Olympic Stadium Reservation Centre Appointment (Includes transfers)

Image sourced from whufc.com

Firstly, welcome to the club Sam Byram! A young, English right-back who hasn't cost us the rumoured £12 million that Carl Jenkinson may cost if we wanted to sign him permanently. I was listening to TalkSport on Saturday morning and Jon Richardson, a Leeds fan I think, was saying that it would be an injustice if Byram joins a Premier League club and is then left on the bench. I for one would really like to see Byram join the bench on Saturday in the place of Jenkinson. Purely because of Jenkinson's form this season compared to last. I would also love for the lad to come into the team when required and really nail the position down just like Cresswell has. Aaron has been a fantastic addition, he also came from a Championship side & left plenty of supporters wondering whether he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League swiftly enough. Well for me, Cresswell is now one of the first names on the teamsheet.

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David Sullivan has also said on Sky Sports News that there is a slight possibility of a striker joining within the next 7 days who is playing in a "very strange league". Now, the initial rumoured player was Gignac who has previously played for Marseille and is currently playing in Mexico. Initial findings are that since 2005, he has averaged around a goal every three games. This is better than what we've been used to in recent years with the likes of Carlton Cole & injury problems causing long lay-offs for Sakho, Carroll and Valencia.


New rumours today have surfaced that we are now looking at Emmanuel Emenike (above) for a loan deal. Emenike has currently score 4 goals in 7 games so far in the United Arab Emirates but it doesn't seem like he's enjoying his time there too much. Could he be a repeat of Manuel Lanzini? He's only 28 & could even prove to be a bargain if a deal is struck sensibly!

Image sourced from whufc.com

Now, a topic incredibly close to my heart.

When I first heard that the move to the Olympic Stadium was a possibility, it just felt like the move was going so fast & without any consultation with what the supporters wanted. There are some supporters who have backed this move from the start, but personally? I'm in that section of fans who signed the petition opposing the move and I even considered not renewing my season ticket for next season out of spite towards the owners (not that they would care any less than they already seem to). Don't get me wrong, the owners have done fantastic things for the club! Our debt seems to be going down, we're back in the Premier League securely, for now, and we've attracted a talented manager who in turn, is attracting fantastic players! But for me, the move to the Olympic Stadium has been a 100% money-making move by them. 

I was upset, hurt and disappointed. I have grown up and where football was involved, I was never supporting any team other than West Ham. My first season ticket was in the 2002/03 season and growning up, my father has held my hand whilst walking to the ground along Green Street, held me high above the crowd when we've scored and now we're all that much older and now I'm the one looking down on him, the passion and enjoyment of seeing the back of the net ripple or the excitement of walking towards the ground hasn't changed one bit. He's completely unable to hold me above everyone else now, so the celebration has turned into a mutual hug. One that, from me, is silently saying "thank you for showing me the magic that this club, this football stadium has to offer". So naturally I've dreamed of having a son of my own & showing him the same wonders. Watching his excitement as he walks through the turnstiles for the first time, seeing him cheer when his favourite player's name is called out on the teamsheet & holding him high above when we score! Of course I can still do all those things if I'm lucky enough to have a son. What I can't do, is walk him down Green Street and stop at one of the stalls which have been there for years to buy him his first scarf or badge, I can't (eventually) take him into The Boleyn, where I have so many great memories, I can't ever take him around the ground and tell him about those memories and why? Because by the time I have a child, it'll all now be flats. 

All those magical moments I've experienced at Upton Park and many more for those who have been going for many more than my 14 years. Who knows if we'll ever experience another night like the 2nd leg of the Play-Offs against Ipswich? I don't even remember seeing the goals going in. What I do remember, very fondly, is tumbling down the steps in the Dr Marten's lower (my seat is on an aisle) with the hundreds of jubilant grown men, TWICE! I also remember the celebrations after the game and the echoing of "IRONS" as we walked back up Green Street and headed towards the tube station. I still say, even today, almost 12 years on, that night was one of the best in my life so far. 

Image sourced from gettyimages.co.uk

Having these memories which allow you to look back with a smile and that little tingle down the back of your neck, that is something really special. So when the owners just pick up the club and move them from their home of over 100 years is heartbreaking.

I have been avoiding thinking about the move, but surely enough, all the season ticket holders are booking their meetings at the Reservation Centre in Stratford and ordering their tickets for next season. With this has come a lot of rumours, and I really do mean a lot! The rumours that I heard upset me almost as much as the move itself. Season ticket holders around my father and I had attended their appointment and subsequently ordered their new season tickets in our new 'home', after speaking to them, I had been informed that there were only 'decent' seats left in the Upper Tiers. As a season ticket holder in the 'Betway' Lower Tier I was utterly disappointed and immediately came to the conclusion that I would attend next season at the Olympic Stadium and that would be it, I will be able to see the last at Upton Park and the first at the Olympic Stadium and then that's me satisfied.

The reality of the situation is completely the opposite. The club have been relatively smart about the seating plans, even though thousands on the priority list still won't get the chance to see in the new era, but that's only due to too many people signing up. After being so worried about my appointment in Stratford & genuinely not caring about any part of the manager's speech about what the ground will be able to attract or what technology the stadium will have to show off, I also didn't even want to listen to the promo video that they put on offer to sell the stadium even more. I went in there just not caring about where I'm going to be sat because I've been told I'll end up being in the Upper Tier if I want a good seat. Well, I can't write about how they've organised the seating, if anything went back to the club I'm sure I'd be in trouble for it. But if anyone reading is yet to visit the Reservation Centre, please, if you're going to go there believing anything, please believe that the club have thought about us fans, they have tried to cater for everybody's needs and preferences & even though I was completely uninterested before my appointment, I'm not feeling too bad about my new seat. I'd even go as far as stating that I'm actually a little excited. There are still a few tears to be shed between now and the start of next season though, that's for sure!