Are you West Ham's very own JimB? Pravda had nothing on you two
BluehammerYou should run on the pitch with a corner flag next game in protest, be a real hero.
Always helps to know your teams history...Bluehammer
You are aware of the symbolism of the flag protest aren’t you? It was an homage to 1992 when the same thing happened at Upton Park in protest at the bond scheme. A pitch invasion ensued and shortly afterwards Terry Brown scrapped the scheme
The worm turned that day last year and I find it no coincidence that a few short months later we got Pellegrini in and from nowhere found 100+ million to spend. The board knew they’d gone too far
So yeah. He is a bit of a hero
I don’t consider myself as argumentative at all Jim. I know I’m in an echo chamber but I’m railing against the modern game. Waste of time I know but ‘my’ game has been taken away from meHis opinions about West Ham differ to yours. That's all. Just as mine about Spurs differ to most City fans posting on the Spurs thread. For you to resort to argumentum ad hominem is just lazy and unnecessary. Can posters not disagree while remaining respectful?
You will of course recall Keith Burkenshaw ,one of your most sucessful managers in several decades. .sayingThats all gone mate. Football has changed.
I love the way Brady always has a pop at Levy, but shit, your club is run terribly.
If you've taken any offence to anything I've said none was intentionally directed at you personally@Met Line Hammer
Ok, I will lay out my issues with fans like yourself and I will be as respectful as possible, you like myself are a true hammers fan, I can see that – I’ve had a season ticket 25 year practically all my life , sat in every stand at UP, chicken run, bobby Moore lower and upper – been to loads of away games, not been away this season – one thing I’m really missing. So I’ve seen the high and lows (mainly lows)
Anyhow, that’s not to say ‘I’m a better fan’ than you or even a hammers supporter in Australia who can’t go.
My main gripe is this – I want West Ham to progress at all costs, I want West Ham to be competing amongst the best, to do this we have to get with the times and yes that meant a stadium move , you and many other fans want us to remain static and it holds us back, you want to stay at UP, get your pie and mash and have a good moan In the Boleyn – demand we play the 'west ham way' .hark back to the good ol days when we have WON BUGGER ALL !
First off, the stadium you claim ‘I just don’t see how anyone can defend it’ which is your view, fine, and you preferred UP, fine. But the main crux of the move was to bring in more supporters and more revenue, both has been done – the benefits to the club of this move means more possibility of us winning a trophy – that’s more important than having a better personal experience of going. Yes, there is certain things I miss about UP, used to love meeting café with my old man, walk to stadium, used to drinking in working mans club nearby and most importantly the view from my seat was far far better, I simply can not defend the distance to the pitch at OS .. BUT that is where I draw the line– because quite simply everything else at the OS is far better, the facilities, the amount of bar areas – I had no chance of getting a pint at half time in UP – the area is far more nicer, yes you can bring up the shopping centre but that’s easily avoidable, there is plenty of good bars and nice places to eat – the stadium is now double the size of UP, it’s affordable and to me it’s great we have so many young kids and family’s now able to attend, I travel from Ebbsfleet now so it takes me 20mins to get to Stratford, before I was driving and could be stuck for hours in the blackwall tunnel - the stadium itself looks great – been there for concerts and it’s superb. We are selling out a 60+ thousand stadium week in week out – never thought I’d see the day that happened. Whether the owners did the move for their own interests or the club, I don’t care – it’s a brilliant move for the club in the long run, the failure for yourself and many fans to accept this, organizing pathetic marches, the verbal abuse at the owners, the crowd trouble disturbing games left a bad taste with me, where have they all gone now we’re doing well ?
It was organized by ex ICF d*ckheads labelling themselves as the ‘Real West Ham Group’ who in the end threatened other west ham groups and the whole thing was a shambles, absolute embarrassment to the club – I will not give them one bit of credit for how things turned out, I find it hard to believe the owners just decided to open a cheque book and splash 100 mill on players because of these idiots – the more likelihood is that after a couple of years in the new stadium and TV money we are able to buy more – the owners simply don’t have the money the likes of City and Chelsea do – so it’s unfair for fans to vent at the owners to constantly spend more (by the way, isn’t spending big on players and wages what’s wrong with the modern game ?) another contradiction with fans that want to live in the past yet moan like hell if we’re not winning and competing. Perhaps, with the new stadium it will give us a chance to get a billionaire owner in, more chance than had we stayed at UP.
I am not a huge fan of the owners, I dislike how they portray themselves and cringe at times when I hear them, Brady Sun columns can be an awful read – however I do respect the fact they took over a shambles of a club in a dire financial position, have established us into a possible top 10 prem club, moved us to a far better and bigger stadium which have attracted some world class players – not everything is rosy and there’s much more I would like, but as fan of the club l like to look at all aspects rationally and not emotionally as yourself.
Up the Hammers.
If you've taken any offence to anything I've said none was intentionally directed at you personally
Anyway, apologies to any Blue Mooners/admin for banging on about West Ham on your very good and most welcoming site (mostly!) but I'll try to address your points.
Firstly we didn't have to move to progress and certainly not to that thing. That is not progress (Juventus anyone?) Yes we might have 'attendance figures' of 60000 but there is no way there is 60000 bums on seats, absolutely none. You mention the increased revenue that the stadium brings. Sullivan himself admitted last year that we make an extra £11mill per season. That is certainly not 'next level' stuff.
Undoubtedly for a perennial underachieving shitfest of an outfit we have a tremendous support, unbelievably so, however the place is packed out with tourists, Newham borough freebies, Thomas Cook packages and shed loads of STs bought by supporters of other clubs. Personally I know 2 dippers, 1 rag, 3 Red Sea pedestrians and 1 Chelsea who have STs at the bowl. We are diluting real fans which I think Brady secretly wants.
We had planning permission (which eventually lapsed) to extend the chicken run and make the ground 45k which to be honest would be perfect for us. When we reapplied we were told it was turned down due to encroachment on the East Ham bus garage. All bullsh1t from the board again. How? The bus garage was knocked down in 2016. But of course we know the real reason. The board would have to put hands in pockets for the build.
You take a bit of a swipe at Plaistow which leaves a bad taste IMO. It was our home for over 100 years. Whilst it wasn't the most salubrious area of London and the demographic has changed beyond recognition it was still our 'manor'. It might have been what you may call a sh1thole but it was OUR 'sh1thole' and I was fiercely defensive of it.
You mention pie and mash. Going to Nathan's WAS match day, as was a 9am fry up before the pub and bookies. All two mins tops from the ground. We have nothing like that now. No resemblance to the match day 'experience' of old. I can't comment on half time beers. I'm usually so smashed from my morning session I need the 90 min break.
The 'Real West Ham Fans Group' ended badly but had all the best intentions. The board knew how much clout this group had and personally I believe those shenanigans DID have an effect on what transpired over the summer. This group grew way too quickly for them and it ended up being a sh1tshow. However I will never slag them off. I'm sure you know who was behind the group and those personnel helped me out on many away trips when lets just say things got a bit on top. So I cannot dig out the 'ex ICF dickheads' as you call them.
Anyway I'll leave it there as I could bang on all day. As you said, I deal with things emotionally. Footballs an emotional game. Or at least it was!
Much love
MLH
Go and tell the spurs fans that, they're convinced the new WHL will bring in enough revenue to both cover the repayments and put them on the next level when it opens in 2032.Sullivan himself admitted last year that we make an extra £11mill per season. That is certainly not 'next level' stuff.