I turned up yesterday in hope of three points and in expectation of some pretty dire football. In that regard the Irons did not disappoint.
I wasn’t expecting to walk away having felt the emergence of a good old-fashioned West Ham atmosphere in the brand spanking new London Stadium!
There was loads of singing throughout, and none of it aimed at the board, the stewards or standing up.
Maybe it was helped along by some festive bonhomie. Perhaps some of the newbies were Xmas shopping. Or it might be we’re just starting to forget the surroundings and get behind the team.
This can only help the players.
One of the things I’ve missed most is the sardonic wit of the Upton Park crowd and even that made an appearance when the stadium announcer interviewed Clyde Best at half time.
Clyde was given a real hospital pass and asked which players impressed him in the current squad – cue a rumble of ironic laughter from all parts of the ground and many cries of “nobody” from the faithful.
After the interview we were encouraged to watch the big screens for the first-half highlights!!! Cue more laughter and “that won’t take long”s…
Thanks to Mark Noble there was at least one highlight to show at the final whistle and the goal was celebrated with relief and passion.
Still much to do on and off the pitch but for me the last home match of 2016 was the first when the new stadium really started to feel like one.