The Era of Poor Choices and Contempt
The rot has truly set in at West Ham – and it’s one that is spreading from the top in the era of David Sullivan and pals. This era represents poor choices, stubborn and elitist mindsets, and a general reluctance to invest beyond the bare minimum required – and after years of skating by, we are finally staring down the barrel of relegation in our worst start to a season in 52 years. There are not three teams who are worse than us this season. Fans, instead of being seen as the heart and soul of the club, are held in contempt rather than in consideration. The Fan Advisory Board (FAB) issued a “vote of no confidence” and the club’s board reportedly responded with a statement that was perceived as ‘tone deaf’ and ‘condescending’. Even our one piece of joy in this era is surrounded by disappointment. David Moyes won the Conference League trophy not because of the board, but in spite of them. He won our first major trophy in over 40 years and even then he still wasn’t given autonomy in his role and had to shoehorn board/Salthouse-chosen signings into his teams before deciding not to sign a new contract, and subsequent management choices have been disastrous.
The Problem with Protesting David Sullivan
It’s no wonder that fans have had enough – and now peaceful, visible protests in and around the stadium are on the rise. But when those in power have made it clear that the feelings of fans don’t affect them, how do you have a meaningful impact? As a starter for ten, David Sullivan does not care about your opinion; he never has and he never will. He does not care if you are happy with what you’re seeing on the pitch. Your happiness does not impact his profits. He does not care if you don’t buy a ticket to the game; someone else will buy that ticket. He does not care if you don’t buy a season ticket; again, someone else will – or they’ll sell your seat for more money for overseas tourists who are willing to pay through the nose to see whoever it is we’re playing against. Even though his focus is on the money he can get from the club, the loss of revenue from protests is unlikely to inspire him to change. It’s simply not enough of a significant financial loss – season ticket holders have already paid for their seats, whether or not they sit in them. The amount of money we spend on beers and popcorn, while significant to us, is insignificant to a club who thought nothing of throwing away £20million on a goalkeeper who we simply cannot put between the sticks ever, ever again.
Reputation Matters: The Power of Media Visibility
That’s not to say that protest is pointless. In Sullivan’s world, reputation matters. He doesn’t care that he’s not liked at West Ham – but he might care very much that there’s a visible display of just how much he’s not liked being broadcast into living rooms and pubs and mobile phones across the globe whenever West Ham are on TV (and keep in mind, for overseas supporters, that amounts to all our games, not just a couple a month.) Over recent months, fans and supporters groups have made their feelings known to David Sullivan – and also to wider media outlets and neutrals who are observing and watching on TV in an attempt to deliver a message that viewers, commentators, and pundits worldwide can’t ignore, and neither can he.
The Brentford Boycott and Recent Sit-Ins
At West Ham’s recent home loss to Brentford, a fan boycott was organised, which led to a reduction in attendance of 30%, from around 62,500 down to around 42,000. The empty seats were visible as West Ham played abysmally, and the atmosphere was described as a “pin-drop silence” – which admittedly could have also come from the fact that there was nothing to sing about on the pitch. What was challenging about the protest at the Brentford game (and what likely limited its visual impact), was the Kids for a Quid element and that it was our current new manager’s first game. With the cost of modern football in a cost of living crisis era, we can’t expect families to turn down one of their few opportunities to take children to an affordable football match, no matter how badly the board needs to leave. There was also an element of wanting to provide support for Nuno’s first game – which of course didn’t make a blind bit of difference as his starting line up was practically criminal and no amount of support in the world could have made it successful. Media attention was also given to a protest march earlier in the year, and, following the 3-1 win against Newcastle (our first home win in just eight months), a fan ‘sit-in’ protest after the game has been picked up by the Telegraph, global outlet MSN, the Evening Standard, and the Mirror. It’s getting harder to look away from the feelings of the angry fan base at West Ham United who are asking for a change in ownership and Sullivan must be feeling some pressure to sell.
The Křetínský Takeover Prospect
There is a problem with this, of course. In order to sell a football club, someone has to want to buy it. People are unlikely to be falling over themselves to buy a football club that can’t win games, has furious fans, and is likely to be playing Championship football next season. A former club owner stated that football clubs are more often bought than sold, and an owner is typically only compelled to sell when someone “comes knocking on your door or they’re in distress situations” – and it’s the latter that is likely to be forced by the fan boycotts and protests. But even if we get Sullivan to give up and head for the door, we still need someone to want to take us over – and we are not an attractive offering right now. Perhaps our biggest hope (ironically) comes from an internal prospect – Daniel Křetínský, the second-largest shareholder at West Ham United, has an option for a full takeover. The relegation will have a financial impact, and he and the other shareholders won’t want to see their asset devalued. It’s possible that the threat of losing money coupled with the visible display of support from the fans for anyone-but-Sullivan at the helm could be enough to inspire Křetínský to take a more active – and perhaps even mutinous – role in the boardroom to take over the club.
The Alternative: Resignations and Professionalism
There is another option if we can’t manage to get a buyer. Some fan groups are calling not just for Sullivan to sell, but for him and Karren Brady to “resign from their executive positions” and to be replaced by “competent and professional replacements” who have football and commercial expertise. In some ways this change in the operating structure feels more achievable – but is there any part of their previous recruitment strategy for staff which you’d describe as resulting in “competent and professional replacements”? They can’t hire a competent striker or manager; would the club be able to identify competent people to run itself? It also leaves us in the same tricky position when it comes to pride. Would Brady and Sullivan be willing to be self-sacrificial to and swallow their pride in order to restore the pride of West Ham? Sadly, based on what we’ve seen during their tenure, it would be hard to imagine them doing what’s best for the club. It’s up to the fans then, as it always has been, to support the club both on and off the pitch – and for now, that means keeping pressure on the board and keeping their frustrations front and centre in the media in order to force a solution to a problem which has lingered for far too long.
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