Notes

1. It’s hard to know where to start with London Stadium. It’s on an “island” accessed by a number of bridges. Our entry instructions sent us across a bridge basically at the far side of the stadium from where we actually had seats. The security consisted of a pat down and a bunch of unused metal detector wands. There a a bunch of concessions outside the stadium which mean to walk around the outside to where we needed to be involved dodging a whole sequence of huge queues cutting across our path. Inside feels like someone desperately tried to work out how to build this huge thing as absolutely cheaply as possible (one fine example of this was the lighting to the stairs, which consist of little LED things screwed on the handrails (that look like they’ve come from a tube train) and require a steward to physically switch every single one on—and they’re only on one side of the stairs because, you know, cheaper). There may have been a fuss over sightlines and everywhere seems to have a view but from up high like we were the roof struts seem to impose even when technically not in the way. Acoustically the place is the worst big venue I’ve been in (and the need for the inadequate huge speakers fucks with those sightlines). It’s no surprise that a large number of West Ham fans don’t like the place—a large banner at the top of another nondescript and identical bit of stadium declaring it to be the Bobby Moore Stand just laughable. Would not recommend going back if possible. ↩