West Ham owners risk snatching defeat from jaws of victory over London Stadium
The West Ham owners are playing with fire at a crucial point with the redevelopment plans for the west stand at the London Stadium.
The club trumpeted the proposed developments earlier this month, with a statement on their website speaking of a “range of hugely exciting developments and improvements” to the ground.
Changes are supposed to increase the capacity, bring fans “nearer to the action”, and close the gap between the upper and lower tiers.
The development will involve current season ticket holders having their seats moved, and according to 6foot2 this means “being bumped into inferior seats” in many cases.
Sean Whetsone has written on Claret & Hugh that it appears the primary beneficiaries of being closer to the action will be those who buy new premium 1966 seats that will cost £1,500 a time.
While the club are claiming to improve the match day experience for current fans, they look to actually be seeking to increase revenue, with only minor benefits to incumbent supporters.
Per the Claret & Hugh story: “It is all about money for both the London Stadium and West Ham football club so let’s not dress it up as anything else.”
Wringing it dry
It is a huge gamble for David Sullivan, David Gold, and Karren Brady to be telling season ticket holders they are to be moved for next season to a worse seat, and expect them to be happy about it.
If it means breaking up who fans currently sit with it is going to make the experience markedly worse for many.
It is almost as if those in charge have forgotten that it was little over two years ago that they were still the target of furious protests stemming from the deeply unpopular move from Upton Park in the first place.
Having come out of the Covid-19 lockdown with fans thankful to see their team in any setting, and with David Moyes working wonders on the pitch, they were sitting pretty with how things had turned out.
Simon Jordan has repeatedly suggested it is through luck rather than design on behalf of the leadership that the club has reached the position roughly where they claimed it would.
The Europa League run in particular has given the Hammers’ adopted home some memorable nights that will likely form its legacy.
Yet at the same time as some are starting to wonder whether the stadium might finally be home, and the team is providing more success than at any time in recent memory, the club appears to be taking happy fans for granted.
In 2018 fans invaded the pitch and chanted “You’ve destroyed our club” at the directors box (Guardian).
Taking advantage of the considerable luck that they have had since, they are using another tax-payer funded move to make more money.
That might not be bad in itself if it benefits the team, but they would be wise not to forget that plenty of Irons fans essentially tolerate the ownership, and not make a mess of a positive situation at a crucial time.
In other West Ham news, one key first-teamer has started to make plans for a potential summer exit.
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