I was at Brighton Saturday at the Withdean Stadium, it had two sides and one end as the other end is where the athelitics do their field events and is open ground. There was a running track running around the football pitch and one wag beside me shouted out loud the hare is running as another reckon he could see Paula Radcliffe taking a pee. Then some old boy hawked on about saying West Ham used to have a good speedway team. Now I don't know what inspired that last quip but we used to have a good team at something I know that. Now all jokes aside I am looking at a full house here of 6000 fans that include 600 West Ham and my memory travels back to 83' when they brighton & Hove Albion football club played Man Utd at Wembley and the sight of all their fans filling up the Wembly Stadium. And I am seeing another reminder in the front cover of my newest book Top Boys feature's Brighton's ground but the old one , the Goldstone Ground. With them thoughts I realise I'm watching what remains of a once proud little football club and as I take my seat I ponder.....could we, could we become or go like Brighton under Terrence Brown's reign, and if OLAS is right about the talk of closing down the Chicken Run next season we will be a stadium with just three sides. The Brighton Ground is a dammed ground. Dammed by the facts from a die hard Hammer's fan who said MK Dons have a better Ground.
But who are we to talk when we are those dammed West Ham fans that saw all Police leave cancelled and a unprecedented 500 officers on duty for the biggest operation down their all season (Yes they have played Wall and Leeds). So obviously Sussex folk were expecting trouble of sorts maybe those Hammer's in town unfortunate enough to get any match tickets as there was no trouble likely to happen at the ground apart from Repka trying to take a proper throw in that is legal and goes to one of our own player's. But good support as ever and your smiling with a minute to go with 3 points to glide us into the play-off places and then it happens the shit hits the fan when Brighton score the equalizer and your just killed, as a fan you are killed but no matter how you feel what about those that are playing. And that is the thing that gets me and I am not alone, some of the fans around me don't hate the team but its more they hate whats gone on around the reason we've got the team we have. It all boiled up at the end when the team had to pass it's supporters returning to the dressing room with 2 points lighter. Each player that passed us seem to get a mouthful of abuse from one or two irate fans who the old bill filmed throughout. The abuse was direct and thoughtless as Rio-Coker had a good game but the players we getting it and one after the other as more travelling fans made their opinions known. A section of the fans were turning on the team and it's uncomfortable for both fans and player's when things like this occur. These player's that wear the shirt past couple seasons don't show enough passion in a way that the shirt means anything to them other than the chance to earn a lifestyle beyond that of any football fan. The look on most our team's faces was yeah we feel the same about you lot too and basically we do not give a shit or care. Powell being an exception and Pardrew wanted to say plenty that you could see but he thought better of it because maybe Tommy Repka said it all for him Fuck off...fuck off he repeated continuously waving his arms and bashing his head like someone who had just lost a relative on the Gazza Strip. You can tell I am not a fan of his and I have studied his game for some time as to try and get my head round why anyone would want to spend 5 million on him, and why havn't the usual premiership clubs that nick our best player's come in for him. He's no value and looks about right level for this standard of league as he lingers around Upton Park on reduced contract terms I reckon because the club could'nt find another club interested in his services. I'm not harsh with my opinion because have any of you ever heard him ever say want he wants for this club or what this club means to him. Basically he is a mercenary who won't fuck off but he wants to tell you to without the balls to look a single fan in the eye like I witnessed at Brighton on Saturday. On the pitch he can be a bit of a liablity and off it there's been the car park incident with a fan, the incident with fans at our Main stand. The lad is a fake and he was giving it the large at Brighton well before any crowd abuse was directed at him. To which I repeat again was individuals losing the plot out of frustation than anything else.
All season I have felt the fans to be losing the support of the team and at home matches I feel the team actually dread playing infront of us. The aways with the exception of Saturday appear to have a different fan base that tends to get behind the team more. Would love to see the Ipswich Play-off semi atmosphere for tonights game against Sunderland because it won't be easy now that they are already promoted. The pressure is off them which means they can be relaxed in being able to play a bit of football which is in complete contrast to our lot sitting in the dressing room under pressure for all 3 points and having to play infront of a frustated and pissed off home crowd.Getting behind the team that Pardrew can't motivate and without player's (Noble the exception) willing to run through brick walls for the cause must be the fans priority this week chaps. I for one would rather see Lampard, Defoe and Cole banging them in against us and gracing the turf at Upton Park than having scum Wall fans having their Cup final ceremonies in the Centenary Stand again. So get behind the team and Tommy Hereformoney tonight otherwise the only party for us suffering fans is Bill Gardner's book launch tommorrow night.
Here hold up, someone with grey hair and one foot in the grave has just pulled me up muttering about us being on a unbeaten run and in a Play-Offposition. YEAH BUT WE STILL AINT BEAT MILLWALL, BROWN IS STILL CHAIRMEN AND LAST IN LAST YEARS FINAL WE WERE A JOKE NOW GO AND GIVE ME BACK WHAT WAS ONCE WEST HAM UNITED.
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