Friday, May 5

No place like home for the Hammers?

Yet another two-page feature in the Guardian today on the London Stadium issues, asking if it is, "a terrible experience or a step forward?" The feature mainly rehashes the stories that have already been covered this season, though writer Jacob Steinberg admits that many of the stewarding problems have been resolved. As he says, the undeniable truth is that the success of the move depends on West Ham becoming a better team on the pitch. 

What I would like to have seen is more coverage of how the stadium might change in the next few seasons. Can the cost of moving the retractable stands be reduced, is there any leeway for having square advertising hoardings and might it be possible to sneak a few extra rows of seats in towards the half way line? 

The atmosphere has improved since the Palace win, as Tony Pulis noticed after the West Brom game. As the piece says, the new pitch is only five yards longer than Upton Park. Getting results against Spurs and Liverpool would go a long to proving the players are adapting to it. 

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