West Ham hero claims fans dislike travelling to the London Stadium and accuses the board of having no plan

West Ham’s London Stadium has long been criticised by fans, but it is now being highlighted as one of the causes of their troubles.

The east London club has had a difficult start to the season, with a recent triumph over Nottingham Forest making up for three previous defeats in all competitions.

In response to their troubles, which followed a year of them last season, West Ham’s official fan advisory board [FAB] has cast a vote of no confidence in the board.

The FAB, which represents 25,000 members from 11 fan groups, sent a letter to shareholders accusing a’sustained failure on behalf of the senior administration’ since their Conference League win in 2023.

Hammers great Tony Cottee cites the London Stadium as one of the major difficulties.

“The biggest problem the fans have got, myself included, is that the club moved to an athletics stadium,” according to him.

“I’m not saying it’s not a great stadium; it is, and it’s wonderful, but transferring West Ham from the Boleyn Ground to an athletics stadium hasn’t worked for the fans.

“There’s lots of friends of mine who say they haven’t got there or they won’t go there again, and I just think there’s a real lack of enthusiasm towards the stadium and a lot of frustration as well.”

West Ham’s London Stadium Story

West Ham United occupied Upton Park from 1904 to 2016, when the club believed it had won the lottery after defeating Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient for the former Olympic venue.

Although club vice-chair Karen Brady dubbed the transfer ‘the most successful stadium migration ever’, it appears that fewer and fewer agree with her with time.

Brian, a lifetime West Ham fan, reiterated Cottee’s criticism, saying, “They sold us a dream, and it turned into a nightmare.

“I was a season ticket holder at Upton Park for years, but I gave it up after the first season at the new stadium because I disliked the area.

“We call it the’soulless bowl’; it’s a gorgeous arena, but it’s not a football stadium, and it wasn’t designed for that purpose.

“They tore the heart out of the club I adore. “I only feel connected to West Ham United during away games.”

What else has gone wrong at West Ham?

All of this comes despite the club’s European glory in 2023, which resulted in its first major title since 1981.

Despite receiving £105 million from Arsenal for Declan Rice, the team has unable to make any progress.

Cottee explained: ‘Of course, West Ham had a wonderful run two years ago, and we thought, ‘Come on, let’s crack on,’ but only two players from that team remain; the rest have left in two years’.

“The frustration stems from the first three games, and fans want something to change.

“I don’t think the board or owners will change, but the fans are saying we’re not satisfied; please listen to us.

“I don’t feel like everyone is swimming together right now; there are too many factions in the club.”

“You cannot have ambiguity in a football club, and my main concern is that they do not have a strategy; what is the plan? They go from week to week, month to month, and whether they perform well or are relegated, it’s ‘oh whatever’.

“There’s no plan and that’s where the frustration of the fans comes from.”