EVERYTHING CHANGES – even club badges!

By Hugh Southon

Editor ClaretandHugh

I wear a retro shirt which carries the crossed hammers and on the back is the number 6… for very obvious reasons!

The days in which the retro shirt was the ‘real’ shirt live in my heart forever – they will go with me to my grave – they were the best times of my life from a footballing perspective.

But you know what – everything changes as is very capably demonstrated by the image above from the 1920s:

O the ball we use now,

O the boots,

O  3pm Saturday kick offs

O the no substitutes rule

O the back pass rule to the keeper

and much more I can’t be bothered to detail. It’s a given in life and a given in football

If many of our former heroes could come back and take a look now they probably wouldn’t recognise the game they graced.

So excuse me if I can’t get overly excited about the Hammers hierachy merely thinking – and consulting with the fans – about possible revisions to the badge.

It’s a discussion at this stage, nothing more, yet already we have seen – in some cases – a very angry response. WHY? Isn’t discussion allowed?

We’ve been told things won’t change unless a majority of fans agree and until anything different happens we need to accept that.

From where I’m sitting the reaction against any form of change is a little bit absurd.  To react about a discussion about ‘where next?’ is just ridiculous.

If this argument had been allowed to prevail down the years we would still be named Thames Ironworks and we’d all have short back and sides or moustaches with our barnets plasterd down with thick grease.

Can we please accept that discussion is good …that things change and that everybody, whatever the perception to the contrary, has the best interests of this great club deeply engraved on our hearts.

Many of you will know that I was once very fortunate enough to act as Bobby Moore’s ghost writer in the media and remember doing a bit of brown nosing.

I recall saying: “That 1966 World Cup team and the way the game was played will never be surpassed Bob.”

He fixed me with a look only Mooro could give and said: “Grow up Hughie …the best memories are in our heads – that’s the best camera of all!

“Everything changes and we need to embrace it. Football is still a great game. It may have changed but it’s no less great.”

We may or may or may not need to change the badge but let’s at least be allowed to discuss it!

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, the camera in our heads Bob spoke of so eloquently and the love we all have for the claret and blue will continue regardless.