Email:campaign@whusview.com
Website: www.whusview.com
An Open Letter to the Owners of West Ham United FC
WHU’s VIEW? is an independent group of West Ham supporters that ask the club
to make a commitment to a full poll of all existing season ticket holders and members
before bidding for the tenancy of the Olympic Stadium.
This issue has divided fans and this is the biggest step the club will take in its history.
We are not a group campaigning against a move. We appreciate that there is a range of opinions amongst supporters and all we seek is a full, fair, independently audited poll. We believe that any such poll should not be a simple yes or no, but should reflect the various issues involved and allow fans to express their priorities.
When Mr Gold and Mr Sullivan took over our club, a key pledge made was to consult with the fans. We appreciate that the club remains in financial difficulties, we respect the fact that they have invested their own money and that any final decision rests with them. However, we ask that the pledge to consult is honoured by way of polling before bidding as to date there has been no real consultation on this subject and any discussion afterwards would be inconsequent.
We would ask the club to inform us prior to the 1st November 2011 as to whether or not it is willing to undertake such a ballot.
Yours Sincerely
WHU’s VIEW Committee
I’ll agree to vote agains t the move assuming someone can confirm how we’re ever going to grow as a club
baring in mind that the police, the tramsport and newham council are against any firther improvment at upton park, and the club is in 85m of debt and can’t afford a new stand anyway
I don’t want to go, but if we’re ever going to be a better club then it has to happen
85 million in debt, i believe that is with the money that the owners paid for the club all rolled into one debt.Apart from the running track issue my only fear is that upton park is sold & the money goes elsewhere as it now sounds like we will be renting.I am sure we will get the stadium but i hope i am wrong about everything else.
football with a running track will not work, it has never worked anywhere, i’m sorry i understand our need to move and stratford with it’s transport links is the answer, but, not with a running track. spurs proposal made most sense, do up/ rebuild crystal palace, the home of athletics.. apart from olympics and world championships, athletic’s will never draw a crowd of 20,000 plus.
lord coe needs to get real, a lasting legacy to athletics would be a new stadium on old crystal palace site and convert olympic stadium into a pure football stadium. common sense has to prevail here, otherwise the olympic stadium will become a white elephant, you wont be able to see a thing when your a 100 meters from the pitch..
Dave
No we were 110 million in debt in the accounts AFTER they bought it
they’ve since paid off another 25m and are covering our 4m a month losses this season
so there’s no way they’re going to cough up for a new stand
still don’t see any reason we can’t install extending seating as they have in paris
then there’s a track when needed but a football stadium with no big gaps when not
see these two pics
Football set up – http://www.paris.com/var/paris/storage/images/media/images/stade_de_france_paris/77001-2-eng-GB/stade_de_france_paris_medium.jpg
Athletics set up –
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/08/07/article-1205010-006AFA4400000258-399_468x340.jpg
Why can’t they just do that at the OS?
I do agre renting not ideal, but the sale of Upton Park won’t cover current debts so will almost certainly be used for that
If we can’t fill The Boleyn on a regular basis without effectively giving tickets away, why move?
naming rights, travel links, hugely improved corporate hospitality
sadly the way of the world
We can’t rename the stadium for money now as we won’t own it.Like stated earlier, we can’t sell out a 35000 seater,i’ll be embarrassing when we go to stratford with 30k empty seats.
thqt’;s ok so long as you can accept that West Ham will never ever be anything more than a lower Premier LEague/upper Championship club
that’s all we can expect with our current stadium and debts to pay off
personally although I don’t WANT to leave, I do want to see the club move forward and not stagnate which is all that will happen at Upton park
As I said, the council, police etc have told us we can’t improve Upton Park any more so staying there will mean the club never improves
Stratford is a great opportunity for our club and the owners should continue to go full steam ahead to get it if at all possible.
As for not owning our ground if we move, it has not done Man City any harm they rent and they call the stadium what they want!!
I feel insulted by this article, why is it that only season ticket holders and members be consulted? Some non season ticket holders go week in week out including cup games where season ticket holders refuse to pay extra because they’re being ‘conned’ by the club!
As for G&S, who remembers January this year, when Sullivan said “We will never sell Scott Parker to Tottenham” his promises are just hot air, they can’t wait to get away from Upton Park, they’ll line their pockets and go! I think the club should walk away from this Olympic Stadium fiasco, no other stadium will have the magic of Upton Park, but if we build our own ground, it will be exactly that…OURS and l’m sure we’ll make the atmosphere as crackling as it is now…………COYI ‘><'