West Ham on brink of cataclysmic fan revolt at the London Stadium after abysmal Brentford defeat. West Ham United lost 1-0 to Brentford at the London Stadium on Saturday.
The London Stadium was not a great place to be this weekend, as Brentford showed the West Ham fans exactly how far ahead of us they are right now. In my opinion, Graham Potter killed the mood inside the London Stadium before the game had even kicked off, by including the hapless Konstantinos Mavropanos in his starting lineup.
The only thing that lifted the spirits during the game was a cheeky chant from one small section of Hammers fans aimed at the away section of Bees supporters.
It was a really tough watch.
Potter will be under absolutely no illusions regarding the size of the task that lies ahead of him at the London Stadium.
Poor recruitment from David Moyes, Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui before him have led to this situation. However, it’s not all about the players underperforming on the pitch.
The Hammers have a major issue that needs solving off the field of play as well.
Damning London Stadium claim after West Ham vs Brentford
The Hammers are a team in the midst of a real crisis right now.
One of two more defeats over the next couple of weeks could actually see us dragged into a relegation battle. Potter has a lot of work on his hands, if he is to turn things around this season.
The football on display at the London Stadium on Saturday was truly pathetic. The players lacked any passion, intensity, aggression or ideas.
However, aside from the total lack of cohesion in West Ham’s performance, another big issue has come to light.
That’s because Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian has claimed that the London stadium was silent throughout the game. That’s arguably the most damning claim yet about yesterday’s shocking 1-0 defeat to Brentford.
London Stadium atmosphere needs serious work
How can we generate such a poor atmosphere at our home ground, just one month into a new manager’s tenure?
It’s embarrassingly bad.
Why is is that our away support sing throughout the entirety of games, with a repertoire of at least seven or eight songs, whilst the home fans can barely muster anything other than Bubbles?
The acoustics at the London Stadium certainly don’t help but the West Ham fans inside the ground simply need to do more to make it a hostile environment for away teams.
There have been some cracking nights in our Stratford home. The games against Sevilla in 2022, Liverpool in 2021, Tottenham in 2017 and Chelsea back in 2016 all generated fantastic atmospheres, so it’s certainly possible.
In all honesty though, they’ve been few and far between.
Potter has to find a way for him and his players to connect with the fans, much like Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal five or so years ago. I have never felt more detached from a West Ham team than I do now. That’s not Potter’s fault – I actually think he’ll be perfect for us in the long-term.
However, the rot has clearly set in at the London Stadium over the past 12 months or so, and the West Ham fans are starting to lose interest and enthusiasm. That’s a hugely concerning place to be, and Potter, his coaching staff and the players need to act quickly to turn it all around.
