I’ve read and heard a lot about the excellent atmosphere generated at Crystal Palace these days. How do they do it? Is it the acoustics of their old-style ground? One theory is that the South Londoners don’t attract ‘new fans’, so are still an old school community club (unlike their neighbours, Chelsea and Fulham). Also too, it seems the fans are well-organised, modeling themselves, and their singing, along continental lines.
No doubt there’s a lot of truth in all of that, but I’d like to add one of my own, and that is that ever since Palace came up in 2013, the extent of their fans’ expectations has simply been to stay up (well, until this season, at least). From the very first kick of the first home match of the season to the last, they’ve known that they’re in for a struggle, and the aim is to finish 4th from bottom – and they’re fully aware that will inevitably entail a few home defeats and conceding silly goals.
As recently as 2010, Crystal Palace nearly went bankrupt, and survival in the Championship was only secured on the final day of the 2009/10 season. They were still hovering around the bottom of the Championship in 2011, but then somehow, against all odds, in the spring of 2013, they went on a run and sneaked into 6th place in the Championship. Then, astoundingly, Palace won the play-offs. Their fans just seem grateful to even be in the Premier League, and seem to be loving every minute of it, singing their hearts out like there’s no tomorrow. It’s been commented upon a lot how they continue to sing, chant, bang at Selhurst Park even when they’re losing.
For many of us who grew up in the electric atmosphere of Upton Park in the 70s and 80s, one of the most disappointing aspects of the West Ham crowd today isn’t so much the booing, as disagreeable as that is, but the lengthy silences during passages of play, and the general all-round quietness. Sometimes it seems we only make any noise when we score, and then it only lasts for a few minutes before quietening down again. Back in the day, when the opposition scored and the away fans cheered and sung, a lot of Hammers fans would take that as an affront, and try to drown them out. Indeed, the roar of ’C’mon You Irons’ was often at it’s most loudest just after the oppostion had scored and we were about to kick off; the crowd desperately wanted to spur their team on, get them back into the match.
Ok, so the terraces have gone, and times have changed, and I accept that you can’t live in the past, but what about that play-off semi-final against Ipswich in 2004? Upton Park was rockin’ that night, a deafening wall of sound emanating from every part of the ground, as good as anything from the 70s, and we kept it up for the whole 90 minutes too. So, I cannot accept that we can’t make more noise at Upton Park.
But the will has to be there.
We can do it if really want to, but maybe first, we have to change our mindset?
I was quite stunned whenever I broke my vow of promising to switch off from football completely this summer, and sneaked a look at West Ham Til I Die. I couldn’t believe how high expectations were. Had my mind be playing tricks with me from last Xmas to May? Had I imagined what I thought I saw at Upton Park? – what I saw, or at least, what I thought I saw, anyway, was some awful football, and a team that had the 3rd worst record in the Premier league during that period ie. relegation form – a team that was certain to go down this season if that form continued, and yet, posters on WHTID were seriously discussing qualifying for Europe this season, talking about finishing in the top 10 as if it was given. Based on what?
Ok, there’s been a change of manager, and a few new signings (many of whom are untried in Prem league), but personally, I’m under no illusion that this season could be a struggle. Perhaps years of supporting West Ham have made me cynical, and I’ve suffered too many West Ham disappointments in the past, experienced too many relegations that we didn’t see coming etc
But accepting we’re going to struggle is a good place to start if you don’t want to get disappointed, ha,ha!
And maybe that’s one of the reasons for the often subdued atmosphere at Upton Park, and the horrible booing – expectations were too high in the first place. When unrealistic aims aren’t met that leads to disappointment, followed by anger, and even booing?
I guess we’re all a bit confused about our team at the moment. Which is the real West Ham? The two excellent away perfomances, or the disorganised shambles in the home games? It’s not the results against Leicester and Bournmouth that worries me, but the manner of those defeats. It wasn’t just the mistakes on the goals, but the defence was constanlty giving the ball away all game long. I have to say though, my fears of relegation were certainly eased by that brilliant historic day in Liverpool. No doubt I’ll start fretting again when we lose to Newcastle next Monday, only to change my mind 5 days later when we go up to Man City and stuff them on the Saturday!
For now though, until these muddy waters have cleared, I still fear relegation. So, starting with the relegation 6-pointer against Newcastle (a team who I seriously think could go down this season), let’s get right behind the team, lower those expectations, and Sing When We’re Losing!