So, after months of doubt and negotiations, West Ham United was sold on Tuesday. There were a number of bidders, some more serious than others for the famous old club but we now have a winner, ladies and gentlemen. The club has returned to the bosom of the east end (well, the leafy suburbs of Essex) in the hands of the two Davids’. No, not the classic Spitting Image sketch of politicians of the time, Owen and Steel (Oh, David!) but the porn kings, Sullivan and Gold (Oh, David!)
I’m a life long Hammers fan and season ticket holder. It has been very hard to watch over the past 4 or 5 years as my beloved club became the real-life Eastenders. Turmoil and crisis seemed to be everywhere you turned over the past few years. We used to laugh at clubs such as Tottenham and Newcastle with their ongoing troubles but we have regularly out done them over the past few years. Tottenham even seem to be running quite well now as a club and they are certainly doing the business on the pitch. In the last few years, the soap opera that is West Ham has seen relegation scraps, Icelandic owners bringing the club to it’s knees by spending silly amounts on some fairly average players (and a few good ones), defeat on penalties in the FA Cup final, our prize striker retiring from the game at the age of 26, Pardew and Curbishley, our sponsor going bust, some recent crowd trouble with our mates from the other side of the river and of course, the infamous Tevez saga (I’m not going to add gate to the end of Tevez. Why the hell is every single crisis in the press described with the word gate on the end of it?)!!!!
The Hammers have been dying over the past 18 months or so. No money to spend because of the ridiculous excesses of the past regime, it really has been a case of battening down the hatches. Players we would have liked to have kept had to be sold. We were desperately seeking for a sponsor to fill the void left by XL. Sheffield United were taking us to the cleaners. It seemed that everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Some would argue that the club deserved this after Tevezga, sorry, excuse me, the Tevez saga.
And now West Ham has a chance. They have been given a lifeline and boy, they needed it. David and David (Oh, David!) may not have been everyone’s cup of tea and I admit, I was a little non-plussed by the events of the past few days. I don’t want purveyors of smut ruling my club!!! However, after watching the press conference yesterday, I found myself dismounting my moral high-horse, ahem, and warmed to them. I can’t say I’m sold but it’s amazing what a few words spun in the right way can do to re-new hope. I think Hammers fans have been so devoid of hope for so long that any green shoots such as yesterday are a welcome. Hammers fans of old were generally known for their optimism but as the past few years have rumbled on, the eternal optimist has given way to a fraught and nervous fan. The Boleyn Ground was always an intimidating place to come and play but over the past few years the nervousness of the crowd has made the Boleyn a much more welcoming place. I hope the announcement yesterday may have restored a bit of faith amongst the faithful.
David and David, please take care of my Hammers and restore a little pride. Who knows, Karen Brady, the first lady of football may use the Hammers as a project in her new role as one of Alan Sugar’s team leaders on The Apprentice this year. Who can make the Hammers a £100 million to clear their debts? David and David (Oh, David”) will have to sell a lot of dirty mags to make that kind of money. I for one hope that the current owners stay “hired” and bring some much needed stability to the club. As in the words of the J Giels Band “my angel is a centrefold”! My beloved is now in the hands of the centrefold kings. Look after her, please!
