West Ham United have never been considered as a power of English football. Nor have they ever been worded in the same sentence as Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal or Chelsea.
But West Ham has always had proud supporters who have remained very loyal to their team and have turned up in force every home game to see their team give their all at old Upton Park – at least until the end of the 2015-16 EPL season.
At the end of the 2010-11 EPL season West Ham were in turmoil, being relegated to the football league championship after a last place finish in the EPL. For the first time in six seasons West Ham would drop back out of the spotlight. They would lose sponsors, TV rights and lots of money.
This period would see the Irons relying heavily on club legend Carlton Cole to get the job done each week up front. But typical to the West Ham spirit they never gave up and would be quickly back in the EPL. In the 2015-16 season West Ham would finish a club high of 7th after knocking on the door of 4th place all year, an amazing turn around in just 5 seasons.
Their power up forward was easily recognized with former Liverpool man Andy Carroll and Frenchman Dimitri Payet combining for 21 goals between them.
West Ham would score 65 goals for the year, more than anyone outside the top four. But during the reveal they would make a mistake that could be the most costly in their long history – they would elect to move games away from their traditional ground Upton Park which had been the club’s home since 1904.
Despite their impressive season I predicted after the season had ended West Ham would be relegated back out of the EPL. People I said this to said I was joking and that would never happen to a club well in its rights to be chasing top 4. I wasn’t joking.
For clubs like Man City and Arsenal who had relocated from their traditional homes in the last 15 years, it doesn’t have a big effect for their supporters because they are always near the top of the ladder and their supporters will be happy to watch them play anywhere, but for a lesser club like West Ham, your ground is everything.
The move to the 60,000 seat Olympic stadium has been a disaster. The fans haven’t liked it and the players have struggled to adapt to the new environment winning only one of their opening four matches at the ground.
Club legend and captain Mark Noble who has been at West Ham since 2004 said that he accidently drove to the Upton Park instead of Olympic Stadium for the club’s first match at the new venue.
Upton Park has now been demolished and West Ham will never return there, but so many West Ham fans wish that wasn’t the case. As do the long serving players who say the atmosphere is nothing like what it used to be at Upton Park.
Now sitting 15th, it seems West Ham have lost their spark of previous seasons with their defense all over the place conceding 13 goals in the opening 8 games. Their squad hasn’t changed much, if anything it is stronger, but their routines certainly changed a lot.
I fear relegation may hit West Ham yet again.
pacman
Guest
Great post Buddy. On my only visit, I thought the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, it was definitely offset by the experience departing the ground. As you point out, the club had to move with the times. Sad, but that is the way these days. Called "progress", I believe.
Buddy
Guest
Having visited Upton Park many times (prefer the Boleyn ground personally) and I have friends and family who have season tickets I feel obliged to contribute to the discussion. There was enormous affection for the old stadium but as stated in this thread, it was surrounded by houses and units with no real room to redevelop. The south bank was rebuilt into the bobby moore stand some years back but that was about as far as it could go. On the western side, the grandstand had old pillars that would obscure your view of the field and I am fairly sure that restricted view tickets were sold. After the taylor report saw English clubs move to all seater stadiums life got more difficult. the north bank and the chicken run on the eastern side were hardly ideal for seating whereas they had been quite adequate for terrace viewing. There were at least 15000 to 20000 potential fans seeking season tickets that could not be accommodated in E13. Given that a season ticket costs between 500 -900 pounds that is potential revenue of 25 million plus...not to be sneered at. Stratford is only just up the road and is well serviced by public transport. I don't recall any sports ground that was good to drive to, mainly as most grounds are in residential areas and all parking was street parking, no specific places etc, even Wembley was pretty horrendous. The olympic stadium badly needed a tenant, and there was the potential for Tottenham to move there. You need to understand a bit about football tribalism to truly appreciate how that idea was received in East London and Essex and surrounding areas. So it all fell into place. a deal was struck and the move took place. I can report that friends and family that have been attending re not happy with quite a few aspects but have all expressed a willingness to give it time. On field performances have been eratic to date but it was always going to be difficult to maintain the momentum of last season and most of the top clubs have discovered that the gap has closed so that smaller clubs are able to compete with the elite for the most part. It may not be an ideal stadium and Upton Park will always be in the hearts of the fans and club officials but just like Arsenal, Manchester City, Sunderland, Southampton and quite a few others, the club has to move with the times, grow the fan base and offer 21st century facilities at the new home. mind you there was an excellent pie and mash bar in Green Street that we used to stop off at.......couldn't they just move the shops and business, The Boleyn pub and the smells that emanated from the market stalls!
marron
Guest
There wasn't really room to build on the site (at Upton park). That's part of the "problem" with the old grounds - they were built in tight surrounds. If the club wanted to expand, then they did more or less have to move. And real estate in the east end is hard to come by - the Olympic deal was too hard to turn down in a business sense. Like I inferred above, those older types are fewer and farer between anyway - the bulk of west ham's support has moved out to Essex. The double hit of gentrification and immigration is behind that. Which is interesting in and of itself. If the ground was good, but the other stuff was lost, well, maybe things survive. But you couple losing all the "external" stuff with losing atmosphere within the ground and it's a huge double whammy that is going to have an impact.
Travis
Roar Pro
I agree with a lot with what you say and I have said that West Ham will never go back to Upton Park. But that is not the point. To answer your first statement 'Travis, did you ever go to a match at Upton Park?' no I haven't because I live in Australia, I don't even support West Ham, but I can see what loosing your home ground does to a club. West Ham are still regarded as a middle to bottom club. Most clubs in that bracket have their home grounds that they have had for over 50 years. The crowds may be great, but if Upton Park was built to that size it would be sold out every week. It is very hard to get a ticket for English football. That's why the ground should of been built up or re built like Pirtek Stadium is for WSW. 'As for the players, they apparently love playing at the new stadium' I think all professional footballers have to say that in front of the media, if they had a choice they would be playing at Upton Park. Again last night they struggled to beat Sunderland and were out played by the them (bottom side) for large portions of the match. I heard the Sunderland coach say he would be looking forward to playing at the new Olympic Stadium, of course he would playing at a neutral ground. Upton Park was one of the most feared grounds for opposition clubs to travel to and that's what a home ground should be. The fans actually do not like the move at all. Read this article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/sep/11/west-ham-london-stadium-upton-park. It will sum up a lot of what I have already said. Finally have you ever thought of old men and woman who live within walking distance of the ground. What if they are too old to drive or can't be bothered going 30 miles to Olympic Park, the only EPL venue with an athletics track around it where people are far back from the action. Only benefit was it helped the club financially, but soccer is not all about money.
marron
Guest
I don't disagree with anything you've said pacman. Cheers for the reply. I agree. It is inevitable - that's sad to me, but it is the reality. Yes things move on. Why are the fans turning up? I would argue because "west 'am" is in the blood.... this generation of fans still knows what it means and still hold the memories (Like with any club where the bond to a local community is strong). What else would they do? Over land and sea and all that. You don't stop going. I hope I'm wrong, but I won't be surprised when in 20 years or so, the vestiges of the glue are gone though. The common experience of that exit you discuss, will be replaced with the common experience of wandering through a Westfields. It's a small part of the commodification of us all . Just one small story. A reminder of that. Football is more than a game on a pitch. But it's more than creating a pleasant experience to decrease churn as well.
pacman
Guest
Interesting thoughts marron. Firstly, I was only prompted to comment because of my observations on my only visit to Upton Park about three years ago, including the good hour and a half or more it took to reach the Tube station after exiting the stadium. That is a public transport issue, but the condition of the Boleyn Ground stadium was not. It had quite obviously reached the end of its life and was terminally ill. Secondly, to respond to your post, I undertook some basic research. Capacity at Upton Park was 35016. Capacity at London Stadium is 60000. Apparently sold out for the first five home matches of the season, for despite poor results, attendances were: 56977; 56974; 56864; 56945; 56985. Suspiciously similar figures, but I guess that's what happens with sell-outs. Those figures are extraordinary considering the reluctance to change that confronted the club. But this is the thing, and I encountered it when running my own business. People, whether they be employees, fans, or observers resist, and often resent change. But, surprisingly most, although admittedly not all, changes work. I visited West Ham's website, and it appears genuine efforts are being made to extend community networks. As you mention, much tradition has disappeared due to the move, but what was the alternative? Redevelop Upton Park, when London Stadium was sitting there, brand new, waiting for a tenant? Tottenham Hotspur were disappointed, to put it mildly, that they were unsuccessful in their bid to become tenants. Leyton Orient were also disappointed in West Ham's successful bid, as they see their new big neighbours as a challenge to survival. The author's quote: "The move to the 60,000 seat Olympic stadium has been a disaster. The fans haven’t liked it and the players have struggled to adapt to the new environment winning only one of their opening four matches at the ground." is, I believe, somewhat misleading. If the fans don't like the new home, why are they attending? As for the players, they apparently love playing at the new stadium. Their poor form is attributed by other observers as being a result of a debilitating run of injuries. Change is inevitable, even though often unwelcome. But we all move on, sooner or later. Cheers.
marron
Guest
You hit at the heart of the issue perhaps unknowingly there pacman. A football club is about community. The biggest plus of Stratford is that it's potentially easier for the east end diaspora to travel to. But what good is that when the things that define the community are ripped away? The community of any football club is defined by more than a bunch of players. The things that define a community are not words like egress - especially when it's through a shopping centre. The fact of the matter is, the Olympic stadium is not "fit for purpose" for its community on many levels. Whether or not this has affected the squad is debateable - although it has happened to other teams - but it doesn't really matter. 21st century stadia are often not fit for purpose for football communities. They may be fit for purpose for seeing an "event". Or for getting out quickly to beat the rush to the station or car park. Or for maximising the profits made through attracting new consumers. But they don't create a "home". It's up to the players, you say... really though it's up to the fans to try and make a new home but the truth is they are usually up against forces well beyond anything that can be solved. The fans at west ham won't be able to sit on the edge of the pitch cheek by jowl and intimidate. They won't be able to all walk down the streets as a community, through local markets, like generations before them. No more locally run pubs and cafs - it'll be a chain hotel or Starbucks now. No more social club, they've been forgotten. It was a good business decision though. Fit for purpose. Good egress.
pacman
Guest
Travis, did you ever go to a match at Upton Park? I did, just once. What a hole! Sure, plenty of atmosphere. But still a dump with hopeless access and egress. Let's be honest, the stadium was clapped out, and hardly fit for purpose in the 21st century. The players have moved to a new home, as their old one was close to being condemned, and overdue for demolition. Up to the players to adapt, and recommence playing the football that the Upton Park faithful find attractive.