Michael Lee

About me

Currently a freelance writer for the likes of Planet Football andThe Football Pink. Season ticket holder since 2012, although I end up attending more away games in the Midlands and North these days.

How I came to support West Ham

Growing up in Bristol during the noughties was to be overwhelmed by supporters of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (latterly Chelsea too). Supporters of City and Rovers were as rare as an magnanimous press conference by Jose Mourinho.

With an interest in football ignited by the 2002 World Cup, I was initially in danger of following a big red club too. Luckily, my dad saw the danger and quickly took me to my first West Ham match - away at West Brom in February 2003. All I really remember of the game was missing both West Ham goals, having grown tired of standing on my seat. And they say you never forget your first time.

Nevertheless, I was hooked. Being a West Ham fan quickly became my USP at school, to the extent where it accounted for ninety percent of my personality. Supporting a team outside the Premier League (as we were during the mid 00s) was undeniably a formative experience in the cold realities of life.

I wouldn't say that supporting West Ham has shaped my outlook on life, although some would describe me as more pessimistic than Mark Corrigan. In fact, I believe it has given me a more balanced perspective, especially when compared to friends who cannot handle their oil-backed team enduring a two-game winless streak.

For that, I thank my dad for introducing West Ham into my life and am grateful for the bonding between us instigated by mutual exasperation over our form.

My best West Ham memory

My mum collecting me from a birthday party in April 2006 and telling me we were in the FA Cup final. Not even somebody saying how we would 'lose the final anyway' could detract from the moment - I could have burst into tears there and then. Those tears will be saved for the next time we reach one.

The best West Ham game I’ve ever seen

10th May 2016 - an occassion that grows in poignancy with every passing year. Could not have been scripted any better.