Sam Allardyce doesn’t know what the West Ham Way is…nor does Alex Ferguson or Graeme Souness despite them being old enough to know better.
Sadly the forums both here and elsewhere appear to show that many of our younger fans either don’t understand what it is or are starting to believe it never existed – presumably having listened to the Sunderland manager for too long.
So for the record here are two explanations – one from its founder Ron Greenwood – and the other from a group of eastenders who truly get it.
It’s interesting too that a Croatian – now our manager – who spent one season at the club understands it totally unlike the blokes mentioned above who have spent a lifetime managing in this this country.
Odd indeed!
Ron Greenwood eloquently explained the West Ham way in 1977 when he said: ‘The crowds at West Ham haven’t been rewarded by results but keep turning up because of the good football they see.
THE WEST HAM WAY!
Here endeth the lesson…
It’s the last 2 in that list for me. Once a Hammer always a Hammer!
Can I add it’s getting beaten up as an 11 yo in may after the 1-0 FA CUP WIN V gooners as well I went out in my hammers shirt,
Then the next weekend going up to the same aggressor and taking off my jumper to show the very same shirt
And not running Tiddy that’s the West Ham Way,
Pride,Feel no fear,Follow were ever the team goes,
There’s a difference of wanting to know and making it convenient to not know because you are not capable of building a team and the spirit that goes with it
Thanx Hugh… No true Hammer older 45 needs to be told..BUT to the rest and the non believers Allardyce-Alex Ferguson-Souness read and weep!! COYIs that’s the WEST HAM WAY.
Ha ha. Everyone has their own version of what the West Ham way is. After all they’ve had four years to work on it. Ha ha ha
As I said before …
It is not just about midfielders and hitting
teams on the break!
THE WEST HAM WAY:
In the deserts of Sudan –
And the gardens of Japan –
From Milan to Yucatan,
Every woman, every man …
Pass it with your right foot quick!
Pass it, pass it!
Je t’adore, ich liebe dich –
Pass it, pass it, pass it!
Pass it with your left foot quick …
Pass it slowly, pass it quick –
Pass it, pass it, pass … it!
In the wilds of Borneo,
And the vineyards of Bordeaux!
Eskimo – Arapaho –
Move their balls to and fro …
Pass it with your right foot quick –
Pass it, pass it!
Das ist gut! C’est fantastique!!!
pass it, pass it, pass it –
Pass it with your left foot quick –
Noble to be a lunatic!
Pass it, pass it, PASS IT …
With your head, with your foot, PASS!
In the Cup of Sixty-Six,
On the road to Wemb-er-ley,
From Milan to Taipei …
In back yards and ev-er-y alley …
Pass it with your right foot quick
Pass it, pass it –
C’est si bon, mm? Ist es nicht?
Pass it, pass it, pass it –
Pass it with your left foot quick
Two wing backs, who click, tick!
Pass it, pass it, pass … it!
Pass it, pass it, pass it,
Pass it, pass it, pass it, ohhh!
Head it, pass it, pass it, pass it,
Pass it, pass it, pass it, pass it, pass it …
Pass it, pass it, pass it, SCORE!!!
– with apologies to Ian Dury and the Blockheads! 😀
Brilliant
Just wish BFS would focus on his team and their problems. Can’t believe that he’s still bitter about his lack of understanding of the culture of a club he was privileged to manage for 4 yrs. We’ve moved on and so should you Sam. COYI!
Good job we didn’t get Juergen Klopp as our manager. I would love to hear him in a press conference explaining the West Ham way defined as the “blitz spirit”. Ha ha.
No doubt the walrus thought that west ham way is a street behind upton park.
So Ron Greenwood described it as ‘good football’ in the quote above; but this doesn’t actually say what it is AT ALL! It seems to me that it is about passing the ball from the back and patient build up play (rather than break-aways), and not long balls by-passing the midfield?? THAT defines it more. Much as I like the bullheaded Tiddy (above) who came back for more after getting beaten up after we beat Arsenal in the FA Cup 1980, what on earth has that got to do with the style of play? That is simply saying that manager needs to respect their fans (whilst those fans, of course, have a divine right not to respect the manager…one way process!)…I am really sad that this forum that could have really nailed what the West Ham Way has simply disolved into passionate platitudes instead of specifially defining exactly what the West Ham way is. If we can’t do it on our own forums, how CAN anyone get it? It is actually embarrassing! What I can say is that whilst West Ham often managed frustratingly to lose in the 70s, on our day we were brilliant – Bonds, Moore, Brooking, Devonshire, Pop Robson….somehow the football was more flowing and exciting. These days – across the Prem – it is seems much more about attrition / cancelling each other out. E.g The Newcastle game; sure we won 2-0, but it wasn’t actually a feast of football… 2 superb goals but not much else….So I challenge people to define the West Ham Way in terms of purely the style of football – is it 433? 442? Is it Barcelona short passing zippy footbal?? What is it? Or is the West Ham way ONLY about the guts of the fans and nothing to do with the type of football? Let’s hear it: Here’s your opportunity to reply exactly to Sir Alex and all the others scratching their heads; but PLEASE don’t leave them even more confused and give them the ammunition to take the Mick out of us.
Most of the time its only the bloody media who bang on about The West Ham Way.You dont see fans talking about it all the time.Until i started using forums it never even came up in conversations with fellow fans.It is all just media driven these days.Highlighted because of Hippos comment about it when he was with us.Put it back to bed 😉