They Fade and Die…for now

If you had asked me, or any West Ham supporter what we expected to happen given:

a)    A move to the Olympic Stadium

b)    A clear commitment to pushing the club into the Champions League stratosphere

c)    Expectations of consistent top 6 domestic league success

We all would have said, yeah, right. Bollocks.

And strangely we were right on the money. 

Here’s a SelfonSoccer overview for the last 2 ½ years.

a)    Bilic in

Payet BS's his Lie-Detector Test

b)    Grab a few players no one had heard of

c)    One comes good – Payet and now we are buzzing

d)    Get into Europa on the ‘Fair Play’ deal – get knocked out Qualifying Round 3

e)    Beat a bunch of teams we hate – they all beat each other too

f)     We finish in the top 10 but end the season looking like defensive swiss cheese

g)    Make Europa thanks to Man Utd winning the FA Cup

h)    Move to the Olympic Stadium

i)      Get knocked out in the playoff round against the same Muppet team

j)      Payet has a meltdown – doesn’t play. Goes home

I see it. It's moving......

k)    Crap season – finish 11^th

l)      Second year at the Olympic Stadium

m)   Bilic gets the boot

n)    ‘The Chosen One’ gets the nod. 1 point from 2 games.

o)    Currently 18^th in the league – 10 points from 13 games – goal difference -14

p)    We haven’t even played Man City yet.

Pretty Bubbles in the Air........a fly?

So, to summarize. Exactly as we expected.

One day you’ll have kids. They may be smart and good looking – but probably not. So the kid you love who is not that smart and a 7/10 dates a hottie. You are over the moon – love it. Tell the neighbors and invite the kid over right after you clean the entire house, park the 1995 shitty Mazda around the corner and order food in because:

1)    Your cooking would be banned 9/10 times if inspected by the Health Department

2)    The lighter fuel for the Barbie has gone missing

3)    Microwave dinners don’t set a great example

So the awesome hottie comes over. But all the time you know this is a case of ‘make hay while the sun shines’. Deep down you feel sadness for your kid – you know this is a ‘flash in the pan’. Deep down it was you 25 years ago when you took that Spanish bird out for a meal in the West End.

Such is the life of a West Ham supporter. One Swallow doesn’t make a summer. In fact, one swallow never even made a ‘somewhat surprising less crappy day’.

And so I present the life of a Hammers Supporter. Crap.

But I have a plan. I am going to save West Ham United. I am going to do something that will provide a lifeline of gritty ‘working class talent’ that the Irons need. I am starting a business, so I can have my own money to support, coach, develop and link the most athletic footballers to West Ham United.

They are here, in the US. But they don’t play ‘Soccer’. It costs too much. Think of Basketball in the UK. Totally crap. You have to pay to rent 4 badminton courts to actually play a game indoors.

The US has ‘pay for play’ soccer. It doesn’t work – just look at the US Men’s Team. Awful.

Soccer is a working-class sport. You got to want to play because it is the only thing that will get you out of the ghetto.

I’m back on the blog. I’m working with my partner, Jill, to sell the most successful and fastest growing skin care products on the market.

Here it is - just click on this - Matt Self Rodan & Fields

Why?

Because you have to have your own money to do something.

5 Years. That’s my target. Still teaching along the way and loving it.

The very minimum is this:  In 5 years I will pay for a kid with nothing to get the best coaching and have a chance of a full scholarship at a Division 1 College. Plus time at West Ham United’s Youth Academy.

What do you hope for in those moments when all is possible?

Stay in touch – check out a few things. The Hammers will be back. Just be patient. Thanks for reading. Thanks to Earl, a guy who coaches youth soccer over here in Indiana and loves West Ham. Thanks to Cosmo - a kid who I teach Science to and now loves West Ham.