Happy Xmas to everyone that has supported this site and its been a busy old year 2005 with plenty going on. Looking back over the year which started with people asking what was I doing in the Julie Waters film on ITV. So from that I progressed to some real exposure on a couple of big documentaries where I showed I might have another angle to work beside my book work. There was something on Club Security liencing laws I did then the big ones came later with ITV's Bruno-Gloves Off documentary and C4's Toughest Towns. You might notice something when I'm giving interviews to the Camera and thats the buckets of sweat pouring out of me. Believe me it aint just the lights and I likened the experience of giving interviews to giving evidence from the dock.You dont know what questions are coming and you worry if your going to come across how you wanna intended and then you worry about the stich-up. In tv that would come with the editing as you know time allowance dont allow for all that is said.
Off the interviews I did in 2005 the toughest for me was Franks because that was personal about someone else really. So it was important to me to know this programme had Franks backing which it did and that cant be said of a lot of stuff done on him.Also being a man on the street I am very aware of the genuine concern for Franks well being and attempts to know what went on with Frank during the darkest episode of his life. So with that knowledge and knowing I could certainly contribute I went ahead and did it and certainly a lot came out that hadnt been previously said. In all watching it later it was a well made powerfully truthful peice of documentary making. I heard later that parts of it made Frank feel uncomfortable as it did myself and knowing what I know Frank has been through you can understand why. What the programme I feel did is made the public understand a lot more than they could know or understand what really happened to Frank and a insight to why it happened. The past year Ive meet a lot of people who I didnt know and Its only because they have told me that have experienced what Frank did when having a mental breakdown if that is the right word. It certainly dont mean you are Bonkers as one Daily newspaper tried to implie and to run a heading saying that then withdraw it. You have to ask the question if it was out of respect and decency or of fear of any possible public backlash or was it more to the fact the Tottenham manager's job was up for grabs at the time and our Frank declined to aplie for it on the grounds nobody could be that mad.
Still seeing these Chelsea fans everywhere you go these days including in the North. So what if blue is the colour I'm happy being a hammer this season it always means so much more to support a team with cupboards bare. It can put so much more on the day when you team does has that sniff of glory like when we won the Play-off final down in Cardiff. We came sixth in the shit league and had a better victory celebrations than Sunderland that won the league that same season. And from Worst Ham Utd with a manager nicknamed Alan Pardridge or no name claret & blue army and a chairman thats booed on the way into the Millenium stadium to this new season with no Brown Out protests, a manager with a name and song and for the first time in many years at last a team I feel that is finally playing for the shirt like it means more than just being denighed another day at the bookies.For me the January transfer window kitty is crucial as to where this club is really trying to go or has Brown and Pards just got lucky. We dont want a Everton situation where a touted manager has a team falsely playing above itself with no real substance. I dont want this at West Ham and be cursing the fact its our real team playing in Germany this coming summer all my life. Johnson would be good sign of ambition and a international midfilder together with a repacement for the wantaway Repka would confirm to me this is a new dawn for the hammers.
Pards buys in the close season were a inspiration to us fans and the reward has been all sell-out home ties. But there are still plenty of die-hard hammers fans with claret& blue blood that are still in pain with what has gone on before this season at the Boleyn Ground. These fans are mostly from the old skool. For them its the Who classic 'We won't get fooled again'. A brilliant old classic for the club if ever there was a sequal to the movie Green Street Hooligans.The Who classic which can be played again from myself and others on remembering the bollocks ending to this brilliantly made cult movie featuring big name movie stars. Embarassing coming from me as I had a consultancy and cameo appearence in the film but take my word not many would know the actual film plot prior because it was all shot and filmed out of sequence.That said all those I know including myself enjoyed the whole experience of being the chaps in a Hollywood style movie and its because we are West Ham and are or was close to the reality of the film's subject that its gonna jarr yer no matter what film reasons are given.Thinkabout it them GSE lot won every row until the end and you cant get away with making blantant heroes of guys playing football hooligans if you dont want the film banned. This is backed up by those proper lads that aint West Ham but other teams who said they rate the film simply as a film. And there lies the answer because believe me I have spent years praying for Millwall to come out the hat when they do the FA Cup draw and I'm not alone in this and it has never happened and will never happen either, but in a movie it did happen. Enough Said!
On the book front its been a massive year and as a author I launched books six and seven backend of football season 2004-5. TOP BOYS was a book that broke new ground as it featured colour picture sections and stories from some very active recent players. It it wern't for the fact there there was maybe a thousand years banning orders between them you could say the books contents sailed closed to the wind indeed. The book launch covered new ground when former terrance rivals all showed up for the London launch of TOP BOYS. Even amazed the Spectator magazine who wrote a full page article about the most unlikely get together of the year. You can see the article in full if you click more details under the book title cover on the site.The TOP BOYS book itself is a more indepth follow up to bestseller Terrace Legends and a genuine part two you can say. A big value book at 420 pages so its worth ordering it if your bookstore dont have it in because the paperback is not out until June.I have a lot of respect for the lads featured in both of this books as none had asked to be in the book but when they did the interviews they did it without any biase and on an open trust. The books contents bare testimony to this.
My second book put out was always going to be a book if it got written no matter what team supported because it is the Legend that is Mr Bill Gardner. If you are West Ham and have read all the reads and have not read Bill's then please purchase anywhere you can this book.For its one of those books that usually would never get into print because guys like Bill would never talk. They simply dont need to and are happy for others to say what they like as long as they themselves know the truth they don't care what is said. As a author I was stopping at nothing to bring out Bill's own story but not alot was happening until two personal facters happened in Bill's life and one of them was that the Red Army book became one book too many in a line of books seeking to authentic their own standing they once had on the terraces to the printed pages using Bill's name. To which the only answer can be is do your own book. Bill Gardner did his book as he had always done it, his way. The result is where nobody come close to the man when it mattered back in the day you can now by reading his own story. Which is a refreashing change to many hoolie books as you realise its a story not about being one of the lads but a man and true fan. Writing a book can give you a real pride when you know when you have finished writing it you have achieved in the written sense what you had hoped for from the outset. The people you have written about read it from pillor to post and can then give you the thumbs up or down. TOP BOYS AND BILL GARDNER books got the thumbs up so its up to you whether you read them but those that have read them say they stand up as being the real deal.
There's now over 60 titles of terrace culture and there is still a good few titles to come out. A lot of good stuff of quality reading has out in a good half dozen new titles with FOREST and ZULUS books leading the way for me. The big exciting thing for me bookwise is that 2005 saw me launched as a publisher and I now have the backing to take this book thing a lot further and first evidence of that is the release of MIG DOWN which should be out in most shops come January. The book is based on Luton's MIG Crew and before anybody says 'Who the fuck'. I'm putting money on this being the best word of mouth touted book since 'GUV'NORS. Sure we will have to see on that strongest of statements from me but its not just the read the quality gone into the whole book can match. And this is my prediction now for 2006 to all these books of hoolie culture you are going to see more given to the books quality in order to give you more than whats gone before. Simply there are too many books out there now. PENNANT BOOKS intend to lead the way on that score starting with MIG DOWN.
Biggin' up my new business venture and I will do as its the biggest challenge I have undertaken going into 2006 and beyond. I live this book business and rate it as the most satisfying achievement I have done in my life.Where and how far it will take me I dont yet know but I am not doing it alone and right now is establishing a marvelous team around PENNANT BOOKS but even I couldn't foresee or predict that I would have my first published works supported by Mike Tyson bringing London's Canary Wharf to a standstill when he turned out in Nov for his former-sparring partner BIG JOE EGAN to do a book signing with him after he and Tom Patti wrote the foreword for the BIG JOE EGAN book. As a fight fan who has watched Tyson box in the flesh and then to talk and see him involved in your business and to see him so relaxed and realiy wanting to help out his long-time friend Joe Egan on his day off was simply awesome and stuff of dreams to end the year.for all of us involved. Twelve boxing champions turnout in support for Joe's biography book release and boxing legend Barry McGuigan went on record to say it is the xmas boxing book to get. End of day I am really lost for words to describe the muvver of all book launches as I still cant come down from it. It was such a special day and I am so pleased for Joe and his friends and Family who will know how much this book means to Joe and the journey it has taken hence even Iron Mike turning up. I didnt know or have really heard of Joe Egan before the book but I know now he is a walking living story with a big heart who has earned his respect and I'm you to can learn how by reading his story brought to you by PENNANT BOOKS. And gentlemen if you want to see and feel the atmosphere of the day Tyson & co came to town for Big Joe, there's exclusive footage on my own DVD thats due out in the shops thats titled Cass Pennant, Enough Said! and is availiable now through this site.
More tv stuff lined up for 2006 and some interesting stuff too and the film based on the book CASS, the book of my own life-story that given me more respect than anything else I can think. Thats were it all started and thats what you are still telling me and its still available in the bookstores today. Film talks have dragged all year but things are due to move quickly after the start of the new year. Those of you that have read the book wont be surprised if I told you it wont be a football thug based film plot. More on that when we have more and no its not a Guy Ritchie film, what kind of email was that fella to said me, someone will have to enlighten him cos I'm gagged. Do I ever get to enjoy myself if I aint working was another email and I'm not sure if supporting West Ham counts as a answer but there were some enjoyable memories on that score. Were you there for the Cockney Rejects gig at the Circus Tavern cos that was a buzz believe me. Personally I will never forget getting to do something this year I have always dreamed of doing , and that is to be able to guest on a radio show and play all my own record choices. Solo Radio gave me that opportunality and that was just one of my best ever cracks. The Soul Appreciation Society was the name of the show I did and I think my choices backed it up with the Staple Singers,some Jimmy Cliff, Curtis Mayfield and the like. Thanks dj Flip, thanks Banksy for that.
So to close the book Ive been busy and had the craic in 2005 and no year is without its heartache and each year on you remember who your friends really are and each further year on you remember its rarely a wedding invite more like a another funeral. But a new year is always a new start, hope and challenge so com'on England lets being having yer football's coming home GERMANY 2006.
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