Highs, Lows & Di Canios – The Fans’ Guide to West Ham United in the ’90s, by Sid Lambert, Dave Walker and Ex WHUEmployee, Published by Conker Editions Ltd, Price: £16
IF YOU’RE a West Ham fan of a certain vintage, then you’re going to love this offering.
Lovingly put together by Sid Lambert, Dave Walker and ExWHUEmployee, the book does exactly what it says on the tin.
There’s a season by season account of the Hammers in the 90s. With three managers, two relegations, two promotions, an FA Cup semi-final and European qualification, it proved an eventful decade.
All the key moments are covered and
Dave and Ex chip in with their comments and recollections. As you would expect, there’s plenty of humour thrown into the pot.
It helps if you’ve got a colourfu cast list to write about – and with the likes of Harry Redknapp, Paolo Di Canio, John Hartson and Frank McAvennie you can’t go far wrong. There are so many great stories and tales – and Iain Dowie’s own goal at Stockport.
A foreword by Julian Dicks and an introduction by Tony Cottee also add an extra touch of quality to this well put together offering.
Dicks said: “Sid, Dave and Ex have told the story from a supporter’s perspective, which is really important. Because that’s what a football club is. It’s not a brand. It’s not a badge. It’s not the players or the manager. It’s the people. That’s what makes West Ham so special.”
The epilogue sums up what being a Hammers fan was like in the 90s.
“A club that can lurch from calm to crisis in the blink of an eye. A club that can take you from the height of ecstasy to the depths of despair with a single kick of a football. If the ’90s taught us anything, it’s that nothing about this club is predictable.”
Rating out of 10: 8
