I was surprised to hear that the march before the Burnley game was cancelled because, from the people I’ve spoken to, it was going to be well supported.
I’m not sure it was going to have made much difference to Gold and Sullivan because I don’t think they care about anything.
The only thing they are interested in is making money but it’s always a good thing to let people from outside West Ham know the feelings of supporters. If no-one does anything then people think everyone is happy but everything is far from fine at the new stadium and the club.
The march certainly would have served a purpose and it’s quite a surprise that it was pulled with a week’s notice.
But this will be seen as good news by the club because the march would have secured plenty of column inches and coverage on TV and now those supporters won’t get that.
I don’t think, however, it would have made much of an impact at the club as I still believe it is Gold and Sullivan’s goal to sell us for a huge profit when the time is right.
Off field problems do have an impact on players though. I wasn’t here during the Bond scheme protests but I have played when it’s being reported the manager is going to get sacked.
The manager is an integral part of the squad, especially if players have a lot of respect for him, so all the media attention does get to the players.
Anything that impacts the players off the field needs to be resolved quickly and at all costs because it’s hard enough to get results when there’s squabbling in the squad. You want a side that’s confident and settled.
In my time at West Ham, I think it was only when Lou Macari came in that there was unrest.
There had been a huge amount of respect for John Lyall and I can’t recall there being any off-the-field problems.
The fans were happy and got behind the team and came because they knew they would be entertained and watch good football.
Looking at the squad today and following our January transfer window, it proves that we haven’t got the depth in quality.
People will say we are doing well and don’t get me wrong, Moyes has come in, done well but we are only three points away from the relegation zone after the defeat to Swansea.
There is still a long way to go this season and I think it’s going to go down to the last day of the season for at least the fi nal relegation place to be fi nalised.
Everyone is fighting to get out and it’s tough when you are under that kind of pressure all the time and the atmosphere at your home stadium can really help.
I know I say this all the time but the new stadium just doesn’t have the hostile atmosphere that Upton Park had.
Opposition players and fans relish coming to London Stadium but how many would have looked forward to coming to Upton Park?
March is going to be a very important month. We have two winnables games but we always tend to struggle against the sides at the bottom and raise our game against the sides at the top.
At the start of March, I felt three more wins would be enough to keep us up but it is going to be tight. Fighting for your lives to stay in the league is a horrible position to be in.
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