The Return of Captain Olympic

One year on - where the hell did that year go?

Six Foot Two, Eyes of Blue

The word legend is an over-used ephitet is today's language - I was even daubed one last week when I sorted out someone's PC! - but, in football terms at least, West Ham United will honour a genuine one of their own at the Annual Player Awards at the Grosvenor Hotel in London this week.

Billy Bonds M.B.E. is about to become the Club's first recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award; an honour richly deserved, and, to be honest, way overdue. For Bonds has suffered somewhat at the cruel twist of fate that meant his Managership of the club coincided with the ill-fated Bond Scheme, ensuring his tenure was forever associated with the worst of the Hammers 'yo-yo years,' when board fought with the fan base in a battle in which little money was available and team spirit was at a low ebb.

Nevertheless, Bonds secured promotion as a Manager in only his second year on the the coaching staff that he joined after he retired from playing at the end of the 1997/98 season. Although the Hammers suffered the ignominy of going straight back down again, Bonds oversaw another immediate promotion - the club then joining the newly-formed Premier League - before being sadly ousted in a disrespectful manner in 1994 following the coup d'état that saw Harry Redknapp take over the Manager's role.

However, admirable though it is, it's not Bonds managerial acumen for which he is most remembered, but rather as a superb defender and midfield player who made a club record 793 appearances for the Hammers between 1967 and 1988, twice lifting the F.A. Cup - once as a 34 year-old in an immaculate display in the 1-0 win over Arsenal when West Ham were a Second Division (now Championship) side. Bonds also captained the 1976 European Cup Winners Cup side that lost in a memorable final to Anderlecht in Brussels.

Staggeringly, Bonds played until just after his 41st birthday being merited with a PFA Award for his services to football that same season. Four times 'Hammer of the Year' in 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1987, Billy had an incredible level of fitness and the season after West Ham won the cup in 1980, he played an amazing 59 games as the club won promotion back to the First Division with a then record haul of points, while also unluckily losing out to Liverpool in a League Cup Final appearance that went to a replay.

Awarded an MBE for 'services to football' in the Queen's New Years Honours List four months before his eventual retirement, Bonds could look back to an initial retirement four years earlier in May 1984, when he officially handed his Captain's armband to the young England defender Alvin Martin. However, with the club struck by an appalling injury crisis, Billy answered his club's call and returned to duty in August of that same year, playing so well that he was easily able to retain his place amongst younger players who couldn't match his skill, enthusiasm and admirable match fitness.

Although Billy lost the whole of the 1985/86 season to injury, he returned to win his final Hammer of the Year Award proving his longevity and the reverence by which he was held by the fans. For Bonds showed a commitment to the claret and blue cause that can only be guessed at by today's players. He never shirked a tackle, gave up a ball or failed to give 100% as an inspirational player and captain.

Billy joined West Ham in May 1967 from Charlton for £50,000. In terms of length of service and success for a club of West Ham's stature, it must rate as one of the best transfers of all times. Born in Woolwich in 1946, Bonds had debuted for the Addicks as an 18-year-old, making 95 appearances as a full-back before Ron Greenwood spotted his potential and brought the young and raw talent to bolster his sometimes soft defence.

'Bonzo' as he was obviously dubbed, was an instant hit; earning a reputation as a hard man, the young right-back became a fan favourite as he became identified with the still solid working-class support prevalent at the club at the time. It may have been Moore and Peters, then Brooking and Devonshire who showed the culture and artistry that became synonymous with the Hammers style of play, but it was Bonds, flying in to tackle, face grimacing, fists pumped who many supporters identified with.

Billy could have become a bit of an anochronyism as the 60's and '70's melded into the '80's but his ability to adapt and learn had long been spotted by, first Greenwood then John Lyall, as the robust full-back was converted initially into a ball-winning but stylish midfielder and later as a game-aware, positionally excellent, centre-back. Bonds later partnership with the young Alvin Martin may well have been the best the club has ever seen.

As if this wasn't enough, Bonds showed his all-round ability and professionalism by one season becoming the club's top scorer from midfield, netting a crucial 13 games as the Hammers successfully fought a relegation battle during the 1973/74 season.

If there is a hole in Billy's CV it can only come on the International stage. Although selected for the Under-23's, the closest Bonds got to a deserved cap was a place on the bench in 1977 when England played Italy in a World Cup qualifier. It was generally reckoned by his retirement that Bonds was probably the 'best player never to play for England'. However, this moniker in itself just shows the mettle of the man.

For in his younger years, although an excellent club player, Billy would probably have been seen as too wild and unpredictable to play for an England side then still considered to be one of the world's elite. But Bonds was able to adapt his game to the changing requirements as attacking players began receiving more protection from referee's and, in the twilight of his career, he would ooze the class and composure that surely would have seen him as a shoo-in on the International stage had he been 15 years younger.

But whenever fans of a specific club start talking about their great players, it's always the memories and the stories passed down by suppoerters that help cement the 'legendary' status. I can see Bonzo, hair plastered down, bandage around his head from a severe head wound that required several stitches, urging his players on in match I've otherwise long forgotten. The bandage became such a potent symbol that Bill decided to wear one permanently in a guise best described by the late-great ITV commentator Brian Moore as "the buccaneering Billy Bonds".

I see a rain-soaked Bonds powering through cloying mud to lash home an equalising goal in a heart-breaking semi-final defeat against Stoke City in the 1972 League Cup; the same player who turned his back, not able to look, as Geoff Hurst took a penalty in a decisive moment in the second-leg of that same tie.

I see Bonds twice lifting the F.A. Cup at Wembley, the second time in 1980 celebrating a sublime moment in which he had stood alongside a rookie Alvin Martin and played his heart out attempting successfully to nullify an Arsenal attack of Frank Stapleton and Alan Sunderland. It says much about the presence of the man that it was only through recently watching a full re-run of that final - a game that seems to totally centre around Trevor Brooking's reflex winning headed goal - that I realised just how good Billy was that day.

A ferocious tackler, skilful ball winner, good in the air, excellent passer but, above all, inspirational to those around him and on the terraces, Billy Bonds was a player who never once went missing in a game. Before he joined West Ham in 1979, Cup winning goal-keeper Phil Parkes admitted that he'd though Bonds was someone who just shouted a lot and covered a lot of ground but, playing behind him Parkes realised just how crucial Bonzo was to West Ham's game. "He just made everything look simple".

Just two seasons after leading West Ham through some incredible quarter, semi and final rounds of the Cup Winners Cup - some of the greatest matches in West Ham's illustrious history - Bonzo found himself surprisingly relegated in 1978, alongside his good mate Trevor Brooking, with a Hammers side in transition. Bonds probably could have walked into virtually any team in the division he'd just left, but I don't recall that ever being mentioned. Rather Billy just continued as he had before and was rewarded in the seasons 80/81 with some of his greatest achievements.

But surely nothing sums up Billy Bonds was the day in March 1974 when a relegation-threatened West Ham faced Chelsea at Upton Park. This was the season that Bonds became top-scorer, and prior to the game an acutely embarrased captain was handed a cheque for £100 and a silver statuette after being named 'Footballer of the Month' by a national newspaper. "I feared a backlash" said Bonds, who was never comfortable being in the spotlight. Greenwood explained "Billy thought all the adulation might cause him to not be at his best". The result? Bonds scored a hat-trick ensuring the relegation crisis was over.

Billy was proud of his association with the club he joined as a 21 year-old recalling in his autobiography of how he was waiting in the tunnel before the momentous semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1976 and, glancing across at the captain of the German team, Bonzo noted how nervous his counterpart was. "He took one look at how close the fans were to the players, heard the roar of the crowd and I saw him go white. I knew we were going to win"

Every club has its 'legends' - some genuine, some just local heroes who've done well - and West Ham are lucky enough to have some names who, it's already proved, are destined to last beyond their lifetimes. The naming of stands after players can prove difficult when you already have a World Cup winning Captain and a couple of Knights of the Realm to secure first, but Billy Bonds is a player whose record was recognised by his fellow professionals well beyond the confines of Upton Park, a player that even fans of other clubs can recognise and give a nod of consent too.

Excellent though the Lifetime Achievement award is then, it is vital that Bonzo's name be enshrined in the fabric of the new stadium when the club moves to the Olympic Park. In my opinion, Billy deserves at least one side of any stadium to be named after him. For rest assured, if West Ham United endure for the full 99 years in Stratford, Hammers fans will still talk about the legend that is Billy Bonds.



Opportunity knocks with new home from home

It will be a wrench to leave Upton Park, but that likelihood became a reality last week as it was finally announced that West Ham United have secured a 99-year lease on the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and, following major conversion work that will cost in the region of £190 million that will include a roof extension and retractable seating - the stadium should be ready for the 2016 season.

This news will inevitably divide supporters, but hopefully, now that the years of talks, wrangling and legal ramifications have bought a conclusion to conjecture, fans can now realistically concentrate on the hopeful benefits.

My own thoughts on this move have been well-known since the possibility was first mooted following London's successful bid for last summer's games back in 2005. The day after the bid was won, I blogged the hope that somewhere on the Olympic site a place would be found for a purpose-built football stadium to house the local club. I never expected to end up in the main stadium itself, but have been hopeful since David's Gold and Sullivan bought the club that, in the hands of people whose heart was in the fabric of the football club and the local community, that something could be done to make what is essentially - to use the vernacular - a no-brainer, into something that would be palatable for all concerned.

The roof extension and retractable seating will surely turn this already impressive arena into a stadium fit for football, while the infrastructure is already in place following last summer's spectacular success story. If the same designers are able to make the ground as spine-tinglingly concentrated with noise as it was last summer, then fears about a lack of atmosphere - something, in any case, the Boleyn lost years ago - should be of little concern. Financially, with the sale of the Boleyn Ground and the £2m per year in rent required for the OS it makes sense, while the horrendous travel and parking issues are solved at a stroke.

I've heard all the arguments for and against the move and, barring the emotional attachment to a ground that has long since lost its atmosphere, appeal and geographical attraction for its support base, the only real question must be how do West Ham fill a 60,000 capacity arena?

Well, as nearly all of the Hammers home games this season have been sell-outs and floating supporters who don't always know well enough in advance if they are available on the day have long complained that they aren't able to make a morning-of-the-game decision, I'd estimate that a 40k crowd is easily obtainable even now. The increased profile of the club and the easy accessibility will hopefully make the team a more attractive proposition for those who just want to 'watch a game' and aren't able to necessarily trek across London - always an arduous task - but, more likely - it is to be hoped anyway - West Ham will be able to reverse the trends of the past few decades and actually incorporate a price structure that will attract young supporters and families back to football.

It's a sad fact of life that the days of a schoolboy or girl pitching up outside a ground on matchday and gaining entrance with a portion of that week's pocket money is as much an anachronism as footballs with laces and referees with top hats. But this is a nonsense if football is to survive as a spectator sport - rather than a TV opportunity - and it would be a spectacular coup if West Ham United were to underline their local and family roots by reversing a disturbing trend and getting young supporters in for a couple of quid.

Of course, ultimately, it may be that the Hammers new tenancy might tempt someone to invest in the club in much the same way the Abu Dhabi United Group did at Manchester City following that club's high-profile relocation, or as Chelsea managed years before with their huge ground investment at Stamford Bridge. Depending on your view on 21st Century football, that may be viewed as a good thing or a bad but, if nothing else, that would ensure the survival of a club that has suffered massive debts over the years and one that has faced a difficult future when survival in the Premier League depends so much in on-field investment.

West Ham's move to the Olympic Park marks a decisive day in the history of the club and, providing vice-chairman Karren Brady's statement that the club were looking forward to working with fans to "create a stunning new home that befits the pride, passion and tradition that the world associates with West Ham United", is a reality and not just a politically-charged stirring sound-bite, then it's hard not to get enthused over the opportunity to walk from easily accessible rail links, across the beautiful Olympic Park to a stadium that is already imbued with achievement and history.

West Ham fans should be viewing the next three or four years with some excitement for a change.

A night to remember: League Cup 71/72 – Part 3

Moore saves Bernard's penalty

"I have always resisted the temptation to describe any match as the most exciting I have ever seen, but this was the exception. This really was the greatest."Peter Batt – The Sun

"If this match had been presented as a piece of football fiction-writing, you would have rejected it as being too ridiculous."

Desmond Hackett – The Daily Express

Along with the match day programme and some brown faded newspaper cuttings, I found a stub for the Football League Cup semi-final 2^nd replay. Do you know how much it cost nearly 50,000 people to see one of the greatest football games ever played? 35p! Think on that for a moment … and then think again …

The inside cover of the programme contains a welcome from the Chairman of the club hosting the 2^nd replay of the epic League Cup semi-final between West Ham and Stoke City as Manchester United's Louis Edwards welcomes the fans and apologies for the fact that the ground is not working to its full capacity: "The building of the cantilever stand at the scoreboard end temporarily reduces the capacity by about 10,000 but I am sure the inconvenience will be worth it …"

If you were a Manchester United supporter and was there later perhaps, Louis, but for West Ham fans that had made the journey north and were packed into the Scoreboard end, the inconvenience was considerable.

You see, it was the 26^th of January; it was cold and it was wet and it was Manchester. It could have been Siberia. Imagine how wet and cold Manchester is in January and then imagine it raining even more on top of that. And then add some more rain and some more wind. Then imagine huge puddles forming on the girders of the framework of the new stand, then being blown, from a height, down onto the heads of the massed Hammers fans. I was very young and I've seen some wet, cold nights since then but I don't honestly think I ever stood in such diabolical conditions since (and I was at the uncovered end when we lost 6-0 to Oldham in another semi-final). Are we quite clear on this? It was wet! Oh my God - it was wet!

The Stoke fans were happy with the relative comfort of the covered end where the sound ricocheted round the ground while the Hammers fans made their own noise that, despite dissipating into the night, made for an intimidating and electric atmosphere. The pitch was like a quagmire and huge pools of water formed in the penalty area as West Ham and Stoke took to the pitch that night. The mud was ankle-deep and the rain lashed into the players faces. "So British it made you want to stand up and sing 'Land of Hope and Glory'," wrote Batt again.

By the time of the second replay, the combined attendances for both clubs' cup runs stood in excess of a staggering 566,000 people. At kick-off, Stoke had played 920 minutes of League Cup football, West Ham 1060 minutes. At the end of the 2^nd replay, over 171,000 fans had witnessed the semi-final epic alone. Surely this had to end somewhere?

The match began as it would continue, with early chances coming at both ends in a frenetic and exciting opening, but it was probably the 15^th minute that will be the earliest and most important recollection for both sets of fans. A through ball eluded the Stoke forwards as Hammers keeper Bobby Ferguson bravely came out to claim the ball in the mud. Winger Terry Conroy chose to leave a foot in as he went to challenge for a ball that was comfortably in Ferguson's arms and the man in the green jersey failed to rise.

Moore stood over the prostrate keeper and wouldn't allow him to be moved while play was held up for seven minutes while players, trainers and even Ron Greenwood gathered round the concussed player.

There were no substitute keepers in those days - only one sub was allowed at all - and it was crucial to get Ferguson back in goal. Indeed, play did start again after Ferguson was prescribed smelling salts (!) but Moore quickly signalled to the referee, pointing out that Ferguson was reeling around the goal line like a drunk in the Mile End Road.

Play was halted again as the training staff walked Ferguson up and down the line to try and revive him before kicking balls to him in the tunnel to see how he would react. Instinctively, Ferguson palmed the balls away but he had no idea of where he was, nor what the occasion could be. In fact, afterwards Ferguson recalled nothing of the night at all.

Down to ten men and with Ferguson off, it fell onto the young Bermudan Clyde Best to go in goal but Bobby Moore took one look at Best, saw the fear in his eyes and took the jersey off him and strode into the penalty area. The Hammers fans roared their support along with a small prayer. Stoke, inevitably, tried to throw everything at the Hammers goal but only got their opportunity when right-back John McDowell attempted a disastrous back-pass that stuck in the mud. The defender recovered quickly but, panic stricken, could only charge down John Ritchie in the area and a penalty was awarded by referee Pat Partridge.

The chances of Moore saving Mike Barnard's penalty were "millions to one" according to legendary Brian Moore's commentary but, incredibly, Moore dived to his left to beat out the ball but, with West Ham fans celebrating and Stoke's holding their heads, the ball ran loose straight back to Barnard who lofted it back over Moore. Moore admitted afterwards that saving the penalty was one of his greatest feelings in football and it was only a shame it was followed soon after by one of his worst.

Another night it might have been all over but the Hammers came back. Pop Robson forced a brilliant save from Gordon Banks before the sublime Billy Bonds - having perhaps his greatest ever game for the Hammers - beat two men and cloying mud in a blistering run through the centre before hitting a left foot drive that took a deflection and flew past Banks. It was 1-1 in the 40^th minute and the West Ham contingent's cheers sounded even louder shortly after when Ferguson rejoined the game, louder still in the first half of injury time when Bonds again ploughed past three Stoke defenders on the right wing and squared the ball for Brooking to lash home from just inside the area. This was glorious stuff.

Ironically though, it was the Stoke-inflicted Ferguson injury that led two-fold to the Potter's equaliser before half-time. Firstly, It was nearly eight minutes into injury time when Stoke's skipper Peter Dobing scored but, worse, an obviously unfit Ferguson was nowhere as Dobing ran in, wandering onto the edge of his area, enabling the Stoke skipper to simply drive the ball past him.

The second half started 15 minutes late and Stoke took an early advantage after only five minutes when Terry Conroy - football can be cruel can't it? - roundly booed by Hammers fans for his assault on the Hammers keeper, hit home as Ferguson again dived late to a ball skidding on the mud that crept inside his far post. West Ham's response couldn’t have been more positive. Sensibly deciding that they were virtually playing without a goalkeeper, the Hammers laid siege to Stoke's goal.

Redknapp, as in the 2^nd leg, again hit the foot of a post with Banks beaten, before the Hammers suffered the ultimate ignominy in view of what had happened before. Alan Bloor clearly fouled Geoff Hurst in the penalty area but, though Hurst stumbled, he stayed on his feet and Partridge waved for the advantage. Hurst crossed for Redknapp - who had stopped expecting a whistle for the penalty - to recover briefly and again hit the post. "You're too much of a Gent, Geoff - if you'd gone down it was definite pen," was Alan Ball's post match analysis.

Again and again, West Ham attacked but this time there was to be no more controversial incidents or late drama. Stoke pulled everybody back and put themselves in front of everything the Hammers could throw at them. It was heart-stopping, stirring, exciting stuff and, when the whistle went with the score 3-2 to Stoke, the players just dropped into the oozing mud as the men in red and white stripes celebrated the first final appearance in their long history. There is a famous photo of Banks celebrating in front of the Stoke fans, fist clenched and covered in mud.

The normally placid Ron Greenwood was scathing in his attack on Terry Conroy later "You saw it - draw your own conclusions," he said, also admitting "He [Ferguson] doesn't remember anything about the game. He still doesn't know the score." Greenwood also complained about the attitude adopted in the second half towards Ferguson calling it 'simply bad sportsmanship'.

Looking back though it's hard to deny Stoke their victory either, controversial though it was; it's an old cliché but this was one game nobody deserved to lose. West Ham did get to Wembley and won three years later (another time ok?) but, nevertheless for some, that epic cup run and semi-final perhaps encapsulated all that there is to love and hate about West Ham. Entertaining, frustrating, terribly unlucky, irresistible at times, annoying in others, with great players mixing with lesser in a combination almost guaranteed to thrill and aggravate at the same time.

As for me, well I was never more upset and rarely as proud. Sodden through to the bone and dejected beyond belief, I saw the Stoke coaches rocking in the car park as the fans celebrated, and I prayed I could do that someday. I'm happy to say I did (although I'd like to have done it some more!).

As ever in football, you can couch anything you like with words and excuses but, for West Ham, their season ended that night in January. They slumped out of the FA Cup to a Frank Worthington inspired Huddersfield and flirted with relegation, as usual, before pulling clear. Geoff Hurst left for Stoke the following season and even the great man himself departed for Fulham within two years. I've often wondered what might have happened had the Hammers gone on to beat Chelsea as Stoke did and qualified for Europe.

It was virtually Bobby Ferguson's last hurrah too, fighting for his place with Peter Grotier before losing it completely to Mervyn Day, although, to be fair, Ferguson stayed as reserve for a good many years after. It could have been grim, but the spine of Lampard, Bonds and Brooking continued and they, at least, went on to greater glories.

But, there is a curious postscript to this story. In those days, when you travelled up north to games - never in the south - you were often handed a magazine called 'Football League Review'. It was the mouthpiece of the English game's governing body and contained reports, rule changes and letters - oh! And adverts - 20p for a pack of Park Drive tipped cigarettes anyone? £883 (!?!) for a Vauxhall Viva deluxe?

Sometime in the autumn - I don’t know how or when - there had been an offer to get tickets for the League Cup final in March. Convinced that the Hammers would be at Wembley, my Granddad simply applied and paid for two tickets (can you imagine that now?), and until January at least, it looked a sound investment. In March though, there were two West Ham fans with tickets to a Stoke City v Chelsea Cup final and no opportunity to sell but, never having visited Wembley at that time and certainly never seeing a final, it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity.

So it was that two quiet Hammers fans found themselves amongst the massed ranks of Stoke City fans in what eventually turned out to be the Potteries club first trophy in 108 years of existence. It's pretty odd to think I witnessed something most Stoke fans only dreamt of for years until they returned to play Chelsea again in the 2011 F.A Cup final. And it might not be considered the done thing in the fraught times of the 21^st Century Premiership football but you know, I was really pleased for Gordon Banks.

Goodbye 2012

Gonna miss you ...

Olympic Stadium

New Gold Dream?

After months of conjecture, false starts and legal complications, West Ham United FC has finally been announced as the 'preferred bidder' for the Olympic Stadium at Stratford.

It doesn't mean it's the end of the process by any means, but it does mean that the London Legacy Development Corp. has recognised that the east London club, based in the borough in which the stadium resides, has provided the best case for the continuance of the arena as a top-class sporting venue. It is a sensible decision and one that is, frankly, long overdue.

On every level this is an exciting announcement. If all goes to plan, West Ham will get the opportunity to move to a newly-regenerated area, ideally situated for fans both old and new, with the added bonus of at last, being able to attract supporters in the wider catchment area available to them via fast rail links built and updated to accommodate the Olympics.

West Ham, like Liverpool and Newcastle, have fans that align themselves with the area the club represents. There may be few 'cockneys' born within the sound of Bow Bells nowadays, but the traditions and expectations -- even low ones! -- of the East End are still entwined in the fabric of the club and the minds of the supporters.

No one is speaking of Champions League qualification or Premier League titles -- mainly because that was not an expectation in the past and it's still not considered a major requirement for most fans in the immediate future. All we ask is for the club to progress and continue to grow so that generations growing up in the hinterlands of Essex -- and with this announcement, perhaps beyond -- don't look at the club at the apex of a huge triangle and see a nondescript second-class outfit happy to just muddle along, dragged down by a ground great on history and memories, but bound by poor rail and particularly road links.

Not one West Ham supporter will wave Upton Park a cheery goodbye. The club has proudly stood in its present location since 1904 when Arnold Hills moved the Thames Ironworks from the Memorial Road grounds to try and build a stadium that would act as a beacon to the local community; a centre of sporting excellence to attract people who lived mainly in poverty in the local slums.

There may well be a couple of Disney-like turrets and a hotel there now -- the east stand still hangs over the road and is now too far from the pitch -- while Sir Trevor Brooking and St Bobby Moore are feted in the two stands behind the goals, but the fabric of Hill's vision is still enshrined in the place. It will be a wrench to leave and no one will need a bigger box of tissues than me.

But the area has changed beyond recognition and is no longer 'fit for purpose'. Trying to get round the East Ham roundabout where the by-pass meets the traffic from Barking is like viewing a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Trying to park is like searching for a blade of grass in the Sahara. The queues for access to Upton Park station post-match resemble a 1930's soup kitchen. More importantly though is the fact that the 'East Ender' is more likely to be found in Southend, Wickford, Clacton, Colchester, Harlow and Chelmsford than Dagenham, Barking or even Basildon. Travelling to Upton Park is like making a pilgrimage true -- but it is now one fraught with frustration and tedium.

I have long maintained that West Ham is in a fairly unique position and has done little over the years to develop and build on its potential. Using the East End as the starting point, you can fan out for miles and miles to Suffolk, the Essex coast and even -- and whisper this quietly -- the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Kent and see a possible catchment area for the club. For those overseas ESPN readers who support West Ham and don't know the area intimately, let me tell you that, in terms of top division football, it is probably the largest community available to any club in the country.

There are major lures in the Capital, of course, but accessing the 'giants' of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham demands a long and arduous trek across the capital. West Ham needs to be looking at the example of Chelsea -- and I'm not necessarily speaking of what happens on the pitch, and certainly not the board-room -- to see what is possible. You don't have to be in your dotage to remember when Stamford Bridge was home to Second Division football , its 'stars' were Tommy Langley and Ray Wilkins' lesser-talented brother and it muddled along with gates of 15,000 or so. In short, things need never be static.

West Ham can be -- should be -- the major focus point for those seeking Premier League football in the Essex area and beyond. Sadly, this being the 21st century, that won't come without success on the pitch, but at least this mooted move means the opportunities are at least there to grow the club. Investment will surely not be far behind.

A move to the Olympic Stadium -- itself a magnificent structure with its own short-lived but in-built history -- will provide West Ham United with unlimited opportunities for growth. It will provide jobs locally and, importantly, retain the legacy agreement of the Olympic ideal so important to Lord Sebastian Coe's vision. It will bring much-needed revenue to the magnificent Olympic Park and the local shops and use the existing infrastructure to create an enjoyable match day experience.

As for the rest, well the lifeblood of the club is its unique and passionate fan base. The traditions of the club can travel with the supporters.

A night to remember: League Cup 71/72 - Part 2

Evening Standard/Getty Images Thought to be past his prime, Stoke City goalkeeper Gordon Banks

made a save for the ages in the '72 League Cup second leg semi-final versus West Ham.

West Ham's opponents in the 1972 League Cup semi-final were Stoke City, generally reckoned to be everyone's second favourite team; someone to support if you were a neutral.

The main reason for the bonhomie towards the men from the Potteries was the popularity of their manager, Tony Waddington, and his policy of picking up players who were assumed to be past their prime and giving them an opportunity to prove they were anything but. Waddington was also one of those bosses who liked to take a chance on skillful players who seemed to have lost their way or were seen as 'troublesome'. Jimmy Greenhoff, George Eastham and Peter Dobing were all first team members in 1972 and, along with Gordon Banks who was coming to the end of his glorious England career, they were seen as, depending on your view, a team of old men or experienced campaigners.

In fact, Stoke were neither and had proved themselves to be a good cup team in the early seventies, twice getting to the FA cup semi-final only to be beaten unluckily both times by Arsenal, a statistic which only seemed to confirm the suspicion that they were a bit of a bridesmaid side.

Stoke's journey to the semi-final hadn't be quite as spectacular as the Hammers', but a three match fourth round victory over Manchester United showed they meant business. But even so, West Ham were serious favourites in the two-legged semis and the first game played at Stoke's old Victoria ground just seemed to cement the odds.

It's not often you see the words 'formality' and 'West Ham' in the same sentence, but they appear in an old faded cutting I found from the Daily Express describing the first leg of what was to become a titanic struggle. Up until that time, no team that had won the first leg of a semi-final had failed to reach the final.

It was Bobby Moore who was the hero of the first leg, marshalling the defence and breaking up early Stoke pressure as the home side tried to gain an early advantage. So keen was Moore that night, the normally unflappable defender was even booked for what would now be deemed as a 'professional foul' on Jimmy Greenhoff. Elsewhere, Ferguson was defiant in goal and the whole West Ham rearguard were beating shots away in the opening quarter so it was probably no surprise when the Potters went ahead when the 33 year-old Dobing hit home unmarked after a Greenhoff shot came back to him off a post. But Stoke’s lead only lasted fourteen minutes, when the first of what was to become a number of the ties' significant penalties was given.

Eric Bloor was apparently the referee that night and he gave a spot kick when Clyde Best was adjudged to have been brought down, although there was more than a suggestion that the Bermudan had simply fallen over his own feet. Stoke protested vigorously but the decision was made. Geoff Hurst took the penalty and it is ironic that the match report made much of the fact that, 'Banks salvaged the dignity of getting his fingers to the ball'. In fact, Hurst's tactics at penalties were quite simple: hit them hard and fast into the top corner where the goalkeeper can't get them.

The England striker's premise was accurate -- like his kicking -- in that, even if the keeper guessed the right place, if the ball was hit at such a pace there was no way they could get to the shot unless they moved before the ball was struck. It was a tactic that had worked well to Hurst's advantage over the years and this time was no exception. Banks knew where the ball was going but there was little he could do to stop it.

After 67 minutes, West Ham made their 'progress towards the final a formality' (well, it was 1972!) when Harry Redknapp skipped down the wing that had been worn well by Stanley Matthews over the years and centred for Clyde Best to volley in for a 2-1 first-leg lead.

The second leg at Upton Park was played in front of the inevitable capacity crowd who expected to see the Hammers ensure a Wembley appearance. Again though, it was a tight game with the home side seemingly stuck in the grip of that age old problem when protecting a lead; push on and extend it to kill the game or keep it tight and let the chasers worry about it. There were chances at both ends but it was Stoke's centre-forward John Ritchie who struck late in the second half, after a defensive mix-up between Taylor and McDowell, to send the tie into extra-time.

West Ham at least now knew what they had to do though, and they laid siege to Stoke's goal. There were just minutes on the clock when Banks went out to claim the ball in a tussle between his team-mate, left back Mike Pejic, and Redknapp. The Hammers winger was pushed and the referee pointed to the spot. With barely a minute or so on the clock the situation was simple: Geoff Hurst v Gordon Banks for a Wembley final place.

Evening Standard/Getty Images
Geoff Hurst: The man entrusted with taking West Ham's penalties.

Memories can play tricks on you. I've heard people over the years (and Sir Geoff himself is one of them!) claim that Hurst put the ball exactly where he wanted it, in exactly the same spot where he had placed it two weeks earlier, and Banks somehow clawed it away. But the advent of a You Tube video doesn't seem to support this. In fact, Hurst hit the ball lower and slightly closer to the keeper than usual, but it may be this that makes Banks' save even more memorable because the England keeper was going for the corner and somehow adjusted his body full-flight to push his arms up and divert the ball over. ITV commentator, the legendary Brian Moore, said, "Banks has saved it…miraculously.." Banks afterwards confirmed he thought the save was better than the one he made against Pele in Mexico in 1970. I'm not sure it was but it was still a wonderful -- if sickening -- stop.

So momentous was the tussle between Hurst and Banks that the match is usually encapsulated to that two minute incident but, just after the wonder save, it's normally forgotten that, from the corner resulting from the Banks save, Redknapp hit the post with the Stoke keeper well beaten. Perhaps, in another parallel universe…

When the whistle blew, the two-legged score was 2-2 on aggregate and a replay was needed to separate the teams. The venue was Hillsborough where an incredible crowd of almost 50,000 clogged up the local traffic so badly that both teams arrived late. The vast crowd watched the two teams slug out a 0-0 draw. It wasn't exactly forgettable -- it was just that both sides seemed to cancel each other out and produce that other football conundrum of neither side wanting to make a mistake leading to a stalemate. The combined cup minutes and corresponding crowd sizes of both clubs were now starting to meet Guinness Book of Record standards and it was going to take yet another match to end the deadlock.

In fact, by the time of the second replay, it would be almost two months since the first leg tie at Stoke. The two clubs couldn't decide on a neutral venue; the Hammers wanting a London ground to avoid their fans travelling north again while Stoke wanted Old Trafford. To decide the issue, they tossed a coin and Ron Greenwood called. Apparently, Ron wasn't in a particularly good mood at the time.

The coach that had brought the West Ham team to Sheffield had been tampered with during the game, someone removing the petrol cap and tipping sand into the tank, and the team had to wait until replacement transport could be found to take them back to London. Greenwood’s mood wouldn't have improved by calling incorrectly and losing the toss for the venue. Tony Waddington made the decision of where to play. Manchester in January beckoned.

A night to remember: League Cup 71/72 - Part 1

GettyImages

West Ham's Bryan 'Pop' Robson hugs the England hero Geoff Hurst

Next Monday under floodlights at Upton Park, West Ham will face Stoke City. In the hurly-burly of the Premier League, it's another tussle for three points but long, long ago in another competition in another era for football, similar games between the same opponents produced a series of matches of epic proportions. Those who were lucky enough to see the games describe them as some of the best football matches they have ever witnessed. This is the story of those games.

It's a tale about a fantastic cup run in which West Ham beat some of the best teams of the day, eventually taking part as odds-on favourites in one of the great cup semi-finals decided over four games and 420 pulsating minutes before cruel fate and controversy intervenes to ensure it all ends in heart-breaking defeat. It may not be the type of story that you think will need re-telling after 40 years, but in many ways, the 1971/2 League Cup run is everything that West Ham United represents.

Like it or loath it, the very reason that you - young or old - support the Hammers can be laid bare on a miserable, cold, rain-sodden Manchester night in January 1972. Read on if you dare.

The League Cup run of 1971/2 began as it always does on a late summer evening when seasons hopes are high and anything is possible. The League Cup - now the Capital One Cup - was a secondary competition virtually invented to provide Championship sides (Premier League) with, initially another shot at gaining some silverware, later via a Wembley appearance and then, as the competition gained popularity, another chance at competing in Europe as the winners qualified for a European berth.

As things turned out though, the competition often threw up odd results, most significantly when Swindon beat Arsenal in the final in 1969. Not that West Ham was expected to end up us ignominious failures in 71/72 though, the Daily Express having already tipped the Hammers for the cup before a ball was even kicked.

In fact, West Ham at that time were an interesting side; still managed by Ron Greenwood, two of the World Cup winners were still there, the mighty Moore with his powers undiminished and Geoff Hurst still valuable for 20+ goals a season. Elsewhere, England prospects Frank Lampard, John McDowell, the elegant Trevor Brooking and hoped-for Moore clone Tommy Taylor were regulars. Billy Bonds was a wilder man in those days and he wasn't thought to be England material but he was a great club player nonetheless, while a young ginger-haired whippet called Harry Redknapp could be both brilliant or not depending on his mood. High hopes were still held for the big Bermudan striker Clyde Best and wearing the No: 11 shirt was one of the greatest players never to represent his country: Bryan 'Pop' Robson.

The Second Round draw paired the Hammers at home against Second Division Cardiff City. It should have been easy even if the visitors were led by an impressive Welshman called John Toshack but, as ever, the Hammers stumbled against lower opposition and, although Bonds put the home side ahead, Cardiff equalised through Alan Foggon and a replay at Ninian Park was required. In the interim though, the 3rd Round cup draw had thrown up an interesting prospect: the winners faced a home game against Don Revie's loathed and reviled but nonetheless brilliant, Leeds United - the Manchester United / Chelsea of their day

It's debatable who got most out of the prospects of the cup draw but, in a replay they were expected to lose, it was West Ham who came through in extra time against Cardiff after Hurst scored two vital goals in a 2-1 win.

It is a truth that when you think you have West Ham understood they surprise you. As my Granddad used to say of the Irons "Always expect the unexpected" and so it was the night of the cup game against Leeds. The eventual score was 0-0 but nobody knew how. The Hammers mercilessly battered Revies' team and only excellent and brutal defending - particularly by Jack Charlton - allowed the Yorkshire side to escape with a draw. Under floodlights, with the 35,000 plus crowd baying and swaying, it was described then as 'one of the best goalless games you could hope to see'. Even so, a draw was a gutting result. A replay at Leeds - and nobody won at Elland Road.

GettyImages  West Ham United youngster Harry Redknapp races down the wing

In the days before all games were covered by TV even if only for the goals, the replay in Leeds remains a mystery. Back then even the radio didn't feel the need to report on every ball kicked in every part of the country, but it didn't take a genius to learn that something special happened in Yorkshire that night when the result filtered through: Leeds United 0 West Ham 1 after extra time with Clyde Best scoring. The fans delirium was soon tempered by the thought of the next opponents though; the team who were to go on to win the league that season were the Hammer's next opponents, Bill Shankly's Liverpool.

An incredible 40,870 people piled into Upton Park to see this fourth round game. If the place was heaving for the Leeds visit then the bar rose, if possible, even higher for the visit of Liverpool. The old Upton Park under floodlights was always a magical venue but that night the crowd were enthralled by a game described by Desmond Hackett in the 'Daily Express' as 'one of the greatest games I have seen for years'.

The Hammers dominated the first half but went behind to a Bobby Graham goal and, with Geoff Hurst limping, it looked as if the cup run was to end, but Hurst's injury actually contributed to the Hammer's equaliser as the England man coming back painfully slowly from an attack was just in the right spot when Tommy Smith back-headed the ball to him following a Clyde Best shot. Interesting to note that Hackett's match report of the night mentions West Ham's 'notorious ill-luck' - you thought it was a new thing when you look at Dean Ashton? - and, with Hurst being replaced at half-time, the Hammers chances of getting through to the next round looked even slimmer as Liverpool looked for the replay back at Anfield. But then something magical happened.

The Hammer's keeper Bobby Ferguson threw the ball out to John McDowell who slipped it through to Harry Redknapp. 'Arry set off on a mazy run down the west side wing evading tackle after tackle for a full 30 yards until the by-line loomed and the ginger one looked as if he was sure to end in a heap in front of the photographers fronting the South Bank. But, it didn't happen. Instead, Redknapp crossed from the tightest of angles, the ball flew over an outstretched Clemence in the Liverpool goal and was met at the far post by Pop Robson, rising like a salmon to power in. It was glorious. Upton Park erupted; the Hammers celebrated and the dreaded replay on Merseyside was averted as they ran out 2-1 winners.

The papers the following day summed it up: 'West Ham - Pride of London'. When fans berate our ex-boss for his association with Spurs or, more likely, his annoying habit of remaining unbeaten against us, it's not the saggy chops that I see when I hear his name. Instead I see a skinny, ginger haired kid in shiny boots flying towards the South Bank at full speed and crossing a ball with speed and accuracy.

It was the 5th round now - the quarter finals - and once again the draw had given West Ham a home tie but equally it was against opponents Greenwood would not have chosen given the opportunity. This time the team due to visit Upton Park were already riding high at the top of the First Division, a side already being tipped to become perhaps the 'new Leeds', a side bristling with inventive football who'd already won at Upton Park in the league, the Hammer's next opponents were….. Sheffield United?

In 1972, Sheffield was celebrating their second season back in the big league. By November they were top of the division and, with players like the much-abused Trevor Hockey - a man who made weird-beard Derek Hales look like he suffered from alopecia - Alan Woodward and a young Tony Currie, the Blades were a team expected to go far. The Saturday before the cup game, Sheffield came to the Boleyn and won 2-1 and went into the quarter final expecting to complete a double. They didn't. In another magical night, West Ham simply blew them away in a 5-0 thrashing that could have run into double figures, so dominant were the men in claret and blue, playing scintillating football that had the home crowd - another 36,000 plus - roaring and singing as Sheffield chased shadows. The defeat was so epic that the Blades were never the same after, slipping down the league to finish 10th.

At Upton Park though, the celebrations went long into the night as Hammers fans looked forward to a semi-final - the first since the glory days of the mid-sixties - against perennial bridesmaid side Stoke City. The semi-final meant a two-legged affair so at least one match was guaranteed under the Upton Park floodlights.

The saga was about to begin

More London2012 Photos

                                                                  Midnight after 'Super Saturday'

About as close as I'll ever get to a Gold medal

The view from the 'Help Desk'

                                                       When the crowds go home...

West Ham United: An Unreliable History

Prince Harry looks around the dressing room at West Ham United's Upton Park in 2002.

Good to see that some readers of this blog take the time to write their thoughts and comments underneath. Input - good or bad - is always appreciated. Some though still prefer to email, and that's what occurred last week when I heard from a Mr Simon Bishop who resides in Chicago.

Simon is one of those Hammers fans who has never actually visited the ground - in fact, Simon has never even been to England - and supports the Irons through a hereditary chain stemming from his grandfather. Simon asked me why West Ham's home ground is called the Boleyn and I replied explaining that the Boleyn pub is just outside the ground. This prompted him to Google map the whole area and he wrote again to ask if I could explain further why, with the Boleyn at the centre, the roads around Upton Park are named after Henry VIII's wives: with Katherine Road (for some reason - never understood - my family refer to it as Kath-rine; the latter syllable sounding like bacon rind), Parr, Cleves, Seymour and Arragon roads all criss-crossing the area.

Well, of course, Royal patronage is something that West Ham have enjoyed for some time. Some may recall the 'rumour' that the Queen was a West Ham fan and certainly Her Majesty and Prince Philip opened up the Rio Stand and hotel in 2001. There is also a photo in the archives of Prince Harry being given his own claret and blue shirt with 'Harry' on the back following a visit to the training ground, some years back. Rumours that the shirt was, in fact, one of Mr Redknapp's old ones found crumpled in a locker and given a quick starch and iron by Doris the kit lady, can probably be discounted.

However, as every good West Ham fan knows, the Hammers' links to the Royal Family go back even further, several centuries in fact. The biggest Hammers patron must surely be Henry VIII who was a regular visitor to Upton Park back when the Hammers were known as Ye Olde Ironworkes. Anne Boleyn was, of course, an equally fervent supporter and this was one of the things that drew the couple together back in 1527.

It isn't something that is much mentioned in the history books but Katherine of Aaragon's preference for Real Madrid was a big stumbling block in her marriage to the King and made the lure of Anne almost irresistible to the famously footloose Henry. The King eventually dumped his first wife, although not before he bestowed the honour of naming the major farm road that ran from East Hame to Green Street after her. Katherine Road still survives today; sadly there are few farms and pigs down it now - although anyone stumbling down it on a Saturday night may disagree!

Despite the new Queen's fascination with the Claret and Blue, Anne was notoriously afraid of big crowds, and the jostling and good natured banter back on the Cockerel run – as it was then known – wasn't really to her taste. Subsequently, Henry used to leave the poor girl in the snug of the 'Postilion and Wild Boar' while he went to watch the matches. It was many years after that the pub was renamed the 'Boleyn' in honour of Anne's patronage and her predilection for Watney's Horse-rub Pale Ale.

Sadly, as every Schoolboy knows, Henry's passion for Anne didn't survive his love for football although surely the young Queen bought some of the misfortune on her own head (no pun intended) when – in a particularly vicious argument – Anne rather stupidly claimed she had a preference for local North London Towne soccer rivals, Tottingham Horsespurs. This was too much for Henry and he had her head lopped off for her bad taste. If only such things were allowed today all our lives would be much the richer.

Probably, the next major Royal connection was when the Queen Mum - then Queen Elizabeth, of course – visited the East End during the war. It was said after a German bomb hit Buckingham Palace that the Queen proclaimed: "At last, I can look the East End in the eye". I'm not sure the eye she referred to belonged to my Grandmother though, Nan was bombed out of her house three times during the blitz and certainly believed the Queen was no more than 'merely inconvenienced' by having to move to one of her ten other bedrooms.

They used to say in the blitz that there was nothing you could do with the bomb that 'had your name on it' and this was a constant worry to my Gran who had Mr & Mrs Doodlebug lodging in one of her upstairs rooms. She was a lot happier in 1944 though when she moved down to Poplar and lived next door to that nice Maltese lady, Mrs Veetoo.

So there we have it, Royal patronage and a brief potted history of West Ham. Never let it be said you don't learn things from this blog. Please feel free to keep posting and if you do prefer to email then billyblagg@hotmail.com is your option.

Captain Olympic!

Sadly, contractual agreements prevent me discussing my role with LOCOG - and that's a shame as I have some great stories to recount on the Blog.

But, if nothing else, I thought you'd like to see some Olympic photos taken by my own fair hand at the World's foremost sporting event.

Enjoy! - and if you live in the UK and haven't visited the wonderful Olympic Park yet and taken in the electric atmosphere there, then I urge you to try and blag yourself a ticket.

For anyone who used to go to Hackney Dog Track - I've got news! They've had the decorators in and you wouldn't recognise the place...

Whoever thought of the idea of having Beach Volleyball along the Mall should be knighted or given a Lordship or something.... It's bizarre but utterly wonderful!

Despite what Lady Blagg thinks: I was only there for the sport...

Euro 2012 - Goodbyee - Final Match Report and Review

As another tournament ends, I'd first just like to thank Soccernet for giving me the opportunity to lumber their pages with my amateurish - but well intentioned - prattle. Secondly, many thanks to all those of you who took the time to read the Blagg column and send in comments and emails.

For those with an interest in the domestic English Premier League, I hope to be back next season as West Ham United correspondent and - who knows? God, Soccernet editors and Lady Blagg willing - I may even be back here for Brazil 2014.

Now, I'm outta here... someone turn off the lights, eh?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italy 0 Spain 4

A masterclass of football. I've always said the 1970 Brazilian team was the best I'd ever seen but I'm starting to think this Spanish side could actually give them a game. From front to back and onto the bench, Spain were superior in every department to an Italian team that wasn't that bad in itself, just outplayed by a squad that is likely to become legendary in international football.

Spain looked stronger from the off and immediately it became apparent that Italy's playmaker Andrea Pirlo would not be dictating play as he did against England and Germany. Pushed back deep in his own half and harried by three or four Spanish players, it sometimes seemed as if there were more men in red shirts on the pitch than those in blue.

It was no surprise when Spain went ahead after 14 minutes, Andres Iniesta finding Fabregas superbly running into the area, taking on the full-back and cutting the ball back for Silva to head home from an angle.

Italy went on the offensive after and had a spell of pressure but it was not much more than that as, unlike the 1970 Brazilians, this Spanish team is as effective at the back as they are everywhere else. Even when breached, Casillas is able to deal with everything.

On 41 minutes, Xavi threaded a fine through-ball to left-back Jordi Alba who had put in a sprint that would likely find him a place at the Olympics - the new Barcelona player outdistanced the Italian defence and slotted home past Buffon. In between the goals, Spain had put on a thrilling sideshow of intricate passing that took the breath away; no longer passing for its own sake as they seemed to do earlier in the tournament, each move seemed to open up the Italians leaving them chasing shadows. It really was quite exquisite.

In all honesty, Italy looked out of it and although the introduction of Di Natale for Cassano did give the team a brief respite just after half-time, chances were no more than brave efforts in a tide of red passing. On the hour, with the Italians visibly wilting, Thiago Motta was introduced for Riccardo Montolivo. As the injured Giorgio Chiellini had been replaced by Federico Balzaretti early in the game, this was Italy's last throw off the dice - a move that signalled the end of the game when Motta pulled up clutching his hamstring and had to be carried off.

With Italy down to ten men, Spain threw on Torres who promptly helped himself to the Golden Boot, scoring on 84 minutes, flicking the ball round Casillas when played through and then gaining an 'assist' by selflessly slipping the ball for Mata - who'd only been on the field for two minutes - to strike home Spain's fourth.

As the final whistle blew, the Italians generously applauded their opponents realising that they had been dismantled by probably one of the best passing sides ever witnessed in world football. Balotelli stormed off for a while but returned later to get his runners-up medal. As the impressive fireworks exploded around the ground, you couldn't help but consider the fireworks that had been seen on the pitch. Spain are the only side to have retained the European trophy and the only team to have done the Euro - World Cup - Euro treble. It may be a while before we see another name on an international trophy.

This was an excellent tournament, played in an impressive spirit with little unsporting play and surprisingly few red cards; the right team won and - more importantly - so did football.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The End of the line

I always find the end of tournaments to be a bittersweet time.

It's sad the competition is over for another four years, but that sadness is always tinged with a bit of relief from the intensity of daily matches for three weeks. More importantly though, at the conclusion, you can sit back without favour and predjudice and, stripped of all the expectation, bombast, criticism and disappointment, just see things for the way that they really are. Sometimes that way is to be expected, others not. I'd opine that Euro2012 is a little of both.

A final between Italy and Spain provides us with an interesting counterpoint. In Spain, we have the reigning European and World Champions who, though they seem to have lost a bit in attack due to injury and - perhaps (it's arguable) - loss of form, are still pretty much the same team they were four years ago. They know what to do, how to win and, more importantly, forgotten how to lose. They are virtually a goal up psychologically before the match starts and this is unlikely to change until this squad of players reach the end and slowing of their careers.

It's true some of their play has been ponderous at times and shows that, however beautifully you pass the ball, without shots and saves the game can become tedious. But that shouldn't disguise that Spain are in the final because they pretty much have the best players, all playing to the peak of their considerable skills. In retrospect, it's difficult to see any way they <strong>couldn't</strong> have reached the final.

In Italy though we have an interesting alternative. Without a doubt Pirlo is one of the best players in the world, but it's the emergence of Balotelli that has lifted the Italians beyond the point most of us thought they were at. Perhaps quarter finals or semi's seemed the limit of their expectations at the beginning...but was that fair? After all, I can't remember many tournaments where Italy were a team you wanted to play, always a threat over the decades, the Azzuri seem to do whatever is required to get out of the group before stepping up a gear. Italy have done it for as long as I can remember, and we really should be expecting it by now, almost to the extent that If I wanted England to emulate another country it would be Italy not Spain, Germany or France.

It may seem harsh but I take some comfort from the fact that Germany just weren't as good as we thought they were. I, for one, got tired of the constant pant-wetting that accompanied their every mention. I wasn't entirely convinced anyway, but again, with final day hindsight, it's easy to see that, for all their strengths and even with the probable exception of Ozil, the Germans are a Pirlo, Balotelli or an Iniesta or Fabregas away from a final.

Portugal are a good side, but I'm not sure they have a squad of good-enough players that can complement the team around star man Ronaldo enough to really take an extra step. One man can make a team - Maradona in '86 for Argentina and Zidane for France in '98 - proved that, but I don't sense the rest of the Portuguese team can elevate themselves to just below the level of greatness required.

Of course, England were poor against Italy and many people expressed the view that we'd actually stopped ourselves from a humbling experience against Germany, but I think I'd rather have played Germany than Italy. Also, it's all very well saying England are a quarter-final team - after all last eight seems about right, in all honesty - but I'd have still fancied Roy Hodgson's side against the Czech Republic or Greece so I think a better draw might have helped our progress. On such narrow things are issues decided.

France still have some players you might cast envious eyes at - if you're English anyway - as do Holland, but if England really want to berate ourselves as a second-rate football nation we do really need to consider that - in this tournament, at least - we certainly bested France and Holland. To add to that, England have gone out to the finalists , maybe even the winners, and could probably have expected to beat at least two of the others joining us in the quarter finals.

In fact, I find myself doing something that I do at virtually every tournament and that's casting an eye round at the 'usual suspects' and just making sure England are not dropping below that mark. Critics weren't best pleased at the style or manner of England's play, but I reckon the group games showed significant improvement, even if only in terms of results. We've at last found a way to beat Sweden and a home nation and certainly played France when they were at their best and come out with a draw. With respect to the host nations, Greece, the Czech's and Russians etc. I'm not seeing nations that are likely to trouble the trophy engravers before England.

I'm not suggesting things are better than they look but I certainly don't think we're the laughing stock of Europe either, despite the way we like to paint ourselves. It goes without saying that we don't hold the ball well and lack those extra special players who win tournaments, but I do think we need to be reasonable too. We're a generation at least away from Spain but only a player or two short of an Italy.

It's a miss - and it's as good as a mile too (or at least an Ashley Young penalty) - but the hard facts suggest, if not something entirely encouraging, that at least there is something to aim for that is not completely beyond capabilities either. It may be all that's left to latch onto because Brazil 2014 is up next; we'll be playing in someone else's back yard and they sure as hell won't be lending us their ball!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What They Say No: 3

David Beckham: "I'm disappointed to have not been picked for the 2012 Olympic team but I hope to have a role at the Olympics somewhere"

Blagg: "I'm on site there at the moment David, and there's a really good concession down by the side of the Orbit that do a really tasty cheese and pickle one"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------