I BELIEVE
Christmas Countdown : Day 3

The boardroom swirled again, and Steve felt the floor shift beneath his feet. When the haze cleared, he was standing ankle-deep in mud on Green Street. Around him, a crowd of workmen bustled with purpose - hammering timber, laying bricks, and shouting instructions over the din of carts and barrows. The smell of coal dust mingled with the crisp December air, while children chased battered footballs between piles of rubble. Traders barked their wares, their voices carrying above the clatter of horse-drawn carts.

A foreman, his coat flecked with mortar, raised his voice above the chaos: "This ground will be the pride of East London. A home for the Hammers." Steve realised he was witnessing the birth of the Boleyn Ground - the stadium that would stand as West Ham’s fortress for more than a century, a place where generations would gather to cheer, mourn, and celebrate.

Back in the boardroom, Door 3 of the advent calendar creaked open. Inside laid an Ogden’s ‘Football Colours’ tobacco card, its delicate artwork capturing goalkeeper George Kitchen resplendent in claret and blue. The card shimmered in Steve’s hand, and in an instant he was carried away again. This time, he found himself in a tobacconist’s shop in Liverpool at the turn of the century. The air was thick with the scent of tobacco, the shelves lined with packets of Ogden’s Cigarettes. Beside a polished brass ashtray and a well-thumbed copy of Association Football & the Men Who Made It, the card sat proudly on display - a miniature work of art, hand-painted and glowing with Edwardian colour.