West Ham to ban fans who attacked Man Utd at Boleyn farewell

The West Ham fans who marred the club's farewell match at the Boleyn Ground may not get to watch the Hammers at their new home at the Olympic Stadium after they were threatened with lifetime bans for attacking Manchester United's team bus as it arrived at the ground.

Violent scenes outside the ground, with bottles hurled and coach windows smashed, dominated coverage of the match. There were reports of more incidents inside the ground during the game and afterwards when many fans left with "souvenirs" from the old stadium.

To make matters worse the club's co-owner David Sullivan at first denied that there had been any damage to the United bus and blamed the visitors for arriving late. He was also upset that the incident put back kick off, placing West Ham's post-match farewell to the Boleyn Ground in jeopardy.

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He later apologised for the "completely unacceptable" behaviour of some fans and promised to ban them from the Olympic Stadium.

After the pre-match drama the fans were treated to a thrilling match, [a]won 3-2 by the Hammers[a], to boost their European hopes and ruin United's chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

It was a "ragged, wild, oddly furious farewell to Upton Park", says Barney Ronay of The Guardian. "We'll always have the memories of a place that was much like its final night: thrilling, ugly at times, at others a place of noisy grace."

It is a shame that fans of Bobby Moore's club should attack a bus containing his modern equivalents – England's leading centre-back, Chris Smalling, and captain, Wayne Rooney, says Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph.

"These scenes were hardly likely to assuage public anger about the huge cost to the taxpayer of granting West Ham a 'sweetheart deal’ to take over the Olympic white elephant," he adds. "All in all it was a PR disaster, which Sullivan exacerbated, and the sensible mass of supporters tried to ameliorate by whipping up a fearful din."

The episode "shamed" the club says Henry Winter of The Times. "West Ham's leaving do will be followed by an FA investigation."

It will also overshadow the other memories. "There were fireworks, a light show and a stirring victory delivered by the team, but the scenes that will linger in the mind are the pre-match disorder in the streets outside and the attack on Manchester United's team bus," says Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail.

It was the end of an era all right, he adds. "When they reconvene a few miles down the road at Stratford in three months it will feel very different. New stadium, new badge, a new atmosphere. Hopefully they can preserve some of the heart and soul, and stop throwing bottles.