Goodbye to Boleyn

by Pete May

"Essex scribe and literary Hammer Pete May writes with humour and eloquence about the most turbulent year of change at the Boleyn since Ken's Café got a tub of Flora." Phill Jupitus West Ham's final season at the Boleyn Ground was always going to be memorable. It featured a new manager in Slaven Bilic, the arrival of a French magician called Dimitri Payet and away wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City - not to mention an unexpected tilt at the top four and an epic last game at the Boleyn against Man United. But a new beginning is around the corner and, as he and his fellow Hammers prepare to swap the gritty East End streets of E13 for the shiny shopping centres of Stratford, lifelong supporter Pete May reflects on the special place the Boleyn Ground has occupied in the hearts of generations of Irons fans. Whether it's the infamous chants of the Bobby Moore Stand, the pre-match fry-ups at Ken's Café or the joys of sticky carpets, rubbish ale and blokes singing on pool tables in the pubs around Upton Park, Pete's memories are sure to resonate with legions of the claret-and-blue army as they say farewell to the Boleyn and enter a new era at the London Stadium.

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2016

Reviews

[Peter Grant]

This was a fun light read detailing West Ham's last season at the Boleyn Ground (when did we switch from calling it Upton Park?) and the start of the London Stadium (soulless bowl). It's structured around a series of match reports (especially the pre match feed at Ken's cafe) and liberally sprinkled with wry world (and West Ham) weary humour. It's strange reading about what a great season we had then compared to where we are now on our way to play the likes of Lincoln City. This contrasts somewhat with the author's slightly upbeat final assessment; if only he knew...