I spoke to the man behind the youtube film which went viral in the last twenty four hours. West Ham fan Jonny Madderson answered my questions about the video which has struck a chord with many West Ham supporters.
SW> It is a very powerful video, can you tell me a bit about yourself and your history supporting West Ham?
JM> I’m a London-based filmmaker and have been a West Ham fan for 25 years. My older brother is also a West Ham fan. My first game was 2-0 v Oxford United in 1991 – Stuart Slater was amazing that day. Never had a season ticket, but always gone from season to season. I used to like sitting in the east stand at the Boleyn Ground.
What made you make the video?
There is a huge disconnect right now between the club and the fans. The board claim the migration has been a huge success but the fans are unhappy and feel disillusioned. That disconnect creates a negative atmosphere that spreads – you can feel it in the stands, on social media, in the press and in the pubs. This season has been one big downer! (And I haven’t even started on the football yet!)
But rather than whinging or infighting or regretting what can’t be turned back, we need to unite and move forward together – without ever forgetting what makes West Ham special.
That’s what this film is about. A sort of rallying cry to become West Ham United once more, and make this stadium a fortress.
SW> What would you like to change?
JM> The biggest hope for the video is that it starts a constructive, urgent conversation between the board and the fans that leads to positive change.
To be clear, we are not living in the past. Football is a business, we know we need to make money to keep up with the times and see good football on the pitch. The stadium move is progressive and ambitious and could be a very exciting opportunity – but it won’t be easy to pull off and the board need our help.
So far, the fans haven’t been brought along the journey and we haven’t had any input in the shape of the Club’s future. The board need to acknowledge this, drop all the bluster about the success of the move, and recognise that improvements need to be made and the fans should be integral to these changes.
One significant problem for example is the match day experience. It feels like a trip to the Excel centre right now – we need to work hard to make it feel like a trip to West Ham and the board need the fans’ help – so that it doesn’t end up being a marketing department’s vision of what a west ham match day experience is.
The film doesn’t try to solve the problems by any stretch. But hopefully it starts a conversation.
SW> How do the board become world class?
JM> It’s easy to talk a good game, but to become world class you need to deliver on it too. So when big talk about player recruitment doesn’t materialise, it feels small time. When you talk about the stadium migration as a resounding success, yet your fanbase feels more disillusioned that at any other time in recent memory, it feels small time. We are at a crossroads right now and the board need to step up their game – how they move forward will define the future of the Club.
We can’t blag this one… Let’s make sure we get it right!