Championship football at the New Den in 2010-2011. Photo: Nikki Marra

Millwall fans have expressed their gratitude to ex-West Ham manager, Avram Grant with a sarcastic fly-by of Wigan’s DW Stadium on Sunday as West Ham crashed out of the Premier League slithering back down the ladder into the Championship where they will once again be head to head with arch rivals: Millwall.

The fans on the Millwall supporter’s website, “House of Fun”, admitted they were behind the stunt which saw a chartered aircraft fly past the DW stadium at 5:30pm, just as the Hammers squandered their 2:0 lead over Wigan to lose 3:2.

Forty supporters contributed £15 each to hire the plane which carried the message: “Avram grant = Millwall Legend.” A spokeman for the south London team expressed their joy by saying

“It was the best £15 I ever spent – that’s the opinion of everybody. From what people have said, it seems on a par, if not slightly better than getting promoted last year.”

The stunt sets a precedent for next  season as Millwall welcomed back their arch-rivals to the championship in classic style.

A fan on www.millwall.vitalfootball.co.uk/ said:

“This wasn’t just about a plane, this isn’t about a joke or a wind up. This is about a century old war that is one of the world’s most fiercest football rivalries.

When Millwall and West Ham meet, whole swathes of London are shut down, all leave cancelled and all ports manned.”

Image of the event:

http://www.millwall.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/get-attachment.asp?attachmentid=10157