Amongst the best things about supporting West Ham, especially back in the 60’s and 70’s was the banter on the terraces. The cockney comedy takes a lot of beating with it’s unique style and terrace banter was at an all time high back in those days. One fans wit can lighten a moment or at least put a sense of perspective on the game we watch. To let Keith Coleman know he is “not mustard today” can make us forget we are losing 3-0, if only for a moment or two. However, just once in a while it takes just one fan to shout something against the trend, but yet have an amazing affect on everyone at the ground. One lone voice can start an avalanche on many a match day, but at an FA Cup semi final against Middlesbrough in April 2006 what happened bucked the trend of what had been conventional forever. Whoever the fan was that day, I am sure what he did was done on pure impulse, just like the cockney banter that has been heard at the Boleyn so often before.
John Lyall had of course passed away the week leading into the game and a period of silence before kick off had been organised to remember him. A wonderful servant to the club, John had his playing career at the Hammers cut short by a knee injury after just 36 appearances in the early sixties. He went on to manage the club from 1974 to 1989 and was much loved by the fans. John’s reign had seen our best ever finish in the League in 85/86, two FA Cup Final wins, a League Cup final and replay, a record winning margin in the old second division and two wonderful cup runs in Europe including another final. Most of the best ever football played at Upton Park was played under the man. But more importantly, anyone who had the honour to meet John, knew what a lovely unassuming person he was – a real gentleman.
Everyone at Villa Park that day had set themselves to show their respect before the match. The silence tribute was of course traditional to honour great men and woman of our game after their passing and anyone making any noise at all is frowned upon. One thing West Ham fans are famous for is their own way of showing respect. In another Cup semi final some fifteen years earlier it was “Billy Bond’s claret and blue army” that rang around the same ground, Villa Park, as our ten men lost 4-0 to Forest in a game where the cards had been unfairly dealt to us. What was unique of course was that the song was sung for 25 minutes non stop, even when we were conceding goals. Back to 2006 and one lone chant of “Johnny Lyall’s claret and blue army” as the silence was called for, started the whole West Ham army into the song. Many opposition fans booed the West Ham reaction to ignore the call for silence, but in hindsight I am sure they now understand that the song was much more fitting than the silence.
Both those semi finals made West Ham fans proud to be West Ham, regardless of the differing results of the two matches. Sometimes the results don’t matter.