West Ham United (London) 1-0 Accrington Stanley, League Cup, att. 39,877
 |
| Sunset over the Olympic Park |
With every foreseeable Premiership home game a sellout at the 'London Stadium' (sh*t name, but in keeping with what was to follow) I accidentally came across this early opportunity to sample the delights of the old (new) Olympic Stadium. Would it be as bad as I thought, watching football from beyond an athletics' track, or would the constant assuaging of the Golds and Bradys of this world prove true? The dawning of a new era for West Ham, blah blah.
 |
| 80s-inspired patterns at the London Stadium |
It is truly AWFUL. You ARE miles from the pitch, you CANNOT see who the f*** is playing on that other wing and as for the atmosphere...well, there's the odd fan standing up and trying (and failing) to drive the rest on. Maybe the rest are tourists, like me, here to tick off a stadium rather than admire anything West Ham United have to offer. The whole thing is a soul-sapping experience. Has anyone ever deserted their team cos they have moved grounds? (Wimbledon/MK Dons doesn't count). Cos I simply could not watch football at this stadium every fortnight.
 |
| The teams shake hands. |
I was impressed with the organisational aspects though. From getting off at Stratford, you're channelled out to a road which has been shut down, and the walk is quite pleasant, what with views over the Queen Elizabeth whatever it's called Park. Look! There's the Aquarium! Or is it the Velodrome? I know my partner knows her stuff and was telling me, but I have to admit, I've no interest in the Olympics. The area is a far cry from the Lee Valley I once knew, with the athletes' village now accommodation for the (richer) proles and brand spanking newness everywhere. And it's still not finished, unless those cranes have been carelessly left behind.
 |
| Then like West Ham (London) they fade and die |
The London Stadium is a tidy thing from a distance, with the steel struts interlinking above the roof. It might look passable close up too, were it not for the cheap West Ham United (London) branding on the outside, all blue and claret triangles in patterns once common in the 80s. Compare this to the Emirates and their floor to ceiling photos of Arsenal players from past eras, all putting their arms around each others' shoulders. 'But West Ham are only tenants' I've heard. Yes - tenants for the next 99 years or whatever. Shabby.
 |
| There's the match! Over there! |
There were queues, but we were quick in - a cursory bag check making me think anyone could smuggle something into here. It was cheap too, tickets tonite being £10-£20. I decided to treat the missus, went large, £20. I chose seats high up (row 70) on the halfway line, hoping for a decent view. What I got was a patch of grass somewhere in the distance and no hope of recognising players' numbers beyond anyone on this touchline. And when I got bored (often!) and stared out across the stadium, all I got was the floodlights, long since patched onto the underneath of the roof, thereby preventing any view of the far stand. It really is a crap experience, up (down?) there with the Ricoh Stadium match ordeal. At least Wembley has escalators to show for the ridiculous amount of money spent. At the London Stadium, they haven't even made up for the distance from the pitch by having any kind of steepness in rake for the stands. So you're in a shallow stand a good distance from anything (not) happening on the pitch. No thank you.
 |
| The land of half and half scarves. |
This match wasn't a full house, but problies a respectable crowd given the nature of the opposition and that West Ham United (London) were so confident they played a virtual reserve side. And for 90 minutes (plus injury time) you could tell why they were in the reserves. It really was poor fayre from the formerly Happy Hammers as both sides had chances to win before Star Man Payet (on as a half time sub) pinched it with a last minute free kick with the home side having gone down to 10 men, Heart breaking stuff for Stanley, tho' a blessed relief for everyone else, fearing another 30 minutes of dirge. It was, at least, an easy walk back, since most had left long before the end. Though there is one vast improvement on Upton Park (sorry, 'Boleyn Ground Boleyn Ground Boleyn Ground Boleyn Ground'. Do they never stop banging on about it?) You no longer have to queue for an hour for the tube. Give it another couple of years and I bet it'll be quicker still. They'll be in the Championship.
 |
| Introducing the players on the big screen. |
 |
| The Accy fans, fabulous noise throughout. |
 |
| Full time panorama |
 |
| Men of the Match. |
 |
| ...pretty bubbles in the air |
No comments:
Post a Comment