Steve Bacon began photographing West Ham United in the mid-1970s and was invited by manager John Lyall to become the official club photographer in 1980, a position he has held with great distinction. He tells his story in There’s Only One Stevie Bacon: My Life Watching West Ham Through A Camera Lens, (available for £10, RRP £15.99) which offers an intriguing insight into life at the Boleyn Ground and one that no West Ham United fan will want to miss. Here, in a Q&A which originally appeared at We Love You West Ham, Steve talks about his years at the club, his favourite manager, and why football isn’t what it used to be.
How long have you been working at West Ham for?
I started taking pictures at Upton Park when I was 20 – so that is 40 years ago.
Were you a West Ham fan before you become our photographer?
Yes, although I didn’t go to many games – my older brothers did though.
How many pictures on average do you take per match?
Now I shoot digital, anything from 150-200.
Which picture, that you have taken, are you most proud of?
I’m quite proud of my shot of Trevor Brooking scoring the winner in the 1980 FA Cup Final.
What are the downsides to being a photographer at a football club?
The only one I can really think of is the bad weather – the cold in particular – I feel the cold a lot!
I read your book, and I loved it! What made you want to do it in the first place?
I was approaching my 60th birthday and thought I probably would not have much to add at this late stage of my career, so thought it was about time to tell my story.
The book has a lot of depth to it…do you have a diary for writing everything you have done at West Ham or is a majority of the book from memory?
The majority was done from memory with help from some of the back-room boys who shared many of the trips with me.
I don’t want to give away details to the book, but you certainly do not hold back on your opinions regarding ex managers, players and even owners. Have you had any response from the people to spoke about in the book?
Not so far ….. but it’s early days yet!!!
I could not believe you were one of the only photographers that actually travelled with the players/staff! Throughout the book you make it clear that in the early days you were certainly part of the team – is that not the case now?
No sadly – when Alan Pardew took over he made it clear that he wouldn’t have me that closely involved at the club … and that’s been the case since then. Football has changed enormously though and clubs now have huge non-playing staff travelling with them, so no room for the likes of me!
What do you think of football nowadays, compared to the good old days? I think it is becoming a less physical game every season. I also cannot believe players get booked for celebrating their goal with the fans!
Yes I think you’re right about that. I don’t enjoy football as much these days but mainly because it has become too much like big business and players come and go without any great loyalty to the clubs. You can’t get as close to them and get to know them like you once could.
Getting back to your book, was the club happy with you to do it, as you do express your opinion on quite a few occasions?
Firstly, all he views in the book are my personal opinions and I never had any objections from the club about writing it – so I guess they were perfectly happy with it.
Did anything have to be taken out of the book before it was published?
Nothing much although I did remove the names of players in one or two of the stories in case it might have embarrassed them to be named in those particular situations.
Have you got any plans to write another book?
No – without the sort of close access I had in the old days I would be very difficult to find enough interesting stories to fill another volume. I did publish a book of photographs a few years back called “Hammers In Focus” – look it up on Amazon!
Now for the question a lot of readers are waiting for! Who was your favourite West Ham manager?
Without question, John Lyall. That’s not to say I didn’t have good relationships with several of the others, but John was such an influence on my life, giving me my first big break with the Hammers.
Now for a cheeky question; have you ever read any of our articles on We Love You West Ham, or know if any players/other members of staff have had a look at it?
Sorry to say I haven’t, but I’ll make sure I do now.
You have recently had a knee replacement injury, which has kept you out of work for a while….how is that coming along?
Very slowly – I am back working on the sports desk at the Recorder but still unable to get out and about to cover matches.
Thank you very much for taking part in this Q and A session. I also wish you a speedy recovery.
Thank you!