West Ham United F.C. supporters
West Ham United supporters
West Ham United F.C. supporters are the followers of the London-based
West Ham United Football Club, who were founded as
Thames Ironworks in 1895. There are 700,000 fans on the club's database and over 300,000 likes on
Facebook.
[1] The club's website is in the top ten most visited websites for English football clubs by people in the USA.
[2] Their fans are also associated with a once-notorious
hooligan element
[3] and have long-standing rivalries with several other clubs, most notably
Millwall.
Demographics
West Ham have a larger than average number of male fans.
[4]
West Ham is the only club in the borough of
Newham and a majority of fans in the borough support West Ham.
[1] Their home match average attendance over the last six seasons was in excess of 33,000 per season
[5] and despite finishing in bottom place in the
Premier League for the 2010-11 season, their home attendance averaged 33,426, eleventh highest of all Premier League clubs.
[6] Traditionally West Ham fans are drawn from London (in particular East London), and the
home counties, however there are fans clubs around the world notably in
Barcelona,
[7] Tenerife,
[8] Serbia,
[9] Australia,
[10] and
Scandinavia which has over 800 members.
[11]
Songs
In addition to the usual English
football chants, West Ham fans sing
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles[12] The song is considered to be the clubs' anthem.
[13] Songs and chants have also been created and sung for players, notably
Paolo Di Canio,
[14] Christian Dailly,
[15] Bobby Zamora,
[16] Frank Lampard[16] Pop Robson and
Luděk Mikloško[17]
Heroes and villains
Fans' Favourite, Julian Dicks
West Ham fans have identified several players over the years as being 'fans favourites', notably
Paolo Di Canio,
[18] Bobby Moore,
[19] Julian Dicks[20] and
Carlos Tevez.
[21]
West Ham fans have also displayed a zeal for abusing former players
who are perceived to have abandoned the club, or performed some
disservice. Famously
Paul Ince,
[22] Frank Lampard,
[23] Jermain Defoe,
[24] Craig Bellamy[25] and
Nigel Reo-Coker[26] have borne the brunt of verbal abuse and a hostile reception at Upton Park. However, players such as
Joe Cole,
Michael Carrick,
Rio Ferdinand,
[27] Bobby Zamora and Carlos Tévez
[28] receive applause and even standing ovations in honour of their contributions for the club.
Rivalries
West Ham fans's longest-running and
deepest rivalry is with
Millwall fans
[29] with both sets of supporters considering the other as their main rival.
[30]
The rivalry between Millwall and West Ham has always been a fierce encounter, from the first meeting – a '
friendly' on 23 September 1897, which the newly formed
Thames Ironworks (not yet known as West Ham) lost 2–0 – up until their most recent meeting in a Championship clash in February 2012.
On 17 September 1906 in a
Western League
game, a particularly ferocious encounter saw one player hurled against a
metal advertising board and others being stretchered off following
heavy tackles. The
East Ham Echo reported: "From the very first
kick of the ball it was seen likely to be some trouble, but the storm
burst when Dean and Jarvis came into collision (Millwall had two players
sent off during the match). This aroused considerable excitement among
the spectators. The crowds on the bank having caught the fever, free
fights were plentiful."
[31]
In 1926 the
General Strike
was observed by workers in the East End, who were mainly West Ham
supporters, but the Millwall-supporting shipyard workers of the Isle of
Dogs refused to lend their support, provoking mass outrage.
In 1972, a
testimonial for Millwall defender
Harry Cripps was marred by intense fighting between the two club's "firms", groups of hooligans intent on violence.
Millwall and West Ham United, separated by the
River Thames, are just under 5 miles apart.
[32]
Four years later, a Millwall supporter, Ian Pratt, died at
New Cross station[33]
after falling out of a train during a fight with West Ham fans.
Leaflets were later distributed at Millwall's home matches bearing the
words: "A West Ham fan must die to avenge him".
[34]
During a
League Cup game on 25 August 2009,
violent clashes transpired between the two sets of supporters' outside
Upton Park. Police estimated hundreds of fans were involved. Millwall supporter Alan Baker
[35] was stabbed and left fighting for his life.
[36][37] The pitch was invaded three times by West Ham supporters, causing play to be suspended.
[38]
The Football Association charged both clubs, investigated the aftermath
and eventually fined West Ham £115,000. They were found to have failed
to ensure their fans refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and
provocative behaviour and from entering the field of play. Millwall were
cleared of all charges.
[39]
Violence among fans at matches between the two clubs can become so
intense that there have been calls to never again allow games between
the two in cup competitions and that any future league games be played
behind closed doors.
[40]
Matches against other London sides, such as
Chelsea and
Tottenham are also
derbies and violence has occurred between fans although the rivalry is not as intense as that between West Ham and Millwall.
[41][42]
Traditions
The Boleyn public house on the corner of Green St and Barking Road
West Ham's ground lies near the junction of
Green Street and the
Barking Road in
Newham. At the junction is the Boleyn
public house,
traditionally used by West Ham fans on match days. Visiting fans have
been made unwelcome and violence has occurred in this area.
[43]
Due to its proximity to the ground and its use by West Ham fans, the
pub has often been boarded-up before and after games with clubs who have
a rivalry with West Ham.
[44] West Ham fans also traditionally use The Queens public house on Green Street and near to
Upton Park tube station, and it has been the scene of violence involving West Ham fans.
[45] West Ham fans also use the
Greengate, Wine Bar and Village pubs on Barking Road and the Duke of Edinburgh pub at the junction of Green Street and Plashet Grove.
[46]
Fanzines
Starting in the late 1980s there have been many fanzines aimed at West Ham fans. These have included
The Cockney Pride,
The EastEnd Connection,
The Loyal Supporter,
UTD United,
The Boleyn Scorcher,
Never Mind the Boleyn,
Forever Blowing Bubbles,
Ultimate Truth,
We Ate All the Pies,
Fortunes Always Hiding,
The Ultimate Dream,
On a Mission From God,
The Water in Majorca,
On the Terraces and
Over Land and Sea. Only the last of these is still in publication.
[47]
Racism, violence and hooliganism
West Ham fans have a tradition of violence and hooliganism.
[43] Their ground,
Upton Park, has also witnessed
racism amongst fans and here football hooliganism originated amongst
bovver boys in the 1960s.
[48] Sympathisers of the
National Front
have handed out National Front leaflets outside Upton Park particularly
following the launch of the National Front youth newspaper 'Bulldog' in
1977, and have successfully sold club memorabilia carrying 'NF' slogans
and motifs.
[49]
T Shirt with Mafia slogan
The origins of West Ham's links with
organised football-related violence
started in the 1960s with the establishment of The Mile End Mob (named
after a particularly tough area of the East End of London).
[48]
During the 1970s and 1980s (the main era for
organised football-related violence)
West Ham gained further notoriety for the levels of hooliganism in
their fan base and antagonistic behaviour towards both their own and
rival fans, and the police. During the 1970s in particular, rival groups
of West Ham fans from neighbouring areas (most often groups from the
districts of
Barking &
Dagenham) often fought each other at games.
In 1980 the club were forced to play their
Cup Winners Cup game against
Castilla behind closed doors to an empty ground after fans rioted at the away leg of the tie in the
Bernabeu.
[50] In 1985 five fans were stabbed on a
cross-channel ferry to France after fighting involving fans of West Ham,
Manchester United and
Everton.
[51]
In 2006 on their last appearance in European football twenty West Ham
fans appeared in an Italian court following their arrest after fights
with rival supporters in Sicily before and after West Ham's game against
Palermo in the away leg of their
2006–07 UEFA Cup game. At the home leg fans had bought T-shirts bearing the slogan "
The Mafia" – a reference to Sicily being the home of the
Cosa Nostra.
This was seen as antagonistic by Palermo fans. Six West Ham fans, six
police officers and five locals suffered minor injuries in fighting in
Sicily. Rival fans threw bottles and chairs in the city's
Teatro Massimo district. 500 people were involved in the brawl and police officers were attacked. It took police in
riot gear
more than an hour to bring the violence under control. An eyewitness
said, "West Ham fans behaved like animals, roaming the streets, bottles
in hand searching for anyone to fight".
[52] More than 2,500 West Ham fans travelled to Palermo for the game.
[53]
Inter City Firm
Mainly active in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, West Ham fans formed the
Inter City Firm ('ICF'), an English
football hooligan firm associated with the club. They were one of the most feared hooligan 'firms'.
[54] The name came from the use of
InterCity trains for away games.
[55] The ICF were one of the first "
casuals",
so called because they avoided police supervision by not wearing
football-related clothing. Fans' violent activities were not confined to
local derbies – the hooligans were content to cause trouble at any
game, though nearby teams often bore the brunt. During the 1990s, and to
the present day,
sophisticated surveillance
and policing, coupled with club-supported promotions and community
action, have reduced the level of violence, although the rivalry with
Millwall, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea remains.
Protest and pitch invasion
West Ham fans have taken part in
pitch invasions
and protests against the club's board of directors and their perceived
financial mismanagement, after poor performances on the pitch or to show
disapproval at the sale or purchase of players such as
Lee Bowyer.
[56][57][58] Other notable pitch invasions took place in the 1990s against West Ham's launch of
The Hammer's Bond, a
debenture which would have forced fans into the purchase of a bond before they could buy a season ticket.
[57] In 1992 a post-match demonstration by fans against the scheme and new
managing director,
Peter Storrie, before a home game against
Wimbledon was followed by pitch invasions in home games against
Everton and
Arsenal.
The West Ham board of directors were influenced by the fans' protest
and announced that the purchase of a bond would no longer be required in
order to buy a season ticket.
[59] Of 19,301 bonds originally available less than 1000 were sold.
[60]
In modern culture
The 2005 film
Green Street Hooligans (an allusion to the road on which the Boleyn Ground stands) depicted an American student, played by
Elijah Wood, becoming involved with a fictional firm associated with West Ham, with an emphasis on the rivalry with Millwall.
[61][62]
Although they originally allowed filming inside West Ham's ground, the
directors of West Ham withdrew their permission once they became aware
of the violent content of the film.
[62] West Ham hooliganism was again highlighted in the 2008 film
Cass, based on the life of well-known former hooligan
Cass Pennant.
[63]
Olympic Stadium
Following the building of the
Olympic Stadium in
Stratford, London for the
2012 Summer Olympics
West Ham United put forward proposals which would see the club leave
their Boleyn Ground location and relocate to Stratford. On 22 March
2013, West Ham secured a 99-year lease deal, with the stadium planned to
be used as their home ground from the 2016–2017 season.
[64] West Ham United supporters backed these proposals with 85% in favour of a move in a poll conducted by
YouGov, in May 2013.
[65]
