Sad News: West Ham just came down with a terrible illness and according to the Doctors he may not survive it – Details.
West Ham United legend Julen Lopetegui won many a battle during his time on the pitch,
and now he is up for another one after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become
progressively damaged over many years, causing a range of symptoms that
can include involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body,
known as a tremor, slow movement, stiff and inflexible muscles,
balance problems and mental health issues. Around 153,000 people live
with Parkinson’s in the UK and it is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
The 68-year-old revealed he has the condition in an interview with friend,
former Hammers News writer and Official Programme columnist
Steve Blowers in the issue published for the Premier League fixture with
Ipswich Town played on 5 October. In it, Pike also reveals he could have
joined the Tractor Boys as a teenager, had it not been for the late, great then-Academy coach John Lyall.
In the interview, typical of his team-first attitude and modesty,
former midfielder Pike spoke glowingly of his respect for former West Ham and
Ipswich manager Lyall, who oversaw his Hammers career and later encouraged
him to take up the roles he served with the Professional
Footballers Association and Football Association when his playing career ended in the mid-1990s.
Nearly 30 years on – and nearly 20 on from Lyall’s untimely death in 2006
Pike continues to work as a coaching consultant all over the world,
and has vowed to continue working as he learns to live with Parkinson’s.
Here is the 1980 FA Cup winner’s interview in full…
Don’t worry, I’m determined to carry on as normal, doing exactly what I’ve been doing
Geoff Pike
It is almost 50 years since John Lyall’s first-team squad were
marching down Wembley Way towards their FA Cup final clash with Fulham.
And half-a-century ago, a bright band of Hammers youngsters were also
en route to a major showdown of their very own – a 1975 FA Youth Cup final meeting with Ipswich Town.
Having already been at Upton Park for some nine years, Geoff Pike was one of
West Ham United’s most promising prospects and, indeed, the fresh-faced,
Clapton-born midfielder would go on to make 368 senior appearances in the Claret and Blue across a dozen seasons.
Yet, ironically, he could so easily have ended up ploughing
a different furrow with the Tractor Boys.
“Aged nine, technically, I’d been a few months too young to train with
West Ham but somehow had got caught up with the next year group,”
explains Geoff. “Although Youth Team coach John Lyall realised that early on,
he’d still let me join in with the older kids and I’d thoroughly enjoyed myself.
“John called me over at the end of that first session and I’d feared the worst but he just smiled:
‘Make sure you come back here next Thursday, son!’ From that moment on, John would have a massive influence on me.
“He became my ‘football dad’ and had a pronounced affect both on my career and my life… from youth team to first team and even into retirement.
“Once I’d finished playing, I’d started working for the
Professional Footballers’ Association and with John now at Ipswich,
I popped in to see him at home in Suffolk.
“He’d just climbed off his tractor having mowed the grass and,
over a cup of tea said: ‘Geoff, someone like you should work for the Football Association.’
That became a big target and, three interviews later, I got a job at the FA.
I’m still a freelance Football Education Coach and Mentor to this day and that’s testimony to John’s legacy.
“As a kid, I progressed through the age groups but prior to formally
signing for West Ham, found myself invited to Ipswich for a trial.
They put me into bed and breakfast accommodation and, having trained all week,
I ended up at Portman Road playing in a Friday game against their youth team.
“Afterwards, Ipswich’s manager, Bobby Robson asked: ‘What are you doing about a club?’
I told him I hoped to join West Ham. ‘Well, I want you to sign for me,’ he said.
‘You’ll be in our first-team within two years.’ The Hammers were still my first choice but that sounded very tempting.
“Once I’d got home, Bobby phoned three times within a week to find out what was happening.
West Ham were dragging their heels over a contract so I spoke to Chief Scout,
Wally St. Pier and told him about Bobby’s calls. Within five minutes, I was signing apprentice forms for West Ham United!”
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