Yes, they had 3 or 4 really top, top players. DK was one of them.
Yep, we've had some good years. Many of us can't quite believe it's been 40 years since that FA Cup win over Arsenal in 1980 (although we should have won it in 2006 - bloody Liverpool again...).
It's not that we feel entitled (if you support WHU (or yourselves, by the sound of it) you really can't be a glory hunter
), just that with 64, 75 & 80, we got a bit too used to it! It's the hope that kills you..
Could easily be another 40 years before any more success..
In 1980 I lived in Essex. I used to work an area from the East End of London all throughout the county of Essex. I don't think I've ever seen such fervent support for a football team as that which I witnessed for West Ham. Just about every car I saw had claret and blue ribbons on it. Everywhere I went I saw car stickers and scarves and posters - you just couldn't get away from it - and people spoke about West Ham, with such affection. I hadn't realised until then, what a big club West Ham were. If I'm correct, you sold over 50,000 season tickets this season - considerably more than Arsenal and only just slightly less than that other London club, "Manchester United".
My early memories of West Ham were good ones. 1970's team with Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard Senior, Clyde Best, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Pop Robson and the like. West Ham used to be known as "The Academy of Football", because they played football the beautiful way and brought so many good players through. I never liked Trevor Brooking as a player though. I know he was technically very good - but he was boring compared with our maverick, Tony Currie - and he kept Currie out of the England side for that reason. I was to go on to dislike Brooking even more, a few years later, when he was in a position of influence which, in business, would be called "a conflict of interest". But let's not open up that old wound again!
West Ham seem to be a team, a bit like us, who found it difficult to stay at the top level of football consistently. I know why that is for us - it's basically down to mismanagement of the club and a dire lack of ambition. So, you can imagine how "most" of us Blades (not all of us obviously) are feeling right now, to see our club being managed properly and see the investment being made on the playing side of things. It's just a dream come true. At one time (before my time) our club was referred to as "a powerhouse of Northern football". Some of us dream that we may become one again. And at very least, I want to see my team compete with some of the best teams in the world, in European competitions, before I eventually depart this mortal coil.
Should you ever venture to these parts and get to know the psyche of many of the people around here, it is one of low expectations and a feeling that something bad is bound to happen. Whether that's based on having the shit bombed out of us in the World War, or whatever, I don't know, but it's "glass half empty" syndrome for many folks and, to be honest, it gets a bit fuckin' depressing after a while. But you can't change these people - it's impossible. If you're not careful they'll drag you down to their level of despondency.
When you hear them telling you that things are not possible, or that if we did do one thing, we'd end up being disadvantaged by it in a different way, you just have to bloody well ignore them. But it's hard. It's like the old "Chinese Water torture" - where the constant slow drip of water on the forehead eventually sent folks mad. That's what it's like with some of these folks, "Not ready for the Prem", "Prefer to stay in the Championship", "We'll get thrashed every week", "Don't want to play in Europe, it'll cause us problems in the Prem", "drip, drip, drip, drip".
I hope your words of wisdom, about enjoying the good times while you can, and always wanting more, will help. But I wouldn't count on it! And some will tell you that winning the FA Cup in 1980 took it out of you and that's why you've not won much since!
