Subdued London Stadium

For the fifty thousand plus supporters who attended last night’s win it was probably the most subdued atmosphere I have experienced all season.  Apart from the applause for both the departed young fan Jack Howard and  West Ham player/youth coach Peter Brabrook, the place was quiet for the majority of the match and any singing was very short lived.

Thousands of supporters were late for the kick off due to combination of a firearms incident at Liverpool St which shut the central line and emergency gas works in the Olympic park outside the London Stadium.

The on the pitch entertainment on a dark and cold December evening didn’t add to the somber mood and it remained a boring and nervous watch for most of the second half for most on an uninspiring evening.

Although Burnley fans didn’t take their full allocation of 3,000 away tickets and became the first visiting team to actually sit down in their seats, the 1,800 who made the journey down south sang loud and proud and put most of the home fans to shame.