We fully understand that West Ham United have lost a lot of its soul for many supporters. However, you should still visit the Hammers, preferably by following the footsteps of their past. Deep in East London, you will find their old spirit and you will learn to understand the club.
You cannot call it an ugly stadium, the London Stadium, built as the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Olympics. But we understand the objections of the loyal fans of West Ham United. It doesn't feel like a football stadium, nor is it an actual football stadium.
After the Olympics, the City of London - led by then-Mayor Boris Johnson - looked for a permanent resident for the stadium in the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. In addition to West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and neighbouring Leyton Orient were also interested, but the Hammers, ultimately, won the battle.
The stadium changed its name from the Olympic Stadium to the London Stadium and has since undergone a renovation to make it as suitable as possible for football matches.
The capacity not only decreased from 80,000 to 60,000 but the design also slightly changed. A new roof was installed, the striking, triangular light poles were folded inwards and the lower stands were pushed forward covering the athletics track. The club’s name appeared on the eaves of the roof and on the seats. Claret-coloured carpets were even placed around the pitch. But It hasn't quite got the desired result yet, with some supporters claiming the club 'died' when it moved from the much-loved Upton Park, some three miles away. However, every season the atmosphere improves slightly as they accept their fate.
West Ham United has always been one of the biggest names in English football. A club with a huge stature, which is really special for a club that has rarely, if ever, been challenging for the title. In fact, the Hammers usually play in the bottom half and nobody is surprised that the club drops out of the Premier League every now and then.
It still does not change the status of the club: West Ham United, the club of East London. European Cup Winners’ Cup winner in the 1960s. But arguably their biggest claim to fame is supplying three players to England who went on to become world champions in 1966. Off the pitch, the people's club's status is even greater.
A club with a clear identity, the club in East London with fans that have a beautifully distinct Cockney accent that you can recognise from miles away.
To understand the West Ham United of now, one must go back to the club's roots, deep in East London. Here, in the Upton Park neighbourhood, was the Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park for over 110 years. Not the best area of London, but therefore exemplary for the working class image of West Ham United. A beloved stadium for West Ham United fans, away supporters and football tourists. In short, anyone who had ever been there.
Sadly, the stadium on Green Street, which closed in 2016, is now gone, but the neighbourhood is still bursting with references to West Ham as the club is still the pride of the area. Shops and cafes still wear the club colours.
Right next to the stadium, in an alley between Barking Road and Castle Street, a simple graffiti tag appeared just before the demolition. A claret background with a blue, hastily sprayed text: Long live the Boleyn. The Boleyn Ground disappeared, but the tag remains as a marker of what this place still means to West Ham fans.
On the corner of Green Street and Barking Road is a Grade II listed building with an equally Grade II listed pub, The Boleyn Tavern. A proper West Ham pub that used to be overflowing with Hammers on match days. Apart from the connection with football, it is a true gem for anyone, a pub with royal class. At times you imagine yourself in a palace and the references to football are subtle, with, for example, mirrors that contain images of legends from the club's history.
Opposite The Boleyn Tavern is the area's most famous work of art and in our opinion one of the finest in all of England. The World Cup Sculpture by Philip Jackson. This bronze sculpture is based on a famous photo taken just after the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley.
The statue shows four players from the newly crowned England team, including three from West Ham - Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore, the captain and the biggest Hammer of them all. Evertonian Ray Wilson completes the quartet to support Bobby Moore, who sits with the World Cup on top of his shoulders.
There is no discussion about who is the greatest Hammer of all time: Bobby Moore, captain of the club and the English national team for many years. Moreover, a real East Ender from neighbouring Barking, whom the East London public identified with. The house in Barking where he lived for many years, at 43 Waverley Gardens, still exists. A blue plaque on the wall recalls the history of Bobby Moore, who sadly passed away in 1993 at the age of only 51 from colon cancer.
Two other club heroes are immortalised on the corner of Barking Road and Priory Road. In the 1970s and 1980s, West Ham United was a true cup team, winning the FA Cup twice. A team full of locals, including Frank Lampard Sr. (father of). Two of the squad's biggest club legends have gotten their own tribute nearby. On the corner where you used to turn into the street to walk to the East Stand, you will now find a mural of Billy Bonds and Sir Trevor Brooking.
Just down Barking Road, at the junction with High Street South, is the centre of the London Borough of Newham, the district to which Upton Park belonged. Here, West Ham United celebrated their trophies with their supporters. Celebrations last occurred in 1980, when Trevor Brooking scored a goal to secure West Ham United the FA Cup.
Not far from Upton Park (one Underground stop away, in Plaistow) is The Black Lion Pub, on High Street. For years this was a regular spot for West Ham United players to have a drink after a home game – according to proper English custom. Players like Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst and, years later, manager Harry Redknapp were more than happy to spend time in the pub.
As a Dutch footballer, you started a cigar shop, but as an English footballer, you started a pub. And so did Bobby Moore, who went opened Mooro's pub at 13 Broadway in Stratford in 1970. Many of Moore's teammates attended the opening, as well as George Best, who was, at the time, not particularly known for being sober. Today, Ye Olde Black Bull has replaced Mooro's pub. Given its location not far from the London Stadium, it also makes for a great place to have a drink before a West Ham United game.
Historically, West Ham United did not always play at the Boleyn Ground. Shortly after its foundation in 1895 – then called Thames Ironworks after the company from which the club originated – the club played on a pitch at Hermit Road, not far from West Ham tube station. At the intersection with Bethell Avenue, a mural tells the story of this place. It still is a grassy field today, so you could even have a kick about on this historic site.
After this, the club moved to the Memorial Grounds just down the road, which is still there. This is where the club played when it split from the Thames Ironworks and continued as West Ham United, to the area where it played at the time. These Memorial Grounds still exist, including a monument marking football history. There is a plaque surrounded by eleven large hammers arranged in the shape of a large V: A reference to the ships of Thames Ironworks shipyard and the nickname of West Ham United, The Hammers.
Given the size of the stadium (the fourth largest in the Premier League), it is relatively easy to get tickets at West Ham United. The majority of matches eventually end up in the general sale, including London derbies and matches against top clubs from the northwest. You can buy the tickets through the club's official website.
In the design and construction of the Olympic Park - with several sports stadiums - accessibility was one of the most important factors to take into account. After all, several events would take place simultaneously, with a huge number of spectators added together.
The London Stadium is therefore very easily accessible from all corners of London, especially by train and underground. Stratford station, East London's main transport hub, brings together virtually all modes of transport. If you travel here by bus, tram or underground, it is about a ten minute walk to the London Stadium. Depending on the direction you are coming from and your place in the stadium, it may be useful to get off one stop earlier or later, for example at Hackney Wick station or Pudding Mill Lane.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
abc
