Sam Allardyce believes that a move to the Olympic Stadium is of the “upmost importance” to West Ham and the opportunities is could bring the club in the future.
The Hammers manager feels such a move will see the East London club take a step forward in terms of stature and could eventually propel them into the same class as the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Speaking to Yahoo! Allardyce said: “Well, on a personal note, I understand the history and tradition of Upton Park or the Boleyn Ground, but to really become one of the true top clubs in London, if not in this country, then a new stadium is of the utmost importance, to host the huge fan base that West Ham United have.
“We’ve seen Chelsea’s stadium grow and we’ve seen them grow into a major European side over the last decade because of Roman Abramovich’s money. We’ve seen Arsenal move into a brand new stadium, 60,000 at the Emirates and we’ve seen Manchester United grow their stadium to 75,000.
“So I think that moving from West Ham into the Olympic Stadium is a must for the growth and the development of the club. And of course 60,000 seats are planned, I think, and that will satisfy everybody who wants to come to West Ham and a fantastic venue it could be too.”
But Allardyce is under no illusions that the possibility of the stadium keeping its running track could jeopardise the atmosphere that we are used to seeing in the Premier League.
“I’ve travelled the world of football and I think that every stadia in most countries is built by the city or the town which is a stadium which is shared by all, it’s a multi-purpose stadium, so lots of big clubs have had to play there, particularly Bayern Munich for instance,” Allardyce continued.
“But you look at what they’ve (Bayern Munich) built now and moved away from the running track and got themselves their own stadium where the fans come much closer to the touchline and that creates a much, much better atmosphere.”
“And of course if you go to Spain, with the old stadiums, that creates an even better atmosphere. Because their health and safety rules aren’t as strict as ours, their terracing is steeper, much, much steeper, so the fans are even closer to the pitch than they are in England and that does create the very electric atmosphere that you’re looking for.”
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