Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber spoke of how much he is looking forward to the return of supporters to the Amex, as well as the the impressive season David Moyes and his team are having, in his programme notes for Saturday night's game.
Copies of Saturday night's programme are still available for purchase by clicking here.
Paul Barber
Tonight we welcome the players, staff and directors of West Ham United to the American Express Community Stadium for our penultimate home Premier League match of the 2020/21 season and, we hope, the last match we play behind closed doors after a very challenging and sobering 15 months or so for everyone. And, with the Prime Minister confirming at the beginning of the week that the Government’s roadmap for easing restrictions in our country, supported by very high levels of vaccinations, is on course, it looks like we can soon emerge from this very difficult period.
Despite the challenges we’ve all faced, the Hammers, under David Moyes’ experienced leadership, supported by former Albion coach Paul Nevin and ex-England captain Stuart Pearce, have enjoyed an excellent season. Indeed, going into tonight’s match, West Ham remain very much in the hunt for a deserved place in one of next season’s European competitions. Games between our clubs are usually very entertaining – our 2-2 draw at the London Stadium back in December being the most recent example – and we know for certain we are in for another tough encounter this evening.
MA+ members & STH only - Log-in required
Log-in required
At the time of writing these notes, the Premier League had yet to determine what sanctions might be imposed on those clubs that announced their intention to form a European Super League. It’s fair to say that tonight’s visitors were as aghast as we were at the plans, and both clubs have been united in expressing strong opposition to what would have been a very damaging scenario for English football and for our clubs. Like us, West Ham are very aware and respectful of their club’s roots and, not least, the dreams of football supporters everywhere. As we have said previously, it’s not for us to be the judge and jury regarding possible sanctions for those involved but, at the very least, we do expect the Premier League and The FA, backed where appropriate by Government, to ensure we do not have to face similar plans in the future.
English football, our pyramid, and the hopes and fears of fans at all levels of the game, deserve much more respect than was shown to them last month, while the contribution of those clubs aspiring to be the best they can be, and the value that creates, needs far more recognition from the bigger clubs. It is often said that 24 hours is a very long time in politics, well, for contrasting emotions at least, the same could be said for football too!
The significant disappointment we felt after a narrow and frustrating last-minute defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers' Molineux stadium last Sunday afternoon eventually gave way to the quiet satisfaction of seeing our Premier League status confirmed for a club-record fifth consecutive season when Fulham lost at home to Burnley on Monday night. We all know that our performances throughout the season have warranted a better points return, and with it a much more comfortable finish to the season, but getting over the line always feels good whenever it occurs.
MA+ members & STH only - Log-in required
Log-in required
Even with more matches to play for both our men's and women's teams, we can reflect on a record finishing position in the Women's Super League, Premier League Cup success for our under-17s, and the signing of a new long-term agreement with our principal partner American Express as signs of another season of progress for our club, both on and off the field.
So much has been achieved without the presence of our supporters so it will be fantastic to see around 8,000 Albion fans here for our final home game of the season against champions Manchester City this coming Tuesday evening and, even though we won’t be accompanied by our supporters for the Premier League's final round of matches in 2020/21 when we travel up to north London to face Arsenal, it will still be good to see up to 10,000 people in the stadium as football slowly emerges from the pandemic.
Even though we are well used to sold-out attendances, and Tuesday’s crowd will be much lower than normal, things will obviously be a little different for fans attending the Amex next week but, as ever, the safety of everyone in and around the stadium – players, coaches, officials, staff, fans and media – remains of paramount importance to us, so we will be asking everyone to carefully follow the guidelines we provide ahead of the match, and to help our staff by following their instructions on arrival at the stadium, while the match is on and when leaving the stadium after the game.
We will be doing everything possible to keep match day as ‘normal’ and as enjoyable as possible, but checking digital tickets and photo ID for nearly 8,000 people will mean it may take a little more time than usual to enter the stadium. Not everyone is well versed with technology, and we will be accommodating nearly four times the number of fans we have had at the Amex for 15 months, so remaining calm and patient, particularly while gaining access to the stadium, will be very important.
We really appreciate everyone’s support with this, and look forward to seeing our fans again. Looking ahead to next season, and all being well, we really hope to be accommodating full stadia from the start. With fantastic season-ticket and 1901 Club renewal campaigns completed in the last few weeks, we know there is a huge pent-up demand from fans to experience live football and the great atmosphere of a full stadium again, and we will continue to work with the Premier League and Government to ensure this happens as safely as possible for all fans and staff.
Enjoy tonight's game!