West Ham fans need to let Upton Park go, it's boring to blame the new ground - Don Hutchison

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James Benge29 September 2016

Former West Ham midfielder Don Hutchison has warned the Hammers and their supporters cannot blame their recent woes entirely on their new stadium.

Slaven Bilic’s side have struggled to adapt to life in the London Stadium and look unlikely to improve on their seventh place finish in the final season at Upton Park even with the new campaign just over a month old.

West Ham currently lie 18th in the table after just one win in six games and are out of the Europa League. The Hammers have already lost three games at their new home, conceding seven in two league games against Watford and Southampton, and Hutchison believes visitors may be raising their performance on the new pitch.

“I’ve been to the new stadium and when you’re in the bowels of it, I’ve never seen a stadium that looks as good,” Hutchison told Bwin. “It’s better than Wembley. It’s better than the Emirates. It’s plush, it’s slick, it really is a sensational stadium. I don’t buy into the theory that the new stadium has had a negative effect on the players – they need to roll up their sleeves and get on with it.

“The bit I do agree with is that it is not Upton Park, so while West Ham players should look forward to playing in such a great arena – so too do the opposition. You’d look at this ground and think it’s a good one to play football on, we can get the ball down and play.

“Overall though, West Ham fans need to let Upton Park go. I’m getting a bit bored of this mentality that the ground is to blame for the drop in standards this season.

“It was an unbelievable place to play, but I’ve played when the chicken run has turned against us (West Ham) too, so it all evens out. The bottom line is that the players need to play better.”

Their struggles come in spite of over £40million of investment in the transfer window where Bilic brought in 13 players including striker Simone Zaza, winger Sofiane Feghouli and club record signing Andre Ayew, who was injured in his first appearance.

It is these players, rather than their new surroundings, that Hutchison believes are responsible for the early season woes at the London Stadium.

West Ham's 2016/17 signings

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Hutchison added: “The main thing for me is the new signings. Last year Slaven Bilic saw all of his signings hit the ground running and adapt straight away, which in itself is rare. This summer, West Ham thought they were going to be in the Europa League and so they’ve signed 13 new players to create a squad designed to compete on all fronts.

“Unfortunately, they’ve gone out early to Astra Giurgiu and now they are left with players who are not up to Premier League standard.

“Andre Ayew I think is up to the level, but the likes of Gokhan Tore and Arthur Masuaku are nowhere near Premier League and West Ham standards. Going out of Europe so early leaves West Ham with a big squad, but not one necessarily equipped to perform week-in, week-out in the Premier League.”

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