What’s Going On At The London Stadium? Reviewing West Ham vs. Watford

Having moved away from their spiritual home over the summer, it's no surprise that West Ham are having a few teething pains at the moment. The stifling tribalism of Upton Park has been left behind, and the glossy veneer of the London Stadium has taken its place. It can't be an easy transition for the players, especially not those who have grown used to the intimidating confines of Green Street and E13 over the years. That perhaps explains their slow start to the season, and the visible ebb of their confidence on the pitch.

The players aren't the only ones who are struggling to adapt to their new surroundings, however. From the fans' perspective, there seems to be something about the London Stadium that compels people to punch each other in the face. With several supporters already facing life bans for a scrap during their Europa League qualifying defeat to Astra Giurgiu in August, this weekend's defeat to Watford saw further infighting, as well as flare ups between home and away fans.

… pic.twitter.com/VZBfS8Mg3c
— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) September 10, 2016

What's going on at the London Stadium, then? Why does every game now seem to come accompanied by grainy smartphone footage of West Ham fans chinning each other? Is it down to some form of collective displacement anxiety? Is it a reaction to the corporate conformity of the new ground? Is it a profound sense of existential angst which, in their emotional self-repression, the men of East London can only express through the medium of flailing arms and the occasional left hook?

Perhaps it is a combination of all these things, a milieu of worries that can only be unleashed by battering that bloke in Block F who doesn't rate Michail Antonio. Perhaps it's just what happens when thousands of very angry men are compelled to watch their team blow a two-goal lead to Watford. On the other hand, perhaps it's a natural continuation of life at Upton Park, which was hardly renowned for its welcoming atmosphere. One almost suspects that there were quite a lot of punch ups in and around the vicinity of Green Street, but nobody took a moment's notice. One almost suspects that people don't actually care about football fans thumping the shit out of each other, until they threaten to do so within earshot of Stratford's luxury flats.