3 Comments

London Stadium stand spin must stop

By Sean Whetsone

I am one of the West stand season ticket holders who have been told I must relocate as part of the new stand re-configurations.

The seat I have been offered is around four rows back from where I am now and slightly more to the left. I haven’t got a massive objection to the proposed seat if all those around me move with me.

My real problem is the marketing spin that surrounds the reasons for the new West stand. The London Stadium, which is paying it with taxpayers’ money, is doing so to save money from moving the seats over the summer.

West Ham needs to approve the change so what are they getting out of it? Primarily it will be the new premium 1966 seats that they can sell for £1500 to raise more ticket income.

ClaretandHugh’s key contact told it as it was – why couldn’t the marketing operation have done the same on behalf of the fans. Why not be honest and transparent and tell it like it is!?

A few hundred seats will move further away from the pitch by the corner flags;  the new stand is not being squared like the one’s behind the goals so it is a stretch to call it a more traditional football stand.

But it is true the gaps between the upper and lower will marginally reduce which will be more pleasing on the eye.

It is all about money for both the London Stadium and West Ham football club so let’s not dress it up as anything else.

They sold the lower stand season tickets on the cheap as explained to us  after the move shouting loudly and proudly about affordable football not realising the demand that would continue six years later.

The challenge is that we can’t spend like the top six traditional clubs without charging more for tickets and there is the real problem as explained to us by our contact. We can’t expect to have it all ways!

However, the marketing department can be more honest rather than dressing it up as improving the fans’ footballing experience.

Less marketing spin, more honesty please!

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

3 comments on “London Stadium stand spin must stop

  1. blimey Sean (I’ve retired) Whetstone… give it to them… i mean, imagine the marketing team at West Ham spinning stories… you wouldn’t catch a bonafide West Ham social media channel doing that, would you lol

  2. This is the sort of thing that scrapes against old wounds, and leaves me feeling like a number again, rather than a supporter of this team for nearly 45 years, since i was 14 – does no one learn, does no one understand how to treat people, especially your supporters, sorry i meant customers! I often feel like i just cannot afford to go to all the games now, and i am not the poorest person i know, but neither am i wealthy either, so it is tougher to hold on to that feeling of WHU being a ‘working-mans club, with a down to earth fanbase’. All this marketing drivel really does not help ‘sell it’ to us, and in fact, creates anxiety & mistrust….. the bottom line is, after the first few years in the new ground, they now want me to upgrade in order to carry on sitting where I’m sitting, or ship me out to an inferior view…… Sean is right, it’s utter bull**** to dress it up as anything else……… Honestly, my desire to keep my prized season ticket declines notch by notch (or is that knock by knock)……….it’s not just about how the team is performing, it’s also about how i feel when i get there……. am i a loyal supporter, or am i just number which provides a regular revenue stream……….i don’t know anymore!!

  3. I am a Wheelchair season ticket holder and have also been moved, It’s not the move that I am complaining about it is the fact that our season ticket has gone up by 41% !! yes 41% in the current financial climate. Come on West Ham

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