By Allen Cummings
I’ve allowed myself a bit of ‘reflection time’ over the weekend. A chance to step back, draw a breath and re-assess our defeat by Wolves from a different perspective.
Yes I was appalled, angry, frustrated, disgusted and more, like so many others, by what I saw unfold on Saturday. That was not the way any of us would have wanted the afternoon to play out I’m sure. But was the ultimate defeat really ‘the end of the world’ as some people seem to be suggesting?
I went to the London Stadium, like many others, hoping to see our first win, at the very least our first point in the Premier League this season.
I was enjoying a pre match chat with a fellow supporter, a friend I’ve made through supporting West Ham, by sitting together first at Upton Park, and now at our new home.
When we’d exchanged our views on the season so far and our hopes for the game ahead, he almost casually told me he’d had a bit of “bad news” during the week. Not knowing what to expect, he went on to explain whilst attending hospital in relation to another medical issue, he’d been told they’d discovered signs of cancer in his liver and lungs.
I just didn’t know what to say. He was incredibly upbeat though, and talked openly about what lay ahead, the battle he faces and the determination he has to see it through.
Sadly the following 94 minutes of football failed to give him, and the rest of us, the lift that would have been so welcome in the circumstances.
My anger about the game was pretty raw immediately afterwards but then I began to think ‘did it really matter that much’?
In the grand scheme of things was it really as big an issue some were making it out to be? Is that famous Bill Shankly quote: “Some people think football is a matter of life or death. I can assure them that it is much more serious than that” actually correct.
Sorry Bill you got it wrong with that one. It’s really not that important! Certainly not after what I learned on Saturday. The older I get the more I realise football is a mere distraction to real life – not a representation of it.
I know my fellow supporter will be reading this because he’s a member of this particular forum. I just wanted to say you mate, I have so much admiration for you and your attitude to the road ahead. My hopes and prayers are with you all the way!
Been going through the same sort of thing as your pal but bowel instead of liver and let me assure you that the treatment and help you receive these days is brilliant. I’m just going through the final stages of chemo now and should be back to normal soon.
But one thing has changed and that’s my outlook on life, winning the footie match is not the most important thing to me now(but it sure does help!) .
Good luck to your friend, i wish him all the best. COYI
Best wishes Keith for a full recovery and hopefully our team will provide a bit of pep at some time soon.
On the article Allen best wishes to your friend who reads the forum congratz on his spirit, I have lost a number of friends including one over this weekend which I found about yesterday morning, I agree with you about Shankley’s quote, football is virtually irrelevant compared to the lives of those closest to us and almost every other thing in nature to be honest, we would all love to support a team that wins every week and plays amazing football but how does that affect us in reality, do we receive a fraction of the clubs income or the players salaries or for those motivated do they reflect in the fame or adulation ? I doubt it and even if we did would that outweigh those bigger things, my only ambition in life has ever been to be happy and have people to share good times with (friends, family and a wife). imho if we have happiness the rest tends to fall into place one way or the other, I am always disappointed when we lose of course but it is not that difficult to put it all into perspective. On my way home from East to West London after the game I had to go through North London on the train, then at Richmond I had people laughing about West Ham as I walked the three miles from the station back home across a busy park and eventually past my neighbours flats wearing my West Ham shirt getting abuse I laughed it all off, I said to them “its easy to support your teams during the good times” to be a West Ham supporter to me has never been about glory hunting, lets be honest we would have to be pretty dumb to have those ambitions right ? I have had over 40 years of abuse from all sorts of supporters right across the country and abroad, so why should I get stressed if we lose the first seven even, its nothing hahaha we are nothing like as pathetic as we were at times under Roeder, Bilic or Grant, things will improve, I think Pellegrini’s philosophy will work out given time and support but if it doesn’t will it affect me or any of us in real terms ?
Thank you
🙂
Well said. All the best to your friend.
Amen!! to all you have said.. Best wishes and prayers to your friend and to you also keith astley…. LIFE in PERSPECTIVE
Well said Allen and the best from all at CandH to your mate and you Keith – rooting for you buddy.