OPINION
The London Stadium move hasn’t been universally popular with the West Ham United supporters, suffering as much from a love of Upton Park as anything else.
The running track which prevents the supporters from being as close to the pitch as they’d like is another real bug bear for the Toon Army.
However, there may be some good news on the horizon in regards to the Hammers’ ground. Sky Sports reported on Monday that the club are intending to increase the capacity of the stadium to 62,500, which would make it the biggest club ground in London.
At the moment Tottenham Hotspur’s new digs holds that distinction. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has a capacity of 62,062, with the London Stadium currently at 60,000.
While that likely won’t take away the problem of the running track, which will surely remain in place – this is the Olympic stadium after all – the West Ham supporters will be jumping for joy at the thought of trumping their London rivals.
We all know that the Hammers have somewhat of a tense relationship with their North London neighbours, particularly Spurs, while they aren’t on the best terms with Chelsea either.
So any chance to get one over on those teams, who are generally considered ‘bigger’ clubs than West Ham, will be something that the fans would enjoy immensely.
People often complain about the atmosphere at the London Stadium compared to the old Boleyn Ground and, while 2,500 extra seats won’t change that entirely, it will make a positive difference.
So while this isn’t the end of the problems with the London Stadium move, it is another positive step in the right direction from the club.
