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West Ham United have confirmed that, due to the sheer number of requests, preordained rounds of applause during matches are to be replaced with a bi-annual tribute to departed fans.

An act that began as a way to mark the passing of dearly-departed former players has mushroomed in recent months - so much so that THREE bursts of applause had been requested for this weekend's clash with Leicester.

Naturally this was becoming problematic for the club, who declared this morning that rather than take requests for applause during matches they would instead honour those lost with a bi-annual montage, to be displayed on the giant screens inside the Olympic Stadium.




"Every season, West Ham United are sadly informed of the deaths of many supporters, young and old, from all over the world," read a statement on whufc.com. "Club staff never fail to be moved when a message is received that a member of the Claret and Blue faithful has passed away.

"Many of the messages received by the Club are accompanied by requests for tributes to be paid on a matchday, in the form of a minute’s applause during a first-team match. However, due to the sheer volume of requests, it is regrettably not possible to formally hold these tributes at every match.

"The Club will now honour those Hammers no longer with us with a montage of tributes being shown on the big screens at home matches twice a season. The next montage of this type will be displayed at the Premier League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on Saturday 6 May."




The subject was touched upon recently by KUMB columnist HeadHammerShark, who suggested using the screens as an alternative solution: "This has become customary all over the country and isn't unique to West Ham, although there seem to have been a number of instances at our home games recently," he wrote.

"The Club are in an invidious position here. They seem cruel and unfeeling if they turn down the requests, but can't acquiesce every time without turning games into remembrance services.

"However we have the largest digital wrap in Europe which is visible to at least 40,000 fans a game - the messages could be replayed throughout the build up to the game, allowing people to take a some time to remember those who have passed away without shoehorning it in to a game of football. "

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