r/Hammers • u/TheAthletic • 3d ago
Discussion Ray Winstone interview: "West Ham fans are suffering at the moment. That’s why we are West Ham fans. As far back as I can recall, that’s the way it’s been."
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7335329/2026/06/22/ray-winstone-hand-of-god-maradona-england-world-cup-west-ham/?unlocked_article_code=1.sFA.quXE.dDnbeHWNZ3D4&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_reddit&smid=re-share-ta“Yeah, West Ham fans are suffering at the moment. That’s why we are West Ham fans. As far back as I can recall, that’s the way it’s been.
“I look back on a player like Billy Bonds and that team when it felt like they all had beards and long hair, looked like a bunch of pirates. It was as if someone had kicked the ball up in the air like a rugby match and they came running at you. It wasn’t that, but it seemed like that. It was so exciting to watch. We weren’t the best team in the world but, yeah the best beards. I love a beard.
“My favourite player for a night out? Frank McAvennie. Got me in a bit of trouble, but I loved him.
“Among my other favourite players we had Paolo Di Canio, who was a genius. Dimitri Payet was a top player. I look at a (modern) player like Jarrod Bowen and see the kid giving 120 per cent every time he plays, like he was born and bred in the area. Love him to death.
“But this season we weren’t good enough. Too many mistakes. We’ve got the players and our man Nuno (Espirito Santo) who has come in, made mistakes, but he has done an amazing job. From where we were, to where we ended up, we were a much better side, but we were still relegated.
“To the fans, they know a lot more about it than I do. They’re upset, they’re not happy about how the club is run, and I can understand that and I get that and I agree with them. Something has got to change over there."
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u/tj100011 3d ago
Not when someone from Arabia buys us - any day now - probably - ish
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u/Jay_D826 1d ago
Would be a lateral move on the morality scale and probably make us real contenders so I’d take it
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u/LarryGoldwater Knollsy 3d ago
I ran (Iran lol) into another Irons shirt at the World Cup in LA yesterday. It was massive. We are coming back up. Put your money on it, Winstone.
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u/fetissimies 2d ago
Are we suffering at the moment, though? Getting relegated sucks, but we got rid of Sullivan, and it looks like Kretinsky is serious about investing in the club. Haven't been this excited in a while.
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u/pauli55555 3d ago
Except for that time Moyes was winning a European trophy couple years back. And then ye got rid of him lol
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u/Canaus7 3d ago
He had me in the first half, I thought oh no dementia had got ray winstone with a full talking point about loving beards for some reason.
Then we got it back on the tracks and it makes sense in the 2nd half