The oldest stand in the Boleyn Ground stadium is no more. The East stand was the oldest and smallest stand in the stadium, being built in 1969 and holding just 5,000 seats due to its narrow width. It was still called the Chicken run by many, however the real ‘Chicken Run’ was an old wooden stand on the east side of the pitch. It was surrounded by a similar sort of wire to that used on chicken runs and when you viewed it from the opposite side of the ground it looked just like a chicken run. It was knocked down and rebuilt in 1969. Plans to rebuild the East stand were abandoned after the club suffered relegation. Planning Permission for to rebuild the East Stand was first granted to West Ham in 1999 but later lapsed in 2004. A new application was made in March 2006 but was later withdrawn by the club for reasons unknown.
The East Stand in better days as we would like to remember it by
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Sad pictures : wish they wouldn’t do it , hurts too much .
That Passion & Pride is going to be very hard to replicate in the LS .
It could be our biggest mistake or our biggest dive into the future ; only this season and it’s grand result for West Ham United will tell .
Premiership Survival is so important and Defining it goes beyond words . These are very dangerous days for the Club and we are in danger of losing everything that we hold dear .
We must change or die . There are big issues to be solved right now ( that means now , not after another month of scratching and umming and arrring ) and if it means a change in manager then let it be so . Msr’s Sullivan & Gold have a massive decision to make before we get sucked into oblivion .
I am 65 yrs old now and getting really tired of having emotions built that get me high only to be let down by the sinking those same emotions . I am in a world of uncertainty regarding our West Ham and , it hurts , a lot .
One day I find myself supporting the players and manager and , then the next questioning my own opinions and Thier ability to put things right . One day supporting the manager and plYers and then the next day being at a loss .
But it’s been like that for what seems forever . We were struggling ( as a poor Club ) to survive in the rich world ( man Utd buying everyone in sight for example ) of marketing and world appeal . AlwYs on a loser since Munich .
I have seen so many good to very good and excellent players get sold off that it makes me sick . Now we have a decent squad that is wrecked by injuries week in week out and we can’t get it together with the players we have . Did we get over ambitious? , no , no by a long way because the move was necessary to support the wages we need to pay to get the players that want to plY and show off Thier skills for loads of money .
For me , personally we don’t need that kind of player . I want to see players that wear Thier hearts on Thier shirts and will battle for every ball .
I have and reserve the right to say what I feel ; Bilic is no good for West Ham . He tried to do his best amongst all the upheaval but , it’s not within his abilities . We need a Manager who can motivate and circumnavigate these these very difficult times .
Ex player hero worship doesn’t work . One has to question , eventually , the wisdom in sacking BSA . Sore subject , I know but , it does provoke the expression ” be careful what you wish for ” .
The next game ; away to Liverpool will be definitive for our season and for Bilic and , for a few players that think running out on a Saturday for x number of thousands pounds per week is all they have to do .
Where is the Passion , The Pride , The Battle Cry , the sheer will to win ???.
Too many foreign players that don’t understand the Passion & Pride and only understand bank balance . That is the huge problem here and at several other clubs as well .
We need more Englishman in the English Premiership and lower leagues .
Anyway ; to top it off ,, Slaven Bilic is not the answer . We need a Englishman with the Rose Sewn into his Heart . … who , maybe Howe or Pardew .
P.S. And what is happening to my brick in new West Stand ?
Heart breaking for me stood there in the old wooden chicken run with my Dad in the late 50’s through to the new extension and seating was put in. Saw Harry Redknapp running up and down that touchline with his shock of red hair and skinny knees. Could touch the players when they took throw in and corners. Standing up was always best and the atmosphere and cockney humour was unforgettable. Alf Garnet walking round the pitch with his rattle and scarf. I can’t and don’t want to think about it being torn down, I know its
so called progress, but the new stadium will never have the soul of the old chicken run.
What’s happening with the seats that are left in the ground? I thought the club could have made a few quid from selling them off. I would have bought some.