15 Comments

Gold breaks silence on stadium standing issues

standWest Ham Chairman, David Gold has waded into the London Stadium standing debate on social media this morning. Speaking on via his twitter account to his 152,000 followers Gold explained.

“There are thousands of standing fans home and away too many for the stewards to cope with. dg”

“So the stewards concentrate on standing fans who are obscuring the view of seated fans (including elderly&kids) dg”

“Over the years it has evolved that away fans stand and that the kids, elderly and disabled are in the front rows dg”

Yesterday, the majority of Bobby Moore Lower (blocks 145-155) and West stand lower blocks 113 & 114 remained standing despite pleas from the club and regular announcements at stadium over the tannoy system and on big screens. The vast majority of the 2,800 Bournemouth away fans (blocks 117-120 & 218-221) also stood throughout the Premier League match.

Stewards did not strictly enforce sitting in the areas mentioned above while taking a stricter approach in the upper tiers and those outside these areas who have traditionally stood.

Stadium stewards admitted privately to ClaretandHugh they are powerless to tackle such large numbers standing and only wanted to keep the peace.

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

15 comments on “Gold breaks silence on stadium standing issues

  1. My email to the Founders Feedback :
    As a supporter who has been attending West Ham games for 30 years I was pleased with the preseason talk that recreating the atmosphere we had at the Boleyn was a priority.
    The reality has been a huge let down. The standing issue and the over zealous nature of the ‘Response’ teams has been a huge let down and over reaction by the Club.
    As each game goes by the good will of the fans is being lost and a real split between the Directors and the supporters is widening……And its no use to blame the Premier league rules or the Stadium owners. Its West Ham United that is doing this.
    We see on our travels or TV’s that every Premier league club has areas within there Stadiums that standing is tolerated. And within the London Stadium away supporters (Bournemouth) were allowed to stand through the entire game, both upper and lower tiers, with no intervention by the Response teams thugs.
    We have seen video after video released by West Ham on Youtube of our supporters singing and creating the legendary atmosphere that West Ham is renowned for. Every clip shows supporters STANDING…Every clip is taken in areas of the Boleyn where supporters were allowed to STAND.
    The East stand Kop is particularly sterile. Such a huge amount of West Ham fans quiet and frightened to become involved in the game due to threats of removal by the club is heartbreaking for me and so many other season ticket holders.
    And the final irony and insult was the announcement at the end of the Bournemouth game, thanking the fans for being the ’12th Man’…..Those fans creating that ’12th Man’ are the ones your throwing out of the Stadium and are being threatened by your Response team thugs.
    I dont expect a reply as your very busy patting each other on the back with your perceived success. Unfortunately your success is the death of our club. West Ham United is something special, but by killing the atmosphere and targeting loyal long term fans you are just turning us into nothing more than a tourist attraction.

  2. For me standing has never been a real issue, I’ve always sat in the upper tier when I go to away games I accept you stand all game. The only issue I have is that they have reduced it from 60,000 to 57,000 fair enough but they have ruined it by making the stadium look empty in the fact they’re blocks of fans missing. I would of much rather they kept the blocks at the top which they can;t sell. It looks awful and it’s easy for other clubs to abuse us like CIty fans get. As for the atmosphere I’ve been going over West Ham long enough to know games like Bournemouth you’re not going to get that “electric” atmosphere. You’re kidding yourself if you thought the atmosphere at the Boleyn ground was amazing every game it wasn’t. The atmosphere was always good when a London club played there or a top team. The atmosphere yesterday was odd but it’s going to take time, I can’t stand all this stand up if you love West Ham seems like it’s the only song people know the amount of times it was sung. Over the Boleyn is was sung once maybe twice a game but maybe this is a sly dig over the standing issue I don’t know.

  3. Been going for 30 years, spent a bleeding fortune along the way and now being told to sit down like a ****ing kid when we’re having a corner! You know what KB, DG,DS you can have your perfect stadium and fill it with your perfect sit down and behave fan from next year I’ll stick to the away matches and actually enjoy a game.

  4. Haha the #westhamfamily is falling apart GW 😀

  5. What an overreaction by people so tied up in their own self-importance they don’t give a damn about the kids, old folk and indeed shorter people who cant see because these cretins think you have to stand to be real fan – Response team thugs ?- I suggest the thugs were more likely those refusing to sit. The East bank is where my daughter and I sit, great atmosphere thanks and none of us “frightened to get involved” – what arrant nonsense, we can just as easily sing,cheer,clap and shout sitting down and we can all see. We had the play off final at Wembley ruined by a bunch of drunken louts who thought they were so big and tough cos they stood and made us stand all the way thru, surrounded by kids in top price seats who couldn’t see a thing. The board don’t deserve the abuse they are getting. Sit down if you’re a grown up – stand up, tediously, if you hate Millwall, Tottenham etc etc – or again, just grow up, stop belittling our club by singing about others, watch the match, back the team.

    • JGP I ain’t one of those that stand up throughout never have been but have an issue when some jumped up little Hitler in a vizzy vest tells me to take a seat at a corner or a free kick.

    • JGP please get on with the shopping and washing up…….. 🙂 x
      Sit down if your a grown up ? stop singing about others ?
      Take yourself off to the Tennis, Clapping furiously to Andy Murray whilst sitting firmly will be perfect for you….

  6. Glad to see Seans appeal last week on behalf of the club was taken aboard so well,
    i wonder how Sean got on sitting down in his seat, still at least he wouldnt have been thrown out.
    There is a solution
    fans sign up to agree a seating standing plan
    two blocks lower tier either side of away fans, the whole of the bobby lower,
    end two blocks lower of east stand
    move those in there that want to sit and put the standers in there from around the ground.
    everywhere outside of thoise blocks enforce the sitting policy
    i witnessed abuse and a fight due to stone island hoolis wanting to stand 3/4 towards the back of teh west upper.
    at the boleyn no one really stood upsatirs so the same should be at the OS
    easy, job done

  7. This whole thing is getting out of hand. Agree that standing on lower ends is OK, but when you see rows between home supporters on the lower sides arguing about standing or sitting during a match that is sad and standing up does NOT mean you love the club any more than someone that doesn’t.

    We sit in the east stand upper and there where three guys standing/squatting in TWO seats yesterday all match and kept getting up. I presume one had a seat elsewhere, but come on, we pay our money as well. It is entirely possible to get totally animated and shout/sing/scream/swear whatever sitting down. Atmosphere is caused by making noise not whether you are standing or sitting.

  8. First of all just to get things straight, I first went to the Boleyn Ground in August 1966 and have no axe to grind over standing.
    When I first bought a season ticket in the Bobby Moore lower nearly 20 years ago, moving from the family area with my son, people used to sit down most of the time and then get up when the football was sufficiently ‘exciting’ enough to warrant the effort. Gradually over the course of a few years everyone stood up all of the time. I sat with my son in the back row and when my grandson started to go along he had to stand on the seat or sit on our shoulders. Stewards were of no use whatsoever.
    With the move to the new stadium we can become a bigger club by getting our attendance up to 66,000. There is no need to stand all the time just as there is no need for people to complain about standing up for a corner. People need to realise they are not the only ones in the stadium watching the game. People quite simply need to appreciate other people’s requirements.
    Unfortunately, this is a clear case of the majority losing out because of the selfish actions of the minority. But this is 2016, so why are we surprised?

  9. I think a lot of people have been seeing things through rose tinted glasses.The last few seasons and probably more the “atmosphere” at the boleyn was c**p and the quietness in the ground has been highlighted from visiting supporters on forums.
    I was in the east stand yesterday and i thought the atmosphere was ok, i have no beef with people who stand up to sing or get up in an exciting moment on the field in fact i do myself but just to stand up all the time without thinking about others seated behind you is not on.

    • I like most of what you say, BH11….but how would you feel if someone jumped in front of you, and you missed the goal? From personal experience, when it happens, it is v frustrating… That is why I feel there should be dedicated ‘nod-nod-wink-wink’ no penalisation standing areas.
      But WHU/the Board not owning the stadium, I just don’t know how practical that is; whether the stadium owners would entertain it whatsoever or at the expense of sacrificing several thousand seats, and I’m not convinced how much heart the board would have in it anyway….

  10. Unfortunately I did have a disagreement with a lad in front as they continued to stand for the whole of the first half whilst hurling abuse at the away fans but NOT watching the footie!!! I have a young daughter and to pay for a season ticket then for her not to see is not on!!! Luckily my older brother pulled me away before things got stupid and afterwards I followed the lad to the toilets to make up as West Ham fans should not be nearly coming to blows…. I think its okay for corners, penalty area action and of course Goals to stand but to do it at the detriment of other fans is a nono btw him and a few mates disappeared somewhere else in the ground for the second half!!

    • You see 666 this is the problem lol.years ago little kids went to the front in all standing areas , or up in the cages ? Football is big buisness now and its turning into a circus !!
      I don’t remember seeing to many children in the west stand years ago it all blokes having a jolly and a swear up at the ref , loads of let’s say lovely uncouth characters who had a great sense of humour ! There are still many of us old school still about and I can tell you straight that it will end in trouble as they will not be broken from tradition , hence the we are west ham and do what we want , they and even let’s say new wave family supporters will not put up with school master stallag e17 reterick , its a football ground no a centre park ??
      It needs a middle ground , but Brady will not have none of it cos she doesn’t want it ?

  11. Valid points from everyone !
    At the end of the day its a football ground , I’m for the compromise middle ground , I like many know the west ham way of things , been going since 62 ! What Brady and co are trying to achieve will end in chaos ! This is west ham not a p/r project to change tradition ,
    The Dave’s should do more to create a solution as they should know better but I’m afraid money and power always raises its ugly head , and as far as Brady is concerned , she has no empathy for the east end or west hams traditions ! Its all about buisness and prestige !!!
    While flying false flags of how the underachieved are looked after by west ham in the community involvement ! But wanted to stop tax credits that they need to survive !!
    I’m beginning to rant again , time to go , cannot stand the hippocrite.

Comments are closed.