandalised by parking near the ground as I had lots of City stuff in it.
Drove back to Manchester, parked outside my girlfriend's house around midnight (now my wife) in Failsworth. And some pillocks stole the car.
Fortunately the police found it a couple of days later undamaged but everything inside had been taken.
 
I cannot believe this will be our last ever visit to this ground. Been twice - once under Sven and once when Colin hendry scored in the last minute. Great old ground.

Anyone got any other happy memories!

Hope we go out with a bang there. We should buy the hammers a goodbye gift or flag.

this was my 1st time i think as a 14 or 15 year old with all my mates...didnt stevie redmond slip on his arse but still scored the penalty? and colin hendry scored in the last minute and i was shitting myself because for some stupid reason i wore a city top as it was a warm day and the west fans were going fucking mental singing youll never make the station , i was shitting myself....luckily we had an escort all the way back to the station.

i never wore a city top for an away game again!
 
Still has me shaking my head in disbelief............



I was behind that goal getting piss wet through,Jimmy Greaves debut for West Ham I think he scored twice. I remember Corrigan walking back with his head down in a world of his own as the ball sailed over his head,we were screaming at him to watch out and at the last minute he saw us,looked back and ran back but he was too late. I think we signed MacRae not long afterwards.
 
this was my 1st time i think as a 14 or 15 year old with all my mates...didnt stevie redmond slip on his arse but still scored the penalty? and colin hendry scored in the last minute and i was shitting myself because for some stupid reason i wore a city top as it was a warm day and the west fans were going fucking mental singing youll never make the station , i was shitting myself....luckily we had an escort all the way back to the station.

i never wore a city top for an away game again!


We were put in the police escort to the tube, then had to leave it to find the car. Squeaky bum time.
Saw the Marcus Beasley win, and the SWP header for a draw. 4th time and not seen us lose.
 
It seems that that relegation game in 1987 was a watershed moment in terms of fan relationship between the 2 clubs. Before that there are numerous stories of City and West Ham fans getting into numerous rucks with each other - by all accounts Upton Park in the 70's in particular was one of the most frightening grounds in the country for visiting fans. I remember watching Match of the Seventies on the BBC in the mid-90's and one of the games featured was a night match between West Ham and City in around 1972. I think we won and I seem to recall Franny scoring a penalty but you could hear a pin drop when he scored and my first thought was that there must've been only a handful of blues in the ground.

These days things are a lot more friendly between us of course but there have still been a few unsavoury incidents following that 1987 game, and younger fans from both clubs probably don't have a big an understanding of the friendship that built up as a result of that game. However, we do get on in the main and I found it amusing when doing some random Googling of away friendly pubs near Upton Park the other week. I ended up on VillaTalk and a thread from a couple of years ago where some Villa fan said they went in the Queens and ended up being verbally abused and spat on. When we were in the Queens some years back, there wasn't anything like that kind of animosity towards the small number of City fans in there.
 
My first trip was 1967, 20 mins into the game a few hundered West Ham made their way into the city end, no trouble just singing at each other and having the crack, city won 3/2, when we got to the coach their were about 30 west ham stood near the coach no animosity no trouble whatsoever, I got the impression they were fascinated with city fans, maybe because they have always hated United.
 
First visit - start of the 77/78 season, Joe Royle got a late winner and the coach had half its windows put through.

Other happy memories, Tony Cunningham sliding home the winner in a League Cup replay around 84-ish. More recently a superb Yaya strike under Mancini and those goals by Sergio and Silva in Pellegrini's title-winning season.

And who could forget alan ball bringing on Guiseppe Mazzarelli as an impact sub...

Although we don't know each other, me, Rammyblues our best mate Nigel Boddy we were all on the same coach with you for that 77/78 game. Long way back I seem to remember..lol
 
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