Len's West Ham number 2. A blog about not going to the football.
What an incredible response I received from my last blog. Let me start with a thank you for that. So many fans contacted me saying they felt the same way as myself, and many more than expected declaring that they won't be renewing their season tickets next year.
It appears that with so much football content about 'going to the football match' featuring across the internet, I've happened to stumble upon an a concept of creating content about 'not going to the football match'. I may even start a campaign claiming 'It's ok to stay away' - but let's not run before we can walk.
<ping from whatsapp> That was Sean Whetstone posting an excerpt from Karren Brady's Sky TV interview regarding the London Stadium move, in all Whatsapp groups. This is what it's like when you're work landscape is football. It's mostly reaction, and you reacting to it.
It's Wednesday morning at this point of the blog which will be filled out in the next few days. I'm here with the laptop, whilst builders have started improvements to my home which will help me increase the room to paint. So the vibrations have moved me from a painting to the blog.
I was originally intending to write a bit about Alan Curbishley's achievement of being the first manager to visit The Emirates and get a win. This was on account that West Ham travel there this weekend, and the promise that I would be a bit more cheery this time around. I would have also highlighted the fact that good things can come out of bad situations.
However so much happens on a daily basis now, that this blog may work better if I spoke about my own experiences around football, throughout the week. When you think about it, you've already experienced the 'first team at the Emirates' moment, and formed an opinion on Alan already. There is no point me trying to rewrite it - I'm not the guy for the job. How can I give a fair and reasonable account of Curbs if I go for a drink with him a couple of times a year, along with his ex youth team mates? That's the type of bias the media and pundits ask you to swallow each week - the 'be careful what you wish for' gang. God knows, I can't do that to you.
The difference between mainstream media and fan media, is that fan media speaks from it's own experience. At least it should if it's authentic.
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It's now Wednesday lunchtime as I write. I've got to be honest, the Karren Brady interview posted by Sky Sports stopped me in my tracks in my short career at blogging. I had no intention of watching it, so I didn't. It would have only have made me mad.
The real story of the article came when Sky deleted the twitter post because of all the negative comments about the move from Upton Park. I say negative comments, what I really mean is the truth from people that experienced it. Thanks Sky, that strategy told us all we needed to know without watching the tedious propaganda.
I'm gonna get straight to the point with this. The Premier League teams control the recorded media on channels that broadcast Premier League. How do I know this? If you take a look at my homepage you will see an animation I did for Talksport, advertising the Christmas Premier League Schedule 2022.
As a Premier League supplier, Talksport needed to get approval from The Premier League. They had the power of veto of my animation, however once 14 of the 20 clubs approve anything, it gets passed. I was encouraged to become a Premier League supplier to avoid the approval process, for the next time. I did this, and was given a 'Guide for Premier League Suppliers' - this never involved any future engagements, but I did learn a lot, and may throw you a tidbit from time to time. Anyway, lets move on from the Baroness and not give her the oxygen, you can search for the interview on YouTube if you want, it was hosted by The Chairman's son, Jack Sullivan. We always caveat that Jack is a decent person, but It couldn't have been very challenging for the Baroness. Please see my point regarding Alan Curbishley and myself earlier in the blog.
I'm failing here writing this, I did say it would be more cheery, and it was supposed to be Arsenal related, but Brady's interview is dominating the fanscape (yes I just made up a word). One line I can extract that has riled people is Brady attributed critics of the Stratford experience to 'people not liking change'.
This is a little contradictory. Back in the the day when the mythical survey asking the fans about the move, the same Karren Brady declared 87% of the fans wanted to change stadium. Today, she's moved the goalpost to support her piss poor argument.
The 'People don't like change' comment is a classic example of psychological projection. The woman who resisted changing her surname to Peschilido, only serves to strengthen the argument to those who call her a narcissist. Then again, maybe she is proud of her father's heritage in pornography?
I'm still not gonna watch the interview. You must surely see the grift by now? It's a cynical piece of broadcasting to provide opportunity to give club owners a chance to release propaganda. From the 90 second clip posted, you could see Brady's phoney sense social responsibilty that makes Paula Vennells look like Princess Diana.
It's vanilla content from a TV company that takes your money. Partially entertaining to people that like football, but infuriating for every fan of the club featuring in the episode. Thoroughly inauthentic.
What was authentic fan media this week was Gonzo's 'troll' rant on Hammers Chat Forum channel this week. If you haven't seen it, it's linked here:
If you've already seen it, or just want a synopsis, it's about a few things including the division in the fanbase caused by the elapsing of the contract of David Moyes as West Ham manager. Every content creator on every platform seems to have a similar experience, but not many can remember the stone cold facts of the situation which stifle the conversation...
...David Moyes WAS offered a contract, and he didn't sign it.
Sure, the usual classless behaviour from the West Ham board appeared, which was to take it off of the table, but social media can sometimes create a 'new truth'. This new truth is that West Ham fans didn't want David Moyes and we forced him out. Bollocks.
Nobody at the club had ANY influence on David Moyes, and the fact that Gonzo hosted a video with Moyes' one-time assistant Mark Warburton revealing David's obstinance from his own personal experience won't affect anybody else's truth. When people's minds are made up, that's usually that.
Only two weeks back I was at an E13 Event featuring Kevin Nolan, who said similar. Kevin also said that Alan Irvine was key to Moyes' success at West Ham, something Gonzo also mentioned. This from other content creators was greeted with a 'foil hat meme' though. I mean why would you listen to two people who worked with him, when you can forge your own opinion out of thin air?
The important thing we can learn from content creators though, is the timely use of an adbreak to bring in revenue.
It's now Thursday, and it has just been leaked that an email has been leaked accusing a known leaker of leaking club news, from a fan meeting. However, it can be confirmed by the other well-know leaker, that the leaker was actually, in fact, from the group represented by the author of the email.
To make his accusation crystal clear, the author of the email spoke on behalf of the entire group of supporters groups that he actually wasn't a member of. Clarifying that he represented 25,000 fans, the author attempted to hide his identity whilst representing every fan group, blissfully unaware that it was his mate who was the leak. You can still donate to their group's gofundme though, don't let things like this put you off. West Ham Family and all that.
If I have to put up with this confusion, then so do you! This is the footprint left behind by people who think they are genuinely helping solve the problems with the club. All that is really happening is fans pointing fingers at each other, as the ownership succeeds in playing divide and conquer. I've had a gutful. I reckon most of the fan media have today - they don't wanna talk about stuff we've had this week. It slows you down, and ultimately achieves nothing.
Just like the tally man, Friday comes too soon. The disturbances of workmen and club nonsense on whatsapp have taken their toll, and the second blog is at an end. I'm sorry it became about 'that lot' again, to coin a phrase they often employ, 'I tried'. Ultimately the Arsenal related story didn't make the deadline.
The Declan story, or Steve Bacon's Arsenal tribute story, will have to wait for now. I promised myself to finish on feel-good story, Trevor McDonald style. But in true West Ham style, disappointment is often the way things end.
I did however somehow finish the painting, which at one point was looking unlikely. In true post match manager style, what I can take from this week is that I had the strength to not watch the Karren Brady interview. That's a positive. The painting isn't perfect, but it's an honest painting, and was getting close to becoming overworked, two things that couldn't be said about The Baroness. I finished the week relatively happy, and less annoyed than last week. I'd call that a win.
We'll see what happens at Arsenal.
You’ll be hearing from my lawyers
Really enjoyed reading the blog and thanks for the link to Gonzo. Refreshing to read/hear 'real' thoughts and opinions that haven't been sanitised to suit the few, we all know the type I'm referring to. Look forward to the next blog. Thanks.
Loving the blog Len. Your words resonate a lot with the way I'm feeling about professional football at the moment.