Raise a glass to the Hammers family – that’s US!

By Scott Alsweiller

How nice at this stage of the season that we can all breath a healthy sigh of relief.

We’re safe from the relegation most pundits were predicting for us and we’ve seen just how good this squad is, led by the tireless Mark Noble, and managed by Slaven Bilic – a man whose full potential we have yet to see.

But let’s take a look at ourselves. I mean us, the fans. Many of us are born to it. Local, with Hammers families, Saturdays spent at the Boleyn, always the faithful. But let’s also look at the others. They’re just as important, and came to us of their own accord. They’re also ‘us’.

I’ve been living in America for over a decade. I’ve met American Hammers, I’ve even converted a few to the cause. And one of the things I hear runs along the lines of this: “I liked football, but when I first saw West Ham (usually on the telly), there was something special, some I can’t quite define”.

And that’s true. It’s the special atmosphere, and passionate intensity that you can feel even through a television screen from thousands of miles away. Talk to some Australian fans, or Kiwis, or Turks, or fans from countless other places around the world. They’ll tell you the same thing. There’s something special about this club. And that special devotion echoes and resonates around the world these days, the strains of Bubbles ringing clear.

That something special is in large part generated by that first group – the Boleyn Faithful. The season ticket holders, who come out in all weather, who sing and cheer, who laugh and cry. Those who were in the old Chicken Run – and those who were born later. All have contributed, and will continue to contribute, to that wonderful feeling.

It’s often said that we’re a family. A huge, diverse, extended family. From all over England, from all over the UK from all around the world, there’s a family of Irons. I don’t believe there’s another club in existence with quite the depth of support and camaraderie that we share. I could, of course, be a little biased. And why shouldn’t I be? After all, I have that huge Hammers family standing beside me.

So here’s to us. The diehards, those that will always be Hammers. We’ve been there through thick and thin, and it’s often been mostly thin. But we’re still here. And our numbers are growing.