retiredmartin

Manchester City fans are rooting for West Ham in their European final against Fiorentina tonight.

Hammers fans share with City a sense of humour rarely seen in Liverpool or Trafford, as a quick look at our relative forums will prove.

Upton Park was one of my favourite away grounds; the crowd tight to the pitch in contrast with the frankly disappointing Olympic London Stadium the Hammers moved into in 2016, though the City team seem to enjoy it there well enough.

Still, in their new home West Ham are (apparently) the third best supported team in the world after Barcelona and Trafford United, at least until Burton Albion get their expansion agreed.

Upton Park was never a great place for the GBG ticker, bar the unprepossessing Black Lion in Plaistow, so I was delighted when the Boleyn Tavern gave me a reason to head back to E13.

No sign of the Boleyn Ground, but plenty of signs that E13 remains a Hammers stronghold.

As you’ll know, it was the famed Hammers trio of Peters, Moore and Hurst, not that Russian linesman,who won the World Cup for England in ’66.

Nice statue, stunning pub.

How has the Boleyn avoided the GBG all my ticking life ?

It’s a stunner.

Not just because of the furnishings,

but for great beer; the Redemption Trinity was a cool, crisp NBSS 3.5. And under £4.

Great soundtrack, too. Dylan, Hall & Oates, the babble of babies in buggies.

By the time I’d completed the tour of the pub I’d uprated that 3.5 to a 4, and I wasn’t missing that Balkan keg at all.

OK, it could do with a few extra customers in, but there was a good mix of folk and that’s what counts.

Come on you Hammers !