the pink palermo wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 8:39 am
These European games are great fun to go to, which is why we had the best part of 3,000 supporters over there.Thursdays game was especially good as it was a no pressure, no risk game we could all enjoy from the off and see how the young lads would do.
They did us, and themselves proud, albeit, and they will know this, against poor opposition. The senior players too reaped the rewards of playing against a side that didn't work hard to shut down space, apply pressure to force an error or simply make us work harder. Gaps appeared through which good passes could be launched, and we had the smarts to take advantage of them. A 3-0 win could have been 5 or 6.
Nice to see Agured get 90 minutes under his belt and Lanzini had a fabulous 2nd half - see earlier comments about space, so the youngsters will see this as another stage on their development rather than the moment they have reached the summit. I was delighted for Mubama, and frankly I don't care how some panel view his goal as an OG, for me it will always be his. He had a generally decent night, with a few heavy touches here and there, but did well. Scarles too chucked in numerous decent crosses.
Agured though is possibly the only one who will start on Sunday, most of the others will start against Blackburn I would think.
I'm glad you have raised this IP.
Hold backs are the norm for the European games, especially if we are playing a club we have all heard of and SB would certainly be in that group.
After the game on Thursday there were 3 coaches to take the supporters who travelled with Sporting Options straight back to the airport for their flight home, and those were parked in the stadium compound. There were also 5 buses just outside the stadium gates.
5 buses for 2,500 supporters.
It's simply not good enough from our club who have a duty of care towards our travelling support, whether they like it or not.
Let's dispel some myths here: we aren't all 25-year old's, fit as anything and capable of doing 100 metres in 10 seconds and bench pressing 200lbs.Many are in the 60+ category........maybe we should have a special group, call it LGBTQ60+
or some such, but, joking apart, I saw a visually impaired supporter who had a carer with them, and who were fortunate enough to get on one of the 5 buses.....but there was no guarantee. I suspect the man's carer planned ahead and made sure they slipped the net or negotiated early release to avoid the crowd. The club do have a number of stewards who stand in with us during the games and it's possible in that case they offered assistance. If so, fair play and well-done West Ham.
However, my general point is this.
We were told when we collected our tickets at the 5* Grand Hotel, where the club support staff were staying, that there would be buses to bring us back in to the Old Town. Who, in our club is responsible for liaising with FCSB to ensure sufficient are laid on or that multiple runs/drops would be made.
One name please. One executive, please put your hand up and explain what went wrong.
In this case there were plenty of Cabs, and or the walk wasn't that far, only 4.5km, but for some that would have been difficult.
Somebody dropped the ball. WHU ? FCSB ? The local authorities? And I think our supporters have a right to a reasonable explanation. We bought the tickets, behaved ourselves and still end up with grief.For the record, one arrest, later released, no charge. Out of over 3,000 on the tip. Impeccable behaviour.
The reason this matters is because the yellow cab drivers were ripping our supporters off left right and Centre. The absolute sum of money may not have been huge but it was an En-masse collective effort to overcharge.
The correct fare for a mid-sized yellow cab is 2.79 Lei per KM so a stadium = Old town run should have been about 15Lei. Supporters were being quoted anything up to 100, a sixfold rip off. I booked 2 Ubers pre-game for the journey and the dearest was 18 Lei.
Now, the club could argue that they simply sell a ticket to the game, in which case why do so many support staff travel. If they are not there to offer real help in the practical things, why are they there?
I watched the game on Thursday from the middle tier on the halfway line due to being a late arrival at the stadium. We arrived at the wrong end of the stadium yet Bubbles was clearly loud and audible from outside the stadium. During the game, believe me, when the "Massive" chant went up, it was loud, proud and would definitely have given the players a lift -they would have heard it loud and clear.
Support matters, and our supporters should matter more to the club. A little more attention to detail on these foreign trips would help build a better bond between the club and it's supporters.
A year ago loads were left stood in the dark in a car park in Belgium. Plus Ca Change ?, as they say in foreign lands.
Footnote - Bucharest is a beautiful city in parts, stunning architecture, a real sense of history, vast avenues, palaces, churches and the like. It's gradually being ruined by the onslaught of economic imperialism, seriously, how many ****ing Starbucks and KFC's does the world need? Catch it while it still has something to offer.