August 23rd, 1969. The team read:
Ferguson
Bonds
Charles
Peters
Stephenson
Moore
Lindsay
Boyce
Bennett
Hurst
Sissons
Who was on the bench? I can't remember.
The players wore numbers one to eleven. Warming up consisted of a few pot shots at goal. The pre match meal was probably pie and chips washed down with a pint of beer, real beer, not lager of course. For the players I mean. I ate fish and chips washed down by Tizer.
We paid in real money. I had a rosette and a bobble hat, a scarf knitted by my Mum that came down to my ankles and one of those rattles. I bought a West Ham badge on the way in and my Dad bought the programme, A5 size, claret and blue on the cover showing the club badge and the name of the opposition, West Bromwich Albion. Hurst scored.
We lost. 1-3.
So many memories since then, so much love, so much hurt, so much romance. So much water under the bridge.
We move on. I think it is called progress. But my thoughts today are for the Boleyn, for Ron Greewood, for Bobby Moore, for John Lyall, for Trevor Brooking...
What no mention of robbing the tax payer? I thought you might actually have an opinion on the matter? wonder what your reaction would have been if Leeds, QPR or watford screwed the public like this? Good luck filling it, should really reduce the capacity even further.
ReplyDeleteThen again you don't actually go to games so i guess it doesnt really concern you!
I wouldn't worry about it too much, nf as from the sound of it will you even live beyond August 2016? Even then you'll be sat at the front with the other geriatrics and still be about 300 ft from the pitch.
ReplyDeleteJust don't get any sudden urges to go jogging as could get really messy!
Stop wallowing HF. It's progress, it's taking a chance in life.
ReplyDeleteDo we really want to watch crap all our lives? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to become a big club.
It may not work, and then we are truly f***ed as a club, but we have to give it a try.
And that's not to say I haven't loved 35 years at the Boleyn, but I for one am 100% for the move.
JC
Progress HF for the best who knows , are Arsenal better off as a club ? I dont think so , beautiful stadium but poor atmosphere , all its tradition gone. I enjoyed going to highbury and Upton park , its not going to be the same Im afraid ,I'd hate it if Leeds moved sad day for football
ReplyDeleteBefore people get to carried away with the Olympic Stadium idea were in a recession that looks like years til this country is on its feet as the stadium as got to have a few tweaks before becoming a football stadium why oh why can't West Ham do the East stand up with a capacity of 45000 that wud be plenty & all older hammers supporters happy as the boleyn is all we've known I can see a lot of kids for a quid games at OS which aint gonna generate any atmosphere at all plus our pubs food places where we meet before & after games will die I for one will not renew my season ticket as its always the fans who get fobbed off as usual not a happy hammer & as if were got the likes of Messi & Ronaldo gracing the pitch just a bunch of humper lumpas which aint the West Ham way can only see hard times ahead
ReplyDeleteYou'll still be watching crap. Just be more of us watching it. How's moving to a new ground going to make us play better? Oh yeah, Messi, Ronaldo and Tevez'll be queueing up to play for us there. And the Muppets, of course, will dig deep into their wallets. You know sommat? I was at tha West Brom game. My first ever home defeat. Fack me, was I distraught.
ReplyDeleteFack me Dave! How are you? Still in England or have you made that move to Spain?
ReplyDeleteStill can't persuade her, who thinks, wears the trousers!
ReplyDeleteTell her she's lucky, I've made mine move to Romania!
ReplyDeleteI used to go there as a teenager. But it is time to move on. I hope that we will be a top 5 team since we will be the occupants of a top 5 stadium. There is a strong correlation between the two, so they say.
ReplyDeleteI guess one positive is they'll be forced to invest in the team. Can't have a crap team in a 'world class stadium' now can we?
ReplyDelete