Too Stand Or Not Too Stand

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Hillisborough disaster, that may not mean much too anyone that isn't a football fan but to those of us that are it still hits us like a memory that is all to raw. 96 people went to a football match and never returned, I'm not going to go over old painful ground here as this excellent piece in FourFourTwo says more than I ever could. What I am going to do though is share my memories of that day and the events that followed and why I feel that terracing should never return to any ground above League 1.

I remember where I was that day, I remember what I saw and I remember what I read as if I was reading it now. The dead faces that stared out at me from the front pages of the newspapers, the people crushed up against the fences, the blue metal fence that was embedded into their faces, their lives cruelly cut short before their time.

I was working in Sainsbury's as a part-timer in the meat room, yes I was the one that fresh packed your mince and chops, when I made a phone call home to my dad during my tea break to see what the score was in the FA Cup Semi Finals. This was before wall to wall TV coverage and the games weren't live back then, you had to wait for the highlights on Match Of Day that night to see the goals.

"Everton are beating Norwich and the game has been stopped at Hillsborough" there was an edginess to his voice I recognised and knew something had happened as I had heard it only once before. My Dad isn't an emotional man, he never has been but sometimes his tone will change and I know its bad news.

I was 12 years old as I sat and watched the Heysel disaster unfold on TV. Allowed to stay up and watch the game I remember vividly the policeman walking towards the camera a look of total shock on his face waving his arms about at the bodies piled up around him, not knowing what to do or say. I remembered the seriousness of my dads voice as he sent me to bed when we realised what was happening and I never forgot that tone to his voice.

"Whats happened?" I asked

"Some people have died son" He replied

I replaced the handset and made my way back to the table where my friends were sitting waiting for me to tell them the latest scores. I looked at them all expectant and I knew I would have to break bad news to one of them, news that as a 16 year old kid I didn't want to say.

"Well come on whats going on?" He asked

"Err Everton are beating Norwich" I said looking at the table

"Yeah and whats the Liverpool score?" He asked again

"They have stopped the game Dave as some people have died in the Liverpool end"

"Bollocks, stop taking the piss that ain't funny" His face redding with anger

"Sorry mate Ive just spoken to the old man its true" I couldn't look at him so I looked at the other sitting around him, all dressed the same in brown jackets and ties, all looking at me hoping I wasn't taking the mickey and knowing from my face I wasn't.

He flung his chair back and stood up pointing at me his face contorted with rage

"Your one sick bastard" He shouted as he barged past me to the phone and shoved his money in the slot, slamming numbers into the keypad

The manager of the store had been playing pool at the other end of the cafeteria walked over briskly his face stern and angry at the outburst that had occurred during his lunch break. He didn't tolerate swearing and even less so from part-timers, he looked down on us and tried to make our lives as miserable as possible ( that's a blog in itself).

"Okay Mum Ill come home now I'm sure hes fine don't worry" Dave was finishing his phone call just as the manager approached.

The look on his face told him that something was wrong and he waited for Dave to speak before he said anymore.

"Sir I have to go my cousin is at Hillsborough today he took my ticket as I had to work and some people have died there already"

Shocked by this the manager said Dave could go immediately and he rushed off to try and find some news. We listened to the radio the rest of that day shocked as the death toll kept going higher and higher, this was supposed to be a football match how could this happen again?.

I went to the pub that evening, The Cauliflower in Seven Kings with a few others from work. Standing in the corner was a lad in a Liverpool shirt crying his eyes out, standing next to him was my mate Dave. I walked over and spoke briefly to Dave who told me his cousin was one of the lucky ones who had managed to get out. I didn't speak to his cousin, after all what could I say?. I stood there sipping my pint not really in the mood anymore and shortly made my way home. This was 22 years ago and I can still picture it clearly today as I could then, all the thoughts and emotions of that day and the following weeks have come flooding back.

Dagenham and Redbridge and it is much loved by those that use it, Ive even used it myself on the odd occasion and I have to admit that I enjoy it.

However I remember the terracing from the 80's when I went to West Ham, Leyton Orient and Tottenham and I don't want that back ever again. Being lifted of my feet as the team scored and swept forward at the mercy of those around me, not being able to move to use the toilet or get a burger at halftime if I wanted to. It was an amazing feeling for the young lad that I was but now? I wouldn't let my kids stand on terracing at a Premier League club because I feel the sheer number of people that attend those games its to dangerous to be safe.

We cant be romantic about this, terracing has had its day like the mullet and the permed haircut. It belongs in the past and should stay there. So why allow it for League 1 and below?. The attendances are a hell of a lot lower and thus far more easier to control because of it. Not only that but the clubs in these leagues bar a few don't have the budgets to make their grounds all seater. Darlington is a prime example of this a great ground but no one goes and now they are in the conference. A few areas of terracing at clubs in these leagues is more than manageable and should be allowed to stay.

There does though need to be a bit of common sense as well, if these clubs get promoted to Championship they should be allowed three seasons before they have to change their grounds forever. This would allow them to try and establish themselves and most clubs do this within this time frame in higher leagues. To burden them with extra costs and changing their grounds for what could be one season would be wrong in my opinion.

I know this will upset a few of you but I make no apologies for it, if we are ever to be lucky enough to get above League 1 then the sieve will have to go. You'll hate it I know that and you will feel that perhaps the club has lost a little of its quirkiness and appeal to some of you but I don't ever want to have to go through seeing the fear in a mates eyes when he realised that people were dying at a football match and his cousin was there with his ticket because he had to work.

Is standing at a football match with 30,000 others worth that? To me no it isn't but I don't think many of you will agree with me. Just a final thought before I end this blog. Those 96 families have never had justice for what happened that day and this is wrong and needs to be addressed urgently, they need to know the truth of what happened that day, I have my own opinion and perhaps one day Ill share it but for now lets remember them and also make sure we never forget what happened that beautiful sunny day 22 years ago.

The Winner Takes It All?

The fight is on for West Ham or Tottenham to get the Olympic Stadium after the games. The preferred decision will be made this Friday and they are two completely different bids. West Ham will keep the running track, Tottenham will rip it down and start again. After speaking to a few fans from both clubs neither of them want it. So whats the answer then? I don't have one to be honest but what seems to be being forgotten is firstly the feelings of the fans of BOTH clubs but more importantly the impact this will have on teams that are not in the Premiership. Its time to have my say, perhaps give a different perspective on what I see being a total disaster not only for the clubs bidding but for those other clubs around them. Firstly West Ham.

Why on earth they want it is beyond me to be honest. They cannot fill Upton Park but feel that they will double their gate. Will they? No chance. They will have to cut admission prices and spend more money than they have. I'm all for change and such like but this is crass and is being conducted against the wishes of the fans. Does that bother the owners? Nope why should it. They have a dream, which is all well and good but reality must kick in at some point, and realise that this will not only potentially saddle the club with more debt but also alienate their supporters. Is there such a clamour for tickets at West Ham that they need this ground? No is the simple answer as they cant sell out Upton Park now and have had to reduce ticket prices for a few games this season already. I'm sorry but this is wrong and cannot be allowed to happen.

So that leaves us with Tottenham. A team who's history is steeped in North London wanting to throw that all away and move to East London. Apparently they have 35,000 people waiting to buy season tickets. Fair enough expand White Hart Lane then!. How on earth can you have a North London derby if one of you is in East London?. Tottenham's fan base now is more Hertfordshire rather than North London so how is that going to work?. It smacks of utter greed to me and nothing else. All that history, all those years, to be ripped up and moved to East London of all places. Nope this cannot be allowed to happen either.

There is another reason though why this cannot be allowed to happen and those teams and people that don't live in the Premier League haven't even thought about this and that tells me this is all about money and nothing else. There is a team that is ONE stop away on the tube from where these giants of the game wish to move to and no one has even thought about them for one minute. Leyton Orient FC will die if either of these clubs get the stadium. Sound dramatic? It may not happen overnight but IT will happen. Lets look at some issues that will arise shall we.

To fill the stadium West Ham will reduce ticket prices. Where do they think the fans will come from? Yes that's right they will come from the LOCAL area. Kids that would have gone and supported their local club, in this case Leyton Orient, will be attracted by the so called stars of the Premier League and wont want to go their LOCAL club. They will be attracted by cheap tickets and Premier League football. There is nothing wrong with that apart from the fact that the big clubs get bigger and the smaller clubs die. Where are the new players going to be able to go and ply their trade?. Where are the kids going to get a feel for REAL football, not some inflated overpriced footballer who doesn't care about them. This doesn't only affect Leyton Orient it will affect Dagenham and Redbridge as well.

These clubs find it hard enough to survive on the gates they get at the moment without the lure of the big boys trampling all over the little teams. It has to be stopped, for the good health of football in this country. Whether they like it or not the Premier League NEEDS Leagues 1 and 2 and the teams in them. We are the life blood of football in this country. We are the HEART of football. We dont follow the big boys because its fashionable. We go to OUR clubs because they make us feel special. They make us fell part of the club and the community. We may not have the best grounds in the world but we have CHARACTER. Something that these concrete IKEA griounds will never have. We take their players on loan and PLAY them. We let them have game time so as they can get better. We dont want West Ham or Tottenham moving into Stratford. They will kill us stone dead. Fans will not go with their Dads and Grandads to watch us and so over a period of 10 to 15 years there will be no more youngsters being blooded into the ways of a proper football club.

We all know the Premier League would love to have the Championship as a Premier League 2 and make all the other clubs go part-time. We are seen as an inconvenience to them, a blot on their resources. This needs to go to a public vote and its about time the government got out of their shells and did something about this happening. Money shouldn't be the be all and end all of football in this country. Its about whats right and wrong.

In my opinion this is wrong. For West Ham, for Tottenham but more importantly its wrong for Leyton Orient FC and Dagenham and Redbridge FC. Two small local clubs that the big boys think they can walk all over whenever they feel like it. Its time to make a stand people, its time to say NO. After all the winner takes it all don't they?.

The Maximum Wage 50 Years Ago This Week

If I was to ask you what was one of the most single important things that happened in football 50 years ago this week would you be able to tell me? Not many of you I bet. The event I'm about to talk about changed the way that footballers were seen and thought of in this country forever and would set in motion events that we see today. This week 50 years ago the minimum wage was abolished in this country. That's right back in the day footballers had a wage cap. Sound strange? Who was responsible for this ground breaking effort? Step forward Jimmy Hill.

Now more famous for his chin Jimmy Hill was a professional footballer back in the day and a good one at that. A playing career that spanned 12 years he only ever played for two clubs, Brentford 1949-1952 where he made 83 appearances and scored 10 goals and then onto Fulham where he played 276 games scoring 41 goals. It wasn't until 1957 whilst still playing for Fulham that he became chairman of the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) ans set in motion a series of events that the modern footballer should still be grateful for to this day.

At the time the maximum wage was £20 no more. The clubs could control the contracts of players even when they were out of contract and you only left a club if they said you did. None of this handing in a transfer request because they changed the soap in the shower, you did as you were told. Players were much closer to the people that watched the game back then. They worked part-time jobs too supplement their wages and were much closer to the fans that watched them every week. They travelled on the same buses as them, they drank in the same pubs as them, in some cases they even lived on the same street as them. Imagine you call the gas man and Wayne Rooney turns up at the door too fix it, you walk into your local and there is Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane drinking in the pub or your neighbour is Sammi Nasri, this was the scale of what the players of the time did and the way they lived their lives. It seems an absolute world away and to a certain degree it is. Players were treated no better than slaves to be honest. They didn't dare argue and did as they were told. Can you imagine some of the Premier League players doing that? No me neither.

Jimmy Hill had his supporters for change, Brain Clough a young prolific centre forward for Sunderland who's career was cruelly cut short by injury and Bobby Robson an up and coming defender with Fulham, being some of the more famous ones, although not everyone agreed with him. The Chairman didn't want a change obviously thy liked it the way it was. The players wanted change, understandably who would want to work in this way, and after threatening to go on strike  they got their wish  of a ballot and the first £100 a week player was born the great Johnny Haynes.

Personally I don't think Jimmy Hill gets the credit he deserves for the way that he changed the game in this country. Players nowadays don't get out of bed for less than £100,000 a week but they need to realise what their forefathers went through to get them into the position they are in today. Yes it is a short career, it can be ended with a badly timed tackle at anytime, the riches they have now are beyond the wildest dreams of most of the fans that watch them play week in week out. I'm not going to tar them all with the same brush because I know a lot of them aren't the drunken, disrespectful idiots that fall out of night clubs with some orange bird on their arm, but I wish just sometimes they would think back to what they owe Jimmy Hill and his kind and the way that they took a fight on that no one thought they could win.

Jimmy Hill went on to be manager of Coventry City where he won the old Third Division title in 1963-64 and the old Second Division title in 1966-67. He changed many things at the club, the kit for a start to sky blue and introduced the modern day match programme that we all read on a Saturday at whatever club we go and watch. He left the season Coventry went into the top flight and started a successful broadcasting career where I remember watching him as a child growing up.

Jimmy Hill did what he did because he knew it was wrong and the Chairmen knew it. It took a brave man to step forward and change the game for the better for the players of the day. To give them a better standard of living, to change things for the better for them not him. The way football has changed with its agents and such like, players have lost touch with the fans who pay their wages. If only for a little while this week I hope they stop and think about Jimmy Hill and the way he went about changing the game for THEM. For that I hope they are grateful, they damn well should be.

Im Forever Blowing Bubbles

What a mess. What a pure and unadulterated mess, made even worse by the fact it is totally of their own making. What on earth is going on at West Ham?. Should I be gloating? No not really to be honest as a football fan I don't like to see any club in a mess. There is something about West Ham though that (unless you support Milwall I suppose) that makes you feel apart of the club even if you don't support them. Like the way Newcastle gets a lot of support from neutral fans, some of us feel this way about West Ham.

I'm not a West Ham fan but all my family are. Brought up on the trio of World Cup stars to the players that they had down the years. Brooking, Devonshire (What a tash that was!), Parks, Peters, Dicks, Mad Dog Martin, Bonds, Lampard Snr not forgetting Mr West Ham Booby Moore. These were the players my Dad and later on when he started to take me to football that I grew up watching. Ill admit I fell for another mistress in London drawn in by Villa, Ardiles and Hoddle but I never, ever forgot those players.

The next generation that came through Ferdinand, Cole, Lampard Jnr, Carrick. People talk about the youth from Man Utd but West Ham had just as good as group of players and its a real shame they weren't kept together. West Ham is known as the academy but where are these players nowadays? Where are the legends for the next generation of West Ham fans to look up to? Nowhere that's where. You see the problem was in my opinion that West Ham, through bad management and a lack of vision as well as unfair expectations have lost their way

The way they have treated season ticket fans this year is appalling. How can you charge people upfront £800 as some of my family have spent, only to then offer tickets at a discounted rate weeks in advance yet offer them no refund?. That's appalling business practise. Yes people will say write to the club. Really and get a standard reply that says they don't care we have your money!. No thanks Ill save the ink. Then there is the manager. Not every ones cup of tea Ill give you that, but they cannot say they didn't know what they were getting when they signed him. I believe the reason they signed him is because he's cheap. Yes Zola was cheap but Grant had more experience and was probably wanting the same sort of package. If this was the case then why are they after 'bigger names' now. Why didnt they do it in the summer?

They have proceeded over the past few weeks to cut his feet from underneath him every chance they have got. This is a results business I get that, the team may also not be performing as well as it should be and some of that blame has to fall at the managers feet I get that as well, but the board must take some of the blame as well. They haven't exactly supported him in the transfer market have they?. They also haven't stopped all the sniping about him, they have allowed this to continue with name after name being touted around about his job. How has he reacted to this?. With dignity. Something that perhaps the board at West Ham need to have a look in the mirror and see if they can regain it. Lets be honest as well he is one game away from Wembley and also two games away from Europe. What fun that will be if he wins the League Cup Id love to be a fly on the wall at THAT boardroom meeting.

So whats the solution then? There isn't one its that simple. Not now, not at this moment in time the season is too far gone. The only thing they an do is back him in the transfer market and see what happens. If they go down so be it, it'll be painful but in the long run it may be the best thing that happens to the club. It will allow them to shift some of the stupid money of the books and get players that want to play, perhaps even blood some youngsters that will be the future of West Ham. and let the Phoenix grow from the ashes of whats there now. The other thing though is stop chasing the Olympic Stadium, how on earth are you going to fill it when you cant even fill the stadium you have? Crazy.

Take whatever is coming on the chin and then rebuild the club from the ground up. West Ham used to be a family club now in my opinion its a fractured club, losing its way with perhaps the worst PR people in the business. You have the most loyal fans in the country, they have put up with all types of crap down the years. They deserve better. Get a grip or as my favourite manager Keith Burkinshaw said about Spurs as he walked away for the last time 'There used to be a football club there'.

The Return Of The Messiah

Ive seen this so many times down the years. A player or manager returns to a club where they once had huge success and nine times out of ten it doesn't work. They cant quite reach the levels they had before. Of course John Still at our club is probably an exception, but it doesn't always work out. The latest to return is Kenny Dalgleish. I used to love watching him as a young lad and remember the haggard face when he quit Liverpool all those years ago. It seems a shame to me that he has gone back. I'm sure he is doing it for the right reasons but I'm not convinced it will work.

Dalgleish was part of an era long gone at Anfield. A club that dominated English football for decades that all the best players wanted to play for. Those day are gone. What they have now is a club, a former shadow of itself and the fans and the people at the club need to realise that before its too late. Its hard for anyone to accept that they aren't at the level they once were. We see it so many times with different sportsmen in all sports. There comes a time when you get over taken and this has happened to Liverpool. Until they accept this they will never move forward.

I grew up watching Liverpool in the late 70's and 80's. They not only dominated the domestic game they conquered Europe almost at will. They did this on foundations set by Bill Shankly and the way that he set the club up. The famous boot room. Shanks, Paisley, Fagan all sitting around and discussing the way the game should be played. Stuff of legend. You went to Liverpool not expecting to go straight into the first team but to play in the reserves for the first year, to earn your place in the first team. It wasn't a given and all the players signed knew this and were prepared to do it. I know the finacle rewards are far higher nowadays and players expect to play every week, but would they better for this experience rather than what they get now? I think they would.

Don't get me wrong there are players that deserve to go straight into the first team as they would improve it, but what about youngsters from the lower leagues? My guess is that most of them aren't interested in that. Is this me being unrealistic about the modern player? Perhaps but it worked at Liverpool and it worked for many years. The reason? The club was bigger than the player simple as that. I believe in the modern game manager's aren't given enough time. It takes time to turn a club around, to lay foundations that will lead to bigger and better things but in this 'we must have it and have it now' society we live in this isn't going to happen anymore.

So it begins, the constant changing of managers, the pay-offs and such forth and for what? The unrealistic expectations of supporters on their manager. I hope Kenny Dalgleish is a success at Liverpool I really do. I hope that they allow him to rebuild a broken club. To bring back that famous boot room where managers of the future are helped and bred and brought up to believe in what Liverpool FC stands for. Only then will they begin to regain their position in the game and satisfy the fans needs for what they have been spoilt with. The odds unfortunately are against him. As I said at the start it doesn't always work out and taints supporters memory's of what great players and servants these guys were for their clubs. Good luck Kenny, I believe you are going to need it.