Last Sunday I made it a point to watch West Ham United play Bournemouth to get my first glimpse of the Hammers’ new stadium in action.

And while there can be no denying that it is a visually stunning sporting arena, I remain unconvinced it is 100 per cent right for football.

West Ham have done everything they can to transform it from a venue built for athletics into a home for a modern and ambitious Premier League team.

But despite all their efforts you still get the feeling they are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. In an era where the big teams are having their home grounds custom built, this one feels like it exactly what it is – a hand-me-down.

Throughout the match I found myself distracted by the vast amount of space around the side of the pitch, a legacy of the running track that has been hidden away. Because of this extra space it almost looks like the pitch itself is too narrow and elongated.

And I can’t think of another football ground in England, although there may be one, where the fans are so physically detached from the action. Old Wembley had that problem, again because of the running track, but that’s long gone.

In the past couple of weeks I have read comments from fans who were saying the atmosphere wasn’t up to much, that it all felt a bit plastic and distant. Obviously, having only watched it on the box, I can’t really comment.

But I am pretty sure supporters who were used to the intense atmosphere of Upton Park, where you could reach out and tickle players as they took throw-ins, are going to feel divorced from the action at their new home.

I understand why West Ham moved to the Olympic Stadium. With the deal they got it made perfect financial sense. The extra capacity and low rent will allow them to grow and develop the team over the coming years.

I am pretty sure supporters who were used to the intense atmosphere of Upton Park, where you could reach out and tickle players as they took throw-ins, are going to feel divorced from the action at their new home

I’m just not sure if I were a season ticket holder whether or not I would be happy with the idea of having to spend the next 100 years in a ground that evidently doesn’t have football at heart.

I guess next season’s season ticket renewals will tell us what the fans think…

Hart breaker

I am mildly amused by those people who are suggesting Joe Hart is being unfairly treated by Pep Guardiola.

On what basis can you possibly reach that conclusion?

Guardiola is the manager of Manchester City and if he doesn’t think Hart is good enough then it is entirely within his rights to drop him, sell him or send him out on loan.

That’s not being unfair or unkind, it is merely the manager of a football team doing what he believes is best for the club. In other words, doing precisely what he is being paid to do.

And let’s face it, it’s not like Hart showered himself with glory at Euro 2016 is it? If Guardiola was watching him fumble his way around that tournament, it is hardly surprising he doesn’t have confidence in him as City’s last line of defence.

I’ve always liked Hart myself. I suspect that somewhere deep down inside him there is a truly world class goalkeeper fighting to get out.

But he never took that step up from being very good to truly great, and this summer’s international failures only served to highlight his weaknesses.

At 29, Hart’s best years are still ahead of him. Whether he chooses to stay and fight for his place at the Etihad or move on for a fresh challenge, being dropped like he has may be just the wake-up call he needs to truly fulfil his potential.

Big day for Big Sam

Sam Allardyce names his first England squad today and the big debate is over whether or not John Terry might be in it.

Some have said the Chelsea defender belongs in the past and it is time to look to the future. I, on the other hand, say the England team is only ever about one thing and that is the present.

And, at present, Terry remains one of the best English defenders in the game.

If a deal can be done to bring him out of England exile then all well and good. I, for one, would welcome him back to the fold.

To Hull and back

A couple of know-it-alls have been in touch over the past couple of days, trying to throw Hull City’s sparkling start to the season back in my face.

As you may recall I had them down as relegation favourites. But they have looked anything but that so far. In fact, going into this weekend’s matches they were sitting prettily in third place, ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. And midweek they comfortably made it through to the next round of the League Cup.

But let’s keep all this in some sort of proportion, shall we? Beating the reigning champions is always a nice feather to stick in your cap. But as I have stated before, Leicester City are not going to be a major force to be reckoned with this season. And their first game as champions was always likely to be a bit of an anti-climax.

Hull’s second game was away to Swansea. But I fully expect the Welsh side to be right down there at the bottom in May, vying with Watford and Hull for the right to finish last.

And their League Cup win came against Exeter City, who are second from bottom of League Two. Frankly, if I had put together a team from my middle-aged friends I think we could have given Exeter a run for their money.

Of course, I am not taking anything away from Mike Phelan who, all things considered, is doing an incredible job at Hull. Their start to the season has been totally unexpected, probably by him too.

But having said all this, if you are going to take pleasure from pointing out my prediction failings, at least have the decency to wait until they are confirmed as inaccurate in nine months’ time.

Empty spaces

There is one thing about the Rio Olympics that I didn’t mention last week but which is still gnawing away at me – the attendances.

I said this had been a relatively successful edition of the games and, all things considered, it was just that.

But the fact that large parts of it took place in stadiums that were barely half full was unforgivable.

I don’t mind the Olympics being awarded to developing or emerging nations; in fact I think it is the right thing to do.

But if you see a pattern of empty seats emerging after a couple of days, then for God’s sake do something about it; if only for the sake of the athletes who have spent years waiting for their moment in the spotlight.

There are so many thousands of poor and underprivileged people living in and around Rio, why weren’t they invited in to make up the numbers?

In fact, given the fact that everyone suspected Rio would struggle to fill every stadium for every event, thousands of tickets should have been given away to the city’s poorer inhabitants in advance of the games starting.

Yes, you could argue that these people have more important things on their mind than watching heavily made-up women synchronising their swims. And giving them tickets to sporting events they don’t care about when they are struggling to make ends meet could even be deemed offensive.

But no more offensive than a bunch of rich people throwing a huge party in your back garden and not even asking you to join them when their guests fail to show up…

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade

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