The first home Europa League group stage home game went to plan last night with a win over Rapid Vienna to top group H.
Unfortunately it has been marred with headlines and footage of troubles close to the away end initiated by the Austrian fans.
The trouble started before kick off with the Rapid Ultras launching plastic bottles over the segregation line to West Ham fans nearby, unfortunately some of these were thrown back by Hammers fans.
Some of these bottles contained urine!
It went off again as Rice scored the first goal with a hail of missiles including bottles, lighters, parts of seats and a large water cooler bottle, Rapid supporters also tried to breach the seg line only to be pushed back by London Stadium stewards.
While stewards were quick to storm into West Ham areas with rapid response units, Vienna fans were left largely alone during the unrest.
The throwing of missiles continued throughout the game until the final whistle with problem with local Rapid Vienna stewards or club officials arguing with London Stadium stewards post match.
I am sure London Stadium security staff and police will be viewing CCTV footage today, lets hope they take the same approach with Austrian fans and not just penalise home fans who wrongly returned items thrown at them.
At 75 I witness May things over the years, my first was on leave, it was 1969, I heard about some CockneyReds, but being in the forces, had very little understanding of this new thing. Until we played Man U , at home after half time, a roar of we are Cockney Reds, suddenly one man waved a Manky scarf , a Irons supporter, grabbed it, a ruck broke out, suddenly a young girl of just nine standing there, got hit in her face by the. Man to be Cockney Red , he broke the girls nose, I was horrified. Yes Irons supporters have caused trouble. But compared to what I saw with the Austrian fans, do any person reading this , think how YOU would fill if a bottle of wee hit you. I pray they get hit very hard