My first clear memories of watching West Ham, go back to 1964, although I did go to games before that. My dad used to sneak me in over the turnstile but inevitably, being a small boy, I could never really see much of the game. But I can clearly remember the atmosphere of those games, particularly when it was an evening kick off. I was always fascinated by the sounds and smells: the newly printed programmes; "Peanuts! Tanner a bag!" and, for some reason it was not possible to watch a game without a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum close to hand.
So the first game I can accurately recount was when West Ham won the FA Cup at Wembley against Preston North End. I was nine years old and my dad had managed to obtain two seat tickets, which I think, cost about 18 shillings each at the time. My main memory of that match was being lifted onto the shoulders of the man next to me, every time West Ham scored. He would then stand on his seat and I would cling on for dear life, as he and the crowd rocked backwards and forwards in celebration.
Anyway, that was the old Wembley, itself now just a memory, replaced by a sparkling steel and glass new stadium. And now, inexorably, the time has come to move on from the famous old ground at the Boleyn.
I've noticed that the West Ham (online) store is selling all sorts of memorabilia, commemorating the last games and the move to the Olympic Stadium. Tee-shirts, photographs, foam hammers, badges, travel card holders! All sorts of tacky items, presumably designed to help us commemorate the move and give some lasting sense of attachment to the old stadium.
For me, however, it's not about commemorative items. Maybe I'll subscribe to a few old photographs that I can purr over nostalgically in years to come but it's not really about the bricks and mortar or anything tangible. If the stadium is old and needs rebuilding or relocating, then so be it. And if the old stadium is demolished and replaced with expensive housing and apartments, then that is just a reflection of the times in which we live. But what can never be erased and what I will always carry with me are the memories. Memories which cannot be bought and exist in my mind and the minds of every other West Ham fan. Of course we can share those memories and talk about significant moments in the club's history but everyone's memory of those moments will be unique to them and for that reason, can never really be experienced by someone else.
I'm not going to list them here because they are personal and will seem trite and insignificant to people who don't really know me. But those memories are not just of a team winning or losing, they are also about family and friends, the community I grew up in, the celebrations in the streets and pubs when the FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup were won. The thing about West Ham though is that it wasn't always about the the winning and losing, it was about the fact that West Ham was a key part of life in that part of East London and that we all celebrated or suffered together, like one big family.
And when the floodlights are turned off for the last time on Tuesday night. It will feel like another member of my family has gone forever. Obviously the team and the club will continue but the focal point of all those memories that were created, will be gone and ultimately, sadly, those memories will fade over time and there will be one less reason now to visit that part of London where I grew up.
Hopefully the new stadium will create many more wonderful memories for a new generation of supporters and the team will go on to new heights that, in days past, we could only dream of. And maybe in a hundred years time, someone, like me, will be writing another blog like this, recalling how they loved West Ham and how their memories of that famous old stadium, will always be carried in their heart. Farewell Boleyn! Come On You Irons!
So the first game I can accurately recount was when West Ham won the FA Cup at Wembley against Preston North End. I was nine years old and my dad had managed to obtain two seat tickets, which I think, cost about 18 shillings each at the time. My main memory of that match was being lifted onto the shoulders of the man next to me, every time West Ham scored. He would then stand on his seat and I would cling on for dear life, as he and the crowd rocked backwards and forwards in celebration.
Anyway, that was the old Wembley, itself now just a memory, replaced by a sparkling steel and glass new stadium. And now, inexorably, the time has come to move on from the famous old ground at the Boleyn.
I've noticed that the West Ham (online) store is selling all sorts of memorabilia, commemorating the last games and the move to the Olympic Stadium. Tee-shirts, photographs, foam hammers, badges, travel card holders! All sorts of tacky items, presumably designed to help us commemorate the move and give some lasting sense of attachment to the old stadium.
For me, however, it's not about commemorative items. Maybe I'll subscribe to a few old photographs that I can purr over nostalgically in years to come but it's not really about the bricks and mortar or anything tangible. If the stadium is old and needs rebuilding or relocating, then so be it. And if the old stadium is demolished and replaced with expensive housing and apartments, then that is just a reflection of the times in which we live. But what can never be erased and what I will always carry with me are the memories. Memories which cannot be bought and exist in my mind and the minds of every other West Ham fan. Of course we can share those memories and talk about significant moments in the club's history but everyone's memory of those moments will be unique to them and for that reason, can never really be experienced by someone else.
I'm not going to list them here because they are personal and will seem trite and insignificant to people who don't really know me. But those memories are not just of a team winning or losing, they are also about family and friends, the community I grew up in, the celebrations in the streets and pubs when the FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup were won. The thing about West Ham though is that it wasn't always about the the winning and losing, it was about the fact that West Ham was a key part of life in that part of East London and that we all celebrated or suffered together, like one big family.
And when the floodlights are turned off for the last time on Tuesday night. It will feel like another member of my family has gone forever. Obviously the team and the club will continue but the focal point of all those memories that were created, will be gone and ultimately, sadly, those memories will fade over time and there will be one less reason now to visit that part of London where I grew up.
Hopefully the new stadium will create many more wonderful memories for a new generation of supporters and the team will go on to new heights that, in days past, we could only dream of. And maybe in a hundred years time, someone, like me, will be writing another blog like this, recalling how they loved West Ham and how their memories of that famous old stadium, will always be carried in their heart. Farewell Boleyn! Come On You Irons!
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