THE FA CUP FOR WEST HAM FANS IS, TRADITIONALLY, A TIME TO FORGET ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LEAGUE.

The FA Cup fourth round is perhaps a chance for everybody to allow themselves some anticipation of something better after what has been a lean, post-Christmas period. While some will expect an improved performance on the field of play though, there is just as much interest for me in what is happening off it.

The Football Association were quick to issue a press release claiming that attendance figures for the third round were up on last season, proving the attraction of the famous old trophy. A glance at the ‘big’ Championship teams involved appeared to tell a much different story.

Sheffield United had a gate of just 14,003 for their 3-1 win over Premiership Aston Villa, yet had 21,869 for their previous home game against Wigan. The inhabitants of Sunderland make much of their footballing loyalties, but their home tie against Premiership Crystal Palace attracted 17,536 fans, less than half of the Stadium of Light’s capacity. Last weekend’s championship game with Sheffield United drew 27,337 supporters.

West Ham also faced Premiership opposition, yet the attendance for the third round tie with Norwich was 23,389, below the season’s average. But what made this game stand out from the Hammers’ point of view was that the noise generated by the support and encouragement from the fans provided one of, if not the best atmosphere at Upton Park this season.

For those of you at the Norwich game, compare the feeling that day with last Sunday’s match with Derby. Admittedly a midday kick-off can challenge the enthusiasm of the biggest die-hard fan and the Kids For A Quid scheme helped boost numbers, but what shocked me last weekend was just how quiet 30,347 people could be.

Working for a Sunday newspaper means that you rarely get to attend a Saturday game of your choice, so I’ll be honest and say my appearances at Upton Park have been limited this season, but I can’t recall things ever being so bad in terms of indifference towards the game.

I may be accused of sounding like an old fellah here, but what happened to the idea of ‘supporting’ the team? Being a veteran of four different seasons in which the club was relegated, I was stunned by the general silence in which the Derby game kicked off. Here was a chance for West Ham to fight for fifth place in the table, but a feeling of doom and gloom seemed to have overtaken everybody before the game had even started.

I had heard the pre-match comments by Derby’s Richard Johnson in which he talked about the West Ham crowd getting on the home players’ backs. Obviously Derby manager George Burley had briefed his players well and he must have been delighted by the complete lack of vocal support from what was the biggest crowd outside of the Premiership last weekend.

From what I’m told, the support away from home is just as enthusiastic as ever, with some of my old travelling pals saving their money for away days, so bad has the general feeling become at Upton Park. It is sad to hear, because what West Ham fans always used to pride themselves on was being the ‘twelfth man’.

Aside from the big European nights of the mid-1970s, away from the all-conquering days of the early 1980s, the thing that used to set West Ham fans apart from others was the unflinching support the team got, no matter what the circumstances.

The FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park in 1991, losing 4-0 after Tony Gale was sent off in the first-half, probably witnessed West Ham fans at their finest. For 60 minutes, the chant ‘Billy Bonds claret and blue army’ rang around the ground as Forest banged in the goals against West Ham’s 10 men. I remember speaking to a First Division player two days after that game. He was nothing to do with West Ham or Forest, but said that all his team’s players could talk about during Monday training was the fantastic West Ham support.

Another of my favourite moments, October 1984, away at Old Trafford. Five minutes remain, Manchester United are winning 5-0 before Paul Goddard pops up to score. The Hammers’ fans packed tightly behind the goal at the opposite end of the ground celebrate wildly and soon break into a vocal chorus of  “one-five, one-five, one-five, one-five”.  I can picture to this day the bemused look of United fans as we sang. A cherished moment and typical of what was our sense of humour at the time. Has it all gone?