Rather earlier in the season than hoped for by some and feared by others, West Ham United’s London Stadium home will face its sternest test on Wednesday when more than 5,000 Chelsea fans make the journey to Stratford.
Not only will the EFL Cup tie be the latest and most stringent examination of policing and stewarding inside and outside the stadium but it will also be the most effective barometer yet of whether the expansive London Stadium can come anywhere close to reproducing an atmosphere to rival the intensity of Upton Park.
One of the rationales for moving to the London Stadium, alongside the boost to hospitality revenue and commercial potential that would lift the club to the mythical “next level”, was that many more fans would be able to enjoy nights such as these.
As it is, the 57,000-capacity stadium will not be sold out given the requirement for all home ticket buyers to have a history of purchases and, perhaps, the ennui felt about the new stadium by some and possible trepidation felt by others.
The second the fourth round tie was drawn, minutes after a nervy West Ham had scored a last-minute winner to overcome Accrington Stanley, there were rueful smiles and sharp intakes of breath among club officials who were already dealing with issues arising from the move to Stratford.
Amid dismal results on the pitch as new signings failed to gel and key players from last season remained on the injury list, even those supporters who were enthused about taking over the tenancy of the London Stadium started to question the move.
The so-called “migration” of season-ticket holders was handled badly, with families placed amid those who expected to be able to stand and sing and vice versa. West Ham say they are making progress with shifting around those who bought “off plan” and that the number of complaints has subsided.
More seriously, there were also voluble complaints about the stewarding with LS185, the stadium operators, accused of failing to employ firms with enough experience of marshalling football crowds as opposed to rock concerts and rugby matches.
Stewards who had worked at Upton Park for decades and got to know the peculiarities of the areas they patrolled complained of being sidelined and many quit in frustration.
There were numerous teething difficulties, with home fans fighting among themselves and clashing with away supporters.
Isolated incidents between Middlesbrough and West Ham fans in the expansive park that surrounds the ground – if in reality no worse than those that happen elsewhere – also emphasised the difficulty of policing the exposed area around the former Olympic Stadium.
At the heart of all this was a dysfunctional relationship between the new tenants, LS185, and those who ultimately own the “special purpose vehicle” that owns the stadium – the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council.
After the long and contentious process that led to West Ham paying £2.5m a season to become tenants, the hope was the dawn of a new era for the East End side would begin smoothly.
It has been anything but, with fans disappointed with the fare on the pitch also starting to grumble in the stands about whether they had been mis-sold. The message from the vice-chair, Karren Brady, and the co-owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, has been unequivocal – this is our home now, there is no turning back.
Results have started to turn West Ham’s way, with back-to-back narrow wins in the Premier League. Now the club’s hierarchy is hoping fan sentiment will start to do the same.
The Metropolitan police, which had its own issues with the stadium operator over the fact it had not installed the requisite radio technology inside the stadium, has said it has a “comprehensive policing plan” in place for Wednesday’s match.
“The MPS are working with partners to prevent crime and disorder,” it said in a statement. “The MPS has a tactical solution for matches being held at the London Stadium which will allow the safe deployment of officers into the stadium, if required, to deal with any crime or disorder.”
In theory, that means that little has changed from earlier this season, when officers were able to enter the ground in the event of an emergency despite their misgivings over the radio system. In practice, it could well see officers deployed inside the ground for the first time.
Yet the bigger challenge is likely to be outside, where police and stewards will attempt to manage the exit of more than 5,000 Chelsea fans from the ground at the same time as their West Ham counterparts.
Whereas Upton Park’s geography and narrow streets meant opposing fans could be kept apart for high-risk matches, the wide open spaces around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Westfield shopping centre make it that much more difficult. If the brittle mood of rehabilitation around West Ham’s masterplan is not to be shattered, then all will hope this tinderbox of a tie passes off peacefully.
