'We all follow the West Ham'

The flags of the Martelli d'Italia West Ham United Supporters' Club are a common sight at Hammers games across the country.

Their presence reveals a dedicated core of support for the Club from Italy, as members travel across Europe to watch their team in person.

West Ham TV caught up with several members of the group on a recent trip to the Boleyn Ground, to discover more about their passion for the Hammers.

Luca Argiolas, from Sardinia, takes up the story: "Twenty-two of us came over for the Chelsea game recently, from every part of Italy - north to south and even the islands.

"As a group, we have 2,000 people who have liked our Facebook page, and 50 or 60 people who come over to London at least once per season. On special occasions, like the derbies, or Wembley two years ago, lots of people come over.

"We are the only group in Italy who have so many people who come over to matches in London. It's a big sacrifice because we have to take flights and spend money, but we do it for our passion for West Ham."

For the members who cannot make the journey to London, the group also arrange meeting points at pubs in their homeland to watch games on television.

"We have meet-ups in Italy to watch matches too, in the bigger cities like Milan and Rome we have more people than in the smaller ones, so we make meetings called Match Pint to see the games on TV in the pubs, whether that's on Italian or English TV.

"We go to away games too. Some of us went to Liverpool the other week, and we'll travel for the League Cup too."

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The Italian tricolore is a regular sight in the Bobby Moore Lower

A love for the English game drives their passion for the Hammers, with the Club's roots in the community behind their support for the east Londoners.

Argiolas explained: "I think that the good thing about West Ham is the spirit - it maintains the English spirit. It's great for us to arrive here, to come on the Tube and go to Green Street, see the people and see that it's a club of the people.

"We all prefer a club that maybe wins one time every 20 years, than a club that wins all the time. If we wanted a club that wins a lot we'd support Chelsea or Manchester United, but we come here for West Ham and we came here even when we were in the Championship.

"We don't mind about the category, we only want to come and see West Ham.

"We enjoyed seeing Italians like Di Canio and Diamanti playing for West Ham, but for us it's the same - Italians, English, we want first all of them to wear the shirt of West Ham.

"The people who play for West Ham are what matters for us, not the nationality."

Visit the website of Martelli d'Italia here.