Written by @smackit0

I have been a West Ham fan for over 40 years, as long as I have known football I have been a Hammer. In 1977 I was 4 and my Dad was a Gooner he took me to both games in league 1 against the hammers. West Ham beat Arsenal that year at Highbury and my Dad wanted me to support Arsenal, I never did, since then I have developed my love for the #Westhamfamily and the West Ham Way of playing football and entertaining the fans, I’ve watched games in the chicken run, I’ve travelled to away games, the atmosphere from our fans has always been electric. Upton Park, for me will always be our home and I would rather we had developed that, than move to the London Stadium, but we are there by hook or by crook, we have to get on with that now. I know most fans won’t agree with that, but we don’t have a choice.

In the last few seasons our fans have not been treated fairly, we have been lied to by our owners, been given broken promises about where we were heading as a club and the stadium. We have not been given the team to do any more than scrap through the league most seasons, we had an amazing last season at Upton Park, we will never forget that. But move on WE must, this transfer window has been what we have wanted for many years, for me I don’t forget how the board has made us feel as a family, we (the fans) have been divided by many different issues and situations that have been created by the board. We all have our right to have debates on this for a long time to come, part our history now.

But on a positive note, this season coming up, with the fantastic signings we as a club have made, Fredricks, Wilshere, Fabianski, Diop, Balbuena, Yarmolenko and not forgetting Anderson, who I hope he will be the player that everyone says he can be. We should see a couple of other players coming in and certainly a few too leave, I have a few names there that I would happily see leave to balance the books a touch, as I’m sure you will all too?

I, as a West Ham United fan, ask one thing from you amazing bunch, I know we all don’t see eye to eye on everything, the board, the stadium, the style of play, which I think will change with the appointment  of Pellegrini, which I have to say is the biggest signing we have made this season, a fantastic coach, manager and from what I’m hearing in certain circles, a very good man manager and great with the squad so far.

I digress, getting back to that one thing, I ask from you, we are the best fans in the world, the best family in sport I can remember, the way every football fan has come together for the amazing young lady Isla Caton, but especially our family raising money for that poorly little lady is commendable, but if we can be United about that, then us as fans can Unite again for the team, stadium, owners aside, we the fans are the club, if we are bickering between ourselves on social media, in the ground, in the pubs that will translate to the players and ultimately on the pitch, so let’s sing our hearts out, jump, shout, scream (all positive things of course) we can have another amazing season where we are not fighting for survival, not worrying about what’s happening at the bottom, but becoming that top ten team that we all wish us to be, then maybe after a season or two some European cup runs, let’s face it as fans we all love away days in the premier league, how nice will it be for us to have away days in Europe?

So let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s take this amazing club back where we should be, playing amazing fast, forward thinking football, exciting times can be ahead if we put things to one side, let’s not forget what has gone on, but be positive of times ahead and be exactly what our beloved club is called and let’s ALL be a WEST HAM UNITED!

@smackit0