Last week my wife had an old VHS tape converted to DVD. Like many people, we had spent time intermittently over a long period videoing family gatherings as my son Jack was growing up. By the nature of my jobs, I had access to a video camera and Christmases, Easters, Birthdays and other occasions were taped until they weren't. We watched Jack go from two to ten, while Joel went from seven to teenage fifteen, Becky from ten to leaving school eighteen and Jessica from a humpy thirteen year old to an adult. We also saw The Controller's father (the only person I've ever known her to be afraid of) and my father, both of whom are now dead, and, of course, as these things are, viewing it was joy and sadness mixed. As well as a reminder of the way we were. Towards the end of the tape, there's a section at West Ham of the gates to Upton Park after the death of Bobby Moore, with my dad, Joel and Jack. The first game Jack ever saw was the home game against Wolves the Saturday after Booby Moore died which was extremely emotional (and, of course, was his misleading reference point for what it was like to see live games. He must have thought all games began with a wreath laying ceremony in the centre of the pitch!)
Whenever I see my children, I'm immensely proud of them and their achievements. Even more, I like the people they've become (and believe me, for some of them - they know who they are - that was definitely not a foregone conclusion) and I enjoy spending time in their company. For some of them, that is often at Upton Park, as it was on Saturday as West Ham looked to stop a third wheel falling off after losing at home to Burnley after leading 1-0 and away to Reading, having two players sent off in the process. If our manager had been 'Appy 'Arry we'd have heard the 'bare bones' cliché trotted out as with two players suspended and six players injured, Abdouleye Faye got injured in the warm up and was also unavailable.
It didn't look promising with Faubert the faux-fullback, McCartney moved to central defence and a 17 year old making his first appearance ever at fullback just after signing his first professional contract. We were also pressed into playing Carew, Cole and Piquionne who are usually used to replace each other.
And we didn't look very secure for much of the game, but Papa Bouba Diop was immense (as he is physically) in midfield - and how the sponsors made Kevin Nolan man of the match rather than him when he even scored as goal for the first time in years I cannot fathom - and the debutant fullback played good.
He is one Danny Potts, son of the West Ham legend Steve Potts (denied his 400th league appearance by the ratfaced Roeder). More to the point, he recovered from leukaemia two years ago to do well enough as youth player to get his professional contract and yesterday to make his début. He played really well, and I bet his dad is as proud of him as I am of my kids.
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