For more than a season now, a contingency plan has existed to evacuate the owners of West Ham from their stadium in case of emergency. Not fire or flood; protest.
Since the Burnley game in 2018, when there were pitch invasions and objects were thrown at the directors’ box at the London Stadium, police have insisted on a withdrawal procedure. They believe staying put that day did not help matters.
So, for obvious reasons, David Sullivan and David Gold are becoming super-sensitive to criticism, particularly to commentaries they believe will inflame the crowd.