|
Post by Football News on Mar 10, 2018 17:19:06 GMT
West Ham 0-3 BurnleyAway team scorersAshley Barnes 66 Chris Wood 70 Chris Wood 81 West Ham United spiralled deeper into crisis after their 3-0 defeat to Burnley was marred by ugly scenes on and off the pitch as stewards at the London Stadium failed to stop angry supporters from mounting furious protests against the club’s deeply unpopular board. An afternoon that was supposed to be remembered for the 25th anniversary of Bobby Moore’s death turned into one of chaos and farce as the London Stadium’s security failings were exposed again by hundreds of supporters being allowed to gather in front of the directors’ box after Burnley took the lead in the second half, a female steward was knocked to the ground in the crush and Mark Noble, West Ham’s captain, threw one of several pitch invaders to the turf. David Sullivan and David Gold, West Ham’s co-owners, had both disappeared long before the final whistle, sparking derisive jeers from the seething protesters, who chanted for the removal of the board. “You’ve destroyed our ***** club”, “We’re not West Ham any more”, and “It’s all lies, lies, lies” were just some of the chants that laid bare the divisions at a club in danger of tearing itself apart. The Football Association are certain to seek answers from West Ham. As shocking as those scenes were to witness, however, they had always felt possible bearing in mind the ugly circumstances surrounding the cancellation of a proposed protest march before this game. West Ham, who are three points above the bottom three after three consecutive defeats, would pay for their lack of ruthlessness in attack after the interval. Sean Dyche made an inspired attacking change early in the second half, replacing Jeff Hendrick with Chris Wood, and Burnley had already been threatening by the time the substitute created the opening goal in the 66th minute. Wood played the ball back to Ashley Barnes, who crashed Burnley’s first worthwhile attempt past the returning Joe Hart. The mood swiftly turned sour. A fan ran on to the pitch, with security failing to respond adequately, and clashed with Noble, who threw him to the ground. While that fan was led away, two more ran on to the pitch. Others poured out of the ground, the first anti-board chants started and, just to remind everyone that a football match was taking place, Burnley scored again in the 70th minute, Wood turning a loose ball past Hart. By then, however, the game had become incidental. Wood scored again, capitalising on an error by Hart, but attention had turned to the astonishing scene in front of the directors’ box, where hundreds of fans made their displeasure clear, banging on hoardings and easily overwhelming the handful of stewards in the area. There were more pitch invasions. One fan made off with a corner flag and it was a long time before police marched on to the perimeter of the pitch. Sir Trevor Brooking, sitting on his own in the directors’ box by the end, could only shake his head in dismay as he watched his old team slump further into disarray. Sullivan and Gold made their exits. Most fans would like them to disappear for good. What a sorry state of affairs. Leaving Upton Park was supposed to lift West Ham to the next level. Welcome to the future. Guardian
|
|