For some reason my daughter is a soccer nut and has followed her father over land and sea (okay I exaggerate) as a diehard hammer. When she trains with her club it is in her West Ham shirt and shorts (Christmas present) and after big games we always have a chat. I have just received a delivery at the front door from the West Ham store.
You see it had a special offer a few days ago - a replica Cup Winners Cup shirt from 1965 for £19.65. So natch I bought two, one for me which I am now wearing - having taken off my Pride of E13 T-shirt which the Mrs had suggested was a tad in need of a wash - and one for the daughter. I shall post it later today and know that she will share the thrill I enjoyed whe her shirt arrives.
There have been times when I wondered if Social Services would be concerned about how I had introduced the daughter to The Irons. After all, that is signing her up for a life of disappointment, misery, relegation, losing to shite teams in the FA Cup, listening to posh kids who have never been anywhere near London or Manchester drone on about how their teams are playing in Europe, etc. I had my excuse ready for Social Services. My daughter was born in Hackney. She really is a cockney. When we go to the Boleyn together it really is her manor. But I feared that it would not wash.
These days it has all changed. West Ham are 6th and just a couple of points off Champions League football. We are in the FA Cup Quarter Finals and we beat the Scum last night at home. Heck, dare I say it, we are good. I wonder if some of those Chelsea supporting kids at my daughter's school are starting to think that it might be rather cooler to be joining the claret & blue army. My daughter knows the line already for the Chelsea nouveaus: "Who did you support when you were shit?" Is that line now "Why do you support now you're shit?"
Of course it can't last. We are West Ham. Same Old West Ham, always taking the piss. Anyhow, for now I really cannot be accused to cruelty to the poor girl by Social Services. I am safe pro tem.