In spite of having no Premier League action, last week still proved a hell of a week to be a West Ham fan. On to Mark Noble’s testimonial; firstly, the man.
West Ham
I’m so glad his testimonial came at a time when he is genuinely playing the football of his career. His rise to this incredible form he’s in, has happened exactly in tandem with the wider fortunes of the team.
For me, this created a more meaningful and emotional atmosphere yesterday - like the club and Mark, had really genuinely earned the day. As for the day itself, was so great to see so many old faces back in the claret and blue.
Although, it struck me that I’d clearly forgotten a few things, including; how short Julian Dicks is, how big Trevor Sinclair’s backside is, how agile Ashton is for ‘a big man’ and how much Paolo liked a short corner.
Also, great to see Carlton ‘firing’ again - although quite a few Celtic fans watching on BT Sport hilariously didn’t seem to agree!
The coverage of the whole day also sounded great; it makes you wonder how many other clubs could have pulled a day like that off, in front of a sold-out stadium. Not many at all I’m betting - even more reason to feel proud about being a Hammer this season.
I think as well, that the game came at the perfect time for us. Will hopefully be a morale booster for fans and players alike, as we go into a month and a half which could define this season for a generation.
The Podcast
This week's dream team: Gooch, Westwood & Scull. Pic: KUMB.
Our guest this week was Graham Gooch. As listeners have already pointed out, the man has an incredible and almost encyclopaedic knowledge of West Ham that really came across!
I’d seen quite a few interviews with ‘Goochie’ and knew he liked to play a ‘straight bat’ (if you will) - so was hoping we’d be able to crack him and possibly even get a few laughs along the way; which we succeeded with when he pointed out that both him and Alan Devonshire dominated the '80s moustache scene with their enviable ‘porn star’ tache-dos.
It’s a great episode and well worth checking out if you can, and as always any feedback you’ve got, ping us an email to: podcast@kumb.com
We’ve got a week off this week, what with the international break, but are back next week.
By then our sponsors 888sport.com have promised us an exclusive bet with boosted odds just for listeners, in order to wring their last little bit of sponsorship out of us - it’s likely to be linked to us finishing in the top six. Will give you a nudge if and when it happens!
The Rest of Life
As I mentioned in my last blog a couple of weeks ago, I got invited to a Pancreatic Cancer charity event hosted by Suggs, as a mate of a mate is his nephew.
While on the dance floor, I looked around to see Heather Mills strutting her stuff; but that wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about my surroundings by a long shot. Also stalking the dance floor’s perimeter, suited and booted, were David O’Leary and Pat Rice.
A lovely moment.
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