6 Comments

Standing area finally sits down!

seatedIronically, the softening of the club’s message on persistent standing had a bizarre reaction last night.

A statement from the Joint Chairman published yesterday which appeared to deliberately avoid using the word ‘standing’ and threats for persistent standers were absent. In a blog yesterday I called this a victory for common sense.

The new Bobby Moore lower stand has been a hot bed of persistent standing in the first five games at the London Stadium after season ticket holders from the old Bobby Moore Lower relocated there.

However, last night game against Accrington Stanley in the League Cup everyone unexpectedly sat down much to the amazement of many.

So have the club finally cracked the problem of standing with their softened down approach?  Well no, not really as many season tickets holders including myself gave the league cup game a miss.

It is was nothing to do with the troubles at the stadium as many season ticket holders have regularly given early rounds of the league cup a miss, even at the Boleyn ground.

Others joked after the first half performance there was nothing to stand up for.  Come Sunday, I am sure the Bobby Moore lower will be on their feet again but with 250 season ticket holders relocated to sit with ‘like minded groups’ hopefully the complaints about standing will soon be a thing of the past.

 

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

6 comments on “Standing area finally sits down!

  1. I have said it before that you do not need to be standing to get involved in the game, to sing and chant etc. I do pray that the persistent standers will at last sit down and allow the club to increase the stadium capacity to 60,000 and eventually to 66,000 for the sake of those supporters who wish to become season ticket holders and for the sake of the long term future of the club. Plus, the more bums on seats, the more noise we will generate. COYI

  2. Am I right in saying that the all seater stadiums were a result of the Taylor report, which came after the Hillsborough disaster?
    If I am then why can’t the davids argue that, now that the cover up of corrupt and inept policing has been exposed, and recognised universally, why can’t the Taylor reoprt be put to sleep.
    We don’t have to go back to 70% standing, but the way to limited safe standing must surely be instant.

  3. This was because of a different crowd. Lots of families and not the usual ‘ we’ll stand when we want’ brigade’. Coupled with 10,000 less attendance this wasn’t a massive surprise.

  4. The FAPL only say persistent standing is banned, they also turn a blind eye to it at many grounds where specific sections tend to stand throughout the game which is indeed a common sense approach. I hope that safe standing makes a return to league games and in time European games, although I prefer these days to sit for most of the game, my best memories are from standing on the terraces and the atmosphere and cameradery created from the standing crowd are for me an important part of the whole experience. Let’s see if the ST holders sit at the weekend, it would be advantageous to the club and non st holders if a balance can be found while we are trying to get the new license.

  5. To be honest, not a lot to stand up for last night! Was sitting there last night thinking about quiet it was. Yes I know it was a smaller crowd, and lower league opposition etc but i have a theory about the stadium. We needed a bigger club to play first. The fixture list gave us the teams and I think it became a bit of an anti climax. We need something to unite the fans, a common cause. When we drew Chelsea last night, I thought yes! Our first night under the lights against a common enemy. Regardless of the result, this is our chance to make some noise for our team and make the place ours.

  6. Nothing to do with the Daves’ conciliatory message, much more to do with 20 bans issued last week, made an example of them and rightly so.

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