West Ham United’s Winston Reid and Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann compete for the ball at Upton Park earlier this season (Picture: AP/PA)

It’s no great secret how West Ham came by our beloved colours – the claret and blue is an Aston Villa knock off.

You didn’t know? You can’t call yourself a true Iron without being familiar with the albeit unsubstantiated story of Bill Dove and his historic bet with a bunch of Villa players at a fair in Birmingham.

As the Thames Ironworks we originally played in dark blue – apparently because, unlike either of the present incumbents, the chairman was an Oxford graduate. But that all changed after William strutted his stuff in Brum.

Legend has it that Dove – who helped out with the Ironworks coaching duties – was challenged to a foot race by four Villa lads and, to make it more interesting, they were persuaded to put their money where their mouths were.




Unfortunately for them, Bill was a top-class sprinter and he romped home a clear winner. More unfortunate still, they didn’t have the cash to honour their debt – and no one took plastic in those days.

Just as it was all on the point of turning ugly it transpired that one of the Villa boys was responsible for doing the club’s washing (hard to envisage Gabriel Agbonlahor being asked to do that now) and he offered a complete set of kits by way of payment. He later told his incredulous bosses that the gear had mysteriously ‘gone missing’.

Not only did Bill coach the Thames Ironworks, his son Charlie played for them. So it probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to the Villa management when Dove Jnr and his mates took to the field in claret and blue at the beginning of the following season.

There’s a certain irony in receiving stolen goods from the Villans, I reckon. And the fact we’ve got them up next set me thinking about what we could usefully half-inch from other clubs now.

Top of my wish list is a motto – now that would add a touch of class to proceedings at the Boleyn. It doesn’t matter much what it says, but it does have to be in Latin. It’s just not a proper motto otherwise.

Sunderland still have some way to go with theirs: consectatio excellentiae – ‘in pursuit of excellence’

There are a few to choose from. Tottenham go with Audere est facere (‘to dare is to do’), but we don’t want anything from them, thank you very much. Man City’s motto is Superbia in proelia (‘pride in battle’) while Everton’s is Nil satis nisi optimum. That translates roughly as ‘only the best is good enough’.

For Blackburn the answer is Arte et labore – ‘by skill and hard work’ – but look where that got them; Bolton’s Supera moras (‘overcome delays’) sounds as if it was created as an early radio traffic bulletin for anyone using the M6; and, despite Gus Poyet’s best efforts, Sunderland still have some way to go with theirs: consectatio excellentiae – ‘in pursuit of excellence’.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Queen’s Park, the Scottish outfit whose home ground is Hampden Park even though they themselves are amateurs. There’s nothing like thinking big in my book. Their motto, Ludere causa ludendi, means ‘to play for the sake of playing’ – and while that may not quite tie in with Sam Allardyce’s ethos I reckon it sums up what West Ham are all about.

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