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I sometimes hear the jaded joke that "only a blind man would want to watch West Ham", but memorable nights in Europe over the past few seasons have helped put this to rest.

Despite this, some supporters remain puzzled as to how a blind man can passionately experience attending Hammer's games.




In this, the first of three blogs - first written some years ago, but updated and recreated now I have joined KUMB - I will try to give some idea of what's it like to be a blind West Ham supporter and why a blind fan would fork out cash to buy a season ticket for games he will never see.

I have not always been blind. Although I was registered blind in 1986, I retained some sight until about the year 2000. Nowadays I can barely make out the glare of floodlights on evening games, but nothing else. However, this delay in my losing vision meant I had a sighted childhood supporting West Ham in the classic years.

I was eight in 1964 when we won the FA Cup, but I have most vivid memories of jumping over the settee with joy when our black and white TV set showed Alan Sealey scoring our second in the 1965 European Cup Winners triumph.

For me, this victory eclipsed even our World Cup 1966 success. Bobby Moore shared my view, rating his 1965 triumph over 1966 because as he explained, it was like your school team, East End lads growing up together, taking on the might of European football and winning.

The first time I saw West Ham at the Boleyn Ground was 18 November 1968. My brother took me to see a team which included our world class players, Moore, Peters and Hurst. Sissons and Boyce were also in their pomp. West Ham outclassed and pulverised Leicester City four-nil.

I had the privilege, 40 years later of reminiscing on this game with Billy Bonds who was keen to point out the undervalued role Brian Dear added to that team. Bizarrely a team with such talents often underachieved, but they certainly did not fail me that day.

The performance was stunning, beautiful and culminated with a goal of amazing teamwork and quality by Martin Peters. The match was covered by ITV's Big Match, with Brian Moore enthusing with his commentary. Moore was especially excited by Peters' goal. There was never going to be any doubt that it would eventually win the Big Match Goal of the Season competition.

In my mind's eye I can still see the goal. Ferguson throws the ball out to John Charles on the left, who lobs the ball forward to Johnny Sissons who, as always, is rocketing at speed down the left wing. Unlike most ordinary mortals Sisson does not control and hold onto the ball, but instead, anticipating the ball falling over his shoulder, hooks an instant defence-splitting pass forward to the edge of the Leicester penalty area.

As the ball falls towards the 18-yard line Martin Peters, ghosting in as always, arrives like a ghost train and hammers a volley into the roof of the net past a bemused Peter Shilton. Shilton clearly does not know what has hit him and can only marvel at the football being played.




Now somebody may well find some footage (we did - Editor!) and tell me that my memory of this goal is completely incorrect, but this is what is in my blind man's mind's eye.

Sadly, such heights were not to be too familiar at the Boleyn, but after this match I was hooked for life. Not only was the experience watching the game wonderful but the atmosphere and buzz of going up Green Street gave me a tingle of excitement I retain even when we relocated to Stratford.

My career as a sighted supporter continued down the years through an appreciation of the skills of Brooking, Devonshire, (Psycho) Cross, Pop Robson, Cottee and McAvennie. I was at Wembley in 1975 for the FA Cup Final and again in 1981 for the League Cup Final. Sadly I missed the Brooking 1980 Final, although I remember the delirium of excitement when our unlikely hero of "Psycho" David Cross destroyed Spurs at the Lane, when we ran out four nil winners.

So why is a blind supporter talking about all the games he has seen? The answer is that I think the memories of past games provide a canvas against which I can reconstruct an image of the game even today.

Peters' aforementioned masterpiece of a goal; Robson's famous turn and swivel and lash of the ball into the roof of the net; Greaves and Hurst's demolition of Manchester City at Maine Road and many other moments of glory means that when there is excitement today, I have some idea of what they are talking about. Football commentaries on Five Live Talk Sport and previously Capital Radio made football accessible again to me.

Although now blind, I found a funny thing happened. I was becoming MORE and not LESS interested in West Ham and football in general. Surprisingly I found circumstances in which I was more knowledgeable than people watching the game.

I was sometimes reading the game more accurately than the sighted people around me. The factors which allow knowledgeable blind supporters have to be discussed next time in the second part of this blog which will describe how West Ham facilitated my return to attending games.

In this second part I will describe how I found myself, after a gap of 20 years, becoming a West Ham Season ticket holder again. I will also describe some of the support the club offers its blind supporters.


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