hammer205 10:46 Sun Nov 18
The Matchday Experience
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So all I hear is people hate the matchday experience at the Olympic. I lived nearby for 45 years at Upton Park and didn't really have to travel or enjoy pre match rituals in the pub as I worked on a match day for a few years. What is it that needs replacing. Forget about the proximity of the stands to pitch, what's the underlying factor.
Do you miss the 2 Mile queue at Upton Park station and in reality has been replaced by the walk to the station. No change there anyway but is a pain for me as don't live locally compared to Upton Park
If the ground had been redeveloped the queue times at all the pubs eateries station and car parking would have been made much worse by the increase in capacity
If you drove the queuing must have been a nightmare up the barking road in both directions
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
HammerTime78
12:16 Thu Nov 22
Re: The Matchday Experience
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My memories of my first visits to UP as a kid in the 80s are not of the football being played, but of the noise, sights, smells, atmosphere, buzz and sense of history that surrounded it. I remember there being electricity in the air.
As a kid, I couldn't wait to go over to UP for those reasons; the football was secondary and would become more important as I got older.
Over the years, the matchday experience changed and pubs and meeting up with mates become part of the routine. My mood after a game was dictated by the result but irrespective of which level of shit we were, I always looked forward to a Saturday afternoon; the pull of UP was as strong as ever.
Fast forward a few more years and the arrival of a couple of sprogs unfortunately meant my visits to UP become less frequent. However, on the occasions that I did go, the old feelings were quick to return.
I've been to the LS about 10 times now over the past 2 and a bit seasons. Quite frankly, aside from my first visit when I didn't know what to expect, I simply do not have those same feelings. From travelling to Stratford, to having a pre-match drink outside a pristine shopping centre, from the mundane walk to the ground, to the ground itself. It's just boring. The tingles of excitement I got every time I went to UP just isn't there anymore. The football always got in the way of a good day for me, so it's got nothing to do with how we've been playing since we've been there.
And do you know the really sad thing about it? Whenever I've been to the LS, I've taken my 7-year old son who loves football and loves West Ham. But I know for a fact, he isn't dazzled by the noise, sights, smells, atmosphere, buzz and sense of history that the LS can offer. Why? Because there isn't any.
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penners28
11:07 Wed Nov 21
Re: The Matchday Experience
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How many toppings do you get with the pancakes?
Asking for a mate
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Peckham
12:05 Tue Nov 20
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Briefly, have only been 4 times to the stadium.
For me as Upton Park where I went from the age of 12 to 18 religiously, then occasionally over the years due to being abroad.
But each time I have been to the Olympic stadium , I ignore the shit green side turf , etc , hated the bouncer security phase.
But for me it has always been about who I am going with and who is around me. I have been lucky the occasions I have been, I have been surrounded by good banter and good people who get the section going , argue with stewards, get behind the team and show passion. Its been a pleasure and I have missed the West Ham banter I saw at Upton Park as a kid.
Thanks to invites from WHO I have been in sections of the stands in high spirits and good voice and felt the same buzz as at Upton park when winning.
As for the fuck off walk. When young I would dread the Upton Park tube especially after a loss.
The walk now by the time I get to the station with no queues , the walk takes my mind off the shit football.
Crowds and Queues are to be expected at large grounds and events.
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dicksie3
10:12 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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42k is fuck-all but I understand the sentiments.
I'm certain that it would've been possible to have developed Upton Park into a 50k-60k stadium.
Still, that possibility has obviously gone now.
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GreenStreetPlayer
9:29 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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The only reason we moved was a financial one for the board, and was not in the best interests of the club and the fans.
The arena, stadium whatever it is is not fit for purpose. Too many relics left from the Olympics that cannot be masked over.
Its not even our shithole!
UP could have been developed further with an extra 7k on the East side bringing capacity to 42k.
There were many more chapters still to be written at UP.
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dicksie3
8:59 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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I'm going to buy a PANCAKE at the next home game and shove it smack in my face and yell my head off until I'm sectioned.
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Johnson
8:53 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Were there not hundreds of tickets on ticket trader every single game I’d be inclined to agree, Bank.
As you can’t even give tickets away I very much doubt this initiative if it ever happens will do anything other than further embarrass this once proud club like everything else Sullivan is involved in.
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BRANDED
8:47 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Much better craft ales now
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claret on my shirt
8:44 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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distance to the pitch makes you feel almost like you are not actually there
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North Bank
8:06 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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, every seat is sold, not a lot the Club can do if some people can't attend, so the increase in capacity will help fans get to see the team that don't have a ST
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Lily Hammer
7:17 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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The distance from the pitch is everything. I would have tolerated the souless surroundings, the wrong coloured seats, the popcorn, £300 hotdogs, if the layout inside had 50,000 West Ham up close to the pitch; at least as close as at Upton Park, as we were promised. Everything else is just front and window dressing.
The betrayal of how it has turned out is too great for me, and many (most?) others, to ever warm to the place. There will be a bitter taste in my mouth until pigs fly and the stadium is reconfigured.
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,
3:16 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Well seeing as we cannot fill every seat now the increase in capacity would appear to change nothing.
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MikeHammer
3:15 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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So with agreement now reached to go to 66k ... how will that impact the experience ?
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AKA ERNIE
1:59 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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walk from the queens to the ground is crap but the worst thing is the fucking pathetic slow security meaning having to leave pub at about 20 past 2 just to make no.
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North Bank
1:59 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Filings I agree with a large percentage of that however we always sold out of STs at Upton Park however the limit was set at 24k Also I'm sceptical of this myth that thousands of tickets are sold to fans of other teams
FWIW I went to watch Torquay United on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it, I take my hat off to any supporter of non league football over 2k were there on a fucking cold afternoon and the game was excellent
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Lee Trundle
1:45 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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The walk to the stadium is definitely worse than it was at the Boleyn, and puts me in a shitty mood before I've even stepped foot inside the stadium. I could run to the stadium from Upton Park if I was running late. There's no chance of doing that from Stratford though, unless you're Mo Farah.
The walk from the stadium to Pudding Mill Lane to avoid the STOP/GO wankers is roughly on par with the walk I did to Plaistow to avoid the queues at Upton Park, so there's little difference there.
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Eggbert Nobacon
12:56 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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the stop go things are very easily avoiding by not going over the main bridge when there are other options
a longer walk but quicker in the long run
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,
12:54 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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The matchday experience consists of a combination of things and being individuals we are naturally going to give these constituent parts different weighting factors.
For me more than 80% of the matchday experience is down to the way we play and the result. The other 20% is what it is and as for donkey’s years neither eating/drinking etc at or near the club the transition from Upton Park to Stratford has not changed much for me. The walk from the stadium to the trains is no worse than from the old ground to Plaistow/East Ham either.
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IsaacHock
12:28 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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Hammer205, I recently read that ‘Karen’ is the Danish form of the name Katherine. Is there any Danish ancestory in your line, or is there another reason for this name being chosen?
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Takashi Miike
12:05 Mon Nov 19
Re: The Matchday Experience
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"Personally for me its been an absolute abortion of a move, but each to their own"
spot on
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