Stuart Pearce and a West Ham United fan got into a heated debate around the club’s former home, the Boleyn Ground.West Ham moved out of Upton Park in 2016 to the old Olympic Stadium, where they have remained ever since.Pearce had some controversial comments on West Ham’s old stadiumtalkSPORT The ground has been renamed the London Stadium, and it has been a constant source of disappointment for a large section of Hammers supporters.However, Pearce provoked a passionate response from one Irons supporter with his view on the Boleyn Ground aka Upton Park.The England icon believes that despite all its history, it was probably time for West Ham to leave.Speaking on White and Jordan, he said: “The Boleyn Ground was bloody awful. It had character and it had history.“It was dated, and that is why you move stadiums.”Ryan, the West Ham fan phoned up soon after and responded: “I heard him say that Upton Park was old and dated.“I am a West Ham fan and was a season ticket holder all my life until a couple of years ago. Now, Stuart is a legend, but I find that a kick in the teeth to say that about the Boleyn.“It’s not old or dated. It had heritage, and it had soul and energy that this stadium [London Stadium] will never have.“If you look at the players who played at the Boleyn Ground, Bobby Moore and Paolo Di Canio. Those players left a mark on that stadium.“Since we have left that ground, you can see that the energy is missing, and West Ham is a poisoned chalice because we’ve left the stadium that made us a threat.Pearce listened to what Ryan had to say with great interesttalkSPORT“When teams were playing against West Ham, they knew what they were up against it, and no one really wanted to play there.“Now, it’s a pleasure for away teams to play, and that is a huge reason why West Ham isn’t what West Ham used to be, and the fans will never accept the new stadium.”In response, Pearce said: “Firstly, I don’t disrespect any of the history that has gone from Upton Park.“I used to hate going there as an away player, I used to love playing there in a West Ham shirt.“What I would say is that because of the financial situation of football, the club had to go to a bigger stadium.“But the bottom line is, the club are at the Olympic Stadium, and my view is that if West Ham fans say, ‘no matter how much history goes on in this stadium, we are not going to accept it’. You are just constraining yourself.”West Ham are a club that is disconnected from its fanbaseCameraSport via GettyRyan retorted: “We don’t need a 60,000-seater stadium. I look at Crystal Palace, and I envy Crystal Palace. They still have their ground, they play good football, and they kick on.“They have a fraction of what West Ham had. We used to be a team with so much soul, and all West Ham fans want is a good cup run, eighth, ninth or tenth; bring some young players through, and every now and then, we might kick on for Europe.”The London StadiumThe move to the London Stadium nearly ten years ago has been a problem for many West Ham fans.The gap between athletics track and the seats still exists, so the fans are miles away from the action, making it hard to generate an atmosphere.The club also don’t own the ground and rent it out to use it for 19 times a year plus any home cup or European games and any of the Under-21s matches that might be played there.West Ham’s ground isn’t a popular place with fansGettyMany Hammers fans will feel the ground lacks soul, and Ryan isn’t the only one who feels that way.Hammers hero Tony Cottee tore into the London Stadium in a recent interview with talkSPORT.He said: “The biggest problem the fans have got, myself included, is that the club moved to an athletics stadium.“I’m not saying it’s not a great stadium, because it is, it’s a wonderful stadium, but moving West Ham from a traditional ground of the Boleyn to an athletics stadium hasn’t worked for the fans.“There’s lots of friends of mine who say they haven’t got there or they won’t go there again, and I just think there’s a real lack of enthusiasm towards the stadium and a lot of frustration as well.”