'The heart, the soul and the culture of this club has been stolen' – How disgruntled West Ham fans are recapturing the spirit of Upton Park

Mark Ward introduced “the national anthem” and for 60 seconds the 250 West Ham United supporters packed into a Leytonstone pub were transported back to Upton Park as ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ rang out loud and proud.

It is the reason most of them started supporting West Ham, for a sense of community, shared spirit and pride of being part of something - qualities many believe have been stripped away by the move to the London Stadium and 10 years under the ownership of David Sullivan and David Gold.

“This is the best part of the day,” said Vince Harman, a season ticket holder for 30 years. “We come and have a great time here, and then you go to the game and it all goes downhill. There is no heart or soul at the stadium.”

Former West Ham midfielder Ward comperes the ‘West Ham Way’ pre-match events that he helped set up with two supporters to try to retain some of the atmosphere of the ‘old’ West Ham.

The events started three years ago in the East Ham Working Men’s Club, but were forced to move to Leytonstone, when, much like a lot of the old Upton Park pre-match venues, it closed down.

Ward, who also played for Everton, explained how he happened on the idea by saying: “I went to a players’ bar just around the corner from Goodison Road and they used to get a player to talk to the fans. So I went to a guy called Dave Walker, who I had done a podcast with, and asked him to get me a venue to do it for West Ham fans.

“The club had moved to the new stadium and there was nothing around it, but this event gives the fans some of the history back and keeps the spirit of the place alive. The fans love it.”

The promise attached to the move out of Upton Park was one of Champions League qualification and top-level signings. The reality has been relegation battles and in-fighting.

“It’s a shambles,” said Eddie Adamson, who has supported West Ham for 45 years. “We were made so many promises when we left Upton Park. We’re going to have this, we’re going to have that. We were promised the Champions League and the way we are going we are more likely to be in the Championship.”

In the best possible sense, stepping into the pub for one of the pre-match events is much like entering a time warp.

Old West Ham shirts from every generation hang from the ceiling and footage of cult heroes and famous games is shown on a big screen. For their £25, those present get a question-and-answer session with an ex-player - John Moncur was the guest ahead of the Everton game - and as much lager as they can or want to drink for three hours.

Moncur delighted the crowd with stories of Davor Suker’s failed get-rich-quick schemes, Harry Redknapp’s occasionally sideways approach to management and a profitable encounter with Eric Cantona.

But more important than the quality of the names booked to speak, or even the volume of beer on offer, is the opportunity the events give people to feel like West Ham supporters, rather than customers, again.

Katie Rivers, a 28-year-old season ticket holder of 14 years who used to watch games from the famous ‘Chicken Run’ at Upton Park, liked the events so much that she started working at them.

“This brought West Ham back a bit,” she said. “Everybody’s West Ham and hearing the stories of the older players is great. It brings everyone together in the same place. I usually enjoy this more than the game, even if West Ham win.”

Nobody left Saturday’s event early to join the pre-match protest against the West Ham board, which took place on a hill outside the London Aquatics Centre.

The mood among the estimated 900 protestors, organised by a group called Hammers United, was one of mutiny and yet it passed peacefully with repeated reminders to support the team inside the stadium.

A microphone was shared between four speakers, who outlined their grievances against Sullivan, Gold and vice-chairman Karren Brady, and who were interrupted more than once by an expletive-ridden song about West Ham’s co-owners to the tune of Slade’s Cum On Feel The Noize.

One of the speakers was Stephen Cross, joint secretary of Hammers United, who said: “We’ve attempted numerous times to communicate with the club, including a meeting on December 23 where we were told they would come back to us in 24 hours. We’re still waiting.

“The heart, the soul and the culture of this club has been stolen. This was the people’s club and it’s been taken away. The club needs a change and this protest is just the start.

Hammers United are now planning their next course of action, while former striker John Hartson is already booked for the next West Ham Way pre-match event ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round clash against West Bromwich Albion.

The beer will flow again and ‘Bubbles’ will echo out on to Leytonstone high street before the tube transports supporters two stops up the central line to a reality most will claim they never signed up for. But, unlike the lyrics of West Ham’s famous anthem, the fans are making it pretty clear they will not fade and die.