Goldstein speculates what West Ham fans are thinking in London Stadium admission
Andy Goldstein has pondered the reasons why West Ham fans “can’t get on” with the London Stadium after hinting there is a disconnect between supporters and the venue.
The Hammers made the move from Upton Park back in the summer of 2016 and, while they have enjoyed success their, the atmosphere struggles to replicate the cauldron of noise their old home did.
Indeed, the Hammers enjoyed plenty of memorable European evenings at the London Stadium over the past few seasons
Goldstein shared his thoughts on the stadium itself and questioned how the Hammers’ fanbase actually feels about playing their home games at a venue built for the London 2012 Olympics.
Andy Goldstein thinks West Ham fans can’t get on with London Stadium as it’s rented
While moments such as winning the Europa Conference League and finishing seventh in the Premier League table during the 2021/22 season are moments to savour, there has been difficulty generating the same affinity that was held for Upton Park.
112-years of rich history were created inside of those stadium walls and while there’s plenty of time for more memories to be made in the London Stadium, fans may feel as if the stadium isn’t actually theirs.
That is, according to the opinion of Goldstein who, while live on talkSPORT (17 February), questioned whether Hammers fans will feel like the stadium is their own as the Hammers are only renting it out.
“Some West Ham fans still can’t [get on with] the London Stadium,” Bent said.
To which Goldstein replied: “With the London Stadium, I wonder if West Ham fans feel because they’re renting it, that it’s not actually theirs.
“I know that’s nuts and it was a 99-year lease and you’ll never see the end of it.”
Bent then said: “Potentially there is an aspect of that but so many people and so many generations kept on going to Upton Park like grandfathers and fathers, all that kind of stuff and I think there’s will be an element of that to Everton supporters [in their new stadium].”
Graham Potter needs to start creating some memories inside the London Stadium
In recent times, it’s undeniable that David Moyes has been the Hammers’ most successful manager.
The Scotsman is the one who delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to East London and ended the Hammers’ 58-year wait for another European trophy to end up in their hands.
However, as David Sullivan wanted to go in a different direction to the way Moyes lined his team up, Jueln Lopetegui was brought in and when that didn’t work out, Graham Potter was the man called upon.
The Englishman, while an impressive manager, wasn’t given all that much to work with at the London Stadium due to West Ham’s poor recruitment in the summer with players such as Niclas Fullkrug being sidelined for most of the season.
| Player name | Transfer fee | Games played | Goals Scored | Assists |
| Max Kilman | £40million | 28 | 0 | 2 |
| Niclas Fullkrug | £27million | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| Crysencio Summerville | £25million | 22 | 1 | 2 |
He inherited Lopetgui’s failure and while he managed to add Evan Ferguson to his ranks in the winter transfer window, it still feels like more needs to be done.
Potter has the chance to create a lasting legacy at West Ham as long as he can find a way to turn things around sharpish.
If not, he could end up being added to the pile of discarded Premier League managers who nobody cares about, which, at the end of the day, is likely the last thing anybody wants.