On 19th January 2010, former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan bought a 50% share of West Ham. At the time, we looked to be heading towards administration and a dark few years in the wilderness like the Coventrys, Portsmouths and Leeds of the world. We were in a relegation battle under Gianfranco Zola, and still under the ownership of the Straumur Bank….West Ham were a mess.
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Apart from stating the obvious about ‘the club being in a mess’ and trying to sort out the issues left by the previous Icelandic owners, Sullivan said that him and David Gold had a ‘seven year plan’ to get West Ham into the Champions League and also into the Olympic Stadium.
So we have just past their 3 year anniversary of ownership, where have we got to in this time? Initially, the new chairmen were quite vocal in the press, and the supporters hated it. They sacked Zola at the end of that season after their take over, and then quickly appointed Avram Grant. When the chairmen realised that they had made a mistake with that appointment, they undermined Grant and tried to get in Martin O’Neill. When that collapsed, they then had to back Grant, despite the whole world and his dog knowing that they didn’t want him. I didn’t like Avram Grant, but he did not deserve that sort of treatment from his employers.
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After relegation, Grant was sacked, West Ham were a laughing stock, and there was more chance of the Pope turning up to Christmas dinner at my house than there was of getting us on track for our seven year plan. The Chairmen had to make some unpopular decisions. They had to reduce the staff at the club, they had to reduce the wage bill…..they had to get our finances back on track.
They appointed Sam Allardyce with the sole intention of getting us back into the Premier League – they backed him in the transfer market, they kept their business out of the press, and they got on with running the club. Slowly but surely, things have started to happen, the debt of the club has reduced significantly, Allardyce got us back into the Premier League, and the Chairmen funded transfers from their own pocket.
I think it’s fair to say that the Chairmen made some mistakes in the first instance, but gradually, they have learnt what to expect from us as supporters, but also what the supporters expect from them. They have now won the race to become first bidders on the Olympic Stadium, one of the promises they made when they first took over. We have started well in the Premier League, but we need Allardyce to establish us back as a Premier League side.
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I’m not sure if we will make the Champions League in the next 4 years, only time will tell, but I’m happy to have Gold and Sullivan at the helm, happy to have British owners, and happy to have West Ham Supporters running our club. They have done a fantastic job after a shaky start, and hopefully, we can only get stronger.
COME ON YOU IRONS!!!
Well said
If we get the stadium we will get investment we will then be in a position to challenge for CL qualification.
Keep up the good work!
They have achieved stability financially and saved the club….but the real mission is to get the O.S ..and also to get rid of B.F.S when his contract expires. B.F.S job is also completed in regards to stabilizing the team , but his tactical ineptness at top level is now clear for all to see. (the arsenal game Is testament to this).
DiCanio is the man we need regardless of him not managing at top level …he has shown already what he Is about..he manages a football team with the same vision as when he used to play.
Coyi
@essexiron (twitter)
Are you having a laugh???? Di Canio??? Allardyce is doing a great job. We are mid table in the premier league in our first season back and nobody likes coming to Upton Park. We are in no danger of going down and big Sam is doing a very good job in stabilising the team in our first season back. We need to stabilise this season and next and then we can look at the manager situation. Allardyce and the Chairmen have strengthened the team very well. How can you not be happy with what e have achieved? Yes, we may not be playing the west ham way, but I’ll take that at the moment instead of nice football and being bottom of the league struggling like our last 2 seasons in the premier league. If you’d have been asked at the end of the season we were relegated that we would be mid table in the premier league in a season and a half time and beaten Chelsea 3-1 at home with players like Diame being chased by Arsenal, Andy Carrol up front with a strong squad you’d have taken it. Don’t be so ungrateful. What do you want CL qualification this season?? Di Canio wouldn’t get that. Yes one day I’d love him to be manager, but let him carry on learning his trade and he can come in a few years. COYI
Allardyce doing a great job???? You’re having a laugh!!!!! His post match comments after the Arsenal game was what a great team they were, not about the way we capitulated as a team and what he needed to do to put that right. When you look at the Liverpool game any fool will tell you that when you are 2-1 up you defend a high line not sit back on the edge of your own penalty area and let them come at you and hope that by kicking the high ball up to the lone striker we employed will win us the game. Allardyce is a joke and the sooner the owners realise that and replace him the better the club will be. BRING ON PDC!!!!! He’s proved what he is capable of in the short time he’s been manager at Swindon playing attacking football with a strong discipline on defence. Just look at their goal tally!!!
Thank you Mr Smith I can’t believe these people who think BFS is doing a good job …yes the Chelsea win was great but apart from that nothing. the points we have is not because BFS is a tactical genius it’s because our first lot of fixtures was very kind to us. ..I’ll admit he has stabilised the team from when Avram was in charge but How hard can that be.. we were in a right state with that man at the helm and Sam is not much better.
Because of Nolan we have to play the most boring tactics ever . The man is scared of changing tactics or more to the point too
inept to do so and when we fail he blames the players. we have Hall on loan who would do so much better than vaz te, Spence who should be in competition for right back but he don’t get no play…he would rather play Tomkins there…And what manager would take Tomkins and put him in mid field! He hasn’t a clue. were losing a game and instead of adding a striker he’d rather take one off and replace with another . He’s too ignorant to realise his rubbish tactics are not working…Against QPR chamakh was having a blinder…so what does he do bring him off …keep BFS till the end of the season and bring in Dicanio…..you don’t need experience of to level management to manage in the PL just sound knowledge of the game and proper tactics ….a game plan…a plan B …
I’ll say it again Dicanio all day every day….PS when we beat Chelsea they were going through an real bad patch and we took advantage…we played well….but have done fk all since…..
As much as I love DI Canio, I can’t understand all the “we must bring in Di Canio ” attitude. He is is unproven manage at this level. The job would be far too big for him at this stage in his managerial career. How long would it be before you’re calling for Di Canio’s head if things didn’t go according to plan?
We are going through a rough patch. Injuries and loss of form to key players has taken its toll over the last few weeks. At the beginning of the season though we looked solid and we were playing some good football. Fans were moaning at the owners for not giving Allardyce a longer contract, but now all of a sudden they want him out and replaced by a manager with no experience whatsoever at managing at this level.
Allardyce is experienced and knowledgeable. He knows what is needed to keep us in this league. Once we are a little more established, we can concentrate on bigger and more bolder objectives, such as qualifying for Europe.
For now though, lets concentrate on staying in this league and building some foundations. We need to walk before we can run.
knowledgeable…….don’t make me laugh….he don’t know F all but 1 up front and the test behind the ball….he also loves to fart on about statistics to blind the reality of the situation…which is he can’t get us to score playing his way…we have to work twice as hard every game just to stay in it..no wonder we are getting injuries all the time and mainly to defenders as there always getting over worked!
some of u are too blind too see and have not got a clue about footie..which makes u & BFS the same……Clueless !
I think that you’re forgetting the fact that the majority of the fans never wanted Allardyce in the first place!!!!!
As the blogs have gone on they have increasingly veered away from the original question, namely what have gold and Sullivan done for west ham? Well put quite simply EVERYTHING! Without them we could have been toast! They have stepped in when no one in their right mind would have touched us, due to the financial ruins they the club in! They have turned us around (slowly admittedly) and are establishing us as a premier team again. They have even gone beyond the call of duty and funded nearly all of this out of their own pockets! And we are now close to the promised land (OS). So the answer should be they have made a few mistakes at first but have ultimately been our salvation and definitely the ones to trust a ropey looking future too!
exactly but it again highlights that BFS has done nothing really …and that actually the 2 Davids have done most of what we have achieved. so now that’s cleared up we must now move fwd and leave BFS behind, all be it @the end of the season…
Coyi……come on down Dicanio
PS thanks soooo much to our fantastic owners u make me proud to be a hammers fan again…real talk 😉
Essex Iron, you do make some good points, Vaz Te is pretty useless and Tomkins in midfield is not something I would consider, centre back only in my eyes. Chamakh having a blinder against QPR though?? Yes he played well (some good headers and should have had a pen) but nothing amazing and the tactical substitution you talk about taking him off for Cole… he assisted J Coles goal with his header coming back from Ceasars save. Surely that makes it a good decision? My point is though, whilst we aren’t happy at form at the moment, and the way we play sometimes, any manager would make decisions that you aren’t happy with. But on whole, Allardyce has got us mid table in our first season back, and we all would have taken that. The league table doesn’t lie and his tactics have got us there so they can’t be all bad, he mst be making more correct decisions than bad. Let’s talk about good things he has done, Diame… what a signing, J.Cole… everyone chuffed with this and to see him starting, Collins and Reid… at CB have been solid for large parts of the season, Nolan… not everyones cup of tea but our top scorer and a midfielder, his goals from midfield are vital, Noble… has come on leaps and bounds under Allardyce and is flourishing in his more defensive role, Promotion… back to the promised land at the first attempt. We just can’t grumble too much where we are and yes, one day I would love Di Canio back home, but not yet. All of this would not have been achieved without our amazing chairmen and we will all be forever endebted to them for saving our club and making us all safe in the knowledge that we are in safe hands. Dunno about you but I would prefer to have them, who care about the club than some heartless billionaire who sacks their manager every 5 minutes ripping the sole of the club out twice a season. Lets all get behind the boys for the rest of the season, Allardyce won’t be there forever lets just enjoy being back in the big time, enjoy the OS when we move. COYI
Dave after reading your comments I can Honestly say u make more than a valid point..and I agree with u also.
IM just saying that I appreciate what Sam has done but I think tactically he has no skills.
I’d be happy to see him see out his contract but can’t see him with us street that…we need to be playing more positive football…a la Swansea..we have to open teams up if we are to beer successful
sorry I pressed publish by accident…if we are to be successful we have to open teams up by playing good football. and this is something I feel Sam is not able to do….the arsenal game tells the story of BFS…but still in agreement with u Dave..IM behind the squad as always and just Hope we can consolidate out position in the PL this year.
sorry for strange grammer my phone has a mind of it’s own!