Bubbles aloud as fans return in sign of hope
THERE have been louder and more intense renditions of West Ham’s quirky music-hall anthem ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’.
At the old Boleyn Ground, it could shake the foundations of that East End landmark. It’s never felt quite like that at the London Stadium.
But few versions have been more evocative than last night’s, sung out as best they could by the 2,000 lucky fans sat in the Billy Bonds stand — socially distanced — looking for all the world like mannequins from a distance.
‘Fortune’s always hiding,’ they sung as loud as they could manage, to a man and woman.
And for those of us who have been fortunate enough to attend football matches while fans have been locked out, it stirred the soul.
Football without fans is better than football on the television. But it’s a peculiarly sterile experience devoid of the vivacity of life that a full stadium can give.
Like an echo of a former time, this was a reminder of hope coming. For fans, it must have felt like a release from house arrest.
Suddenly, the banal things of life in the previous order — and with the greatest respect to West Ham, ‘Bubbles’ wouldn’t ordinarily merit huge musical significance — have been magnified into life-affirming symbols.
They sang as the team came out, they roared in the early minutes when Pablo Fornals bore down on goal and saw a chance smothered by goalkeeper Dean Henderson, they stamped their feet in rhythm for maximum decibels and they jeered Manchester United’s failures.
They cheered when Jarrod Bowen found the net and booed the assistant referee when he raised his flag for offside.
‘Come on you Irons,’ they exhorted their team. They booed Alex Telles when he jogged over to them to take a corner. They screamed when Harry Maguire appeared to handle the ball.
In short, though few in number, they made their presence felt. And, just as a small amount of seasoning can make all the difference between bland and flavoursome, it felt as though football as it is meant was back.