Irons heroes on my wall put current breed to shame

By CandH blogger Allen Cummings

I have a room at home that my sons call ‘my shrine’.

Since the boys flew the nest a few years ago, I’ve covered the walls of one of their bedrooms with photographs, many of them signed, featuring my own, personal Hammers heroes. I don’t suppose it will surprise many to know that they’re all players from a bygone era – well three eras actually – the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s.

The likes of Moore, Hurst and Peters; Bonds, Brooking, Devonshire, Stewart and Robson; McAvennie, Cottee, Parkes, Martin and Cross. Those players, and one or two others, were heroes to me and many other Irons then, and remain that way even now.

Although some, but not all, eventually moved on as footballers do, it’s what they did in the claret and blue, and how they did it, that will always ensure them of hero status in my mind.

It’s a sad indictment of today’s modern breed of footballer that few, if any, would stand the test of time the way those ‘oldies’ have!

The events of the last few weeks have illustrated perfectly that so many of modern day heroes are merely temporary, simply here today and gone tomorrow – motivated more by money than anything else.

They frequently depart leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. How many youngsters who not so long ago had Dimitri Payet pictures plastered all over their bedroom walls, have still got the evidence on show now?

There are also  many who more recently idolised Arnautovic but are now probably reconsidering the wisdom of their affections.

Someone put a photo of Billy Bonds on social media recently. He is the one man I put right up there, shoulder to shoulder, with the great Bobby Moore.

I can honestly say I never saw Bonzo once pat his chest and kiss the badge in a public show of affection. He didn’t need to. We could all see what it meant to him in every minute of every game he played.

Sadly it is a sign of the times that the big name players we covet, the marquee signings we demand, are only really here for the short term.

The nearest we have now to the old time heroes is Mark Noble. His loyalty alone deserves a special kind of status. But age is inevitably catching up  and the knives are coming out.  He doesn’t deserve that.

There’s very little room on my walls for any new additions which is probably just as well. While I’m still planning on being around for a little while yet, there’s little chance of any ‘real’ heroes sticking around with me!