West Ham United 3 Southampton 0

Premier League

Saturday 31 March 2018

Iron man

The context

On the face of it this trip didn’t bode very well. West Ham’s 3-0 home defeat against Burnley two weeks ago ended chaotically, as fans – already simmering about their club’s much-criticised new stadium – turned on owners, the team and each other. Today’s game would therefore be heavily policed, stricter segregation measures had been implemented and the world eagerly awaited another instalment of West Ham-ageddon.

chaos theory

John and I have experienced the odd toxic atmosphere in our time so weren’t overly concerned. It simply looked as though some pitch invaders ran around for five minutes, fellow supporters dished out summary justice, several hundred more made for the directors’ box and everyone else left early. So – taking a large pinch of salt – we went to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

The history

rural

The Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844 banned noxious industries from operating west of Bow Creek. This well-meaning legislation meant they simply moved further down the Thames into rural districts such as Stratford, Plaistow and West Ham. Three hundred factories were opened in this unpromising marshy wilderness between 1860 and 1919.  

deep water (Britannica.com)

Booming maritime trade brought even more change. The world’s largest commercial docks – Royal Albert, Royal Victoria and King George V – were built beside deep water at Silvertown, where modern cargo vessels could be berthed. Twelve miles of quayside had space for several hundred ships along with massive warehouses, refrigerated storage and granaries.   

hub

Stratford’s convenient location attracted various railway companies. Each had their own station, which merged into one hub connecting Essex and Hertfordshire with central London. Its split level platforms also served the North London Line; a new spur eventually meant Liverpool Street-North Woolwich trains could avoid Stratford altogether.

engineering

Adjacent engineering works built rolling stock for the North Eastern Railway. Thousands of locomotives, carriages and trucks would eventually be produced on an extensive site shared with Stratford engine shed. This enormous depot had Britain’s largest coaling plant, well-equipped workshops and even dormitory accommodation for off-shift drivers.   

iron crew

Shipbuilding also did well. Thames Iron Works Company yards lined both sides of Bow Creek at Blackwall, with SS Himalaya and HMS Warrior – the world’s largest liner and warship respectively – among their more notable contracts. A football team set up by philanthropic director Arnold Hills for his employees eventually joined the Southern League, turning professional in 1898.

Tudor progress

Hills didn’t agree with paying players. Tensions over this point of principle led to Thames Ironworks FC being disbanded; swift rebirth as West Ham United soon followed, but Hills’ continued ownership of the club’s home pitch became problematic. A new one – named the Boleyn Ground, after a Tudor house that stood nearby – was therefore laid out two miles away near Upton Park underground station.

chaos theory

West Ham were elected to Division Two in 1919. Promotion followed four years later, along with an appearance in the chaotic “White Horse” FA Cup final at Wembley’s new Empire Stadium. No-one thought to make this momentous occasion all-ticket, three hundred thousand people turned up and police on horses had to clear most of them from the pitch.

basic

First Division football funded Upton Park’s new West Stand and cover for the South Bank end terrace. Its narrow eastern touchline, however, would remain unchanged for another four decades. Spectators there watched from long wooden benches beneath basic corrugated-iron cladding; this febrile, atmospheric shed – much disliked by opposing wingers – was known as the Chicken Run. 

Ted talks

A German flying bomb destroyed the South Bank roof during December 1944. It wasn’t rebuilt until 1958, when West Ham’s title win ended twenty-six years in Division Two. Manager Ted Fenton had grown the club’s youth policy; later success under Ron Greenwood would owe much to local discoveries such as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Ronnie Boyce, Ken Brown, John Sissons and Brian Dear.    

1964 and all that

West Ham rarely challenged for League titles but could beat anyone on their day. They won the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup playing stylish, flowing football. Moore had meanwhile made his England debut; he, Hurst and Peters – first capped in 1966 – famously reached their apogee during that year’s World Cup final at Wembley.

European counsel

Greenwood’s successor John Lyall brought through another crop of promising young players. Mervyn Day, John McDowell, Kevin Lock, Trevor Brooking, Frank Lampard and Pat Holland all featured in West Ham’s 1975 FA Cup win over Fulham. Another, Alan Curbishley, would be an unused substitute for their Cup-Winners’ Cup final defeat against Anderlecht the following season.

urban

Journalists often praised Upton Park for its authentic East End character. Alf Garnett’s beloved Irons had long been known for their noisy, partisan support. But in reality the ground was grimly urban, and territorial local police openly abetted a violent hooligan subculture where hundreds of Cockney skinheads could mingle without challenge among nervous travelling fans. 

Wembley

A new decade saw West Ham once more at Wembley. The Cockney Rejects celebrated this achievement with a cover version of their team’s long-established anthem I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles, while – in case anyone thought they were going soft – also describing matchday at Upton Park:  

We meet in the Boleyn every Saturday/Talk about the team that we’re gonna do today/Steel cap Dr Marten’s and iron bars/Smash their coaches or do ‘em in their cars.

Chicken breed

West Ham’s early 1960s resurgence had paid for a West Stand extension and the new North Bank roof. More improvements followed; another stand replaced those venerable wooden benches, but its narrow terrace paddock kept the Chicken Run nickname alive. Supporters who stood there became notorious as Upton Park’s most violent, which given how the rest carried on was no mean feat. 

rebuilding

This ground always felt modest by First Division standards. Unsympathetic post-Taylor rebuilding – complete with faux Tudor turrets – nonetheless achieved 36,000 seats. A bigger West Stand, for which planning permission existed, would have seen capacity approaching the record 42,000 who saw Tottenham’s visit in 1970. But West Ham wanted more. They began casting covetous eyes towards the two mile distant, soon-to-be vacant Olympic Stadium at Stratford.

investment (Network Rail)

The Lea Valley had suffered badly from post-War industrial decline. Factories lay derelict, chemical waste contaminated land and waterways. But Stratford’s selection as principal venue for the 2012 London Olympics brought major investment. A new station – Stratford International – opened in 2009, and Westfield Stratford City shopping centre now covers the railway depot site.

centrepiece

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park intersects four different boroughs. Paths, parks and canals surround top-class sporting venues. West Ham – despite competition from Tottenham and Leyton Orient – eventually negotiated to rent its 62,000 capacity centrepiece for the next ninety-nine years. Vice-chair Karren Brady promised fans “a world-class football stadium”.

The journey 

Light relief

Everything went well today apart from one irritating holdup near the Ricoh Arena. We parked by West India Dock, caught a far from busy Docklands Light Railway service, got off at Pudding Mill Lane and ambled across post-industrial wasteland to our entrance. Coming back proved equally straightforward; back on the M1 by six is truly remarkable for any London game..

The ground

familiar

You reach the outer concourse by crossing one of Stratford’s three urban rivers. Bag and body searches take place on a concrete bridge, while more orthodox turnstiles access the stadium itself. Its inner forecourt has only partial cover; gates are opened at half time so that fans can go outside to smoke, eat or have a good old Cockney knees-up. Spartan by modern standards, refreshingly familiar for the likes of us. 

massive

Our stand was seventy-three rows high and we had seats on the very last one. It comes as a shock when you turn around at the top – calf muscles throbbing remorselessly – and appreciate just how massive everything is. This ground feels far bigger inside than out; the pitch lies well below entry level, while a running track adds even more space.

handsome

The track really does make things difficult. We enjoyed a spectacular view but sightlines elsewhere are apparently dreadful. West Ham have put temporary seats – dismantled when athletics are taking place – behind each goal, but this well-intentioned move merely highlights the shortcomings of a handsome venue that was clearly never designed for football. 

Flesh and wine

monster mash

Today’s culinary experience very soon became an exercise in pragmatism. The nearby retail park might well have had some licensed premises, but we didn’t bother looking; takeaways also seemed unlikely in this dystopian landscape. Food vans had, however, thoughtfully been provided. My pie and mash – while tolerable – was no more Cockney than David Moyes. 

The game

six pointer

Relegation six-pointers often end in stalemate. This one was different, not least because a pedestrian Southampton defence conceded three training-ground goals before half time. West Ham’s opener came on the break; Cheikhou Kouyate picked out Joao Mario after surging down their right, and his half-volley beat Alex McCarthy from eighteen yards out.

happy

Mario and Arthur Masuaku then set up Marko Arnautovic from either wing. The second bounced in messily after McCarthy’s initial save, but his beautiful first-time strike for 3-0 was well taken. Southampton shored things up after that; they really couldn’t have got much worse. This, along with West Ham closing ranks, kept the scoreline respectable and home fans happy.

Teams and goals

West Ham: Hart, Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Kouyate (Cullen 89), Noble, Masuako, Antonio (Fernandes 9), Joao Mario, Arnautavic (Hugill 80), Unused subs: Adrian, Evra, Pask, Diangana.

Southampton: McCarthy, Soares, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand, Tadic, Lemina, Hodjberg, Redmond (Boufal 67), Austin (Carillo 83), Gabbiadini (Long 45). Unused subs: Yoshida, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Forster.

Goals: Joao Mario 13, Arnautavic 17, 45+4.

Attendance: 56,882.