The Premier League has spiralled out of control

Ok, first things first my love for West Ham United will never fade and die, however, my affection for football in general is being properly tested.

As I strolled away from the game Saturday evening, I encountered a strange feeling; the defeat did not really upset or overly bother me!  It is not that I don’t care, nothing is further from the truth, but in the end what can we realistically expect West Ham to achieve when playing a club which in terms of finance and strength is on another planet to us!  I thought the players put in a good shift and gave their all but it was plainly obvious that Manchester City at any time in the game could step it up and in the end they comfortably won the game.

As West Ham fans in 2013 what can we cling to?  The glorious result at White Hart Lane, gave us all that amazing buzz, which comes from being a Hammer, we embraced it and why should we not?  However, is the most we can expect when following the club now?  Ok, you may all argue this has this not always been the West Ham way over the years and to a point I agree, but now I feel the hope that we could win something, compete at the top end of the league is no longer there.

The Premier League has now become a money-making business and in my eyes the big teams and particularity the foreign coaches see it simply as a qualifying phase for the Champions league, which now seems to take priority over anything and is arguably now sadly more important than the World Cup.  I now feel like I am supporting a club who is simply in the league to make up the numbers.

I started attending the Boleyn on a regular basis with my mates in 1992, I was a Junior Hammer it cost me £5 to get in to the North Bank, we had just been relegated, but I loved it!  When I look about in the Bobby Moore Lower now, I do not see groups of teenagers watching the game together and given the obscene costs of modern football I understand why this is the case.  Now I am probably being a bit of a moaning old git about how the old days were better, but back then we had some hope that the club could compete and win a cup. These days cups really mean nothing, simply staying the Premier League has come the goal, giving the finances involved!

And that is the issue for me, MONEY, it is killing the soul of football and being a fan.  Celebrating finishing mid-table or securing a top 4 spot over enjoying a day at Wembley is all what is wrong with the game in my opinion.  Nothing will change now the game that I fell in love with has gone it is a different beast now, becoming a money making business, clubs are toys for rich owners with no affection for the club they bought!

When the Premier League began in 1992 I agree that football improved in this country, but the brand was allowed to spiral out of control and this is where we are now

Away from West Ham, for the first time in ages last week I enjoyed the England game and was buzzing about the World Cup.  As fans were we allowed to enjoy it, hell no, the press had another agenda and once again all things England related were negative. The 24/7 media coverage of football is too much, journalists think they are celebrities they know as much as me and you, yet they can create such negativity if they have an agenda and need to sell papers.

Finally good to see Bonzo defending himself this week, he was manager when I first got a season ticket and they are days that I cherish.