As a West Ham fan I was proud of the team for holding strong to beat Millwall 3-1, but I was certainly not a proud Hammer. Thanks to a group of imbecilic idiots who unbelievably call themselves football fans the name of the great club West Ham United a

As a West Ham fan I was proud of the team for holding strong to beat Millwall 3-1, but I was certainly not a proud Hammer.

Thanks to a group of imbecilic idiots who unbelievably call themselves "football fans" the name of the great club West Ham United and their loyal fans has been dragged through the mud on that disgusting night which brought football back to its hooligan days of thirty years ago.

It was clear to see the obese, drunken buffoons running around the hallowed turf of Upton Park in designer polo shirts were not fans of West Ham United, nor were they fans of football, they were fans of unimaginable violence and everything bad about the beautiful game that England has worked so hard for so long to lose it's tag as, a game filled with thugs and hooligans.

Most of the pathetic troublemakers were well into their 40s and 50s looking for a chance to liven up their worthless lives showing little interest in the football, simply searching for a fresh opportunity to cause havoc on the well respected ground of Upton Park which will now have its name permanently tarnished.

With West Ham currently facing financial difficulty the last thing they need is a large fine meaning Zola will be unable to recruit a much needed striker for his squad currently only sporting Carlton Cole as a recognised, senior striker. With Eidur Gudjohnsen, Alessandro Diamanti and Marouane Chamakh heavily linked with the club it's questionable as to whether any player would want to make the switch to Upton Park after hearing of Tuesday's events.

The pure stupidity of the rowdy gang was quite clear to see as they set a bad example and scared children at the game of a well renowned family club, some even irresponsibly brought children who looked as young as three into the war zone.

Hopefully every one of the criminals are identified and banned from football for life and the public can understand that in no way do West Ham or their true fans condone any of the destructive, disturbing scenes that occurred on this night of shame for English football.

You have to ask yourself whether blockbuster films such as "Green Street", "Cass" and "Football Factory" have glorified this form of gang wars and brought it back to the attention of the public, 30 years after it was seemingly a thing of the past.

No matter how it happened, whether the scum set out to feel important for a night, get on TV or damage the opposing fans, the only thing that has been damaged is West Ham United Football Club.

Richard Maher

Lyndhurst Gardens

Barking