West Ham United 3 Southampton 0
Premier League
Saturday 31 March 2018
iron man
The context
On the face of it our trip today didn’t bode too 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. Following this fracas today’s game would 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
The Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844 banned noxious industries from operating any further west than Bow Creek. This well-meaning legislation meant they simply moved further down the Thames into previously rural districts such as Stratford, Plaistow and West Ham. Three hundred factories were opened in this marshy area between 1860 and 1919.
Commercial shipping brought even more prosperity. Three huge new dock complexes – Royal Albert, Royal Victoria and King George V – were built at Silvertown, where deep water could accommodate modern cargo vessels. They became the world’s largest cargo-handling facility; hundreds of ships could be handled at any one time, and giant warehouses lined twelve miles of quays.
Stratford’s convenient location attracted various railway companies. Each had their own station, which effectively became one hub connecting Essex and Hertfordshire with central London. By 1855 both low and high-level platforms also served the North London Line, while a new spur meant trains from Liverpool Street to North Woolwich could avoid Stratford altogether.
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, extensive workshop facilities and even dormitory accommodation for off-shift drivers.
Shipbuilding also proliferated. The Thames Ironworks company had yards on both sides of Bow Creek at Blackwall, with SS Himalaya and HMS Warrior – the world’s largest liner and warship respectively – among its more notable contracts. Philanthropic director Arnold Hills set up a football team for his three thousand employees; they did well, and turned professional in 1898.
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 his continued ownership of their home at the Memorial Grounds in Plaistow became awkward for both parties. A new ground – funded by Hills’ own money – was therefore laid out two miles away on Green Street, the nominal dividing line between East and West Ham.
Journalists often praised the Boleyn Ground’s authentic East End character. This traditional London neighbourhood club had long been known for attracting noisy, partisan support. But travelling fans often found their cramped home unsettling; the surrounding area was grimly urban, and territorial local police eagerly abetted a violent hooligan subculture.
Belated crowd segregation simply meant the lunatic fringe could better identify potential victims. Hundreds of skinheads in flying jackets and Harringtons casually frequented the away section; few had any great fondness for Northerners, but – as Thatcher’s divisive policies took hold – their world view soon became much more vicious than Alf Garnett’s.
A new decade dawned with West Ham once more at Wembley. Punk band and keen followers the Cockney Rejects celebrated this achievement by covering 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.
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. Fans who stood there became notorious as Upton Park’s most violent, which given how the rest carried on was no mean feat.
[towers]
This ground always felt modest by First Division standards. Unsympathetic post-Taylor rebuilding achieved seating for 36,000; 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.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park lies across the meeting point of four different boroughs. Paths, parks and canals surround top-class sporting venues on reclaimed industrial land. West Ham – despite competition from Tottenham and Leyton Orient – eventually agreed to rent their new home on very reasonable terms, while vice-chair Karren Brady promised fans “a world-class football stadium”.
The journey
Light relief
Everything went well today apart from one southbound holdup that left us glowering impotently at the distant Ricoh Arena. We parked near 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; being back on the M1 by six is truly remarkable for any London game..
The ground
traditional
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 traditional 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 for them; although takeaways also seemed unlikely in this dystopian landscape, various food vans had thoughtfully been provided. My pie and mash, while tolerable, was no more East End 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 half time; 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.
