They're not fit to wear the shirt!

I have supported West Ham consciously since 1968; I no doubt supported them subconsciously whilst in the womb; as an Eastender it was impregnated in my DNA.

Over the years I have endured many miserable seasons and witnessed many abysmal performances. We could go back to that 4-0  FA Cup defeat against Blackpool, when Bobby Moore led Clyde Best and two others on a pub crawl the night before the game. The team that day read: Ferguson; Bonds, Taylor, Moore Lampard; Ayris, Lindsay, Howe; Best, Greaves, Dear. It seems even gods have their off days when they have a hangover; or that 4-3-3 was a problem even back then!

We could return instead to the 4-0 hammering at Aston Villa that started the 1976-77 season. Our team that day read: Day: Coleman, Taylor, Green, Lampard; Holland, Bonds, Curbishley, Brooking, Paddon; Alan Taylor. It seems 4-5-1 didn't work back then either!

Or perhaps we should recall the 6-0 surrender in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal at Oldham. 6-0 at Oldham! But they did finish 8th in the Prem that season, one place below ourselves. The Oldham Disgraces were: Parkes: Steward Robson, Martin, Gale, Strodder, Dicks: Brady, Keen, Devonshire; David Kelly & Slater. You see, playing without a holding midfielder didn't work then either!

We could shudder at the performance away to Everton in May 1999, when the team had already gone on their summer holidays. The embarrassments that day were: Hislop: Lomas, Rio Ferdinand, Ruddock, Minto; Sinclair, Foe, Berkovic, Lampard, Keller; Di Canio & Wright or indeed the 1-5 home hammering against Leeds the game before. But we won the last game 4-0 and finished 5th that season. Fifth with Minto starting 14 games!

There was, of course, the 7-1 tonking at Man Utd. The sacrificial lambs that day were: Forrest: Lomas, Rio, Potts, Minto; Sinclair, Foe, Lampard, Moncur; Wanchope & Kanoute. Makeshift right backs and hopeless left backs were a problem then too!

And talking 7-1, let us remember THAT game at Blackburn. Humiliation was visited upon every West Ham fan that day by a side reading: Hislop: Schemmel, Daily, Repka, Soma: Sinclair, Carrick, Moncur, Hutchison; Di Canio, Kanoute. Dear God, look at that defence! It seems lessons still have not been learned!

2007 started well of course. Players on the piss on New Year's Eve and next day, were thumped 6-0 at Reading. Green was dropped after that one! The headaches that day were: Green: Dailly, Anton Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky: Bowyer, Mulllins, Reo-Coker, Benayoun; Harewood & Zamora. No natural wide player on the left please note and a slow right back.

And we could go on and on and on. But my point is that I have never once booed the team, I have never once joined the chants of "You're not fit to wear the shirt", I have never once utterly despaired of the players representing my club. But if I was at Wigan today, I would lead the cries because this bunch have betrayed our club.

I blamed Zola last year. Sav and Stani have blamed Grant this. Others blame the owners. Some desperate fools still blame refereeing decisions. The truth is, we have a team of money grabbing, gutless, spineless, brainless bastards. And they truly are not fit to wear the shirt!