Last week’s confirmation that West Ham United have now sold the Boleyn Ground to a property developer was a real milestone in the club’s move to the Olympic Stadium.
While all eyes have been on the Stratford venue, blurring somewhat the sense of what it actually means, the announcement came as a real shot of reality to all Hammers fans: we are leaving Upton Park.
It’s quite a sobering thought and one that all West Ham fans are going to have to get used to before 2015.
So what are five things I will miss about the Boleyn? (the ground and not the pub, of course).
1) The real buzz word has to be atmosphere. Say what you will about West Ham fans, but get behind their team through thick and thin they do. Add in the mix a bit of East End humour and a ground that, certainly before the introduction of the new stands, has always had its supporters close to the action and you’ve got a recipe for an unrivalled atmosphere.
Quite often you can gauge how good a club and it’s ground is by the opposition’s fan base and the Boleyn is traditionally seen by many to be a good away day out. Enough said.
2) Upton Park under lights is now something of folklore. If it’s not, it should be. For some reason, and it’s hard to put your finger on why, when those floodlights go on, something strange happens. To the players, to the game, to the fans, everything.
There have been some real humdingers down the years with the likes of Spurs and Manchester United, while supporters will have their own special memories of FA Cup games and huge European nights.
You can almost feel it’s going to be one of those nights and personally I remember getting that feeling as I approached the ground just before a relegation clash with Spurs in 1997. In the bottom three at the time, the Hammers put on a masterclass of entertainment with new signings Paul Kitson and John Hartson amongst the goals. It kick started a revival that saw us evade the drop that year.
3) History and memories. From Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, to Billy Bonds, Alan Devonshire, Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, to Julian Dicks, Ludek Miklosko, Joe Cole, Paolo Di Canio and Mark Noble.
All are Hammers heroes and legends and all played their part in some special games at Upton Park. We’ll all remember seeing them play at our beloved Boleyn, or at least a number of them, and that’s something that can’t be taken away from us. Certainly not when we’re taking a nostalgic look back at the good ol’ days when we were a humble club with modest success. Or at least that’s what our owners are wishing for.
The sad part, and it’s personal to me I’m afraid, is that I will never get to take my son to Upton Park and share in memories that I was lucky to have with my dad. Over the years I’ve had a season ticket and been a club member, watching games with my dad who brought me up on a diet of claret and blue. I want the same for my son and it’s sad to think that won’t be at the Boleyn with everything that comes with it.
4) This one, I’m sure, will resonate with a few West Ham fans and that’s Nathan’s pie and mash shop! Seeing the queues snake along the road outside as Hammers fans wait for a real touch of the East End, meant only one thing: match day.
It’s long been a tradition of the West Ham experience and one that will be hard to replicate in Stratford.
5) The final thing I will miss is home. Because for all West Ham fans, Upton Park is home, it always has been, we know no different. It will hold a special place in all of our hearts as THE place to watch our team, the Academy of Football and a ground that we have united as a club and a place where we’ve forged lifelong friendships.
Together, over the years, West Ham fans have been through thick and thin at Upton Park with relegation, promotions, cup runs and European nights to pour over. While the ground has been the stage, and it’s been a brilliant one, it’s us fans that have united the club and will continue to do so. We move to a new stage as of 2015 and a whole new set of memories and history begins.
Thanks Upton Park, it’s been emotional.
You may be right about the atmosphere at Upton Park at night but if you check on the stats you will find that results over the last few years have been far worse than the daylight games.
I HATE THEM FOR SELLING OUR HOME, THE OS WILL NEVER BE OUR HOME JUST A RENTED ACCOMMODATION
I’ll miss the burger bar ” West Ham Forever” . Smashing , friendly service.
I have been going to the boleyn ground for nearly 40 years and have some fantastic memories that will stay with me forever. If i am honest though since the new west stand was built that rocking atmosphere that seemed to be week in week out happens only on certain occasions now and most certainly not as often. I think its a must to try and improve as much as we can and a bigger stadium will hopefully allow us to do this. I know that we will only be leasing the ground and not own it outright but thats the same thing Man City do with their stadium and look at them now – if our future turns out to be as bright as theirs I will be more than happy with the move and like I say I will always have my wonderful memories of the boleyn – onwards and upwards as the saying goes !!!!
I was never in favour of West Ham moving out of the Boleyn ground. I was only in favour of a move if a new stadium could bought, NOT RENTED. West Ham at present cannot own the Olympic stadium. What is a club who do not even own their own match day home ground? West Ham had permission to enlarge the East Stand so as to make it a 40,000+ capacity. Only now are the FA talking about giving fans more rights & say in their clubs affairs, as owners are sometimes only recent members, ours only since 2010. Many fans have been supporting West Ham since the 60s & before. OK, the parking & traffic congestion around Green St on match days is horrendous, but surely Sullivan & Gold & Co can arrange an ownership deal with the Olympic stadium later? Otherwise our club will only own a training ground, does it even own that at Chadwell Heath? Some say it was presure from “new settler” business people wanting the Hammers out of the ground they have been in for over 100 years? OK, getting to Stratford will be a lot easier than Green St, but can West Ham own this thing at Stratford Please!!!
IM there with you shazza 50 years next season , i will surely miss my Upton park the atmosphere and my pie & mash but most of all my surrounding fellow season ticket holders , i don’t know all there names but when we all meet up at home and away games we are all friends, we are all one we are WEST HAM !! , so i say now to them all thank you thank you all for my memories, COYI.
Can I say as much as i am going to miss my Upton park and i will we need to move on to become a bigger west ham then we are now, and JB is right it’s a real shame it’s not a stadium we can call home , but I think for us to become a l’pool , city or Utd we just for now need to move on, COYI.