West Ham have confirmed plans for a major change at the London Stadium to address issues with the atmosphere at the controversial ground.
It has become clear over the last two months that the atmosphere at the London Stadium is very much dictated by West Ham’s performances and results.
That statement may seem painfully obvious but Hammers supporters often recall games at Upton Park where a vociferous atmosphere was a given regardless of what happened on the pitch.
Some of those memories are gazed upon with claret and blue tinted glasses but there is no doubt when the atmosphere is lacking at the London Stadium, the silence is deafening given the cavernous nature of the ground.
West Ham ‘have listened to fans’ ahead of London Stadium change
That is the big reason so many West Ham fans have simply never taken to the bowl-shaped arena.
The Hammers have carried out a few changes in the near 10 years the club has called the London Stadium “home” – including squaring off the stands behind each goal.
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Ultimately supporters want the stadium to be renovated to somehow bring the stands closer to the pitch and close the chasms between the upper and lower tiers.
The dream is that the ground is knocked down and a new stadium fit for football is built in its place. Or indeed a new ground is built elsewhere.
That would undoubtedly require mega rich new owners, something Hammers fans have been desperate for as they continue protests against current incumbents David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky and co.
The list of grievances supporters have with the stadium is as long as your arm.
One in particular is like nothing seen anywhere else in the Premier League.
Now West Ham have confirmed London Stadium plans to address atmosphere issues.
Back in 2022 West Ham installed a new feature at the ground which left supporters of West Ham and visiting clubs scratching their heads.
A “fan wall” was installed which meant home and away fans could no longer see each other.
Hammers News warned the hugely controversial installation risked being the final nail in the coffin for the London Stadium’s ailing atmosphere.
West Ham to replace controversial wall separating fans
Many feel that has been proved correct with the stadium becoming even more sanitised by the barrier between rival supporters.
Football rivalry is at the very heart of everything good about the beautiful game. It is one of the reasons the Premier League is so wildly popular across the globe.
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And it is that popularity which has also made it the richest league in the world with eye-watering mega-money TV deals.
That back and forth between fans – not just Hammers supporters – is what the beautiful game is all about.
That has been almost completely killed at the London Stadium and it has undoubtedly had an impact on the atmosphere.
Away fans consistently name West Ham’s ground as the worst they visit each season.
This time last year Hammers News put it to West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady to listen to fans and remove the hideous wall in order to save what is left of any atmosphere at the London Stadium.
To her credit Brady delivered a detailed response on the West Ham wall saying “we will continue to review the need for the wall, including raising your feedback at the next Safety Advisory Group meeting.”
Now Brady and West Ham have made it clear what the plan is for the hugely unpopular wall – with the operative word being “clear”.
Minutes from the West Ham Fan Advisory Board’s summit meeting with Brady and other club representatives have been published.
And the Hammers are planning to replace the wall with a clear plastic one as a compromise.
At the meeting West Ham noted that it had previously committed to running feasibility studies for the replacement of the wall between home and away supporters in block 113, and that this had now been completed.
The result is that the Hammers accept supporters want the wall to come down and while they have “listened” they will instead pay for the wall to be replaced with a “Perspex-style wall” to be installed during the close season this summer.
“It noted that completion was subject to other stakeholders such as London Stadium and the SSAG agreeing to it, and that the Perspex-style wall may still need to be re-covered based on a risk assessment, for example if the number of missiles or other incidents in the area increased again,” the minutes state on the West Ham United Independent Supporters’ Committee website.
“The club reiterated that there was no excuse for supporters throwing missiles in this area. The club confirmed that the new Perspex-style wall would be the same height as the existing wall.”
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