The 2016/17 season is now moments away and it promises to be a very special season for the club as we embark on a new era, moving from The Boleyn to The London Stadium in Stratford.
From the two games that have already been played at our new 60,000 capacity stadium the ground does have all the makings to aid our development, it is truly spectacular!
But, it is very different from what we are used to at Upton Park and as such a problem have presented itself regarding standing and sitting in the stands.
Sitting in the West Stand as I do, I was shocked with the amount of people bickering between themselves as people were standing up thus preventing people behind from viewing the game. This has taken over West Ham twitter in recent days with many people, including those within the club divided on the matter.
Karren Brady has released a statement explaining that any fans that persistently stand may have their season tickets taken away. She has told us that stewards have the power to act on behalf of the club by taking tickets from us.
However, David Gold has also taken to twitter to inform us that he is still in support of safe standing, as he was during the pitch for the Stadium, but he has acknowledged that for this to happen there would need to be a “change in the law.”
In my opinion the confusion is the fault of the club and a lack of clarity regarding the different sections of the stadium. Previously at the Boleyn we all knew that the ‘standing’ sections were the lower tier of the Bobby Moore Stand, the lower tier of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand and the section of the East Stand closest to the away fans was always bouncing.
Unfortunately, the club have not specifically marked a section where standing is permitted so those who were sat in the sections mentioned above are used to standing so have simply continued this into the new ground, whilst those who have sat down at Upton Park have again remained seated.
The issue therefore arises as people from all stands are now mixed around the stadium and it is currently a case of each to their own as people are making their own minds up about sitting or standing.
I don’t think we have heard the end of this debate as from what I have seen the people that want to stand show no sign of giving in just yet but time will tell!
Comment Below with your opinions on the matter and how you would go about solving this dilemma!
