Stratford on course
Filed: Tuesday, 22nd May 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham Chairman David Gold said this morning that West Ham's move to the Olympic Stadium remains on course - despite contradicting himself with regards to the level of support for it.
At the beginning of April, Gold insisted that he had the backing of "70 per cent of our fan base". However in an interview with Talksport this morning, that figure had dropped by a substantial margin.
"Our surveys suggest that better than 50 per cent of fans are wanting to go to the new stadium," he told the Breakfast Show.
"Also, over the years, clubs that move to new stadiums and build new stadiums have always been successful in their move. They've always increased fanbase, it's always worked out. It's very hard to pick a move that's beeen a failure.
"We're very excited about the future of the Olympic Stadium and of course we don't want to move there as you see it now. We're all bound by rules not to discuss this but the hint is that there will be changes.
"You're not going to go into the stadium when the Olympics finish. There's a whole programme of changes [planned]."
The latest independent poll on the move, conducted by campaign group WHU's VIew? in April resulted in 87 per cent of those polled voting against the move to Stratford.
Meanwhile the most recent KUMB.com poll - conducted in February of this year - resulted in 60 per cent of supporters voting against the move to Stratford, with a further 17 per cent stating they were 'unsure'.
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by Joe smith
06:30AM 26th May 2012
''West Ham will never be a top four club and a move to the Olympic Stadium will not increase the chance of that at all. Unless 20,000 free tickets are given away every week the new stadium will be a half-empty morgue on a Saturday once the novelty has worn off.
A redevelopment of the East stand is what's needed and being on top of the action like has been the case for the last 100 or so years is a requirement. This Olympic. Stadium bid is just a way for our beloved hierarchy to one day line their pockets...the Boleyn's our home and must be forever!''
by John
03:33PM 22nd May 2012
''For me, the problem isn't the move itself. Sure, there will always be those who oppose any change, but I agree with the chairman about the fact that an improved stadium situation will draw new fans, generate greater revenues, etc. But that's only if the new stadium itself is an improvement.
For instance, there are some Arsenal supporters who still grumble about leaving Highbury, but any sensible individual realises that the total matchday experience at the Emirates is far superior and more convenient. Likewise, there are those who would grumble about leaving Upton Park no matter what the new stadium was like, and there's no pleasing them.
I wouldn't at all mind a move to a better, more fan-friendly, state of the art venue. The problem is the the Olympic Stadium doesn't seem to fit that definition. With the running track and the poor sight-lines, it seems difficult to imagine that the special atmosphere of the Boleyn Ground would be able to be re-created. After all, what makes UP different from so many venues is the remarkable level of interaction between the crowd and the on-field action, generated by our faithful. What will set West Ham apart if we lose that?''
by Tom
10:25AM 22nd May 2012
''To be fair, the WHU's View? survey was flawed. The question asked if you wanted to move, based on the available information, which was always going to result in a negative outcome. Once we've seen the plans, I'm sure many of us will change our minds.''
by Danny Lawless
10:24AM 22nd May 2012
''I love the Boelyn Ground as much as anybody else but you've got to have ambition, I don't wanna be fighting for survival every season or finishing mid-table. I want West Ham to be a top four team and moving to a bigger stadium can do that, we can't stay in a 35,000-seater stadium forever.''
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