This ?
Ok, there’s Boleyn protestors out there for sure and we understand their issues but here’s a question surely worth asking as we approach the mid point of this season.
Are we ready to call the London Stadium home – and truly mean it?
Sadly ill health stopped me being at yesterday’s game but the noise and atmosphere was as thunderous and passionate off the box as it had been when I was inside the place for the Liverpool victory and – come to that – the horrible last minute issues against United.
…or this?
The opening game of the season against Leicester was another amazing night when the place – like since – rocked as we brushed the Foxes aside 4-1 whilst the vibe on European nights has been fabulous.
Like all of you my great footballing moments until now are buried down in Green Street but buried is the key word and every visit to the stadium this season has been an entirely new experience.
And I reckon it’s the atmosphere in that place – generated of course by the fans – which is adding around 20 per cent to the squad’s game. Jarrod Bowen said as much in his latest interview when describing the atmosphere as “electric.”
My biggest problem with the place is the walk from Stratford International to the Billy Bonds and the lack of street traders but beyond that I’m happy.
And once inside when the team turn on the sort of performances they have been doing I don’t find Upton Park entering my head if I’m truly honest about it.
Please discuss – I’d love to hear your views for fear or favour!
We are becoming MASSIVE. And that would not have happened back at Upton Park. The stadium is taking us to another level all together. With the biggest capacity in London (and only to get bigger) When you ask the players, they all say they love playing at The London Stadium and they all say they love the atmosphere. Moysie loves the place and the atmosphere the stadium generates inside and around the stadium. For far to long we have listened to other supporters and rival pundits, that are only to aware of the MASSIVE opportunities the stadium offers to us. They are jealous and have taken great delight when we fall for, their negativity, and turned against each other and the club. Now all of us are becoming increasingly aware that we are stepping up with the big boy’s and there is no reason why we cant become a Power House in English football. Only a few weeks ago we played in Europe at exactly the same time as the Spuds. Our attendance was over 50,000. There’s barely 25,000.
respect
You and I have (very respectfully) exchanged views about this before, Hughie. I never wanted to leave Boleyn. Ok: it needed a lick of paint, but it could be an intimidating place to got to for opposition fans (particularly before the West Stand was rebuilt) and was right in the heart of what felt like a community (of street traders, publicans, restaurant owners). I still miss it, but I accept that it’s gone and the Club and most of the fans have decided to move on.
For me, and I accept that my views may not be typical, the London Stadium could actually feel like home, but not until two things happen, if they can ever happen at all: 1) It’s properly configured for football – the upper tier, particularly behind the goals, is too far away from the action, and; 2) Karren Brady – the person that I hold most responsible for highly misleading retractable seating presentation and the dubious YouGov poll prior to the move, and which led to a decision being taken which has since has divided one section of the fanbase from another – leaves the football club. Once she goes, and I hope that Kretzinsky’s arrival hastens her departure, I’ll feel less bitter about the way in which the move was sold to the fans.
The atmosphere at times these days is as good as it would have been at the Boleyn. For me, though, that’s more about the fans and the amazing job Moyes is doing, and not about the venue.
I agree with you about the distance between the stadium. It’s long, cold and miserable during the winter, soulless, and actually undermines the “better transport links” argument, which was part of the justification for the move. The links ARE better. The problem is it takes so long to get to and from them.
Respect all that especially Brady and CandH has said so several times in the past buddy
I am loving the atmosphere at the London Stadium and its capacity for so many more great fans. It’s a walk, but with Accessibility transport for disabled. I didn’t ever enjoy Queueing in the railings for Upton Park station after games. Over the years it wasn’t all lovely, but many good memories for us fortunate to have tickets I m a pensioner now, but I say move on and enjoy it.
It is a fact that Nobody likes change and the resistance to our move was unsettling for most of us supporters. But it takes a brave man with vision to initiate change which would affect so many on such a large scale. A decision which in the short-term would upset many, but in the long-term would be looked at as visionary.
In hindsight it wasn’t such a gamble, but a nessesity for this club to grow. With the greatest respect to our previous owners, they didn’t have the vision to grow this club or what the future could hold for the club if they did. We stood still instead of moving forward to close the gap between West Ham and the bigger clubs in our league. I agree with Eug that we are only MASSIVE because we are at the London Stadium and not at the Boleyn.
Well-timed Hugh as it is a subject that needs to be talked about so that we can be proud of our past but have the maturity to move forward and grow this club.
Not everyone is gifted with VISION and in years to come, what may not be obvious to many, will become obvious to most. What we have learnt though, is that it is US the supporters that will make the stadium home. 60,000 supporters are now making it seem like home to me.
The Boleyn was great with all standing except for about 4000 seats. Lots of queuingand no tickets but you got in if arriving early enough. I was 16 then. Once all seaters came in I had children and getting tickets was a real lottery and often the atmosphere was dead along with poorly performing team!
At the London Stadium me, children and now grandchildren can see games regularly and both I and my autistic son have great value season tickets in Billy Bonds stand.
The atmosphere in first few years was.dire but so was our team.
Now we have a great team and coaches we have found our voice and I would put the Liverpool and chelsea games in my top 20 of all time, I have watched the irons since 1962! So it’s us fans that make a stadium and once the Olympic Park is finished the surrounds will be great. We now need to get ownership of the stadium because the annual losses to the tax payer are not sustainable.Work can then be done to improve it, remember we originally bid to buy it and put in auto retractable seating. Levy put the mockers on that so it’s not all GSB to blame.