Not a laughing matter You know I've always been in the not bothered camp when it comes to Curbishley. Yes he gave me one of the most joyous days of my life, and he did sign a book for me once for my son, trouble was I ended up reading it. There is no doubting his legendary Charlton status and deservedly so, but all that "I am a lifelong West Ham fan praps, praps" got on my wick a bit to be quite honest.

As for Kevin Keegan, as a young 'un I used to run around the back garden pretending to be both Steve Heighway and King Kev (without the perm), he was the dogs' wasn't he? But that was before I was introduced to one Paddy Powell and Killer Hales.

And despite one being from Mars and the other from Venus in football terms, the two men today probably unknowingly locked arms and gave a collective middle finger to the arse holes who now run our football clubs. And bloody hats off to King Kev and Curbs too.

Newcastle United is nothing short of a tragedy, Shakespeare if he was around today would be writing their matchday programme. West Ham of course, dare we forget is more of an academy than a tragedy but a clever anagrammatist would take but a few seconds to create the same sorry thing.

Once upon a time I would've been laughing my head off at the antics these last few days. Citeh fans wearing keffiyeh's and daydreaming of pre-season tours in the Persian Gulf, Geordies demonstrating on steps outside St James' wearing, well a short sleeved 1980's black and white football top, what else would they be wearing? And the happy Hammers puffing their chests out dreaming of World Cup victories and Trevor Brooking headers but not realising that some Icelandic nobody has leveraged their famous club up to the hilt.

But I am not laughing because the game that we all love and grew up on is no longer our game. These megalomaniac's don't care about us or our communities, the managers who we either boo or sing their name depending on the scoreline no longer hold any power in our football clubs and players, who are paid twice the annual average wage in one week, have the cheek to kiss the badge of the team that we love and think that they are one of us. Well fuck them.

Let them, their debt and their Arabs all poodle off to a European League and play in front of empty seats and empty dreams. Take Sky with them and their badge and arse kissing and the rest of us will do our best to cope without them.  ¶ 18:20