Liked WHU a long time, well before the well documented 87 match...
I can always remember silly little facts like Ray Stewart ( top penalty taker)being known as The Cornflake Kid ,due apparently to his parents going on hols and him living off cornflakes in their absence.
Billy Bonds being known as Bonzo ,great club servant..
The brilliance of Alan Devonshire in midfield mid to late 70s,what a graceful footballer,used to glide over the pitch,in a way Paul Lake did for us in later years.
I like the way Trevor Brooking played the game too,a prime example of the important skill of receiving a ball ' sideways on ' in central midfield ,thereby increasing your passing options immediately....i also recall Brookings almost telepathic links with Keegan when the two turned out for England under Ron Greenwood..
I can recall Frank Lampard senior scoring for The Hammers in a 2nd or 3rd FA Cup replay at Elland rd(?) Where on the counter attack he ran from the left back position about 80 yards and smashed the ball in for the winner,and won goal of the season.. that must have been 1980..
As WH won the cup that year beating Arsenal(?) With a Trevor Brookings d8ving header ..bizzare.
Geoff Pike was a hard working midfield player,ended up at Notts County where he was very popular amongst the locals.
Alvin Martin excelled at centre back,turning out for England
Also..in 1981..I won a national newspaper footy competition( 3 easy questions,answers on a postcard) to attend The Bobby Moore Soccer Coaching School...on the last day ,Moore himself turned up to hand out awards ( I got the lowest one possible,embarrasing) and I shook his hand..a feather in my cap when I meet WH fans over the years..
I also met Jack Charlton at Newcastle straight after the YaYa Toure 2 goal match under Mancini..i was pissed but ran straight up to Jack who was pissed off at geordies losing..how could he have known that I needed to shake his hand so I could say I,'ve met the World cup winning 66 team centre back partnership..?
One of my favourite old City matches on YT is whu 0 City 4 . Decmember 1970(?) On a boggy muddy Boyeln Ground,Colin Bell leading Bobby Moore a merrydance and orchestrating a fine away performance in which Franny Lee and Ian Bowyer fired the bullets..
Over the years I've been good friends with a work colleague who was West ham daft..I was City daft and he,d heard I went to every game
1st question.." we're you at West ham in 87."
I wasn't.. he made it clear City didn't take more than 2,000 that day pointing out what the average home crowd was, what WH always gave the away team,and what the attendance was that day...
On a sadder note,I knew Irish John,one of a bunch of hammers I've known well over the years..John loved The Old ground on much the same way I struggled with our move from MR..John would go on the piss with his mates and me around moss side before City home games..ex Navy hard as nails,
Hard drinker,passed away couple of years ago and another of the games proper old school characters was gone...
I was invited to take a seat at the new ground in the home end For City's 1st visit 4nil City but only after a trip to the Upton park in the ,morning.. with Irish John's old mates,a breakfast in the green street cafe,and a pint in a working men's club right next to the site of the old ground....the surroundings John adored...our own tribute to a great character.
I don't have 2nd teams,and I certainly don't look out for anybody's results,but many diff connections to the Hammers...over the years..
