I write these words accepting that I now fall into the ‘grumpy old bloke’ category of fans. Hammers fans of my generation have enjoyed a vintage period of the club’s history. I was addicted by the age of 11, experiencing the passion and the pain first-hand, including the glory of Wembley in 1975 and 1980, and the heartbreak of Heysel in 1976.
The Boleyn Ground: A Furnace That Was Lost
The Boleyn Ground: what a place to have learned about the passions and pains of football. The fans that crammed into that place were special beyond description; proper fans who would freely ‘encourage’ players, knowing that their every word was being heard. At night, especially for Cup fixtures, the ground became a crackling furnace for the opposition to step into.
The slow terrace-by-terrace, stand-by-stand modernisation was like ‘death by a thousand cuts’. The raucous East End passion of E13 has now been replaced by popcorn and cappuccino in E20.
Popcorn and Pipedowns: The Modern Matchday Gripes
I do quite enjoy popcorn, but what frustrates me is those fans who find it necessary to buy a box of the stuff twenty-five minutes into a game; requiring an entire row to all stand up and sit down like disgruntled dominos.
The amount of money brought into the club has done nothing to detract from the fact that too many current Hammers fans don’t appear (to me) to buy into the idea of ‘real passion’. You can’t really sing your heart out whilst eating a foot-long hotdog or juggling a box of popcorn, a hot pie and a cup of coffee.
The London Stadium: Potential Unfulfilled
I accept the London Stadium is a converted athletics ground and always will be. However, anyone present when we played Sevilla back in 2022 knows just how good the atmosphere can be. That was a seriously proper night… very few wanted to waste a minute away from the action buying popcorn or hotdogs, that night.
The issue isn’t the club attracting supporters from across the world. The fact is that West Ham have approximately 48,500 season ticket holders every season, and sadly, the truth remains that too often they simply don’t make enough noise.
The Call to Action: Bring Back the Energy
Should the players inspire us to generate more noise, or should it be the fans inspiring the players? The joy of screaming insults and ‘advice’ at players and officials alike has been torn away by the running track.
The younger fans in the squared-off areas behind the goals must raise their voices. Create new songs, or use the old ones. Just, please, bring back the energy to Saturday afternoons.
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