Former West Ham shot stopper Phil Parkes has pulled no punches ahead of Chelsea’s visit to London Stadium on Monday evening.Writing his column for Blowing Bubbles Monthly, in association with Claret and Hugh, Parkes says the west London side were “mediocre for many years’ before Roman Abramovich’s billions transformed their fortunes.
He said: ‘I can recall the days when they were a very ordinary club on the other side of London with a bunch of celebrity fans. Stamford Bridge was an awful place, a vast bowl.
When I played on it in 1982 for Ian Hutchinson’s testimonial it was as bad as playing on Skegness beach – an awful surface for what had always been a very average club.
‘I remember going there in 1986 when we smashed ‘em 4-0 and Alan Devonshire cracked one home from around 35 yards. None of us realised he could kick it that far!
They were just another London club who struggled along without there being any danger of them getting any better. They were mediocre for many years. End of.’
Parkesy also discusses whether West ham should one day sell out to billionaires such as Abramovich and what it would mean personally to him were it to happen.
Get your copy of Blowing Bubbles’ March issue here > www.blowing-bubbles.co.uk/read-our-latest-issue.html
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