You're not West Ham anymore

[S64 Blade]

I like their fans. Most of them are very friendly under the surface. I was good friends with the bloke who ran the NY Hammers supporters club and mingled with quite a few of them back then. Of course you get some real twats supporting every club including ours.

I agree! Proper fan base IMO.

Worked with loads over the years in our London office. The vast majority of people into footie from the capital that I’ve either met either seem to support Arsenal or West Ham.

 

[103SecondsOfMagic]

I especially liked the bit when the guy who brought Tevez and Mascherano to West Ham was threatening to spill the beans after the happy Hammers unilaterally 'ripped up' the offending contract, then ended up employed by West Ham a few days later
Fuck em

 

[nopigfansintown]

I've always had a soft spot for West Ham. I actually wrote to a lot of clubs for a primary school project and they not only wrote back with tons of info about the East end (big Dickens fan), the World Cup, and the old ground, they also sent me tickets for a game and showed me all the stuff they still possessed relating to their World Cup winning legends. Most other clubs didn't respond. I regarded the notion that England actually won the WC to be so preposterous to be an actual miracle - that was a big interest at the time. I went to the game and they made the day really special for me and my mum. The only good thing about another soulless stadium (Wembley) is the statue of Bobby Moore.

I've always regarded them as the Southern Blades. Working class salt of the earth fans with an amazing, earthy traditional English football ground. None of the London or Premier League pretensions. My sort of people really. The "Tevez affair" soiled that a bit as some of their support dealt with it really badly. It was on the c's that ran them and they should've collectively owned that and blamed them just like they're blaming the current lot

West Ham are bigger than that, and bigger than the whole fake cosmetic PL jamboree - some of them forgot that. The move from the Boleyn ground is a living nightmare for them. If it happened to the Blades it would absolutely crush me. If they go down their pre gentrification fans will probably enjoy it more than the PL tbh. The away days anyway.

 

[bladesmanluke]

They need to start making plans to move away from London Stadium no matter the cost. I feel sorry for them

 

[Dkc]

They need to start making plans to move away from London Stadium no matter the cost. I feel sorry for them

Can't see that ever happening, sadly. Despite the poor fan experience the London Stadium generates a lot more money due to its vast capacity and the number of 'tourist' fans who will pay to see any PL game (though many of these would disappear in the Championship). There have been improvements and if they ever have real success the atmosphere would improve.

Orient are planning on moving to a new stadium soon which is also a real shame. They have an old traditional stadium that has a new stand with corporate facilities and never sells out. The land is valuable though and demolishing the stadium for housing would fund a new Brentford-style stadium further from central London

 

[shorehamview]

…..There are many reasons to find them unpleasant…..

The owners, one of course now pwopah brahn bread guv…

West Ham’s Slaven Bilic admits he laughed at ‘Dildo Brothers’ remark

Slaven Bilic risked angering his employers after saying David Sullivan ‘likes to talk’ and that the Sporting Lisbon president’s description of the West Ham owners was funny

www.theguardian.com

 

[HammerInPeace]

I've always had a soft spot for West Ham. I actually wrote to a lot of clubs for a primary school project and they not only wrote back with tons of info about the East end (big Dickens fan), the World Cup, and the old ground, they also sent me tickets for a game and showed me all the stuff they still possessed relating to their World Cup winning legends. Most other clubs didn't respond. I regarded the notion that England actually won the WC to be so preposterous to be an actual miracle - that was a big interest at the time. I went to the game and they made the day really special for me and my mum. The only good thing about another soulless stadium (Wembley) is the statue of Bobby Moore.

I've always regarded them as the Southern Blades. Working class salt of the earth fans with an amazing, earthy traditional English football ground. None of the London or Premier League pretensions. My sort of people really. The "Tevez affair" soiled that a bit as some of their support dealt with it really badly. It was on the c's that ran them and they should've collectively owned that and blamed them just like they're blaming the current lot

West Ham are bigger than that, and bigger than the whole fake cosmetic PL jamboree - some of them forgot that. The move from the Boleyn ground is a living nightmare for them. If it happened to the Blades it would absolutely crush me. If they go down their pre gentrification fans will probably enjoy it more than the PL tbh. The away days anyway.

Really nice post, mate
I've also noticed similarites between the clubs & the fans. The same gallows humour never far away. The long-suffering but total devotion, whatever happens. A fan for life, not a glory hunter. A constant fanbase. The living in hope that maybe, one day...
Of course, we've been luckier to have had success in much more recent decades than you. Your's came much earlier in your history, the same for many other (especially) northern clubs. The Emperor's New Clothes that is the Premier League hasn't helped with that - if anything, has made it even harder to compete with the moneyed clubs.
Anyway, i liked your post!

 

[Pedro Verde]

The immediate area to the stadium is great. Got the shopping centre with lots of restaurants.

Who needs a shopping centre with lots of restaurants near a football ground ok for tourists but not for your dyed in the wool football fan
Pubs yes but not the aforementioned unfortunately theres not many pubs

The concourses are great too, I remember having a Giant Bratwurst when I was there. Lovely...

The concourses are good as they should be be at any newish stadium but they hardly make for a good
football ground as long as theres decent bogs its not exactly a game changer


On the subject of Upton Park which I loved as a football ground proper atmosphere the pubs around the ground it was one of my favourite away days there are many WHU fans that hate the London Stadium I was talking to a few on my last visit to the Athletics stadium (you cant call it a football ground) I mentioned Upton Park and they were nearly crying

 

[Dkc]

Who needs a shopping centre with lots of restaurants near a football ground ok for tourists but not for your dyed in the wool football fan
Pubs yes but not the aforementioned unfortunately theres not many pubs


The concourses are good as they should be be at any newish stadium but they hardly make for a good
football ground as long as theres decent bogs its not exactly a game changer


On the subject of Upton Park which I loved as a football ground proper atmosphere the pubs around the ground it was one of my favourite away days there are many WHU fans that hate the London Stadium I was talking to a few on my last visit to the Athletics stadium (you cant call it a football ground) I mentioned Upton Park and they were nearly crying

Still loads of traditional pubs around Stratford Market but then you have to hike through that massive upmarket shopping centre on match days to get to the ground (though I think they might close that route on match days now). With all the tower blocks and high end shops you see a massive contrast between the new rich and the remaining residents who have lived there for generations

 

[Danny_Blade]

They need to start making plans to move away from London Stadium no matter the cost. I feel sorry for them

It'd be to another soulless bowl though wouldn't it? Granted it wouldn't be quite as soulless as the one they're in but it most probably still would be of typical modern soullessness.

There's no Upton Park anymore so the damage has already been done.

I acknowledge it can't be nice for them though.

 

[HammerInPeace]

Can't see that ever happening, sadly. Despite the poor fan experience the London Stadium generates a lot more money due to its vast capacity and the number of 'tourist' fans who will pay to see any PL game (though many of these would disappear in the Championship). There have been improvements and if they ever have real success the atmosphere would improve.

We got a new carpet around the pitch & a few beer shelves but that's about it as far as improvements are concerned...
To me, there's 3 options:
1) the stadium stays the same - an awful, horrible experience for home & away supporters.
2) the place is knocked down & rebuilt as a proper football stadium (i don't know if that would even be allowed in the first place & we would need to have rich, new owners to fund it).
3) build a proper ground somewhere else (could someone even find suitable land within Newham & again it would need extremely wealthy, new owners).

Regarding extra income re the extra capacity. When we first moved in i believe it held 60k but i distinctly remember David Gold saying that that equated to only an extra £11m per season which was flaming ridiculous, if true. We moved for an extra £11m? Fucking hell...
I'm in no way wanting to come across as 'poor us' but all these are just facts.
Gold, Sullivan & Brady ruined the club & it may well not be fixable.
If ever i pass by where the old stadium was, i just feel sadness & anger now.

 

[HammerInPeace]

Anyway, i"m gonna blame Sean Bean - he made 'em do it...

 

[bornablade]

Since 2007 there has been pages and pages posted about how we were cheated by West Ham and even today there's serious hate being posted against them.

On February 12th 1999 Arsenal asked for our FA Cup game to be replayed as Arsne Wenger didn't want to be labelled with 'cheating' after Kanu and Overmars scored that dodgy goal.

Do we have a great deal of respect for Arsenal football club following that incident?

I never seem to see many threads on here showing any evidence of that. I have seen posters referring to the current Arsenal manager as Legohead. And that's about it.

We want consistency on the pitch then let's show it on here.

 

[Selly]

Since 2007 there has been pages and pages posted about how we were cheated by West Ham and even today there's serious hate being posted against them.

On February 12th 1999 Arsenal asked for our FA Cup game to be replayed as Arsne Wenger didn't want to be labelled with 'cheating' after Kanu and Overmars scored that dodgy goal.

Do we have a great deal of respect for Arsenal football club following that incident?

I never seem to see many threads on here showing any evidence of that. I have seen posters referring to the current Arsenal manager as Legohead. And that's about it.

We want consistency on the pitch then let's show it on here.

A single FA cup game in 1999 is not the same as relegation from the PL in 2007. One is season defining for a club like ours, the other was not.

And Wenger went up in my estimation that day - no quite as much as if he'd offered the replay at the lane, but there was no real need for him to offer anything.

 

[Dkc]

A single FA cup game in 1999 is not the same as relegation from the PL in 2007. One is season defining for a club like ours, the other was not.

And Wenger went up in my estimation that day - no quite as much as if he'd offered the replay at the lane, but there was no real need for him to offer anything.

If he agreed the goal shouldn't have stood it implies that the game would have ended level resulting in a replay at the Lane. Wenger's generosity didn't extend that far.

 

[Jon B]

Despite the Tevez travesty I don't hold a grudge against West Ham. After all it was the Premier League who chickened out of applying the laws properly.

And I was fortunate enough to watch the world cup heroes Peters/Moore/Hurst playing for them at the Lane.

For me that will always earn them a free pass.

 

[Pedro Verde]

Despite the Tevez travesty I don't hold a grudge against West Ham. After all it was the Premier League who chickened out of applying the laws properly.

And I was fortunate enough to watch the world cup heroes Peters/Moore/Hurst playing for them at the Lane.

For me that will always earn them a free pass.

Remember Bobby Moore having a brilliant game at BDTBL he won everything in the air and on the floor Probably about 1967. The only other random player that impressed me at the time was a young Franz Beckenbauer