The support for West Ham United stretches across the globe and that has been shown once again on their tour to Austria, where fans from as far afield as Indonesia and Turkey have gathered to watch their team train and play in pre-season matches.
One local-based supporter who jumped at the chance to take in a training session this week was Austrian Hammer Aline Anzengruber, who had an extra special gift for the manager.
After presenting a framed Thames Ironworks bond certificate to the boss, we caught up with her to find out the story.
Aline said: “I searched for an extraordinary gift for Slaven Bilic, and I found this bond certificate for Thames Ironworks on eBay.
“There is a company which sells old bonds and I was lucky enough to find the bond of Thames Ironworks. It’s from the year 1899 and I think it’s the perfect gift for the manager.
“I was absolutely thrilled to be able to present it to Slaven. I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to be at training and it was very nice to see all the lads, especially Slaven.
“To be honest, I am a West Ham fan because of Slaven. He is a great guy and a great manager, the best in my opinion.
“It fits perfectly – the perfect club and the perfect manager, West Ham and Slaven!
“I will be at the match against Karlsruher and I’m really looking forward to it.”
One local-based supporter who jumped at the chance to take in a training session this week was Austrian Hammer Aline Anzengruber, who had an extra special gift for the manager.
After presenting a framed Thames Ironworks bond certificate to the boss, we caught up with her to find out the story.
Aline said: “I searched for an extraordinary gift for Slaven Bilic, and I found this bond certificate for Thames Ironworks on eBay.
“There is a company which sells old bonds and I was lucky enough to find the bond of Thames Ironworks. It’s from the year 1899 and I think it’s the perfect gift for the manager.
“I was absolutely thrilled to be able to present it to Slaven. I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to be at training and it was very nice to see all the lads, especially Slaven.
“To be honest, I am a West Ham fan because of Slaven. He is a great guy and a great manager, the best in my opinion.
“It fits perfectly – the perfect club and the perfect manager, West Ham and Slaven!
“I will be at the match against Karlsruher and I’m really looking forward to it.”