Jacqueline Gold CBE For goodness sakes, it’s not rocket science – sit on the seats, get the licence – do what you like #COYI
Jackie Gold nailed it with this tweet and there’s really not much more to say – except by those who like a row for its own sake: Read the message she’s sending, get it and for God’s sake park your arses!
It really is so simple. Once the licence is in place the fans can get on with their lives again whilst allowing the club to get together with the stadium operators and hopefully sort out a situation which may better suit those who want to stand during games as they did at the Boleyn.
Snide remarks about the board merely wanting cash from another 9,000 season ticket holders are nonsense and baseless. They also ignore that another 9,000 Claret members of what we like to call the West Ham Family will be allowed in to watch their team every week. Bad bad attitude.
Myself and Sean have held different views on this since it arose and here’s what I wrote on the ClaretandHugh Facebook Forum a couple of nights back.
All the fans are asked to do is obey the rules? – Why is that a problem? We are supposed to do that in life. Yes, work to get stupid ones revoked but in the meantime we can’t have anarchic behaviour
Sean and many others see standing as part of their football match day experience but the associate editor of ClaretandHugh understands Jackie Gold’s message that we want to get the licence once and for all and get 9,000 more fans into the London Stadium and to quote her then “do what you like.”
Yes we must consider senior citizens, infirmed, disabled fans and the rest and we are pretty sure that will be sorted once the licence is in place – Jackie gives a huge clue for goodness sake with the words: “Then do what you like.”
So perhaps the abusive tweets can now stop and we can allow 9,000 more Hammers in with a little less selfishness and a bit more thought for the future of our great club.
Let’s behave ourselves eh …and move on!
Exactly I wrote practically the same a few days back,as a claret member ,I feel let down.COYI
Sorry Hugh
I think your wrong
Show us the evidence when they get 66,000 they will allow standing in sections
You want the tweets to stop,
Then DG needs to stop making a fool of himself by tweeting about it and using analogies that only show him to be out of touch with his fan base.
Until either West Ham or Newham come out and say they will allow standing once you’ve all sat down and the capacity is increased then they are just speaking hollow words
What’s the answer Nige – just stand, restrict the capacity and upset other fans at the same time. Tthere’s no more evidence to say they won’t find a solution than that they will.
And there are 9,000 frustrated Irons to consider surely?
This will sound arrogant but hey hoe
The 9,000 will just have to wait
And be grateful we’re not at the Boleyn as there’d be 22,000 in front of them for tickets.
I and others struggle to see why at the Boleyn a lot of games didn’t sell out, yet there are thousands waiting even though we’ve upped another 22,000.
Those on the outside complaining about the nasty people that won’t sit down surely had ample time to get a ST, considering we were supposed to only have 54,000 I think we should be pleased with the 57.
We all know they want 66 just to say we’ve got the biggest ground in London to the other 3 clubs, like kids in the playground.
We will get to 66 sometime in the future let’s stop attacking the standing fans as majority of them are the ones that stood by the club when it may of been easier to not go but they chose to keep going.
My comments may be Harsh to those on the outside but as they say
The truth Hurts
“let’s stop attacking the standing fans as majority of them are the ones that stood by the club when it may of been easier to not go but they chose to keep going.”
And those standing fans are now spoiling it for most other fans, and they are now causing unrest and infighting and violence at the games.
Hopefully they will get banned from attending and future OS games. Or of course they can stop being so selfish and just bloody sit down and allow their fellow clubs supporters to be able to actually see the game they have paid for.
Blocking the view of little kids and OAP just because you yourself prefer standing is an utter disgrace. Everyone of you who does that at a game should be utterly ashamed of yourself.
Grown men refusing to sit down despite the fact there are kids behind them crying because they cannot see.
WestHamFamily my Arse.
Yes Nigel you do sound arrogant, you also sound like you are saying sod you because I am alright… I have always attended numerous games per season home and away despite never having a season ticket, I never needed a claret membership for it either, now I have to go into a ballot and face odds of upto 25 to 1 just to watch a league game, those odds can be lowered by an increase in capacity, there are many like me who for any number of reasons it isn’t really practical to have a season ticket (I am on the list now because it seems the only way to get to watch regularly) the actions of those who see or hear kids or old people suffering for their desire to stand is not on, we don’t own this stadium, it’s their rules for those that don’t like it give up their season tickets or try and work with the club and stadium operator to fix it. if there is anything I have said that is incorrect or unreasonable please feel free to correct me 🙂
“let’s stop attacking the standing fans as majority of them are the ones that stood by the club when it may of been easier to not go but they chose to keep going.”
& now they are probably stood in the os blocking the view of people who also kept going when they didnt need to but respect the need to sit for now.
Sorry Nigel I always have a lot of time for you & your thoughts but this time that reasoning is just lame 😉
All these teething issues are to be expected after moving to a new stadium, it will all eventually straighten itself out with people switching seats etc but the main concern now is allowing us to reach maximum capacity to allow those 9k fans into the ground…..we put up with years of watching bfs style football being played , whats a couple months for everybody to find their place in the new stadium , the most important thing is for us to start causing huge division amongst ourselves ….COYI!
*not start
The WHTID head of anti OS has tuned up lol.I am going to bring out a perfume & aftershave called The Green Street then all the miserable *******s on that site can wear it & sit round a table smelling each others necks 😛
In return I’ll buy you a mirror
That way you know what a miserable ****er looks like
I must say I’m very disappointed with the attitude of some on this site and their utter contempt for their fellow Hammer fans. I’ve followed my beloved Hammers through thick and mostly thin all my life from over here in the Emerald Isle and looked forward to my trips to the Boleyn more then anything first with my Father and now with my own Son. We never had a problem getting a ticket for our trips but will never be in a position to buy a season ticket as I can only afford to attend a maximum of five games throughout any season fron Ireland. I never expected that when we moved into the OS that it would mean the end of any hope of seeing the Hammers live again. For God’s sake sit down for a couple of weeks to get the license and then do as you must.It’s a no brainer and give us at least a fighting chance of a ticket. By the way I’m over for the Southampton game with no ticket just to hang around and soak up the atmosphere, give us a damn chance of maybe getting in, we’re supposed to be a family club
Well put Deise you are not alone mate.
I don’t need one.Reading you look lot moaning everry ****ing day about everything makes me stay cheerful
Hi Hugh & Sean,
Unfortunately it is not as straight forward as ‘just sit on the seats, get the licence and do what we want!” There are so many issues with this…
1) How long will it take to get the licence to 60k? And then subsequently to 66k? I was under the impression that 66k would not be achieved until next season anyway, so this is not going to be a quick process to “do what we want” – More likely to be years than months and weeks to get to 66k, can we really wait that long?
2) How was it possible to get a safety licence for the Olympics and Paralympics, where 80k people were allowed to stand? I went to 3 Olympic events and 1 Paralympic event during the Games and were stood for the whole event with no issues. Could you imagine the uproar if the crowds at the Olympic Stadium were repeatedly told to sit down!?!
3) How are the 3k away fans allowed to stand for the whole duration of the game and have no stewards to tell them to sit? Doesn’t this go against the safety licence and therefore stop us getting the licence 60k/66k? No wonder some of the fans are aggrieved, when the away fans at our home are getting preferential treatment and some of our fans are getting kicked out!
4) I agree that standing is part of the matchday experience and I also completely respect the fans who wish to sit during the game. However, this issue will not go away once we get to 66k, unless the club decide to designate areas of the ground where fans can sit and fans can stand. At Upton Park, we all knew that the Bobby Moore Lower, Trevor Brooking Lower and the Chicken Run corner next to the away fans were predominantly the standing areas – At the London Stadium, it is just chaos!
Surely putting a plan with designated areas into place (even if people had to swap their current seats) before increasing the capacity would eliminate arguments between our fans and provide us with the infrastructure to increase the capacity to 66k without these arguments coming back
5) For anybody who says we can create the atmosphere from sitting down, why do we stand up to sing ‘Bubbles’ at the start of the game? Why did the standing areas at the Boleyn have the best atmosphere?
I would love us to get to the 66k, but not at the expense of losing the atmosphere, alienating half of the fanbase and not being allowed to create our identity at the new home. The board have done a brilliant job since taking over from the Icelandics, but a designated seating plan needs to be put into place and allow us to create the atmosphere that we are famous for and allow the London Stadium to feel like home! COYI
Very well said!
Second that iron, there’s a small thing being missed here with the supporters love in with the hierarchy, they the board showed their true colours with the fan base lol.
They don’t give a damn about us , it was always about filling the stadium with anyone and sundry to achieve the number game of attndabces , they didn’t give a toss about the likes of 32 ( just an example 32 ) and others , I couldn’t get a s/t for donkey years but through friends managed to get in , junior hammers and the such , I was one of the first to put my name down with a tenner , minutes in fact , then found out I’d missed out even though thousands of s/it’s were up for grabs ! I had a visit to the t/centre and enquired why I had missed out , and was told I was litter ally one of the first in line to receive one when the extra s/it’s became available , but couldn’t / wouldn’t tell me the reason why I’d not been granted one of the original ones on offer !
I finally got my email / yes get in there ? When in the process of picking my seat I was asked if I would like to purchase another ! But I haven’t paid a tenner for the privalidge I said , that doesn’t matter I was told the same offer was given to the first bunch ??
What I said , so what about the thousands who have paid their tenner , shurely the should get first choice ! I felt sick that this had actually happened , then I realised we mean nothing to the hierarchy it was all about filling the stadium and stabbing people in the back , not just people but loyal supporters don’t and still don’t mean jack s##t to compared to the Brand ! Add on top of that they keep you’re tenner as well is a show of complete contempt for the family !! I didn’t take up the option of another S/T ,it was wrong in my opinion ! The reason 40.000 are waiting for s/it’s is because most are in the hands of ticket masters due to the plus 1 s/t , to defend these people is naieve , its like F&C causing a situation and then becoming the victim, don’t even go down the road about how much they have put in , by moving into the OS they are millions of squids in , and Brady get’s paid a handsome salary with bonus’s, out of pocket , don’t make me laugh , it WS all about getting bims on seats at whatever the cost !
The issue of standing was never even brought up in any O/S negotiations , it was and still is about the brand ? I hope they sort it but it will not be anytime soon! I feel sorry for the loyal hammer who can’t get into stalag e17. All down to the plus 1 s/t ?
Shafted is putting it mildly !
Meeting at the salon 12pm today , extra staff needed I expect a deluge, the sewers will not cope ! 😉
Hi Johnboy its fine I don’t mind being used as an example, personally taking the good and the bad I am happy with what the board have done for us, even though certain things could have been worded better handled different, stewarding and standing etc, I am not against standing, I always used to stand in the old North bank mostly from being a kid up until it was banned, I remember those standers if you were small like I was as a young kid or old or infirm they would look after you, moving me to the front to peer over hoardings with many other wide eye kids, it was amazing you genuinely felt like you were in a family environment even if it did get more than a bit lively from time to time. What is going on now with some of the standers is that they are making a point at other fans expense, that for me anyway is not right and goes against the values of our support, they have an opportunity to help us by restraining themselves for as long as it takes to get these licenses and in that same time engaging with the club to come to an agreeable compromise, the stadium operator hasn’t done anything yet about the standers and there is no indication that they will when the capacity is increased, not many true West Ham fans want to stop people from generating atmosphere its in our DNA to shout, sing and give it plenty but we have moved house and the rules of our stadium have changed, we need to find a solution not waste time creating more problems and fighting each other. The OS isn’t UP never will be, some of the fans are die hards like us who have been going for 40 plus in my case years to support our team, many of these new ST’s are no doubt new fans, as Nigel said there were always spaces and ST’s to be had at UP, it is time to accept them into our support and set them an example like we would have done in days gone by, it is a new and complicated situation for all concerned, include in that the Stadium Operator, moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do right ? No one said it would be easy (I think there is a song on there somewhere) but if everyone pulls together we can get it sorted and more of us will get to see our team more often. COYI!!!
I THINK MUCH OF THAT could be covered by our call to sit while the club, operators, PL sort it out AJ
When gold says there will be safe standing areas then people will start paying attention ! He hasn’t as of yet , because he can’t , its never been discussed !
Are the minutes available when the discussions were ongoing with Brady !
That would appease people to sit and give them confidancethat it will eventually happen ?
I just don’t get the 66000 before we can do something about the situation? Why not start talks now ,
Gold needs to give assurances on the matter that he is making it possible !
What does the owners have to say on the matter ! Are they for it or not ?
Sounds like a complete balls up all round , supporters need to know if its going to happen , can we get the minutes under FOI to see if it was discussed or not !
I haven’t got an issue with the sitters or the standers , but some sort of leadership and positive action is needed and gold needs to make a statement to show he’s with his supporters or wheat her he’s got his hands tied ?
That’s not rocket science is it ! A statement please , a truth full one ,
Is standing going to be achievable or not! What’s you’re take Hugh on the plus 1 s/t scam ? Which is what it was ? All those supporters that were denied the right after paying their tenner , sold down the river , undefendable ? 🙁
That’s as good as anything I’ve read on the subject AJ.
Stupid tweet by Jackie Gold.
Bad move by the club to use the standing issue as the sole reason for not getting the increased capacity, when the reality is that it’s probably not the case.
And now it’s just stoking up more anger and resentment between fans, and as long as there are 3000+ away fans standing up and singing “is this the Emirates”, the club won’t ever get its increased capacity, even if all our fans just sit down and give in to the threats.
Jackie Gold is right…………..even though the rules are crap.
Jackie gold shouldn’t be doing daddys buisness for him , it seems the kids are readily put
In the frame with club buisness ! Call me old fashioned but I keep my kids well away from my general buisness , who in their right mind would allow their kids to be in a firing line for abuse ! Not me ! 🙂 but everyone to their own devises eh! 😉
Hi Johnboy she is 56 mate hardly a kid, at least not to me 😉 hahaha
I think she is old enough to make her own decisions Johnboy & right or wrong,probably wrongly in this case she is just defending her dad from some of the morons we have supporting us.Maybe we could do her a discount cut & blow at the salon this week 😀
Haha yes mine are in their 30,s 32 but will always be my kids !
And she could always give me a blow and a rinse at the salon rick anytime she isfree ! Haha 😉
She might give you a good shellac-king at the nail bar if you are not careful, hmm nail varnishing puns from a 40+ west han fan, what is the world coming too…
Haha yes 32 50 shades to choose from !
Its £10 for the nails and £50 the blow and rinse, but bring you’re own cup for the free coffee ? 😉
Who in their right mind would let the kids get involved ! Open season it seems ? 😉
away fans stand at every stadium in the Prem including UP.
Its always been the same
If as we are being lead to believe the licence will not be issued until everyone sits then no licence will ever be issued because the away fans will remain standing throughout. The stewards will not attempt to make the away fans sit down and even if they did they would just refuse anyway . . . . West Ham can’t ban Watford fans.
I find the whole situation confusing anyway because Newham are supposed to be the ones issuing the licence yet the exact same council were happy to issue the licence for Upton Park where thousands stood.
As for additional tickets becoming available . . . . . .it will happen soon enough. I interview people leaving the ground and there are a lot of non-West Ham fans who got in on the +2 and they will not be renewing. Many will also be selling their tickets back to the club for Cat C & B games once the news system is implemented.
I don’t stand all the time myself (Bubbles at the start and when it looks like we’ll score is what gets me out of my seat) but I’m fully aware that the people in the stand below are the ones making all the noise and I enjoy it.
The fact is that those who stand make far more noise than those who sit and I love a loud atmosphere. If everyone is forced to sit down then the opposition fans will be standing and drowning out the home fans who will be getting policed far more harshly in comparison.
I don’t have the answer but an opportunity has been missed. We all sat in an interview in the reservation center for an hour which was the perfect opportunity to shepherd fans into the appropriate sections. I was sold my ticket with a wink and a cheeky nudge under the illusion that I’d be next to the loud standing section. It’s a mess and it won’t be getting better anytime soon particularly when the away fans seem to be getting preferential treatment.
Please allow me to offer the view of a disabled West Ham fan, or no view as the case has become.
As an ambulant disabled season ticket holder, I am finding the argument to stand or not to stand ignorant in some respects and distasteful in others.
The truth is I am unable to stand during a game and I am certainly not alone. There are elderly people for example in exactly the same boat and then children where it wouldn’t really matter if they were to stand or not, they still can’t see past a grown man refusing to sit duwn in front of them.
So therefore , for me, of course, if someone stands infont of me, which has already happened, that person can see and enjoy the game, but I cannot, whereas if both of us were to sit then we both get to enjoy the game. It doesn’t seem like rocket science.
I’ve already got into a heated row about it with one individual, and I can tell you I’m not well enough to do that, even though it was necessary. Will it take a serious injury or even a death before something is done or selfish people realise – probably.
It doesn’t seem to be fair or intelligent to pin the blame on the club or its owners either. The truth is, right now, it’s against the rules and law, if I’ve got it right, to stand during a game. That’s why the attendance is being restricted. Until that law changes and dedicated standing areas are permitted, which I am actually all for, then the argument to stand seems to be like trying to bail yourself out using a seive.
Thise still adamant to stand must also ask themselves this. If someone were standing infront of them in say a cinema would that be acceptable? Would they also find it acceptable for someone to stand perhaps infront of their children, neices, nephews, grandparents?
Once you have the answer to that simple poser, that’s how many of us, who are physically unable to see past soneone standing, feel.
It might also be worth showing a diagram of the stadium and exactly where the disabled seating is. Disabled people are located approximately half way up the stadium, around the entire circumference of the stadium (almost at ground level – quite obviously) indicated in shaded green, but just behind where many people continue to exert their pizzling right to stand and block the view.
All it needs is a bit of understanding, compassion and far less ignorance/aggression.
I feel for you ironman but the fault lies with the ignorance of the club allowing this to happen
Basic all they didn’t give you a thought mate ! If I was you I would take a deckchair and put it on the concourse in th e disabled section and plot up , when approached ask to see a club rep and ask why safe standing wasn’t discussed ? Wish you well in your struggle mate ?
Maybe Brady or the Dave’s will give up their seat for you and chuck in a prawn baggette , as they are to blame for not addressing the issue that was always going to raise its ugly head !
I put that down to bad organisation , BRADY you’re fired !! 🙂
I dont get this ‘why wasn’t standing discussed’.I might be missing something here but how do you tell fans somewhere will be a standing area ‘unofficially’.Surely if something went badly wrong & people told authorities that the club told them it would be an ‘unofficial’ standing area the sh#t would properly hit the fan.Roll on a year or two times when this is resolved…hopefully. Its f#cking boring lol
So at the end of the day is it safety that’s the issue or the fact the club need to get to 66,000 to make sure that those that have been mugged off with there money for a seat that was never available in the 1st place can get in? I don’t stand throughout a game and those that do are a pain in the ass but don’t give me the old ******** that it’s a safety issue and a safety issue alone.
You know what was ironic as well , they made me and the rest pay for 2 seasons up front?
Because they wanted to dissuade non hammers supporters from obtaining tickets !
So they knew at that point they had fuked up !
I feel sad for the lads and lady’s who are hard on supporters not getting tickets they paid for with the tenner deposit ! Should have been first come first served basis ! It was and still is about bums on seat no pun intended !
Anyway just rang Jackie ( looks good for 56 ? ) and invited her to the salon and she has agreed to give free blows and a rinse and a free gift of a blowup dole to all trainee girlies to practice salon activities ! A letter has been sent out to give an update on the dungeon being built in the basement for nail treatment of a special kind and the treatment of back pain for those that are in need of extra caricular activities , again thanks to Jackie for her gnerosity in supplying all the equipment for the project using the money’s on hold for season ticket applicants! And would like to thank them personally for their generosity and understanding
In this matter ? 😉
Give it a season & it will be old news.A bit of patience is needed & it will get sorted I’m sure.In 20 years time there will be new support who won’t even know of all this drama & us w@nkers fighting about it back in 2016 lmao
What happened to the brilliant unofficial seat exchange webite idea? It’s no longer functioning unfortunately: http://www.claretandhugh.info/unofficial-seat-swap-scheme-launced/ . Anyone know why?
It would have been a very practical solution to the problem while the whole mess was sorted. Massive shame.
As regards the stewarding of the away fans; it is just a complete waste of labour; The stewards have 90 mins to persuade 3,000 people to sit, knowing there will be a completely different batch every game. They have got no chance. It’s not hypocrisy, it’s practicality IMO
Ooops…I had followed the wrong link – or they have changed the name – anyway I’m v pleased to discover it IS working at: http://www.coyi-seatexchange.co.uk/index.php
It needs as much publicity as possible (IMO)
Guess what; those highly intelligent guys at the seat exchange even have a link for petitioning the Government to change the law. Last button on right….or here’s the link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/164625
Sign petition? Share + Tweet it? Seems a no brainer, or am I missing something?
Cheers Fishy I signed it 1625 signatures so far
Nice 1
Yeah you are missing something turbo gob.Its fine getting a petition up to 100,000 signatures but that only means the government will consider it for discussion in the HoP.Most just get thrown out as considered but never acted upon.You are wasting your ****ing time.
Nice one Fish N Chips!
I have signed.
There needs to be a loud champagne to get to 100,000 signatures.
Weak no hopers will moan and do nothing but this is well worth signing as it will show where the tide of public opinion is flowing. After all, everyone suspects the majority of fans want safe standing so let’s at least have some evidence.
Come on Hugh and Sean give this petition a bit of support (if you haven’t already)
Good on you too PP. We just have to believe we can do it. What’s the harm in trying? It’s not just a WHU matter. We need to share it with other clubs; try and get momentum….Worth a go….
Weak no hopers.FM you aint Fish Tw#ts twin bros are you.