The Times Hammers' Special

The Times are this week running a week-long behind the scenes look at West Ham. Times' reporters spent last week at Upton Park with the West Ham players and staff and are reporting about it all week in the paper. This exclusive access has resulted in some unique insights into the club.

In today's installment kit man Eddie Gillam reveals “Julian Dicks used to put a Mars bar down his sock to nibble during the game and we used to throw Alvin Martin chocolate from the dugout.” They also reveal how at Old Trafford "A United official ... sweeps a device over the clothing and equipment, checking for bugs." The other exclusive insight reveals the difficulties faced when Geordie, Michael Carrick arrived at the club, “He couldn’t understand us and we couldn’t understand him."

It is hard to know how much of this is tongue in cheek.