A Little Lightheartedness

Since it's all been a bit doom and gloom on this blog lately, I figure I might as well cheer up a bit and give a list of my 5 most appreciated West Ham moments (in no particular order). We haven't had too much to rave about lately, so join in if you want.

1) My first game - West Ham vs Charlton, I believe it was in the 92/93 season, I know it was when we were ground sharing with them. The old man took me up to Upton Park, we made the one hour car drive from Swindon to Hammersmith, had a quick bite to eat at my Great-Grandmother's (she always made the best roast chicken), and then quickly boarded the tube from Shepherds Bush down to Upton Park. At that time my Uncle Gerry was still living off of Green Street, we stopped in, had a quick cuppa, and then I was introduced to the family match-day ritual. Double-double at Nathan's pie and mash, plenty of liquor (which I have now mastered to make since you really can't find it outside of London), then onto the Boleyn for a drink or two (I was on shandies back then!), and of course a chat with the masses of Dutch fans that we used to get back then. I used to love the Ajax fans that would come over for the game, with their half West Ham, half Ajax shirts and scarfs; and have a little chuckle when they sang bubbles, because it sounded like "bobbles." After the Boleyn it was off to the stadium, grab a programme and an OLAS, and then get in nice and early to wait for the team to be called out.

Even though we lost that day to Charlton (1-0), I will never forget it as a great experience, all the things the old man had said about West Ham came true that day - great fans, stands close to the pitch, Ludo being a legend - everything I had followed on the telly became a piece of my heart.

2) The Great Escape: After such a dreadful season where Tevez just couldn't seem to get going, he, and the team, finally turned it all around. It was kick started by the loss to Tottenham which had me close to tears...ahead, level, ahead, level, repeat, behind. What a game, what a free kick, what a volley, what a loss!

We seemed to all band together, and everybody was after us - the press, Sheff Utd, Wigan, even Liverpool, but none of it mattered, Tevez was knocking them in, Bobby Z was adding quite a few, Neil had possibly his best performances of his career - it just seemed to all come naturally. And then there's the final day of the season, where the boys went up to Manchester, clawed a goal before half time, and then hung on for dear life. I think we all took a step back and let out a huge sigh of relief that day.

3) FA Cup final vs Liverpool: The greatest final I've ever seen, it had everything - speed, invention, desire, unpredictability - and it was the first time I'd ever seen West Ham in contention to win something (apart from the intertoto cup if you want to include that). Possibly the most touching moment though was the dedication and gracefulness of our supporters after we had lost; they stayed behind and gave a standing ovation to both teams, and I think it serves us well in proving that we are some of the best supporters around.

4) "That Goal" by DiCanio: "That Goal" against Wimbledon was unimaginable, it was perfection, it was genius, it was goal of the season which I have to say was as good as winning the league to me. DiCanio in general was a great era for us, so creative, so passionate, he was like an embodiment of the supporters that was actually on the field. With him in the team we always felt like we had a chance, we always felt as if we were represented, it was as if our passion for the team through wins and losses had manifested itself in one man. I think when we were kids and we had that unrivalled desire to represent our clubs we would have wished to become a DiCanio, first at training and last to leave, feelings worn on the sleeve, and a commitment that comes not from a contract but from love.

5) Getting a 1980 FA Cup commemorative mirror from my neighbour Fred - I know this sounds a little odd, but I love that mirror. Fred was a legend, really good bloke, loved West Ham, and actually grew up with H and was good friends with him - once he went with H to the Cheltenham races and got me his autograph, I remember just being in awe that my neighbour in Swindon was good mates with the West Ham manger! Fred passed away a few years ago, and it was sad to see him go. That mirror, with the FA Cup decorated in claret and blue ribbons will forever remind me of him, and I look forward to buying my own mirror some day.

Well there you go, I suppose there's a little bit of my soul right there, but I hope you enjoyed it.