In less than eighteen months, West Ham fans will be taking a different trek towards a home game. Stratford Station will be a vastly different place on match days. Anyone with a “usual” car park space near Upton Park will have to come to terms with finding another one in Stratford. The walk up to the Olympic Stadium will be an exciting one I am sure as a big brand new stadium beckons. It certainly will be different. I am not going to get into the pitch views from inside the stadium, I think that has been done to death already, although I am sure there will much more to come on that subject.
The goings on at West Ham recently have certainly deflected much of the attention away from the impending new home. Big Sam’s tenure, Nolan’s legs, Reid’s contract and our current form have given us all enough to talk about. But what will be that first match day experience be like? I think it will take time for it all to sink in really. The first time will be like a kid opening a Xmas present. The big questions will be “is it what he wanted”, followed by, “will he want to keep playing with it?” No doubt our first game there will be a packed house. But will that continue? Results and playing style will be paramount, especially the former despite what many will say.
The atmosphere debate is starting to wear a little thin with me to be honest. As a regular spectator back in the late sixties and through to the early eighties, and I am sure readers who were there at the same time as me would agree, the atmosphere at Upton Park has already disappeared. On rare occasions it starts to bubble at Upton Park nowadays, but nothing like a few decades ago. My theory is that if we don’t fill the new Stadium the singing could become even more affective. The echo affect comes into play then – something to do with acoustics I believe. Anyone who was at Wembley two hours before kick off against Arsenal in 1980 could testify to that. The singing in a half empty big oval stadium was the loudest I have ever heard, until the other 50,000 turned up! Then the echo all but disappeared. Seriously though, I do hope we fill it for obvious reasons.
So there will be many of you that go to Upton Park nowadays that have a regular pre-game boozer, or a parking spot, or just a match day routine that is going to be broken. Even our own Mr Dale will be thinking Ken’s Cafe is a bit out of the way now. It will take time to make new traditions, but they will come and they will cement themselves over the coming seasons. I only get back to games every few years now I live in Australia, but for me the train ride to Stratford from Loughton will be easier for sure. Will I miss Upton Park? – yes, you bet. But for me, going to the Boleyn ground today is vastly different anyway. My fond memories were of the West Stand overshadowing three tin sheds! The North and South Banks continued well after the Chicken Run was transformed. Halcyon days indeed! It all looks a bit flash nowadays.
So, not long from now, the opening home game of the 2016 season will be upon us and many of you will be taking those first steps to making new traditions. The big shiny new stadium will come into view and the pulse will be racing. All I hope for is that is does not end up like 1923! Many Hammers fans made the trip to the new Wembley Stadium for a Cup Final and got a lot more than they bargained for. Have a look at the clip and take a trip down memory lane. Hopefully the OS will be a bit more organised?