I look forward to visiting any ground for the first time, and in a city like Manchester you have all the attractions that make an away day enjoyable; specifically some fantastic real ale pubs. I normally park for free in residential Altrincham, then get the tram into the city.

I was soon enjoying a fine lunch and a pint at The Knott by Deansgate/GMex station. Another pint was enjoyed at the more traditional City Arms behind the town hall, before I continued a pleasurable walk to Piccadilly Gardens.

From here I paid £1 to take the bus to Eastlands; though plenty of people seemed to be making the long trek on foot through Ancoats – not the most picturesque journey. Outside the stadium, fans sat around enjoying some late September sun. This relaxed atmosphere, coupled with the modern stadium exterior reminded me of going to American football matches. Once inside I was further convinced that City have embraced the fun-for-the-family ethos associated with the modern stadiums. About 100 little girls were dancing to Saturday Night Fever and Kung Fu Fighting just before the teams came out.

Eastlands has had mixed reviews, but I found this bowl-like stadium very impressive. The way the side stands rise up to the sky give it some character, and the tiering gives everyone a good view. It was all sky blue, and looked fresh and modern. The stadium concourse was less crowded than at most other grounds, and the refreshment queues were bearable. The toilets would have benefited from some paper, mind.

There was a high police presence, but they didn’t appear to have much to do, and the stewards allowed fans to stand – though why people want to stand in such a stadium is beyond me. Leg room was fine. Some people have said Eastlands lacks atmosphere. Any stadium can lack atmosphere at certain games, but I had no complaints today. City have had a poor start to the season, and there was speculation over Stuart Pearce’s future as manager. West Ham hadn’t won since the opening day and have looked similarly dodgy since. Both sets of fans got behind their teams though, even if it was only the city fans nearest to us that sang. We didn’t hear a peep from the opposite end. The banter didn’t really start though until late in the first half, when fans tried to outdo each other with Bubbles and Blue Moon. It was pretty good-natured and all involved seemed to enjoy themselves.

It was a fairly entertaining game, though chances to score were lacking. City had the best opportunities to score, though as the game wore on 0 – 0 looked the most likely outcome. West Ham still haven’t found the form they enjoyed last season: the Argentinian circus might have upset things, or our return to the Premiership honeymoon might be over. City’s Samaras was always the player most likely to do something, and indeed it was he who shot the home side into the lead in the second half. Once he got another goal the game was beyond West Ham’s reach. The closing minutes were the most boring I’ve experienced for a while. City fans might have sang “we can see you sneaking out”, but plenty of their fans were streaming out too as things fizzled down to nothing.