West Ham fans cannot believe ‘awful’ claim Stuart Pearce has just made after Everton draw

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Given that Stuart Pearce played at Upton Park and then returned to West Ham United as a coach at the London Stadium, you would be forgiven for assuming he understands the frustrations of the Hammers faithful.

Whatever ‘it’ is, Pearce just doesn’t seem to get it.

The Telegraph’s Matt Law summed things up perfectly after the 3-0 derby defeat by arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The West Ham United fans, he said after watching them stream out the exits shortly after the visitors added a third goal, ‘are stuck watching a poor team in a stadium they cannot stand with a chairman and vice-chair they want out’.

Even way up north at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, chants against David Sullivan and Karren Brady were audible from the travelling supporters.

Speaking of the Hill Dickinson, that is how you build a new stadium.

Terraces tight to the pitch, fans packed in almost within touching distance of the action. Modern, yes, but traditional too. The Hammers fans could be forgiven for glancing around Everton’s new 52,000 capacity arena with a pang of jealousy in the pit of their stomach.

But Stuart Pearce, taking a sledgehammer to his reputation in the claret and blue corner of the capital, not only described their spiritual Upton Park home as ‘awful’, he issues a get-with-the-times sort of riposte to a fanbase who already feel as if their concerns have been ignored for far too long.

Stuart Pearce insists the London Stadium is good for West Ham United

Ok, yes, the London Stadium did briefly start to feel like home during David Moyes’ second spell in charge. Big European wins over the likes of Genk and Sevilla will always be remembered fondly. Yet, even in the throes of such jubilation, such an atmosphere always felt in spite of their echoing, Olympics-built arena rather than because of it.

“You’ve got 60,000 people who are double-passionate,” Pearce hits back on talkSPORT. “Put me as a player out there in that environment, you have to thrive in it, surely. You have to.

“We had some brilliant European nights there. I think there is a narrative at the moment about the fact the fans don’t like the stadium, end of. There’s a mentality of harking back to the Boleyn Ground, which was awful by the way. It had character, it had history [but] listen, it was dated. That’s why you move stadiums.

“It’s strange. West Ham have moved from a dated stadium. I used to go in the 70s, and trying to get in and out of there was hard work, [with the] facilities and all those things.

“You’ve got to create history, create memories. I don’t see the point in harking back to another stadium which is long gone. A new stadium, 60,000 fans in there, that makes financial common sense,” Pearce adds, missing the point somewhat as he speaks to a fanbase who care a whole lot more about their identity than they do the balance sheets and the fatness of David Sullivan’s wallet.

“I don’t disrespect any of the history that has gone from Upton Park, that’s for sure. I used to hate it down there as an away player, and I used to love it as a West Ham player. But because of the financial situation of football these days, the club had to go to a bigger stadium.

“Now, whether the Olympic Stadium is the correct one or whether the club would have been better off going to a purpose built stadium, I can see [the complaints].

But the bottom line is, my mentality would be this; If you are going to constrict yourself and say no matter how much history is going to go on in the stadium, we are not going to accept it, you are knocking down yourself a little bit.”

West Ham fans hit back at Pearce’s Upton Park comments

Considering his long history with the club, the West Ham faithful may have expected a little more understanding.

“Stuart Pearce has gone right down in my estimations after his comments on TalkSport this morning,” one fan hit back on X.

“So out of touch!” another responds.

“Stuart Pearce talking [nonsense] about the London Stadium. It’s an athletic stadium with scaffolding seats and we pay £3 million a year to rent! He needs to take a serious look at other new stadiums like Everton or Man City, which used to also be an athletic stadium.”