As I sat and stood in interchanging fashion, rather like a Russian Kozachok dancer, in row E, seat 24, of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand and looked up to my left to see the rather large and, unlike our own, perfectly working and crystal clear screen showing the game and match entertainment, in between self-promoting adverts and the worthy cause of Richard House Children’s Hospice, I was made aware, once again, that West Ham still consider themselves “The Academy of Football,” as they advertised membership to “The Academy.”
Whilst three of the starting eleven for West Ham on Tuesday, in their top of the table 1-1 draw with Southampton, were graduates of “the Academy” (Mark Noble – captain and scorer on the night; Jack Collison – substituted after 21 minutes, having seen teammate Matty Taylor sent off for violent conduct; and James Tomkins – who freely chucked his elbows into the ribs of Dean Hammond like some kind of Inbetweeners dance tribute act,) the football was far from what West Ham had become traditionally associated with. But, according to Sam Allardyce, it’s ok because “all this team did before was lose” before him.
From where I was positioned, busy practising my own traditions of standing, sitting and kicking out – something that wasn’t considered dancing when I tried to re-enact it in a nightclub the same night, but is in Eastern Europe – when the Southampton faithful, myself excitingly and appreciatively included, began to sing “you used to play football” to the group of fans situated in the corner of the East Stand, it seemed well-received.
Of course, it is a chant that no football fan ever wants to hear about their club, but the fans were accepting of the fact that Sam Allardyce has changed that style West Ham have strived to maintain (instilling it as an ethos in the academy so it can grow through and into the first team) and duly clapped our satirical efforts that took the shape of a reply to their “we’ve only got ten men” chorus.
Lost in the tribalism that is the away stand, deindividualised by anthemic chanting and the quick dissemination of one man’s opinion into a whole stand’s worth, I quickly found myself shouting “hoof” regularly and singing a line that reassured any doubters over how many teams called Bolton Wanderers there were. Yet, for all the mocking that can be served in a 90-minute spell, to opposition fans that, in majority, agree with you anyway, West Ham are still at the top of the table with sixteen games left to play.
Unlike Big Sam, I can understand fans’ criticism of their style of play, described by one as “sterile 1-0 wins.” Anyone that knows football would’ve expected such route one directedness to be witnessed at The Boleyn Ground when Allardyce took over: it was a style that, until recently, had become synonymous with the Reebok Stadium dwellers, Bolton Wanderers; Zat Knight even called for Owen Coyle to revert to such tactics.
What a poor poor piece. Southampton can most certainly learn from the hammers. Infact it was Southampton who were playing boring long ball football, the only time they were passing was in their own box, then hoof it up front to Billy ‘bastard’ sharp (cheat). Makes me laugh the rose tinted glasses Saints fans are wearing, at the end of the day you got a point against a 10 man team. Commend yourselves.
4 points from two games idiot
Sorry West Ham fans…4 Points to 1 this season…we’ve come up from league 1, you’ve come down from the prem…and we still play much better football than you haha! #boring #hoof #championship4life And dont keep moaning about having 10 men…you lost when it was 11 vs 11 didnt you?? I hear big sams plotting summer moves for fabrice muamba and Emile Hesky…should add to the exitement!!
Being a west ham fan I sort of agree we don’t play attractive football anymore but look where it got us, and first 15 minutes we tore you apart the only way you got back into the game is because we sat back with 10 men I watch you alot this year as I go to uni in Portsmouth (your other favourite team I know) you play nice football but your style wont work in the prem lambert won’t score a handful of goals nor guily or sharpe, Danny fox flopped in the prem, one of your centre halves is from the SPL great record in the prem from that league
A few points:
– I haven’t seen the “West Ham” way of football regularly since I was a kid watching Brooking. Not even when DiCanio was playing. People need to grow up and accept the game has changed.
– Southampton were poor Tuesday night. No ideas, no slick passing in the last third and the less said about the obvious attempts to reduce West Ham in numbers the better.
– The chanting was taken in good humour by West Ham fans who didn’t care one way or the other what the Southampton fans thought. I for one thought the Soton fans were very good on the night and I feel sorry for the fact that their team were not confident enough in their own game to play it.
A very fair analysis in a comments section full of bitterness and slapdash responses. Thank you.
Southampton plan A. Load Lambert at the far post.
Southampton plan B. Errrrr.
Factor into that the blatant cynicism and gamesmanship of Sharp and others, and the manager’s Tony Pulis-style touchline antics, and you don’t exactly get the impression of an attractive side.
All evening, Upton Park was treated to chorus of “hoofball” (?!) by the saints fans. That WHU passed Soton off the park while it was 11 v 11 seemed to pass them by.
It seems to me that win, lose or draw, you saints were DETERMINED (before kickoff even) to try and claim some kind of moral victory by assuming the mantle of Best Footballing side in the division. Wow – talk about small beers.
No matter that it isn’t true.It’s something for you to cling to, isn’t it?
At West Ham, we’re slightly bemused by your attempts to try and assert some kind of superioty over us. We don’t think of ourselves as hot shit. But clearly you must do. Why else would you be so determined to score a moral victory over u – for that is surely the nature of this piece of “writing”.
As a West Ham fan I take it as a compliment. You probably don’t even realise, but it most certainly is one. Backhanded, but a compliment all the same.
In the FLC, the merest suggestion that WHU *might* be the club to beat brings you all out in a hot flush. It’s childish, subconsious jealousy, that you can’t admit to yourselves.
The irony is, at West Ham we dont give a shit if we’re “bigger” or “better” or “play better football” than you. Why would we?
You reveal the chip on your collective shoulder, with one eyed codswallop like this. Small club mentality.
Didn’t realise that there was so much rivalry between the two club and surprised how sensitive WHU fans are.
There isn’t any. Not from WHU’s side of things. Can’t speak for Soton.
But like the rest of the Championship, for whatever reason it is, they’ve got a chip on their shoulder. Big Sam / “hoofball” is just a convenient term of abuse. Anyone who saw the game would know what nonsense that was.
It’s the only way Soton can make themselves feel special. Look, we took 4 points off West Ham!
So what? As if no one’s ever done that before!
Like I say. For West Ham it’s the ultimate compliment. Why would Soton boast about it if they didn’t think it meant something to them. Sad.
Tuesday’s ‘hoofball’ embellishments are just tragic. The sign of a club with nothing better to care about. Soulless stuff.
Not sensitive at all. Just AMAZED at Southampton’s powers of delusion.
If West Ham get a draw against Blackpool on Tuesday, do you think us Hammers will be running around going Ooh, we’ve got 4 points off Blackpool this season!!!
Saddos.
But for all the chanting – it’s just a wind up. Anyone with sense knows that both clubs like playing football. What do you expect Saints fans to say about us taking 4 pts from you? You’d say the same I’m sure, or someone would, not necessarily yourself. We don’t feel special but we feel really good about ourselves having come so far since admin, and probably some fans forget that and should feel a little more humble but they get carried away which isn’t surprising. We are not deluded as we could see ourselves dropping down the table due to our recent bad run. I was at the game with a few West Ham mates of mine and we all agreed it was a mixture of passing and long ball, like a lot of other games but what people need to understand is no matter how much fans respect the opposition, there will always be the banter and the chanting from the fans. The problem with a lot of comments on this site is that instead of people discussing it sensibly, it’s just a continuation from the terraces.