2 weeks ago
Fury. Grief. Embarrassment. Horror. Resignation. The emotions tally basking for supporters of West Ham and Tottenham correct now arsenic nan 2 expansive aged clubs look astatine imaginable relegation from nan Premier League.
With their belief homes demolished astatine nan altar of advancement and profit, first Upton Park successful 2016 and past White Hart Lane successful 2017, some clubs had visions of glory days ahead. Instead they person been consumed by greed, mismanagement and mendacious promises. Key perpetrators specified arsenic Karren Brady astatine West Ham and Daniel Levy astatine Spurs person exited nan scene, but David O’Sullivan is still nan Hammers president and nan harm remains.
The London Stadium – which West Ham now rent for a knock-down value – is universally panned arsenic old and unsuited to football, while nan sparkling Tottenham Hotspur Stadium looks for illustration a monument to hubris. One of these 60,000 seater stadiums will beryllium hosting Championship shot successful August.
Defeats connected nan transportation this play person been calamitous and bruising (they’ve endured 34 convention losses betwixt them); protests person been large and fuming. Two points abstracted nan teams, pinch 2 games remaining. The equation now is very simple: it’s either them aliases us.
As nan Tottenham Supporters Trust put it connected their website: “The arithmetic is stark, nan stakes unmistakable. This is nary longer a speech astir style aliases semipermanent trajectory; it is simply a mobility of survival.”
So wherever did it each spell wrong? How does it consciousness to watch your nine suffer its soul? How overmuch much tin supporters take? We asked six fans for their perspectives arsenic nan play draws to a nervy climax.
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Pictured above: Home fans respond to a missed chance during nan Premier League lucifer betwixt West Ham and Everton astatine nan London Stadium connected 25 April 2026. Pictured below: The London Stadium, claret boots and caps, and signs from a protestation against nan club’s owners. All photographs by Tom Jenkins.
Mark Shepherd, West Ham instrumentality since nan mid 1970s
“When I woke up this greeting earlier nan crippled I felt sick. I cognize group opportunity it’s conscionable a game, but erstwhile you’re calved into nan game, you person claret and bluish blood. When that’s successful you, it’s much than conscionable a game; it’s life.
“West Ham supporters cognize we’re not brilliant. We cognize we’ve been a yo-yo nine successful nan past. We’ve been relegated 3 aliases 4 times since Tottenham past went down.
“Sullivan and Brady promised america nan world erstwhile we moved to nan London Stadium: champion squad this, champion stadium that. But we sewage present and this is conscionable a rented stadium. We mislaid our home. We’ve mislaid everything. We’re astir apt nan worst crushed successful nan Premier League. When rival fans singing ‘you sold your psyche for nan crap hole’, we opportunity ‘we know, we know’.
“Upton Park was special. You had nan smell of burgers connected nan measurement to nan crushed – for maine that’s this smell of football. I’d alternatively beryllium location a cardinal times over.”
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Pictured above: Spurs fans successful nan South Stand looking glum arsenic VAR checks a imaginable punishment for Leeds, which was given, connected 11 May 2026. Pictured below: The caller stadium, fans getting nutrient earlier a game, Xavi Simons looking dejected, and a protestation banner.
John Crace, Spurs instrumentality and Guardian sketch writer
“I’ve been done immoderate unusual emotions this season. About a period agone I was resigned to relegation and reasoning ‘I dislike nan club’ and ‘this is what we merit for being truthful severely run’. But successful nan past fewer weeks, I deliberation nan thought of Championship shot has sharpened nan mind a bit.
“I deliberation Spurs bought into nan conception that we were excessively large to neglect and excessively large to beryllium relegated. And I besides deliberation that they started putting profit first; they’re much willing successful being a mega intermezo venue for Beyoncé fans.
“I’m aged capable to retrieve nan past clip we were relegated successful 1977 and I really rather enjoyed nan adjacent play successful nan 2nd division, arsenic it was then. But I enjoyed it mostly because I believed that we would get retired of it successful 1 season. We had Glenn Hoddle successful nan squad and he stuck pinch us. But this clip I’m not wholly convinced that Spurs would get retired of nan Championship successful 1 season.”
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Pictured above: Winston Reid scores nan winning extremity against Manchester United – and nan last extremity to beryllium scored astatine Upton Park – connected 10 May 2016. Pictured below: West Ham having a extremity disallowed against Arsenal, Nuno Espírito Santo looking weary, a Premier League TV backdrop, and a praying fan.
Pete May, West Ham blogger and writer of ‘Massive: nan Miracle of Prague’
“It looked for illustration we were decidedly down aft our location conclusion to Nottingham Forest, but we’re going into nan past 2 games pinch hope.
“Earning a constituent against Arsenal would person been specified a morale booster [West Ham were denied a precocious equalising extremity by VAR]. You could reason that Pablo fouled their goalkeeper, but location were astatine slightest 4 fouls connected West Ham players going on. You half expected Giant Haystacks to beryllium successful there.
“But I felt rather proud afterwards because location seemed to beryllium a batch of bosom successful that performance. And ironically, I deliberation it’s nan champion ambiance I’ve seen astatine nan London Stadium. The crowd tin spot nan players are trying and there’s immoderate progress, but I don’t cognize whether it’ll beryllium excessively precocious aliases not. It’s nan dream that kills you.”
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Pictured above: Harry Kane scores nan winning extremity against Manchester United – and nan last Spurs extremity astatine White Hart Lane – connected 14 May 2017. Pictured below: A lone Spurs fan, supporters waving flags, and agony against Brighton.
Roy Beck, Spurs instrumentality since 1998 and unofficial nine historian
“At nan opening of each game, there’s truthful overmuch optimism. But past nan players commencement making errors and very quickly our fans jump connected their backs, which really can’t thief anyone. It conscionable feels for illustration ‘here we spell again’. We’ve only had 2 location wins each season. You person to look astatine nan recruitment. We’ve spent a hellhole of a batch of money and I consciousness nan players person fto nan fans down connected truthful galore occasions this twelvemonth pinch mediocre performances.
“I look backmost fondly connected White Hart Lane. It’s for illustration an aged location to me. It was specified an friendly crushed and nan overriding emotion that I get connected a lucifer time astatine nan caller stadium is that, arsenic awesome arsenic it is, we would overmuch person preferred to enactment astatine White Hart Lane. The £1.1bn that was reportedly spent connected it could person gone towards immoderate existent apical value recruitment.
“We don’t expect to beryllium astatine nan very pinnacle of English shot but we besides don’t expect to beryllium wherever we are now, truthful I’m highly disappointed and sad. Within weeks of america moving successful to nan caller stadium, we were successful nan Champions League final. Expectations were high. But we conscionable haven’t achieved what we were promised..”
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Pictured above: West Ham fans beryllium astir nan statue of Martin Peters, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst that was erected extracurricular nan London Stadium to retrieve nan Hammers’ 1965 triumph successful nan European Cup Winners’ Cup. Pictured below: a nine crest tattoo, quiet seats and a seasoned Hammers instrumentality enjoying a pint.
Karl Brown, West Ham instrumentality since 1975
“I’ve supported West Ham for much than 50 years and can’t ideate what it would beryllium for illustration for america to nonstop Spurs down. It’d beryllium amended than immoderate FA Cup aliases European Cup. That’s nan truth.
“Spurs fans deliberation that they’re a top-six club. They deliberation they’re entitled to that. We don’t opportunity that. We conscionable want a squad that goes retired and makes an effort. I deliberation a batch of group successful this state would emotion to spot Spurs spell down.”
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Pictured above: A immense motion saying ’Winners’ that references Tottenham’s Europa League triumph. Pictured below: nan timepiece from nan aged ground, short-lived leader Igor Tudor and nan aged gates to nan main entranceway astatine White Hart Lane.
Andy Bass, committee personnel of nan Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust
“Spurs person plentifulness of history to propose we are a large nine and plentifulness to beryllium proud of. Last twelvemonth I was successful Bilbao for nan Europa League final, and not galore clubs get a nighttime for illustration that.
“I understand why West Ham don’t for illustration america but we don’t rather consciousness nan aforesaid astir them. And if they enactment up this twelvemonth they’ll astir apt spell down adjacent twelvemonth anyway.
“Obviously it doesn’t thief that Arsenal are doing really good this season, but that’s disconnected to us. They’re not successful our convention astatine nan moment. Our plight is wholly connected us. If we spell down, we merit to spell down.”
