The undoubted highlight of the season - the highly-entertaining and thoroughly exciting Stoke City coming to town - saw both teams grab a share of the spoils from Saturday's thrilling encounter.
Read what the Stokies had to say about the game and their frist trip to the Olympic Stadium in this week's OV..."Take a bow Hughes. Subs yesterday totally changed the game for me. I rolled my eyes when he brought Crouch on, but within seconds he was causing havoc in their box and capitalising on West Ham's notoriously dodgy 'keeper. Great goal by little Boj too. Seriously difficult to get that in and yet he does it so comfortably. Cracking stuff."
- metalhead
"Brilliant attacking display away from home. Creating loads of threats from a myriad of angles today. Sjw, Bony, Allen, Adam, and Bardsley were all a gnat's knob off adding to the tally. Grant is mint, even got a hand to that goal, unlucky. Strong platform with what's now a second string attack. Brill effort. And kept going for it. Great nogger, entertaining. After this int break with Arnie, Shaq and Glen back it'll be funky."
- cheeesfreeex
"Very good point that without Arni, Shaq and Geoff. Would have settled for that at the start. Considering the money they've spent I was very disappointed by them. With a full side out we'd have won that. MOM for me was Pieters who I thought was excellent today as was Adam. Ramadan did some good stuff but a little inconsistent. With games and maturity we'll have a very good player. Really pleased Bojan got a goal and he had an excellent cameo. I'm still convinced he can get back in again with Allen moving back a bit."
- cobhamstokey
"[At the end of the first half] it was anounced there was a minute's extra time. The crowd were moaning two minutes later, especially when WHU were given a free kick in front of goal!"
- morningmist
"So I'll continue to call it as I see it, my tin hat is still on... but today was a Mark Hughes side doing what a Mark Hughes side does, getting tighter at the back as the season gets going (what a great signing Lee Grant was, he's giving a level of confidence Given couldn't), creative but tough going forward, we got a good point coming from behind but on a luckier day were worth 3, and that was done with injuries affecting selection and subs. Damn useful day at the office, Mr H."
- mermaidsal
"Thought we looked pretty comfortable throughout against (let's face it) a very ordinary and out-of-sorts West Ham. However, nice to see some very proactive substitutions made which may have even forced the win. Sobhi very definitely the 'real deal' and a Premier League player who will only get better and stronger. And, hats off to Bojan - thoroughly professional, great attitude and a very accomplished finish. In the end a point perhaps the least we deserved."
- Tony Dreamtheater
"A good point all things considered. Missing our two main attacking threats and got a deserved result away from home to extend our unbeaten run. Still a niggling feeling that the 3 points were there for the taking though; West Ham really didn't look like doing anything of note."
- EastMidsPotter
"Not sure if Hughes had told Bony to drop off more and not chase the ball high up or whether Bony couldn't be arsed. Could have gone our way easily. Set up tight with the key players missing and changed the team when needed. Not sure if Crouch was the right call as Collins was sitting deeper and just heading everything clear all game. Might have been better to get the ball down and run at him."
- werrington
"There's only Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool with as good a form as us in the last six games and they are all top four. Good result today, and we could have nicked it at the end."
- Linx
"Can't believe that the trouble i saw today was from my fellow fans. Some tool decided to head-butt me whilst queuing for a beer at half time. Not sure what exactly aggravated this individual but I was not deliberately going out to piss anyone off nor get in anyone's way. I didn't get angry at the bloke exactly, more massively disappointed that a fellow Stokie would behave like that to their own set of fans. Despite pleading with the bloke to let it go he hit me twice and headbutted me. Cheers mate!
- amathus
And on the Stadium...
"Loved going to Upton Park. Bit dodgy but loads of atmosphere and close to the home fans. Best memories were Fuller's dance through for his magic goal and Pennant's free kick. Worst memory? Griffin getting Fuller sent off, total twat. How can you compare this shambles of a ground??If this is progress, God help us!"
- rambo61
"From the outside, it looks a good stadium and access was very good. Didn't see any programme sellers and we just gave up in the end. The number of stewards/police we asked suggested they were on sale inside - they weren't. Initially the stadium inside seemed fine, but lacked really anything to do with West Ham. Facilities once things busied up were woeful and most people spent all of half time queueing up for toilets or for something to eat. The toilet entrance was a strange one, a maze like gents and yet a tiny little entrance way. Pitch side was no better at all, a soulless experience and the stadium seemed to have very little to do with WHU. Strange moat-like areas between sections of the seats and the upper tiers. No effort at all has been made to cover bare concrete with even some sort of advert, you could have been any stadium, it was that bad. Miles away view not helped by a running track that according to most rumours isn't ever going to be used again. We have a new winner for worst stadium in the Prem, by a long distance. It may have been a bargain, but WHU may really regret moving this pig's ear of stadium."
- spiderpuss
"Surreal experience today. On the way we got escorted by police, there was only about 20 fans, and none threatening at all. Long walk to and from the station, it looks really close but no easy access. Men in the women's toilets because there is a gents sign above it around the corner. All away fans in a fairly small concourse. More police there today than stoke fans! Never seen so many in one place. It's a very nice looking ground, but very poorly adapted for football. I loved the old ground it had a great feel. I don't know if it will improve over time, but it's a really poor away game now."
- yes
"Very strange set up with the official coach parking a good 5 mins walk from the ground with very little signage directing people. This resulted in people clambering down grass banks on the way in and up steep grass banks over fences on the way out, when there are steps which could be used further down. All it needed on the way in was a sign at the top of the steps directing fans or even the stewards directing people that way instead of telling them to carry on along the top. No prices or anything on show on the food outlets and no real signage showing what was available where. The staff seemed clueless and couldn't turn the till on properly. The distance from the pitch along with the split in the fans upper/lower led to a poor atmosphere at most times."
- albundy
"What a dreadful spectacle it produced. Don't know if there was any off-the-pitch stuff today, but the entire package was awful. Something about that stadium just seems to suck the life out of games. Funereal atmosphere all 'round - felt like it was being played on the moon. Can see why they've struggled there. Hard to see what they can do to change it around."
- FullerMagic
"It is not a football stadium. It was fantastic being there when the Olympics were on but today was very different. Pitch is too far away and there is no atmosphere. Even worse though are the logistics. It is a stadium built for a different sport with no away fans. So many polic and stewards needed to keep the supporters apart and make everyone walk miles to public transport. It really doesn't work well."
- chiswickpotter
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