Guest Post by Nigel Kahn
As a member of the Supporters Advisory Board I sit on the Farewell to the Boleyn sub-committee. We have been asked to gauge what fans would like to see happen across the Season long build up to the final game in May of 2016.
Every game has the opportunity to be themed and some examples that I would like to see are Youth Cup Final players, one game where every player to appear in a youth cup game is remembered and where possible introduced to the crowd either before or at half time, Overseas supporters game, where every overseas supporters club is given the opportunity to buy tickets for the same game and fill the Boleyn with their flags.
They are two of my choices, but this is not about my choices it is about you and everyone else’s choices and there are 19 premier league home games to be possibly themed so every idea has the potential of being incorporated. There are 2 questionnaires’ on my website. mywhufc.net
The first questionnaire is asking for general views on the final season
The second is more detailed about what you would like to see for the final game, My view is that once the final whistle has blown and the celebrations have finished, when the fans walk away that night that will be THE END. No friendly or testimonial, no tournaments or fans paying a fortune to play on the pitch, for me the final game must be the final game. When the fans leave it should be in the knowledge they have watched the final act of our time at the Boleyn
Would you like to see a special kit worn for the last game and if so what should it be modelled on, 1904? 1950’s? 1970’s. If you have a favourite kit that you would like to be seen worn then it’s your chance to say.
Would you like the Brass band brought back as they had in days of old or as i said, bring back the old style small square programmes, in fact anything you would like to see brought back from years ago then make the suggestion.
Should we have a choreographed event in a similar vein to the Bobby Moore 2013 tribute, my idea was to have each stand be given a commemorative T-Shirt that when worn would as a stand recreate a shirt worn years ago, imagine the Bobby Moore stand all wearing light blue T-Shirts except for 2 claret bands mimicking the away kit from the 60’s & 70’s.The West Stand could have bottom half claret with the top half blue with the claret stripes in the image of the famous 70’s kit, the east stand could be white all the way along with 2 bands across 1 claret and 1 blue like the famous old away kit that we re-introduced in 2010, then the Trevor brooking stand could just wear claret body with blue sides.
If you go on you tube and look at Arsenals last events that day everyone had red or white T-shirts, I looked good but we need to be better than that.
What would you like to see in a closing ceremony, Iron Maiden, Cockney Rejects, David Essex or even Chesney Hawks, all west ham fans that would probably jump at the chance to be at THE END when it happens?
And then after THE END is there any memorabilia you would like to purchase from the Boleyn Ground.
Personally I think all Season Ticket holders should be given their seat as a thank you but the club are not going to miss out on cashing in on the demise of the Stadium, i did argue the case at the SAB meeting but the club seem hell bent on charging fans for their own bit of the ground to take with them.
Remember the club belongs to us fans and we as fans should use this to tell the club how we think the Boleyn and those that played there, are remembered in its final hours in the last season.
One item that is not on the questionnaire that was asked at the meeting was what slogan could the club use for marketing and descriptive of the final season at the Boleyn, Arsenal was used again as a marker in that they used “The Last Salute”
This sat well with their nickname being the gunners; the club representative wanted something similar in regards to us. I came up with “THE END” which on the night was possibly the only answer given. The club reps were not impressed as it is not the end they said yet it is the end, the end for many, some I know personally, they will not move with the club due to various reasons and so for them it is “The End”.
As for those that will follow the club to Stratford then it’s still THE END as well, as it is highly likely they will never visit this part of Newham again. Many have no family nor were they brought up in the area so why would they come back.
Every West Hams fans footballing routine will END when we move to the OS so for me I see no other slogan to best describe it. The club of course will see it differently; they may struggle to see the marketing ability of THE END, even though in the meeting I did suggest that it then leads into the first season at the OS being called, The New Beginning for their marketing purposes.
Trying to get the last season right and trying to make it something all fans can get involved in and remember fondly will not be easy, especially when you’re dealing with club staff that were neither born into the area nor support the club till they arrived here, how can they truly understand the depth of feeling towards the ground, this is not just bricks and mortar to many, perhaps I am too emotionally attached to this place, but I will do my best as will the others on the farewell to the Boleyn committee to try and make sure that the match day attending fans are at the heart of all celebrations and it’s not used just as a way of selling some T-shirts with a slogan on.
Please take the time to go to my Website mywhufc.net and click on the farewell to the Boleyn box, there will be two links for the questionnaires and I will share my findings once the process has finished.
