It’s been a source of debate since the move was first proposed. It’s only intensified since the move. Can the London Stadium really live up to the reputation of Upton Park? Will the players enjoy the experience of playing for West Ham in the same way?
The Differences
Well it’s pretty clear that you will never get the intimacy we had at Upton Park. The stadium is designed to hold athletics and as such you are further away from the pitch. You also had certain sections in Upton Park that would all have characteristics. This enabled players to feed off the energy.
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However the noise should be louder at the new stadium, just because of the increase in the number of people, especially with the new single tiered East stand that looks incredible when full.
The fans are very mixed about the new stadium, but what about the players?
Big AC and Little AC
Both Andy Carroll and Aaron Cresswell have been out of the team due to recent injuries. However both have talked about the stadium recently in interviews.
Big AC has already played at the new stadium, but not in the league. However he is sure that the players love the new stadium, despite its issues:
"It has been fantastic for us moving into the new Stadium and it is great for the Club. I know there have been a lot of discussions about the move, but the players love it"
Here’s hoping he adds to his two goals against Juventus soon! He certainly looked in good form before the season began.
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Cresswell has not played at all at the new stadium so far, due to a pre-season injury. However he is hopeful that he will get to play there many times in the future:
"“I played in the final ever game at the Boleyn Ground and was then looking forward to playing the first game at the new Stadium, so to miss it was a big blow.“…really looking forward to walking out the tunnel in front of 60,000 fans and it is something you dream of. I am looking forward to playing my first game there.”"
West Ham Former Players
Former players have also gone on record, saying it’s exactly what the club needed at this time. As they look for more regular European competition extra fans in the stadium could be a big boost. Both financially and in tipping results.
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Trevor Sinclair, who played over 200 times for the club, is a big fan. He says it’s only the results which are causing the mood, and once they improve then the fans will move to embrace it, claiming the club “need it” if they want to move forward.
Matty Etherington has also thrown his weight behind the move. He said that as much as a wrench moving away from the Boleyn ground was, we need to accept the new home and work together to make it a fortress again. He also pointed to long term gains, that might be hard to latch on to given current form.
Well the players are behind it, we now just need to get some good results in it!