West Ham hailed after new developments at London Stadium which fans had ‘hated’
West Ham United are in trouble on the pitch this season.
West Ham were battered 3-0 by Tottenham at the London Stadium on Saturday, with any hope that was restored with the win at Nottingham Forest before the international break being evaporated.
The pressure on Graham Potter is mounting by the day, after he has won just six times in 24 attempts since his appointment in January.
Before the Tottenham defeat, in which Tomas Soucek was also sent off, West Ham made an announcement that has received huge praise in the media.
West Ham receive huge admiration for banning half-and-half scarves
The Hammers surprised fans with an announcement before the defeat to Spurs, saying that fans would not be able to take half-and-half scarves into the London Stadium.
The decision was taken in an attempt to stop Tottenham fans invading the home end, after tickets for Saturday night’s fixture dropped to general sale.
Many were pleased with the decision, with half-and-half scarves seen mainly as a stain on the world of football, and Dave Kidd voiced his delight at the move.
Writing in The Sun’s print edition (14 September, page 56), Kidd said: “A popular move from West Ham to ban half-and-half scarves from the London Stadium before yesterday’s derby against Tottenham.
“These woollen knock-offs are hated by loyal supporters and loved by the tourists. Yet at every Premier League club, the tourist element is welcomed with open arms because they spend more on merchandise than the week-in-week-outers.
“So, surely this isn’t a cynical move, billed as a crowd-pleaser, which simply means more money will be spent in the official club store rather than on moody gear?”
West Ham need to keep this up to send a message
Half-and-half scarves are one of the worst things in football and are loathed by most supporters across the world.
These scarves are a signal for increased tourism, whilst simultaneously pushing out the fans that back the team every week, no matter the outcome.
| West Ham United’s opposition at the London Stadium | Date |
| Crystal Palace | 20 September |
| Brentford | 20 October |
| Newcastle United | 1 November |
| Burnley | 8 November |
| Liverpool | 29 October |
| Aston Villa | 13 December |
West Ham’s message here is a great one, but doing this for just one game is not enough to drive out this issue from English football.
Instead, continuing this approach for the forthcoming fixtures at the London Stadium will send the message that half-and-half scarves are not wanted in East London, which could see other clubs follow suit.
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.