Who am I, Who are we?

First of all let me introduce myself. Born in Forest Gate I started going to the home of football in 1975 and had my first season ticket in 1978. I have had one ever since.

I still get as excited on match day as I ever did. The day drags and 3pm never seems to come around. I am more than an addict; this club is part of my identity, a continuum, a thread that has joined the dots of my entire life.

Our team is one of the most connected to the area in which it exists; we have local lads playing for us and more pushing through. Our first team contains more English or UK players than almost any in the Premier League.

Along with Southampton I believe we have provided - and will continue to provide - more than our fair share for the national team. This is something that, apart from the debacle of Carlos Tevez, had provided us with the title of most of the nation's second team.

For a club that reaches a Cup Final every 20 years, we punch well above our weight in terms of the amount of people who have a massive soft spot for us. Her Majesty's press is littered with West Ham addicts, and we have more than our fair share of celebrities.

In short, we are/were a proper football club run properly and one that contributes to the sport we love. I am proud of my team and the place in the world it inhabited.


Should we renew?

I have seen numerous highs and lows and consider the lows paying your dues for the highs. However this season has made me question all of the above. My money is now paying for one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League. 'Manager' I use advisedly and in quotes, a man who has one agent for all seasons.

He is a man who has one style of play as far removed from anything resembling football as can be considered. A man due to both of the above who is no longer capable of signing the players we need. A man who regards having a Plan B as a personal insult to his brilliance, rather than adjusting to reality.

If that style of play was breeding or preparing for success I might understand it, but it’s not. It’s actually doing the reverse. It is ruining the work of our Academy by abusing our youth system. It is wrecking the future of players like Ravel who has been caught up in the spider's web. It's making fools of us fans as we are paying for this man’s ruination.

He's the reason why we bought a long-term injured Andy Carroll; Stewart Downing; Emanuel Pogatetz; Roger Johnson; Marouane Chamakh; Nicky Maynard; Sam Baldock; Matt Jarvis... the list is endless. Money wasted on panic signings.

He is a manager who has abused his own 'fans' - a manager so deluded nothing will absolve him of his own brilliance. I can no longer make any more donations in good conscience and thereby tacitly endorse him. I am considering making the sacrifice of the greater good.

Right now I've had a belly full of that man, and his excuses over situations he created are making me lean towards not renewing. A very big decision and sacrifice, but I don’t see any other way forward. As long as David Sullivan and David Gold get my money they will save the cost of sacking Sam for another day.

I think we should all hold back from renewing and send a signal to the board that they won't get our money while they continue to prolong the abuse of everything this club stands for and hopes to achieve. It's not about thick or thin, its about doing what's right for the club.

The Bond protests, Brown Out! etc were all conducted in the name of what is best for the club. Not renewing would be done for the same reason. We deny you the right to force us watch our team and traditions be subverted to massage the ego and wallet of Sam Allardyce.

For the greater good, we refuse to give you our money until you put our club back on a proper footing, put the Academy back at the core, put the football back in shape, put transfers back in a transparent and clear fashion.

Supporters of this club have never done so without question, as we are being asked to do now. Clearly they as well as us have been taken for a ride. Time to get the abuser of all the other passengers off the bus.

Dear Chairmen: if you love this club, please give us it back and take it away from that man.
Don’t make me sacrifice a 30-year love affair...

* Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.

* Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the highlighted author/s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of KUMB.com.


More Opinion