Affinity with West Ham. How did it start?

My affinity with them is mostly because the missus is a Hammer.

Well. I say affinity...
 
They did us a big favour a few years ago beating them lot at Upton. think everyone in Manchester was a West Ham fan that day!

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In the 70/80's every club had a big hooligan element and the London clubs some tasty firms the ICF being a top one along with the Chelsea Headhunter's. We all hated each other back then. As others have said the relegation game was a turning point. As far as I know their fan's still respect and recognise us as a good loyal fanbase similar to their own and understand that just because we got lucky with the takeover, we are mainly still the hardcore that pulled in 28-35 thousand in the third tier. In spite of that woman Brady constantly bad mouthing us I still like West Ham fan's the same as Sunderland.
 
From my recollections, there were problems during the early ICF era with them. However, I was there walking up to Upton Park tube station after the game at the end of the 1987 season, I have been in a few of the local pubs around the Boleyn over the years and never had a problem and I also have family in Barking and Dagenham. So for me, they're a decent bunch overall.
 
paulchapo said:
In the 70/80's every club had a big hooligan element and the London clubs some tasty firms the ICF being a top one along with the Chelsea Headhunter's. We all hated each other back then. As others have said the relegation game was a turning point. As far as I know their fan's still respect and recognise us as a good loyal fanbase similar to their own and understand that just because we got lucky with the takeover, we are mainly still the hardcore that pulled in 28-35 thousand in the third tier. In spite of that woman Brady constantly bad mouthing us I still like West Ham fan's the same as Sunderland.
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One of the differences between the ICF and a lot of firms in those days is that the ICF used to pride themselves on fighting the other teams firms rather than ones and twos; indeed West Ham hadcacsecond firm of younger teenage dicks who would attack innocent fans, who were disparagingly referred to by the ICF as the under 5’s
 
BringBackSwales said:
One of the differences between the ICF and a lot of firms in those days is that the ICF used to pride themselves on fighting the other teams firms rather than ones and twos; indeed West Ham hadcacsecond firm of younger teenage dicks who would attack innocent fans, who were disparagingly referred to by the ICF as the under 5’s
Click to expand...

Yes I remember them. Most firms had them, the Leicester baby squad and we had the young governor's.

I had a lucky escape involving some Chelsea Headhunter's after they had played at the swamp in the seventies. I was waiting for a bus near a pub called the Royal Thorn in Wythenshawe which was next to a motorway exit. It was about 7pm and two mini buses pulled up in the car park and a group of lads got out in donkey jackets and docs. They walked away from the pub and passed me at the bus stop saying "Alright mate?" I knew straight away they were Chelsea fans. There was always an older bloke waiting at the same bus stop for his bus at the same time and I had got to know him over time so was chatting to him. They stopped just past the stop and were having a discussion. I heard one say, "Nah leave him he is with his dad." Then they all walked back to the pub glaring as they passed. The next day I heard they had started a riot in the pub smashing it up and putting a lad, who bizarrely I knew, in a coma. Looking back I was a lucky lad!
 
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