11 Comments

Remembering Danny on 25 minutes

DannyI know there has been many requests for a minute’s applause at the London Stadium this season. A week doesn’t seem to go by without some tragic news of a West Ham fan life ending far too soon.

The club always insist these tributes must be fan led rather then club led although they remain happy to be ready to put up photos on the London Stadium big screens if the crowd break into spontaneous applause at the allotted time.

Today we were touched to hear another tragic tale of one of our own who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of twenty five last Thursday. His good friend Grant contacted us asking to promote a minutes applause on the 25th minute on Saturday while telling us about his mate Danny.

Grant told us: “I was a friend of Danny’s – we were very close, speaking daily and seeing each other most times at least once a week. Danny’s first Hammers game was in November 1998 at the age of 6, with his dad, Jeff and brother Steve. West Ham played Leicester city and won 3-2.

“Danny had just turned 25 years old on March 3rd. Danny and I have been going to West Ham together for just over 10 years. Our first season tickets were in 2007 at the age of 15, but we had been going to games before this too. We have been season ticket holders on and off since, and I’d estimate we’d been to about 200 games together (including some away) – our last away game together was up in Liverpool in December 2016 where the score finished 2-2.”

Danny2“Danny and I both agreed our favourite away day was Goodison park in March 2016 (Dan’s birthday weekend) where we were 2-0 down in the 79th min and won 3-2. We stayed for half hour after the game with hundreds of West Ham fans singing in the stadium. It was a great day. We also were able to use the trip to visit his girlfriend in Liverpool, so it really was the perfect weekend for him.”

” As for our Match day ritual on a weekend, we would often meet a few hours before the game for a fry-up in Hornchurch or Elm Park. We would then head up to Stratford and go to a pub near the ground (we were in a period of trying different pubs every week because of the recent move, but at Upton Park we used to go into Queens or The Boleyn regularly. We would also meet Danny’s brother and friend for pre-match drinks, and sometimes family on my side. We would go into the bookies and get our scorecasts on for the game.”

“Danny had no illness. He had gone to the West Ham v Chelsea game Monday night and dropped me off home after this, which is the last time I saw him before receiving the terrible news Thursday.  We were all talking on the group chat on the Wednesday night about the Barcelona v PSG game – Dan was talking about some of the bets that he’d seen people had won, and sent his last message at 23:07. We were told that he passed away in his sleep around midnight.”

“Danny was a current season ticket holder sitting in block 130 at the London Stadium”.

Please remember Danny on the 25th minute by joining in a minute’s applause.

 

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

11 comments on “Remembering Danny on 25 minutes

  1. I logged on to say for Gods sake can we stop these bloody round of applauses every sodding match it’s getting silly. And then I read the article. Flipping heck isn’t that awful. If I can’t be arsed to join in a round of applause on 25 mins I deserve my arse kicked. RIP young man.

  2. Read the article fully,,very sad feel for you all,I hope he gets his round of applause on Saturday RIP Danny . COYI

  3. Personally, and it’s just a personal opinion, I think they do need to be stopped. People go to watch football not attend memorials for strangers they have they have never met, notwithstanding that these are all sad cases. In fact all deaths are very sad for those close to the deceased but is it appropriate to request 57,000 strangers to join in? Maybe it would be better to display the photos of deceased fans collectively in a video montage a couple of times per season.

    I am not being disrespectful, I just think it is getting too much and the appropriateness is questionable in the first place.

    • That was my initial feeling Sparrow but then you read the article and it’s tough to begrudge a photo and a round of applause but yeah going forward the club needs to come up with something otherwise matches will become one long wake!

  4. I don’t disagree John and Sparrow as these tributes have become an oh too regular occurrence. We have heard of requests to mark anniversaries of deaths of West Ham or friends or family who passesaway of natural causes.

    Obviously there must be a limit which is why the club insist these must be fan led. Out of the tragic stories of young people to pass away before their time this one touched me more than any after speaking to Grant.

    Personally I will be joining in on 25 minutes for Danny but that is a personal choice for all of us

  5. Morning all,

    I am Grant, the guy who spoke with Sean. Danny was my closest friend.

    On Monday 6th March I stood next to Danny at the London Stadium against Chelsea and in the 8th minute we applauded for the full 60 seconds in respect to Zara. Danny and I were very touched by this – a 60 second period where the football meant so little. The whole stadium stood and applauded and I personally felt a chill down my spine at this. When you consider the teething problems we’ve had at the stadium, I personally felt for those 60 seconds, the fans (both home and away) held the strongest togetherness we’ve had all season. This is what prompted my request – not because I want to mourn the loss of my friend, but I want to respect and celebrate the life of Danny with tens of thousands of other fans that shared the same lifetime passion as Danny.

    I’ve personally received hundreds of condolence messages from West Ham fans – and it’s this that makes me realise how special our fan base is. At times like this everybody pulls together – if only the media would publish stories like this instead of West Ham making the back pages every time a small scuffle breaks out.

    I will personally applause for the full minute from 25:00, and Danny will have a lot of family and friends scattered around the stadium who will also applaude. I do hope that others join in because for myself and Danny the applause on Monday is a memory that will stick with us (sadly for him he has taken this memory with him so early) and I owe it to Danny as a friend who was taken far too early to give him the same spine tingling send-off amongst many of his family, friends and fellow hammers ⚒.

    • Good Luck Grant, i hope it happens, ill be applauding.
      I understand fellow fans being cautious about these, but when its a case of a young life just ending and a big hammers fan to boot, i cant see the problem, hopefully it will bring comfort and some pride to his family and friends in the ground.

      • Good luck Grant and I’ll be clapping like a demented seal too, I’m sure the whole stadium will and it’s the very least he and his friends and family deserve. Don’t mistake comments on here about the wider picture as a lack of respect as nothing could be further from the truth. RIP Hammer.

  6. I am going to speak against this regular concept of remembering departed fans at matches.

    Before I do so I clearly have to state that I, I’m sure along with every man woman and child reading this site, pass my sincere condolences to Danny’s family and friends. My comment is not about Danny specifically, rather the concept in general of having memorials at football matches.

    Most of this same band of Hammers men, women and children will have had relatives and friends, often also Hammers fans, that have departed too soon. What’s the definition of “too soon”, my Mum died at 62, should have been 92 at least? One of my finest memories is watching the 1975 Cup Final with her.

    Football matches are for football, not memorials for our lost loved ones.

    This my personal opinion on a touchy subject, I respect the views of those who disagree.

  7. Is it so hard to clap for a minute for someone who was taken away far too early. If it gives the friends and family a small piece of comfort then what is there to complain about.

    Those of you who question this should hang your heads in shame.

  8. Grant, my condolences on the loss of your dear friend, Danny.
    My comments above are not targeted at your request specifically. They are a reflection of my sincere opinion on the topic in general.

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