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What is the aim?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 14/08/2017 - 10:40

Its a broad question. Im interested to know people's points of view. Looking at the club from a general view. Would we have been better off staying at U.P and being a 'Burnley'? that is building step by step squad wise, recruiting cheap players but players in a mould to fit the club? have we been so focused on becoming a 'bigger club' we've rushed it and made a mess of it all? I'm not saying the season is a disaster after one match, this is not what this post is about, its more general from the last season or so. the move, however nice the stadium is is proving a debatable one. for one thing we don't own it, its not ours, probably never will be. we share it with other sports and have no control over its use apparently as we're not allowed to use it right now. the move was part of the vision to propel the club upwards. but the question is upwards to where? where is it taken us and indeed where has it taken us? are we a club now that still can't attract top players but can spend more money on those 'better' than what we used to buy? i.e. arnautovic, hernandez etc? and if so, are we better off? are we in the Stoke, WBA, Southampton level? if so, weren't we on that level before the move? improvements don't happen overnight, its true. but I think we can watch Everton and see how they go. They haven't moved to a bigger stadium yet, but they have been backed financially and have bought players to propel their status a bit like us. But are we even in their league? for me the worst thing about all this is what we've given up. many thought that U.P was falling apart, it was out dated etc. But wasnt it still a ground we called home, a bit like Turf Moor to Burnley? Couldn't money have been invested into refurbishments instead? slight modifications of the stands to get a few more seats in? I know its all moot now, its gone and dead, but we can still debate whether it was right or wrong to move. If we take away the money from arnautovic, ayew…..as basically thats what we got for the move…a couple of big money but rather average players in terms of quality. we could still have picked up payet, lanzini and the rest if we'd stayed at U.P. So basically am I right in saying that the move basically gave us two expensive players in Ayew and Arnautovic? So was it worth it? I for one expected a lot more from the move. I was expecting this to be a season to really push on, it may still be of course, but what are peoples thoughts? does the investment into the team equal the sacrifice of the move? and should we have looked for a bigger name manager once we moved and enticed him with the promises of a big stadium and money to buy? is Bilic perhaps the reason we can't attract big names? he got hernandez sure, but is that the best we should expect? lets discuss.

mcbikeman's picture

The move killed west ham as the club i new and grew up with...younger people will embrace the change i am certain of that but no amount of money will get me through the gates at the Olympic stadium...the move was purely financial on the boards part...they could of renovated the east stand and filled in the corners made it say a manageable 45thousand seater stadium but that would of cost money and money making is what the owners are about not losing money...and before anyone raises the point that they could not renovate the east stand i'm afraid they could the planning permission was there it lapsed so end of story on that front..so the move to the new place was always on the cards a state of the art sports(not football)stadium which we have to pay just over £2.5million in rent a year for 99 years not surprised the owners fell over themselves scrambling to get there...bigger stadium more seats more mugs err punters to sell season tickets to whether they suport west ham or not! just tell the fans a few white lies get the deal done and bam money money money....we need the move to improve.. the distance to the pitch is comparable with wembley once the retractable seatings in place!! hang on thats going to cost mmm stick in scaffolding seating we will just blame the owners of the stadium its not our fault transport links better than being herded like sheep down green street..i hear the long walk keeps most punters healthy!..naming rights errr no we cant do that priority given to west hams fixtures errr nope look at this year..wait until they get the cricket and american football in there..then there is the profile of the club and like it or not the owners are forever going to be seen as seedy porn/sex toy purveyors and very much del boys trying to mix it with the uber uber rich....truth is we were a working mans club to support but that gets further and further away each year...had they the balls to stay at upton park and renovate it i have little doubt we could of attracted players..how many football pros past and present said it was a proper football ground with a special atmosphere the crowd on top of you the noise deafening a place where you wanted to play but its gone now and in its place a souless athletics stadium a fine stadium but for football no good for making a pile of cash excellent for keeping the soul of a once proud club intact unfortunately not...as i say this is only my thoughts and how i feel and see things.....west hams my club always will be but west ham today i'm sorry its just not the same.

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304 users have voted.

I very sadly don't feel part of this wonderful club anymore. I feel it's just a brand name to some. Karren Brady wanted to call us 'West Ham Olympic', I think that says a lot. In previous posts I've always said, like a lot of us, that I never wanted to leave The Boleyn Ground. Did we HAVE to? was there some clause or something? I've never been to the London Stadium and probably never will, who knows. All I do know is that this club, my club, has been wrestled from me, right before my eyes.

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283 users have voted.

I have actually got the membership this season,why?? cos like thousands of others its either the new place or nothing...but give me the intensity & atmosphere & buzz down Green St any day of the week....
I agree with you all,will moving make the slightest bit of difference football wise??to completely transform our club over night,into some poncey brand,is it all worth it??
I watched motd over the weekend & i actually envy clubs like watford,burnley,etc they have their own ground within their community,thats what we had,its gone & we didnt even get a say on the matter....
Like its stated we have to play our first 3 games away cos the place is not ours,sign of things to come??...

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269 users have voted.

News to me...
(you mean the poll then,the one where we all voted in favour of the move!!)

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284 users have voted.

Its the older blokes i feel sorry for ,not members of any fans sites ,just grown up coming to the Bolelyn every saturday now. ,nothing only memories, also the small business owners of Green st and some (not all )of the resident's, imagine what its like down their now watching the bulldozers goin in and out ,for what ?a multi story car park or a new Sainsburys ,i remember the last time i was there ,Saturday night match talk about shit for brains i was half way down Green st when i realised i d left my overnight bag under my seat so back i had to go ,have you ever tried walking against. Thousands of people all walking down a small suburban street ,it aint easy and of course the wit heads as i startet up the poxy stairs to row xxxxxxxxx "hey mate you too late the match is over we won ,i had visions of the bomb squad jumping on top of me needless to say when i got up to the tube station the queue was still what seemed miles down the street ,such fond memories of the old girl

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282 users have voted.

Burkie 1

asheshammer's picture

no tellin when the phoenix may rise out of the ashes. right now we are a mid table side of the sort that you wouldn't THINK will be in a relegation battle, but you also wouldn't think to challenge for the top places. 9th, 10th, 11th or thereabouts ON AVERAGE. Uninspiring and uninspired. Prove me wrong Slav!

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230 users have voted.
moore 6 legend's picture

I don't envey the modern fans comforts,I pity the fact they will never experience the magical experience watching football at the boleyn ,shipping a lifetime of memories, BUT It's a sign of the times, money first/people last. Clubs are more like franchises these days and are slowly losing touch with their traditional fan base. Prem clubs are global brands so I guess its to be expected with the tv revenues and sponsorship etc..

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347 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

to be the voice in favour of the LS.

I loved UP but I dont look back with rose tinted glasses, as previously said I also recall the dark days. The LS is the future, its a much better stadium and gives us a chance to compete with the big boys. We are already in the top twenty clubs in the world thanks to the new stadium and yes I agree with Mcbikeman, the owners are seedy individuals with a shoddy past but to their credit they were the only ones willing to put their money behind the club they love. I dont see them as the future, they will sell to a multimillionaire in Canary Wharf and make a fortune and I say .. why not?

DITM, Burnley is a small Lancashire town with a little club and rubbish stadium. Nice fans, one of my best pals is a huge fan but they are no Werst Ham United thats for sure. The LS gives us that opportunity, that future that the likes of Burnley could only dream of and had we stayed at UP our amibitions would be no better with Arse, Chavski and Spudz moving either further away from us in our own city to boot!

And Ashes, that phoenix rise.. one day, stick with it!

Folks, The Boleyn Ground has gone, there's no going back the future is the LS. I still believe West Ham will own the stadium one day. Athletics as a spectator sport has no comparison, the Olympics and the World Championships have been and gone, future governments will be under pressure to get ride of the on cost and WHU will be in a perfect position to pick it up for tuppence and convert to a proper Footie stadium... watch this space, COYI's!!!!

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261 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

As always my friend you raise some great points and I hear where you are coming from. In reply : I agree we were a mid table side before the move but if like Burnley you dont set high expectations you just revert to being a yoyo side between Prem and Chumps, my hope is that we have some sustained time, like Everton etc in the top flight.

And I agree Burnley is a lovely club, as I said one of my best pals is a claret and I texted him constantly through their magnificent win at the Bridge but... They are no West Ham, sorry if it sounds arrogant but their support is half ours.

And I also hope Im right about the new stadium and the move because there is no going back, there is no UP and I dont want to support say an FC United or in our case a bunch of disgruntled folk willing to set up again The Thames Ironworks.

You are spot on (again) , its not about the money and as the saying goes It doesn't bring happiness but I would love a bit of misery in mid table, the odd away win and maybe, just maybe... a trip to Wembley in any cup, COYI's!!!!

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206 users have voted.
hammer1980's picture

We had our own stadium and it was our home. The passage at the Olympic Stadium was just a will of Mrs. Brady to put another piece to his career. This is called business, and is the ruin of football. Traders around Boleyn also suffered a serious damage from this passage. In the last season at UP we got good results and I'm sure we would not have been as fatigued as in the past season if we were still playing them. True, Burnley is a small town and a small club. But Turf Moor is their home their fortress. We should have stayed at Upton Park.

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286 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

agree it was our home but IMO the LS is much better and starting to feel like home. i dont agree that it was just Brady pushing for this, it would have been a travesty to have a large modern stadium in our borough sitting empty like a huge white elephant, from an ecco stand point that would have made no sense. Instead we have a fantastic stadium we rent for tuppence and I still hold that one day it will be sold to WHU as the tax payers will soon have the hump with continuing to pay / subsidise ... watch this space.

As for the traders, which I and many mates supported for years, are not happy well thats life / business... move on, and , by the way, did any of them contribute any of there past profits to WHUFC (or a local charity) who without its supporters they wouldn't have made a bean? Its business, good to see the Ribman didnt cry in Green Street, got of his back and done a few deals... topman!

As I said before, Burnley is a lovely club but its no West Ham! COYI's!!!!!!!

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330 users have voted.

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