(Iain Dale, if this is what you’ve just written in one of your latest posts, I apologise. But I can’t connect to your site – too much traffic I assume!)
I am not going to place the trouble of last night above writing something about Jack Collison (I will write something of my experience, but I wanted Collison to come first).
Jack Collision – a true West Ham hero
Image from Daily Mail
Image from The Telegraph
A lot of fans I heard on the radio last night were describing how they were in tears listening to the violence erupt at Upton Park last night…their beloved side, their beloved club marred by mindless yobs. It’s saddening.
But for me it wasn’t until I saw the photos of Jack Collison in tears after the game that I myself was devestated.
Here we have a young lad, younger than me, whose father had died just two days previous to the game last night, pulling on a West Ham shirt ready to step out and represent his cherished side in one of the feircest fought derbies in the world. Not only did he play, but he put in one of the hardest, most determined performances I’ve seen for a long while from a West Ham player.
I’ve no idea of the emotions that he was feeling, but what was clear is that that performance was for his Dad. And he would have been proud.
This game meant so much to Collison and not for all the wrong reasons, as it was for some people at the game.
I sincerely encourage people not to let what Jack Collison achieved during last night’s game, go unnoticed.
Collison, along with Noble, Nouble, Stanislas, Payne, Sears, Tomkins are the emerging West Ham United. A West Ham that we can take pride in and who take pride in West Ham. Those players who played last night from that list performed and handled themselves with a maturity beyond their years. Their performances were calm, controlled and not hate fuelled, despite the violence erupting around them. It would have been all to easy for Collison to to allow that to go to his head. To use the excuse of the heated atmosphere as a way of justifying a reckless challenge or two…but nothing like that happened. His tackles and challenges were firm, but nothing unprofessional.
And even while some people decided that invading the pitch was a constructive thing to do, it was Collison (amongst others) who stood there and calmly reasoned with some fans – urging them to leave the field of play.
So much will be written in the coming days, weeks and months condemning West Ham and Millwall fans. The violence will be well documented. It will be read, discussed and argued. But I sincerely encourage people not to let what Jack Collison achieved during last night’s game, go unnoticed.
He is genuinely a hero. He and the other yonger players are where young fans should go for their inspiration.
Sam
Sentiments shared by any Hammer with a brain. I hope we can enventually put this sorry chapter behind us and those that were responsible never enter a football stadium again. Jack Collison a gifted young player who shows what our beloved club is really about.
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You can’t defend the indefensible and I for one will not even attempt to.
The sad state of affairs is that those that carried out the violence last night from both sides will not care one bit this morning and be laughing and joking in the pubs and workplaces about what they did last night and most probably exaggerating their part in the downfall just to gain bragging rights.
you see they don’t care, they really don’t. They were not there for the football, no one in their right mind attends a match and carries out such mindless violence for the “love” of their team, They don’t support or love their club they just use it as an excuse to bash and kick lumps out of each other.
But what happens in the aftermath? the real fans who go week in week out and follow anyway they can are branded along with these Neanderthals so much so that last night and continues today I am receiving emails and text messages from people I know and some don’t even follow football are branding us mindless thugs! I have known these people for years and they know I would never partake or condone this kind of thing and yet these people are using me as an escape route for their frustrations and vitriol.
It’s a dark day for West Ham United and Millwall, dark days I had prayed we would never see again but in my heart of hearts like everyone else we knew this was going to happen and that really is a sorry state of affairs.
As for Jack Collision I have the utmost respect and love for the guy (as I do all the players)in the way he composed himself last night in the face of such tragic circumstances. To commit himself so much and give such a performance that none of use would have expected him to do shows the sign of a true brave man and along with the rest applaud him and send Jack and his family my most heartfelt wishes and condolences.
To those mindless idiots last night, once again you prove Darwin’s theory right, and as for brave well you are not even fit to be the scraping on the bottom of Jack Collison’s boots. Take a good look at yourselves and then look at the Pictures of Jack above.
He is a true man you are just life’s bottom feeders that evolution allowed through to show the rest of us what scum looks like.
Hollow victory, and I am talking about the football because for the other stuff last night there will never be any winners just a whole lot of losers.
.-= @stevecs´s last blog ..stevecs: @olasfanzine Well I do hope he comes through it ok and gets well soon this crap shouldnt happen at football =-.
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Thanks Sam – admit made me cry. On a bad day reminded me of the good stuff.
.-= Simon Cooke´s last blog ..Sue the BNP? How stupid are the Equalities & Human Rights Commission? =-.
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[...] I have also written a post here regarding Jack Collison at Millwall [...]
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[...] link is being shared on Twitter right now. @westhamprocess, an influential author, said 1st of two blog [...]
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im a hammers fan of 45 years and i am so proud of jack collison, the courage he showed in playing for west ham the other night was very humbling, he is just a young man and he could well have hidden away but he didnt, jack you are a credit to yourself and your family and particularly your dad.
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