‘It defies belief’: West Ham and Tottenham fans fume amid relegation panic

Mark Shepherd, West Ham fan since the mid 1970s

“When I woke up this morning before the game I felt sick. I know people say it’s just a game, but when you’re born into the game, you have claret and blue blood. When that’s in you, it’s more than just a game; it’s life.

“West Ham supporters know we’re not brilliant. We know we’ve been a yo-yo club in the past. We’ve been relegated three or four times since Tottenham last went down.

“Sullivan and Brady promised us the world when we moved to the London Stadium: best team this, best stadium that. But we got here and this is just a rented stadium. We lost our home. We’ve lost everything. We’re probably the worst ground in the Premier League. When rival fans sing ‘you sold your soul for the shit hole’, we say ‘we know, we know’.

“Upton Park was special. You had the smell of burgers on the way to the ground – for me that’s this smell of football. I’d rather be there a million times over.”

• Pictured above: Spurs fans in the South Stand looking glum as VAR checks a possible penalty for Leeds, which was given, on 11 May 2026. Pictured below: The new stadium, fans getting food before a game, Xavi Simons looking dejected, and a protest banner.

John Crace, Spurs fan and Guardian sketch writer

“I’ve been through some strange emotions this season. About a month ago I was resigned to relegation and thinking ‘I hate the club’ and ‘this is what we deserve for being so badly run’. But in the last few weeks, I think the thought of Championship football has sharpened the mind a bit.

“I think Spurs bought into the notion that we were too big to fail and too big to be relegated. And I also think that they started putting profit first; they’re more interested in being a mega entertainment venue for Beyoncé fans.

“I’m old enough to remember the last time we were relegated in 1977 and I actually quite enjoyed the next season in the second division, as it was then. But I enjoyed it largely because I believed that we would get out of it in one season. We had Glenn Hoddle in the team and he stuck with us. But this time I’m not totally convinced that Spurs would get out of the Championship in one season.”

• Pictured above: Winston Reid scores the winning goal against Manchester United – and the final goal to be scored at Upton Park – on 10 May 2016. Pictured below: West Ham having a goal disallowed against Arsenal, Nuno Espírito Santo looking weary, a Premier League TV backdrop, and a praying fan.

Pete May, West Ham blogger and author of ‘Massive**: the Miracle of Prague’**

“It looked like we were definitely down after our home defeat to Nottingham Forest, but we’re going into the last two games with hope.

“Earning a point against Arsenal would have been such a morale booster [West Ham were denied a late equalising goal by VAR]. You could argue that Pablo fouled their goalkeeper, but there were at least four fouls on West Ham players going on. You half expected Giant Haystacks to be in there.

“But I felt quite proud afterwards because there seemed to be a lot of heart in that performance. And ironically, I think it’s the best atmosphere I’ve seen at the London Stadium. The crowd can see the players are trying and there’s some progress, but I don’t know whether it’ll be too late or not. It’s the hope that kills you.”

• Pictured above: Harry Kane scores the winning goal against Manchester United – and the final Spurs goal at White Hart Lane – on 14 May 2017. Pictured below: A lone Spurs fan, supporters waving flags, and agony against Brighton.

Roy Beck, Spurs fan since 1998 and unofficial club historian

“At the beginning of each game, there’s so much optimism. But then the players start making errors and very quickly our fans jump on their backs, which really can’t help anyone. It just feels like ‘here we go again’. We’ve only had two home wins all season. You have to look at the recruitment. We’ve spent a hell of a lot of money and I feel the players have let the fans down on so many occasions this year with poor performances.

“I look back fondly on White Hart Lane. It’s like an old house to me. It was such an intimate ground and the overriding feeling that I get on a match day at the new stadium is that, as great as it is, we would much have preferred to stay at White Hart Lane. The £1.1bn that was reportedly spent on it could have gone towards some real top quality recruitment.

“We don’t expect to be at the very pinnacle of English football but we also don’t expect to be where we are now, so I’m extremely disappointed and sad. Within weeks of us moving in to the new stadium, we were in the Champions League final. Expectations were high. But we just haven’t achieved what we were promised..”

• Pictured above: West Ham fans sit around the statue of Martin Peters, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst that was erected outside the London Stadium to remember the Hammers’ 1965 victory in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Pictured below: a club crest tattoo, empty seats and a veteran Hammers fan enjoying a pint.

Karl Brown, West Ham fan since 1975

“I’ve supported West Ham for more than 50 years and can’t imagine what it would be like for us to send Spurs down. It’d be better than any FA Cup or European Cup. That’s the truth.

“Spurs fans think that they’re a top-six club. They think they’re entitled to that. We don’t say that. We just want a team that goes out and makes an effort. I think a lot of people in this country would love to see Spurs go down.”

• Pictured above: A huge sign saying ’Winners’ that references Tottenham’s Europa League triumph. Pictured below: the clock from the old ground, short-lived boss Igor Tudor and the old gates to the main entrance at White Hart Lane.

Andy Bass, board member of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust

“Spurs have plenty of history to suggest we are a big club and plenty to be proud of. Last year I was in Bilbao for the Europa League final, and not many clubs get a night like that.

“I understand why West Ham don’t like us but we don’t quite feel the same about them. And if they stay up this year they’ll probably go down next year anyway.

“Obviously it doesn’t help that Arsenal are doing really well this season, but that’s disconnected to us. They’re not in our league at the moment. Our plight is entirely on us. If we go down, we deserve to go down.”