The point being is that having seats so far from the pitch is not conducive to a good atmosphere. The Boleyn was great because it was intimidating to the opposition and the fans were so close to the pitch that the noise was contained better. Not the case at the OS.
The Boleyn was great becausewhen it was intimidating to the opposition
Looking at the stats ASLEF posted, it is clear that there were a lot of games in any given season where the opposition managed to come away with the points, so it is unreasonable, imo, to suggest that the Boleyn was a permanent fortress that teams hated to play at.
When the LS has been rocking, I haven't seen any issue with noise containment.
It might even be that the acoustics are better, but unless the fans turning up make the effort, it won't matter if they are as good as the Albert Hall.
Nobody said it was a permanent fortress but it did have seasons where we were difficult to beat.
The number of former players that didn’t like playing there is also testament to that, my cousin being one of them and he played at many PL grounds.
The chicken run was intimidating to suggest that the ground didn’t do that much over the last 25-30+ years is nonsense imo
Perhaps it’s just me, I was fortunate to do the most home games in a season in 85-86, pure luck that was and our best season In terms of losses and a bit of a fortress, many a night we got home with an inferior team on paper against the bigger boys
That’s not emotional, that’s just a fact and not one I’d dismiss as easily either.
You seem to be arguing against things no one has said.
You are free to be as sad over our departure from the Boleyn as you like. However, please also accept that others, who are also Hammers, may not share your feelings.
I would suggest that the times we were difficult to beat had more to do with the sides we put out, than the simple fact that we were playing at the Boleyn.
It isn't, imo, the ground that creates an atmosphere, but the fans.
As has been made clear by those who have been at the LS, on occasions it has rocked as much as the Boleyn ever did.
The common factor in the 'rocking'? Fans getting behind the team.
I do accept their feelings, I just don’t agree with them, is that okay?
Someone who has been a couple of times thinks that emotion takes over and a lack of common sense is then the order of the day, quite disrespectful imo
That ground was intimidating for many to say it wasn’t or didn’t have that effect at any time in the last 30 is as I mentioned is nonsense, imo .I’ve got a family member a former PL player who is quoted on it, not sure why some appear to be in denial about it, it’s okay it’s doesnt take away from our current home
Upton Park was imitimadating but when the west stand was redeveloped both the west and east stands were a fair distance from the pitch and it lost a lot of that
I do accept their feelings, I just don’t agree with them, is that okay?
Someone who has been a couple of times thinks that emotion takes over and a lack of common sense is then the order of the day, quite disrespectful imo
That ground was intimidating for many to say it wasn’t or didn’t have that effect at any time in the last 30 is as I mentioned is nonsense, imo .I’ve got a family member a former PL player who is quoted on it, not sure why some appear to be in denial about it, it’s okay it’s doesnt take away from our current home
Sorry to say this but, IMO, the ground is never the intimidating part, you play a game behind closed doors at any football ground and you aren't going to be intimidated in any way shape or form, regardless of where the ground is. Now, how the fans view the ground and how they act is a different story, again IMO, the Boylean was intimidating, when the fans wanted it to be, it was our home, our place. There is 0 reason why the Olympic stadium can't be just as intimidating, if not more so, given the fact that there is 20k more of us in the place. There is no point clinging to what could be. The Boylean is gone, she has been knocked down, whether you believe you were sold a "lie" or not, we can't turn back the clock. What we can do, is as supporters of the team, is turn up and make as much noise as possible. Throughout our lives as adults, we buy and sell houses to improve and change our lot in life, maybe because we have a bigger family, maybe for schools or just because we like the new area. We remember fondly the places that come before, but that doesn't stop us loving the new place we go to.
It was always the same ground. So if it was something intrinsic to the ground, it would always have had the same effect. Which obviously it didn't, so it wasn't.
You could say that because the ground was smaller, the fans were closer to the pitch and this (when the fans were in the right frame of mind) could enhance the effect.
But as moojor says, at the OS you are massively increasing the number of fans.
So now, there are more fans to make a noise and so (when they are in the right frame of mind) the size of the stadium can enhance the intimidatory effect.
SCHB, who was your cousin if you don’t mind me asking mate
Craig Fleming he played for Oldham and Norwich (captain) he mentioned he’d been called some choice things over the years, but he did play at RB (if my old memory serves me right) and had a bit of a run in with Julian Dicks down the chicken run side, I can’t repeat how he felt at the time but it certainly had an effect on him during that game
Let me be clear I’m not saying that the Boleyn was always intimidating but it was at certain times and for plenty of the last 25-30 years
At the same time I’m not saying that the LS can’t be intimidating it’s already shown in a few games that the noise levels are insane when it’s rocking, i really hope it’s more intimidating than the Boleyn over the years to come and hopefully we build many memories of it, of course it’s going to take time nearly all these moves do
SCHB, who was your cousin if you don’t mind me asking mate
Craig Fleming he played for Oldham and Norwich (captain) he mentioned he’d been called some choice things over the years, but he did play at RB (if my old memory serves me right) and had a bit of a run in with Julian Dicks down the chicken run side, I can’t repeat how he felt at the time but it certainly had an effect on him during that game
Read up about him sir Alex said really good man marker job on giggs when he played for Oldham not a bad endorsement from a top boss
Sorry to say this but, IMO, the ground is never the intimidating part, you play a game behind closed doors at any football ground and you aren't going to be intimidated in any way shape or form, regardless of where the ground is.
Well, the way the ground's set up could make it more conducive to a good atmosphere than another when there are people in it. Of course it needs people in it but its structure can also impact how those people are involved in the atmosphere.
It was always the same ground. So if it was something intrinsic to the ground, it would always have had the same effect. Which obviously it didn't, so it wasn't.
Or it could have had the same effect of amplifying the different moods of the audience. When they were fired up, intimidating the opposition, when they were nervous, weighing on our own players.
With the numbers inside the LS it's obviously able to generate noise but I personally feel it's more like a general din, while the Boleyn created was more like a wall of noise.
The Trevor Brooking and the Bobby Moore were still quite close to the pitch but after the new West Stand opened in 2001 the Chicken Run was a long way from the pitch. To me the atmos changed after that.
There's no such thing as common sense, if there was we wouldn't disagree on anything
Comments
The Boleyn was great
becausewhen it was intimidating to the oppositionLooking at the stats ASLEF posted, it is clear that there were a lot of games in any given season where the opposition managed to come away with the points, so it is unreasonable, imo, to suggest that the Boleyn was a permanent fortress that teams hated to play at.
When the LS has been rocking, I haven't seen any issue with noise containment.
It might even be that the acoustics are better, but unless the fans turning up make the effort, it won't matter if they are as good as the Albert Hall.
The number of former players that didn’t like playing there is also testament to that, my cousin being one of them and he played at many PL grounds.
The chicken run was intimidating to suggest that the ground didn’t do that much over the last 25-30+ years is nonsense imo
Perhaps it’s just me, I was fortunate to do the most home games in a season in 85-86, pure luck that was and our best season In terms of losses and a bit of a fortress, many a night we got home with an inferior team on paper against the bigger boys
That’s not emotional, that’s just a fact and not one I’d dismiss as easily either.
You seem to be arguing against things no one has said.
You are free to be as sad over our departure from the Boleyn as you like. However, please also accept that others, who are also Hammers, may not share your feelings.
I would suggest that the times we were difficult to beat had more to do with the sides we put out, than the simple fact that we were playing at the Boleyn.
It isn't, imo, the ground that creates an atmosphere, but the fans.
As has been made clear by those who have been at the LS, on occasions it has rocked as much as the Boleyn ever did.
The common factor in the 'rocking'? Fans getting behind the team.
Someone who has been a couple of times thinks that emotion takes over and a lack of common sense is then the order of the day, quite disrespectful imo
That ground was intimidating for many to say it wasn’t or didn’t have that effect at any time in the last 30 is as I mentioned is nonsense, imo .I’ve got a family member a former PL player who is quoted on it, not sure why some appear to be in denial about it, it’s okay it’s doesnt take away from our current home
And these are the bits where I think you are arguing against what no one has said: I can't think of anyone who has said that (the ground wasn't ever intimidating), never mind many. Who is in denial about it? Who has suggested it has?
I don't think anyone has suggested that no one said it, or that it was never true.
;ok It's not immediately clear from the context. I'll add a bit in brackets.
Now, how the fans view the ground and how they act is a different story, again IMO, the Boylean was intimidating, when the fans wanted it to be, it was our home, our place.
There is 0 reason why the Olympic stadium can't be just as intimidating, if not more so, given the fact that there is 20k more of us in the place. There is no point clinging to what could be. The Boylean is gone, she has been knocked down, whether you believe you were sold a "lie" or not, we can't turn back the clock.
What we can do, is as supporters of the team, is turn up and make as much noise as possible.
Throughout our lives as adults, we buy and sell houses to improve and change our lot in life, maybe because we have a bigger family, maybe for schools or just because we like the new area. We remember fondly the places that come before, but that doesn't stop us loving the new place we go to.
Sometimes they were not.
It was always the same ground. So if it was something intrinsic to the ground, it would always have had the same effect. Which obviously it didn't, so it wasn't.
You could say that because the ground was smaller, the fans were closer to the pitch and this (when the fans were in the right frame of mind) could enhance the effect.
But as moojor says, at the OS you are massively increasing the number of fans.
So now, there are more fans to make a noise and so (when they are in the right frame of mind) the size of the stadium can enhance the intimidatory effect.
2 different stadia, one common factor: the fans.
Sorry guys all my fault...
Fortunately not!
At the same time I’m not saying that the LS can’t be intimidating it’s already shown in a few games that the noise levels are insane when it’s rocking, i really hope it’s more intimidating than the Boleyn over the years to come and hopefully we build many memories of it, of course it’s going to take time nearly all these moves do
;ok
With the numbers inside the LS it's obviously able to generate noise but I personally feel it's more like a general din, while the Boleyn created was more like a wall of noise.
There's no such thing as common sense, if there was we wouldn't disagree on anything