OLAS V Astra

Hands up, who's missing Big Sam, come on there must be one of you. Ok it's early doors yet and with Billic being so well known to all hammers fans over the age of 30 and with the appointment of Julien Dicks, one of the greatest leaders of men West Ham has had in the premiership era, the good ship West Ham is sailing into exciting times. It is as if the last 4 seasons of football drudgery has been washed away and the new dawn the owners have promised for so long is starting to materialise. Problem is, Slavens start has not been that great football wise and the club can market and push the brand all they like, they can convince you we will be that great big club, they can convince you that despite fact from next season some of you will be watching football equivalent to sitting on the Barking Rd, Green St or in the living room of a flat behind the Sir Trev Stand that the view is better but what they can’t really control is players and the way they play. A manager can say all he like, but if the player when he crosses the white line has a bad day, as everyone at work does, then all those adverts and tag lines account for nothing . The club is selling a dream to the fans, “This time next year we will be a big club”, New stadium, new badge, new players, new fans. Problem with dreaming is sometimes you just end up like Dell boy repeating for years that it will be next year. While at times it is good to dream, when you wake up and realise it was just a dream the disappointment hurts even more.
As someone that never gets carried away I can't say I share the sentiments of those that believe we are about to gatecrash the top 6, the signings so far all seem decent, but as I don't play championship manager nor FIFA 15 computer games I can honestly say I have never heard of any of our signings & I'll wait till I've seen them play before I will contemplate either pulling them apart or bestowing greatness on them. I do find it funny though that many of the same people wary of Slavens return as manager, down to his lack of premier league experience, are welcoming with open arms players who have never played in England. Last season of the foreign new signings only Sakho really excelled, Valencia is hit or miss too much of the time, Song had the experience all ready. Our best signing came from the Championship in the form of Cresswell and Jenkinson on loan was a great coup, and one I hope can be renewed, the problem with buying British is it's mainly overpriced and no better example of that is Jarvis, 10 million for him shows you the pitfalls out there and they get more highlighted when looking at the Andy Carroll deal, you can now see why DS prefers to shop abroad, Yet the club is losing its identity with the local area, how many foreign players have we seen come and use us as a gateway to better things, and prime example of that is our new manager, how will he be able to convince players into staying at the club when he failed to do the same when he was a player. Don’t get me wrong, I think Billic was the right man for the job, just seeing foreigner after foreigner being brought in, with the chance they will push out the likes of Tomkins and Noble from the team is not one I find comfortable.
Of course it's very early days, while our season has started all the others are just getting back into training and formalising their squads, and the only time we can sit back and say we've had a good transfer window is once the window is shut and we can compare our squad with those around us and see how we are performing. I have seen far too many false dawns at this club to ever think, this could be our year.

As for Big Sam leaving, bit of a circus really, right down to the fact Sam was preparing to announce his resignation straight after the Newcastle game only to find that, mistakenly, it was put on the clubs website at half time that he wasn't getting a new contract, the mistake was quickly noticed and the statement was taken down, but just 3 minutes after the ref signalled the end of the game, the statement was again released. Sam was beaten to it and this in a way shows you exactly how the relationship had deteriorated between Sully and Sam. I was disappointed in a way we didn't get to hear his resignation speech, and regular readers will know I loved to hear Sam sing, so I've have combined his resignation speech with the song "don't cry for me Argentina"
So for the last ever time, BIG SAM SINGS,

"Don't cry for me West Ham United"

This won't be easy
You might think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
That I never got your love After all that I've done
You won't believe me
All you will see Is a man you didn't know
And that I didn't follow the West Ham way
Was all that concerned you all

I had to leave you
As I couldn't change
Couldn't stay all my life down south
Looking out of the window & seeing the Sun shine
So I chose to leave you
I'd took you as far as I could
And nothing impressed you at all
But I never expected it too

Don't cry for me West Ham United
The truth is I never loved you
All through my bad games
Our stale existence
I kept my promise
Now keep your distance

I've made a fortune at this club
Though I never invited you in
Though it seemed to the world, we are all friends now,
It's just an illusion
They're not the solutions they promise to be
The answer was here all the time
I don't love you and know you don't love me

Don't cry for me West Ham United
I know you never loved me
You ignored my good games
I ignored your criticism
I cupped my ears
Now keep your distance
But Now I’ve said too much?
There's nothing more I can think of to say to you
But all you have to do
Is look at me to know
That every word I say is true.

OLAS v Chelsea

Last week a group of like minded West Ham fans met for the 1st time, the club I believe played host, they call themselves the pride of irons, and the membership is drawn from the gay community. When I 1st heard of this meeting taking place I must admit I was sceptical as to why they need something like this, I heard the founder Jim explaining why he felt compelled to set the group up on the KUMB podcast and yet I still didn't see what the need was for this group to be in existence. Why not join an existing fan group I thought, but then, their is no supporters group that represents the fans and can liaise with the club on their members behalf. They claim some chants at football can leave them feeling uncomfortable, really, what chants are they. Coming on the back of the Tottenham game and furore of what may have been sung on a tube train I thought, he we go, another attempt to bash the general fans and the songs they sing, but, at the Palace game on Saturday I heard the chants that could make them feel uncomfortable. Sung at a couple of Palace fans, "we can see you holding hands" "does he take it up the arsenal", all harmless fun it seems, I will admit that in the past I've probably sung those songs my self, and without of hearing or reading about Pride of Irons I wouldn't of thought twice about it on Saturday, but because I had heard about the group in the last week it did make me think, is it right, should we just laugh these chants off. I'm not going to pretend I know the answer or know what it's like to be offended by any chants but perhaps it is right to have the debate. I did converse with Jim on a Facebook group where I put it to him that perhaps the only way to achieve the change required is for all West Ham fans to stand together on this, to raise awareness of it and to see if those of us that think it's just a part of funny banter mocking the visiting fans to think twice. Personally I can't see it happening but i suppose without trying you won't get anywhere, so good luck to them. Hopefully though "come on you Irons" won't be deemed offensive. (Joke people, joke).
Last Thursday I attended a fans show hosted by you are the Ref website, big Sam was on the panel as was Mark Halesy, the Spanish bloke off sky Guilem Ballege and former top Referee and their boss once he retired, Keith the cheat Hackett. The Bastard of Villa Park who in one egotistical moment he destroyed or hopes of a Wembley final with the wave of his straight Red Card in Tony Gales Direction.
To be fair the evening was shambolic, held at the sports bar on the Haymarket the sound was so poor that Halesy even led a chant of sacked in morning aimed at the abysmal sound techs on duty. Sam is a great supporter of bringing in more technology, even to the point of having 2 challenges of decisions per game. During the break in procedures Access to Sam was denied by bouncers, and after the event he was out of his seat before the host had finished thanking everyone. So as my friend and I shuffled out we took the chance to door step Hackett and see If we could get a chat with him. Not only did he agree but he allowed it to be recorded for my friends podcast. Keith at first offered a handshake and I held out my hand, but then, the schoolboy in me came racing to the top, and as quick as anything at the last moment I pulled it away "no chance" I said, much to the amusement of the journalist next to Keith, you hammers never forget he said. You bet we don't I replied. I asked him about the incident and the fact that it came about after the FA instructed Refs to issue red cards for that offence on the Thursday before the game. Keith's reply was that it was true and he laid the full blame on the door of the FA for changing the rules, even to the point of telling us that when a FA rep came up to him after the game, Hackett said “A guy from the FA came up to me and said, listen if you hadn’t sent him off we would have suspended you, I told him where to go off!”
When pressed on would he apologise to West Ham Fans he Said “West Ham fans rightly gave me a lot of stick on the day and for months afterwards, someone sent me a recording with a chant every time a referee gave a bad decision at West Ham it was “Are you Hackett in disguise?” I find that mildly amusing but at the same time it reminds me perhaps of the worst decision I ever had to make in my career and i had 34 years, “There are many who watched West Ham and I ruined their day and I apologise for that, but at the same time I shoulder some of the blame at the end of the day I put blame on to the FA for making that change and the player not knowing, neither player knowing and neither manager knew about that interpretation. I remember going to the FA room and saying wow we didn’t except that was going to happen did we? that was the risk!. When we sat in that room on the Thursday [before the game] we should of said ‘Get Lost Mate’ [To the FA] we will change next season and we should have done that”
Looking back on you tube of that incident, I don't really buy it, he was so quick to go off, he didn't seem to hesitate or show anything that looked like a forced decision, to me it still looks like the action of a man who wanted to be the 1st to do it, the 1st Ref to red card a player for the offence of denying a goal scoring opportunity, Keith though now admits that ball wasn't even going towards the goal and neither was Crosby the Forest Player fouled.
All these years later why should we bothered what he has to say anyway, the reason for me why I believe it is good to hear from him is perhaps it was the start of a chain reaction of events the led to one of the greatest days I had supporting this club. The 19,000 West Ham fans there that day will never forget what went on, the sending off, the four goals, the performance of the team even with 10 men and then the fans reaction to all those events was not the modern day, I'm walking out with ½ hour still to go, No, we stood, and for about 30 minutes non stop we sung out hearts out. Watching it back this week gave me goosebumps the day is still one of those engrained in my mind shared with my best friend its only the result that was a downer, even that was tempered with the fact my old school mate (Gary Charles) from Cumberland Comp was off to fulfil every kids dream and play in a FA cup final, where he is engrained in living memory as the player gazza fcuked his knee tackling. Looking back I'm not sure I'd want that day to be any other way than the way it panned out because perhaps it may not have been as good as it was. The West Ham way is many things but our response that day to me shows it did exist in that the fans support in the face of adversity was unwavering.

If you know what a podcast is the full interview with Hackett and Sean's with Tony Gale,s response can be found at moorethanjustapodcast.com. On iTunes or just google it.
Keith Hackett don't get the last word, though we as fans do.
Billy bonds claret n blue army, Billy bonds claret n blue army Billy bonds claret n blue army.

Olas V WBA The Two Daves Xmas Special

Football at xmas is great, gets us out the house and away from the endless repeats on TV, some though are timeless and i must admit to being a big fan of the 2 Ronnie’s and Morecambe & Wise, and to that end I submitted a script to WHUTV for what I think could be a winner on their unloved and unwatched TV Channel. Basically it starts with DS & DG reading West Ham news,

DG “it’s been announced today that West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is to be offered a new contract”
DS “EE have said he can have 600 minutes and unlimited texts and data”
DG “The pentagon announced that Osama Bin Laden was buried in a West Ham shirt”
DS “The spokesman said it was to ensure he stayed at the bottom”
DG “A burglary was recently committed at West Ham’s ground and the entire contents of the trophy room were stolen”
DS “The police are looking for a man with a claret & blue carpet”
DG “and finally Thousands of fans were left disappointed at not receiving tickets for the rugby world cup at the Olympic Stadium”
DS “to soften the blow they were told that they can have 10 each for West Hams opening fixture at the Stadium when they move in”

Next they cut to short sketch set in a cash converter, where DS is the shop owner and DG is the Customer,

DS “can I help you sir”
DG “Yeah, see that video over there, West Ham the golden years, how much is it?”
DS “That sir is £300”
DG “£300, are you Having a laugh, just for 1 video”
DS “Oh No Sir, just the video is a fiver, but for the Beta max player to play will cost you £295”.

The next sketch featured Dave Sullivan walking round the supermarket doing some shopping for Carlton Cole who was feeling Poorly, he bumps into Harry Redknapp while in the vegetable section, when Harry askes DS what he’s doing there, he replies, “Getting a bag of Potato’s for Carlton Cole” to which Harry walks of saying “Sounds like a fair swap to me”
Quickly followed by a scene at a game with DS and in the directors box
DS is watching West Ham from his usual seat but for some reason sat next to him this week is a man with a dog. West Ham is playing really badly on this particular day but every time they get possession the dog starts to bark with encouragement. In the 85th minute they get their first corner of the game and the dog goes absolutely mental. "Why does your dog do that?" asks the DS "I don't know, he's a West Ham fan, it's just what he's like" replies the owner. "So what does he do when we score?" DS asks. "Well I don't really know, I've only had him a year....."

Then we have DG and DS with Sam, DS is trying to get Sam to play football his way, Sam is having none of it, DS keeps telling him he playing all the wrong moves, but Sam comes back and says, “I’m playing all the right moves, just not in the right order”

Finally we get the big musical number with Sam singing his version of “Changing Man” By Paul Weller
Is happiness real or are you all jaded?
Can't you see i feel like a man been tainted
Numbed by the effect, aware of the muse
I like to touch myself before I light the fuse
I'm the changingman,
Built on shifting sand, yeah
I'm changingman
Waiting for the bang, As I light a bitter fuse
Song on loan, only ours to borrow
ours for today, but may be not tomorrow
Yea, all I see, the more I know
The more I know, the less you understand
I'm the changingman
Built on shifting sands
Yea
I'm a changingman
I'm waiting for the bang
To light a bitter fuse
Bigger part ahh, when my instincts act
A shot in the box, a long pass back, yea
More I see, more I know
The more I know, the less I understand you
I'm the changingman
Built on shifting sands
Yea
I'm a changingman
I' m waiting for the bang
To light a bitter fuse
And finally it’s a good night from me, and a goodnight from him.
Happy new year everyone, The good times are back.

Olas V Swansea, Whats Entertainment

We want entertaining football, was the cry by many of the disillusioned last season, fed up with the its all about the point football served up by BFS and his players, but what is Entertaining football, who deems a game entertaining and surely it is an individual taste, some may have thought that winning is entertainment enough. George Best believed that football should be entertaining and he did his best to do just that, none so than his cameo at Fulham where he teamed up Rodney Marsh, the two of them were like the Morecambe and Wise of football in one game tackling each other as Fulham put on a show V Hereford, luckily the Big Match Cameras were there to witness so im sure youll find it on You tube, but what about at West Ham, we have been lucky to have been blessed with some of the best, Brooking, Devonshire, Ward, Mcavennie, Di Canio just off the top of my head but as I said, Entertainment is subjective, I’m sure many will say Bonds thundering around was just as entertaining as Brooking gliding across the park, though Billy was my hero as a kid, I never thought of him as Entertaining. What of our Modern day squad, do we have an individual entertainer, because I couldn’t pick 1 individual out, Valencia may be at a push, Downing is having the season of his Career if you ask me, but as a team together, I cant believe anyone could say we haven’t been entertained this season so far, either at the Boleyn or on the road. I Cant believe im actually saying that a Sam Allardyce team has entertained me, and I can’t lie, I’m loving coming to games, looking forward to the next game as soon as the current one has finished. I would like to say long may it continue but people may see that as a stamp of approval of Sam to continue in the job past May, while at the moment I’m still in the “Shake his hand and say thanks but no thanks” camp, if Sam Delivers the the FA Cup final, or European football, then hell may possibly have frozen and he would of deserved another contract, just 1 year though, I wouldn’t go over board.
The Jam sang about That’s Entertainment, but that was perhaps a look at working class life in a sarcastic way, but what if Paul Weller was a West Ham fan and has been inspired to write the song about what he had witnessed over the years at the Boleyn or on our travels around the country. For years we have been entertained watching West Ham and long may it continue, and so I give you the West Ham version,(by me), of The Jams That’s Entertainment, it may work better if you check the song out first on you tube or were ever you get your music from. I hope it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ



The Boleyn Ground packed with singing supporters
Bubbles sung on terraces of concrete
Night time games under the lights
Brooking plays a pass without even thinking
That's entertainment, that's entertainment
The sound of grass being trampled by boots
an Inter-city train and a smashed up phone box
Thick woolly scarves and a 2 team bobble hat
lights going out as Lampard scores
I said
that’s entertainment that’s entertainment

draws for the cup made on a Mondays
pissing down with rain in Oldham on Valentines
watching the goals from behind a pillar
a Pop Robson hat trick while doing the Millwall
i say
that’s entertainment that’s entertainment

waking up at 6am on a Saturday morning
Queing at the turnstyles while trying to bunk in
A Julien Dicks tackle as he goes in hard
walking out the ground and thinking about the next game

that’s entertainment that’s entertainment

walking up Green street while smoking cigarettes
Nathans pie n mash and bags of stale Peanuts
a hot Pukka pie and Bovril like tarmac
Boxing Day at Upton park and wishing we’re not away
that’s entertainment that’s entertainment

Frankie and Cottee combining at Chelsea
Billy and Johnny embracing at Wembley
bringing the cups back on roofs of buses
saying goodbye to Bobby while standing at the gates

that’s entertainment that’s entertainment

Olas v Newcastle

A recent study claimed the Boleyn was the one of if not the quietest ground in the Premier league, now I do find that hard to believe, I realise it's not the wall of noise that we had back in the old days when terracing wrapped around the stadium but I can't believe we are quieter than Arsenal, and considering the study was done this season I still struggle to see how that outcome was reached. This season has been refreshing in the difference in the performances compared to last season, the crowd has been a buzz from before kick offs let alone during the games, and it has been a joy coming to games. Even in defeat this season 3 out of the 4 defeats have been by the odd goal in games where justifiably you could argue West Ham didn't deserve to lose. I'm often asked what I know think of BFS and the change he has brought about,infact it's such a change it's as if he's going through a male menopause. I normally just say I think Big Sam has been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a carbon copy who looks the same, speaks the same, but Footballing wise is the complete opposite to what he used to be.
Back to us fans and what the future make up of us will be. It's no big surprise that the local supporter is a dying breed if not virtually extinct, I'm not sure how many in the ground today were born in West Ham or the surrounding environs but it will be a significant minority, with the move as well, opening up the ability of getting in to games much easier with the 20,000 extra seats available, the rise of football tourism will only continue. West Ham already has a healthy amount of foreign support attending here, but majority of them are supporters of the club, the reason I mention this is on Monday I met with a company that are looking to set up a business to enable fans from abroad, predominately Chinese at first, to experience football in the company of other fans, so they get the authentic football experience, basically the host fan will act as a tour guide for the day. I went mainly out of curiosity, I'm not a great lover of football tourists, especially after the Argentina v Croatia game held at this very ground recently were the majority around me seemed more interested in getting selfies with Messi in the background than they did watching the game, but perhaps I could be of use as a so called host. After the meeting I must admit I'm not convinced, my initial scepticism was not eased. West Ham are not a club the Chinese take great interest in and I got the feeling that the ones using this service wouldn't actually enjoy a pint in the Boleyn, pie mash in Nathan's before legging it into the ground just as the teams walk out. They'd want something different, which considering they would be paying for this service is no surprise, but as I pointed out, it wouldn't be the authentic experience if it was fine dinning and a chance to meet Tony Cottee. Perhaps I am a dinosaur clinging to a bygone day, being by passed by modern football, but nearly everyone my age I speak to agrees that football was better in the eighties than it ever has been since the premier league was Born, but yet we still come. The move will see the end of football as we all know it, but the thought of having thousands of Chinese with no affection for the club, grabbing selfies in front of the Statue of Bobby in its new position in champions place outside the OS, fills me with dread. A bit of me realises that's not the modern PC outlook to have these days, but that's just the way I feel, genuinely worried about what will become of us once the end has come.
Still I could bring my fears up at the next SAB meeting as despite the wholesale sacking of all previous 120 members, and with only 65 spaces up for grabs, the club still saw fit to allow 1 half of the 2 SAB members that voted no to the OS back in, so I suppose I must be doing something right.

Booing football

Well, its been brewing for ages and to be honest i always knew that day would come, but i doubt that anyone thought it would come after a win. The fall out though is what has bothered me, the shocking performance really is nothing new as we have witnessed many a game like that over his nearly 3 year Tenure, yet when i got home after the game i went online to read what had been said across the West Ham sites and what i saw left a bad taste in my mouth, basically west ham supporters upset over the booing after the game calling those that booed, MUGs. MUGS? i couldn't quite believe it. we all watch the same game but we all view it through different eyes and yes there will always be different opinions in what went on, but the fact that some decided to Abuse those that frankly used the only way they have inside the ground to voice their displeasure at what they believe is the shocking tactics that are choking this club is disgraceful. Add to the fact that it turned out that some of the most opinionated fans against the booers didnt even go to the game but sat at home and watched did incense me. How can a fan that attends the game be a mug against those that are not at the game is quite beyond me. The papers were naturally full of it the next morning, pictures of BFS cupping his ears to the crowd splashed across the page mocking the fans that were booing him. In his interview after the game, did he try diffuse that situation by saying he understood fans frustration. No, he did his arrogant best, acting mystified over why the fans would boo a victory. He knows why those that booed did, its because they have had enough of his "only the result matters" brand of football that he specialises in. He is not bothered about flair or shock horror, entertaining fans. There a many fans that buy into Sam, they are fed a diet of the club being laden with debt so we have to cut our cloth accordingly, that it will be better once we move but for the next few years we have to basically take this medicine. Funny how the debt didn't stop us from paying him the 5th highest wage in the league, nor did the debt stop us giving Brady a pay rise or her million pound bonus for delivery the OS. The debt is only used as weapon against the fans that have the cheek to voice their opinion about the rubbish served up by the squad that he has assembled. naturally Sams friends in the press then jumped to his defence, Ian Ladyman in the Daily Mail "Back across town at West Ham, though, something felt odd about the events of Wednesday night. The club’s owners may well decide to move forward with a new manager this summer.If that happens, Allardyce will not complain. He will take his skills and his methods elsewhere. But to boo a man who is essentially fulfilling the brief he was delivered when he was appointed in June 2011 sets a very high bar for whoever follows him.Then finished with "Wanted: One football manager to keep West Ham in the Premier League. Must play like Brazil" Totally missing the point of what drove supporters to boo a victory, booing a defeat is easy, and can be swatted away as fickleness, and fans that want instant success, but to boo a victory shows that those fans care so much that will not accept the style of football BFS serves up. If football is too you just about the result and the points gained after it then why would you pay to go watch the game, especially when the result can be found as soon as the whistle has finished in hundreds of different ways. If it just about the result then fans might as well just stay at home and stick up the results service on Sky or the BBC. To Boo a victory says,in my opinion, that its not just about results, its not just about 3 points, they are wanted yes, but not a demand or requirement, the fans that booed that victory are saying that this club has had enough of watching the most lifeless brand of football to ever darken our door and it tells the owners that they know what they need to do. The owners are fans of this club, i cant for a minute with them knowing the history of the club and the type of fans we get at the Boleyn, that they themselves are happy with the way we are playing, they have to be seen to back the manager but privately i am sure they feel the pain of the performances and come then end of the season will shake Sams hand, thank him very much, and kick his fat arse out the door. Lastly in Reply to Ian ladyman's comment about football like Brazil, i just want football like West Ham, unpredictable but exciting, the type where you walk out after a defeat and say, didn't we play well. i remember a 5-1 defeat by Leeds in april 1999, we had 3 sent off yet that team showed more attacking intent that day then Sams team has all season, i walked out of that game feeling proud of the way we played, when was the last time you did that this season