Ray Winstone: 'Football is business' - West Ham fan speaks out about England, the 'Hand of God' and club owners
In an interview just before the World Cup, Ray Winstone talks about his love for the game, West Ham United and why modern club owners mainly do business. He admires Wrexham's rise, but keeps his distance from the world of directors.
Ray Winstone is not a casual fan. The East London-born actor — who broke through with the gritty prison film Scum — has been devoted to football and West Ham United in particular all his life. Two weeks before the World Cup, he sat down in London for a conversation about his love for the game, England and his club. No standard talk: Winstone is outspoken and direct.
According to Winstone, modern top football is inextricably linked to business. In his view, owners mainly buy a club because it is a business, with all the associated choices that are not always in the interests of supporters. He points out that there are large clubs that were financially healthy at the time of the takeover, but are now struggling with red figures due to the policy pursued. “You wonder why some people get involved at the top of the Premier League,” he says, although he acknowledges that there are also successful examples.
Winstone herself does not feel any need to get closer to the board. He goes to the stadium to watch his team play and enjoy the game — that's all. The interview took place ten days before allegations emerged about co-owner David Sullivan; Winstone speaks in general terms about the dynamics between management and fans.
A notable exception for him is Wrexham. He calls what has been built there with the involvement of Ryan Reynolds and 'Rob Mac' "fantastic": good for the club, the city and football. But he tempers the expectations of West Ham supporters hoping for a similar starcloth over east London: it usually doesn't work that way, Winstone points out.
In the series Why I Love The Beautiful Game, Winstone talks not only about West Ham, but also about England and iconic moments from football history - including the 'Hand of God'. Above all, his core message remains intact: football today is mainly a business, and as a fan you have to learn to see through that to continue to appreciate the game.
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