Well it looks like we have finally got the Olympic Stadium and I personally feel this is a step in the right direction. Although it is going to be hard to leave Boleyn Ground and leave some good memories behind. So I give you my personal top 5 moments/things about the Boleyn:
- Young English talent coming through the ranks – At the Boleyn ground we have seen so many good, and some may say great, English players grace the grass of Upton Park, for example, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Trevor Brooking, Alvin Martin and players more my era such as Tony Cottee, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Mark Noble and Jack Collison. I only hope the good time of bringing through top English talents continues and hopefully with a big, brand new stadium we can keep hold of them!
- Paolo Di Canio Wonder Goal – This is one of the moments that will forever stick in your mind and it happened at the Boleyn Ground! It is one of the best volleys of a ball I have ever seen, and probably will ever see, and it was by one of my favourite ever players.
- Carling Cup: West Ham 4 – Manchester United 0 – On a cold, snowy night at the Boleyn Ground, West Ham just ran riot over Manchester United with a Manchester old boy Jonathon Spector grabbing two goals and Carlton Cole also grabbing two. It was just one of them games when everything just went right for us and the football flowed. We made Manchester Utd look a poor Premiership side and we looked like the champions. I just hope we get those times for real in my life time!
- The West Ham fans – We have the best fans in English football I have always said it. We aren’t glory hunters and do not only sing when we are winning. We are whole hearted fans that give it all from start to finish and there is no better feeling than when you hear and start singing “I’m forever blowing bubbles”. It still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and always will and I can’t wait till I have children so I can let them experience the same thrill and excitement you get standing in a crowd of West Ham fans.
- The Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) itself – It may not be the best ground in the English Premier League but it most certainly can be the loudest and do you know what, this is our ground and it will always be in our heart and it will always be our home! I love the way we are right on top of the pitch and the noise that comes from the chicken run. It is just a thrilling place to be and I will miss it.
These are the things I will always remember from the Boleyn not everyone’s favourite memories will be the same but that’s what special, because everyone will have something that’s special to them about the ground. As I said at the start, I feel the move is right even though I will miss the Boleyn Ground or Upton Park whatever you want to call it, we as a club need to move forward and start a new era. Some fans are saying that the Olympic Stadium won’t be the same or it won’t have an atmosphere but how do we know? We haven’t even kicked a ball in there yet and the fact the atmosphere lays on our hands means that it is up to us as a group of fans as a club. It is our responsibility to make the atmosphere there electric! I love West Ham wherever they play. I will miss the Boleyn with all my heart but let’s make the Olympic Stadium something special.
Carl Bateson
Follow me on Twitter @BatesonCarl for feedback comments and general West Ham Banter
