West Ham

[Rochford]

Surely its better than seeing that than the nevu Chelsea and Manu shirts. And yes it does happen around Plaistow and the ground. On match days when ive been up they are in the pubs watching the football and ive seen it get hairy a few times. One of those things you are going to ive with im afraid people want to follow what they percieve a succsesfull side.

 

[Wessex Blue]

Interesting thread this one. Personally I don't like West Ham but that's more a legacy of my Chelsea past than as a result of supporting Southend.

Up to the seventies / eighties it was much more common for people to support more than one club. there's an article in 4.4.2 this month about Arsenal / Spurs talking about how lots of fans would support one club but cheers their neighbours on when their chosen favourite was away.

We used to play on Friday nights to try and draw in the supporters of London teams. The reality was that for many people we were their second team. I know that's the way it started out for me as well.

These days supporting more than one club is much less common. In some ways that's good, clubs like us have a bigger and more committed support. However it also makes people more intolerant of other clubs. One of my mates down here is WHU but he's been to see SUFC on their travels 3 times this season and he's cheered them on as if they were his own club. I'm glad he made the effort, it would've been easier to sit in the pub and watch premiersh1te on the TV.

I think WHU were sneaky in trying to open up a club shop in Southend but then again given that a very large percentage of the town football supporters choose to follow other clubs I suppose it made sense to them at the time. I don't think we should hold that against WHU supporters who actually want to spend time and money supporting our team.

I'm just glad that in general the people of SE Essex now seem to have a bit more pride in their own town & team. long may it continue!

 

[Beefy]

My Grandad was a life-long Hammer and they'll always be my second club.

That said, when the two teams play eachother theres certainly no divided loyalties on my part.

FWIW, most West Ham fans I speak to have nothing but good things to say about Southend United.

 

[CSWICKFORDSHRIMPER]

My next door neighbours are all west ham fans I’m a Southend fan... and don’t they no it.... Sorry Never see many SadOs or farmhands around where I live only Hamster fans… yes and they are all arrogant and think they are better than me cos I Support little Southend United FC Blah Blah Blah

What makes it worse they think west ham is there local club and class Southend United FC as some Joke club to support or follow

One team In Essex

SOUTHEND UNITED FC

YES west ham THE SHRIMPERS ARE COMING FOR YA

 

[Rochford]

Wickford

They are idiots then

 

[CSWICKFORDSHRIMPER]

Quote[/b] (Rochford @ April 05 2006,13:53)]Wickford

They are idiots then

Hate to say it, some Southend fans are no better with repect to poor Canvey Island......


One Team In Essex

SOUTHEND UNITED FC

 

[canveyshrimper]

One question i always am asked is "Why do you support Southend?, when you can support a "big" club"

Which of course is completely patronising and bugs the hell out of me.

 

[wrongun]

FOE - Any team that try to poach supporters by opening a shop in the town where they are based is a joke. Most West Ham fans won't care about SUFC but the fact is any team that isn't Southend United are not my team so the level of dislike will depend on the circumstances surrouding the club..i.e. I don't like Grimsby (due to an incident) I don't like West Ham due to the reason mentioned. But all in all any team we play we want 3 points against them therefore they are not going to get a "clap and well done what a lovely club" if they just came and took 3 points from us. It's football and football brings competition so there will always be loves and hates depending on how you approach the game.

 

[Birri]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ April 05 2006,09:56)]Maybe if we were to open a Club shop on Green Street it would equal things out  

It would have to sell SUFC Saris & Turbans if we did !

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Here to 2006/07 season as we cheer on the SUFC scoreboard as W@nk-Ham are losing on their way to relegation, while we finish in mid-table of Championship, so I can look forward to 30 minute drive to our nearer away game at Upton Park in 2007/08 season!

 

[Firestorm]

I used to visit upton park occasionally late 70's early 80's with West Ham supporting mates from work, In fact i saw both the league cut ties referred to by canveyshrimper from the Home end. but i lost all respect for the club after the Club shop incident, not only was it in the centre of town it was the first thing you saw as you left the railway station. No one we got referred to as cockneys if thats the first thing in southend visiting fans saw.
The feeling was reinforced by the home league game where I couldn't get anywhere near my usual North bank spot and had to stand in the North west corner behind a group of lads purporting to be west ham fans , who were refering to Southend as "We" after Sir Bretty struck.

BTW ST Angells day is FRIDAY !!! (Its 13 years)

 

[Rochford]

yep and i will have a bus ride to an away game.

Murky i bet you were looking forward to doing that most saturdays this year sorry we couldnt oblidge:-)

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

I don't have problem with some WHU fans, I do have problem with people (I know well) in a hammer shirt taking a p*** out of my team cos we are not playing in the Premier$hite etc, I did told them "Just wait till we play each another in same league" they just laughed, so if we EVER play each another in same league & beat them, I will take the p*** out of them big time.

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Quote[/b] ]BTW ST Angells day is FRIDAY !!! (Its 13 years)

I drink to that

 

[bring-back-N'Diaye]

This may be a generational thing.

My rivalry with the hamsters is not so much with their team, but with their Essex based supporters - who despite being born and bred in Essex - bleed claret and blue and once even went to a game.

If you grew up in Southend (and its surrounding area) and had the pi$$ continually taken out of you for supporting your local team by mockneys who had never set foot in West Ham (at least until they built the c2c station and the jubilee line extension) you'd feel very differently about wet sham.

How so many people accept the fact that if you walk down Southend high street in summer there will be more hamster shirts on display than Southend I don't know. Fortunately this has started to change in recent years and we are beginning to reclaim Southend, but this process is far from complete. Every hamster defeat is met with a cheer by myself as I know that means the Essex based loyal 'ammers won't be wearing the stomach churning claret and blue down the pub the next day.

As bluearmy said, probably the sweetest moment of supporting Southend was Brett Angell smashing Sir Stanley's cross into the roof of the south bank net, as this give me all the ammunition I needed to ram thier taunts back down their throats. If that isn't the definition of rivalry then I don't know what is.

 

[Rochford]

Can i just point out we still got Promoted on the Last day.

I still think you see more Man u and Chelsea shirts in the Town.

But i know what you mean about people that dont go. Just tell them football is played on grass not on a plasma screen in the pub.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I find it very difficult to like West Ham.

Having said that, if they played Chelsea or Liverpool in the FA Cup Final, I'd be cheering them on. At least they are a side that has an English manager and employs plenty of young English players. It would also make a nice change to see a different team winning a trophy for once.

Of course, I'd rather Charlton or Boro won it...

 

[SARF]

As mentioned lots of West Ham fan have moved out this way since 'Itler' bombed their Grans house and chip shop..
Hopefully each generation born down here will gradually support their local team.. being the Championship which is rapidily becoming a pretty tasty division will help.. Having stars like Eastwood gives the kids someone to hero worship.. It takes time but its moving in the right direction at the moment..

 

[Grayson]

I really dislike them because of the club shop thing and mates I have that support them. After we lost to MKDons a couple of hamsters were saying "going down going down going down" when we were top of the league, and still want us to lose. It's pathetic, I dont mind the ones that go to their games but the ones that were sat at home/in the pub last Sunday, for example, who diss and laugh at us are the "fans" I hate the most.

I'm 15 and to give a small idea of the support of Southend in youth these days, I'm still the only fan in a form of 25

The rest support Arsenal, ManUre, Liverpool and Wet Spam. Only one of these go to the matches. Bloody idiots.

 

[bring-back-N'Diaye]

Quote[/b] (Rochford @ April 05 2006,16:25)]I still think you see more Man u and Chelsea shirts in the Town.

But i know what you mean about people that dont go. Just tell them football is played on grass not on a plasma screen in the pub.

Don't worry, I had similar, albeit not quite so viciferous, contempt for Liverpool and Man Ure fans - nobody supported Chel$ki back then.

In fact I don't think I've ever really had any problems with a true supporter. I think anyone who has followed their team home and away through think and thin knows the anguish that goes with it, and there is an almost automatic mutual respect to anyone who has done the same.

ps My standard response was to ask them how many times they'd been to an actual game to see their team win. I had invariably seen Southend win more games, ergo Southend were clearly the better side.