It has been rocky chapter in West Ham’s history.
Financial instability, managerial changes and division yo-yoing, has created unrest amongst squads and supporters for a decade now.
Following on from the failed venture into foreign ownership, what was needed was some focus on getting the club back on the straight and narrow. The overwhelming demand from fans was to somehow bring some homegrown pride back into the operation.
Enter David Gold and David Sullivan – passionate football men with a strong emotional link to West Ham. This was met with widespread support at the time.
The club was already in a downward spiral when they took over, but in the past two seasons, we have secured promotion, a tenth placed finish, and a deal to move to a new stadium.
On top of that, we have made multimillion-pound signings, and regardless of unfortunate injury circumstances, the squad is stronger than at any time in recent years.
The prospect of destabilising all that on a whim, on the back of half a poor season, is ludicrous.
A petition calling for the owners to ‘name their price’ in a bid to provide new direction is absurd and egocentric. The current owners provided new direction three years ago, and that needs to ride a longer course before altering everything again.
Yes, we are facing a relegation scrap, but we’re far from facing relegation.
A proposal to sway from one plan to another will not move the club forward. In fact, every period of change will likely set the club back.
There are those who want to rid the club of the Gold and Sullivan, along with Sam Allardyce. But when times are hard, the right thing to do as fans is to trust those who are in the top positions do have the club’s best interests at heart. Therefore, we should be backing them and the players to pull us out of the predicament.
The protest planned for the Newcastle United game is embarrassing and completely counter-productive. Anyone who thinks a protest at a certain time in the game is a sensible thing to do should take a hard look at themselves.
We are coming into the match on the back of a win, with players returning to fitness, and will be facing a team we are more than capable of beating.
This should be used as a positive turning point. Instead, some quarters seem to be hell-bent on ignoring the point about how distracting such off-field antics will be to those trying their best on the pitch.
Many of us stay up late to follow the team in Australia, and are as disgruntled with results as the rest. But we would love to be able to regularly get along to the Boleyn and support the team, not waste our time constantly heckling.
I firmly believe Gold, Sullivan and Allardyce have provided stability, and from that base comes the only chance of success.
Look at Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool; last season they were calling for his head, this season they are title contenders. This only came about because he was given time to build on an idea, and establish a squad of players who can coherently work together.
Most teams in the bottom half have changed their manager already this season, and none of them have pulled away or shown any signs of real improvement.
Allardyce has a record of delivering if given time.
The manager, with the backing of the board, needs to provide the long-term foundation to build a solid future. And we should support that, not shake the structure of the club with pointless protests.
I’d say they’ve embarrassed themselves rather than the club
Total and complete agreement .
PS
With both the article and Cb’s comment
If a stupid minority start i am sure the majority will shut them up on saturday i believe
and agree 100 % with your comments
I agree with the fact that any protest would be counter productive, particularly at this time.
I do take issue with your gushing praise for Gold & Sullivan though, they lied about FFP to excuse the fact they weren’t prepared to invest any more money, the reason they have none left is because they spent a fortune buying up the debt onto their own grubby paws and charge a high interest for it.
Shameful.
I don’t remember these same fans coming forward to “buy” the club when we were in the brown stuff before the two Davids saved the day .Perhaps the OS stadium on the horizon is the real motive and money to be made , but without Sullivan & Gold we would not have got it in the first place.
The “usual suspects ” trying to make their minority sound like a majority for their own small minded selfish reasons ,” empty vessels make the most noise ” comes to mind!
I entirely agree. Wait ’til the end of the season at least. We’ve just been through a hurricane over Xmas, players returning, new faces, maybe some with the wrong attitude or lack of useful ability to go. This is NOT the time for protest, but unity. No Hammers fan likes what as happened it recent years, but this is not the time to rock the boat. Cannot understand their mentality?
If it was not for the 2 David’s there would be no westham. We whould thank them for funding the club not get on there back’s. Tell me what’s worse them always tallking to the press or no westham any real fan will get behind the team not try to make it look bad.
“If it was not for the 2 David’s there would be no westham.”
Are you serious? As long as there are West Ham fans there will always be a West Ham. The team may not play in the top flight or even the FL but if the club had gone into administration – or even been wound up – it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. Look at the example of AFC Wimbledon and FC of Manchester. I’ve supported the club for 50 years so I’ve done my time on the terraces and with a season ticket. I don’t especially care who runs the club or where we play (U.P. or Wanstead flats would be equally fine with me) although I’m not especially keen on it being owned by pornographers and run by a blatant self publicist. I’m not obsessed with winning things – which we haven’t for 30 years, anyway – or by which league we’re in. I just want to see some decent pass and move football, preferably played by West Ham youngsters. That’s why it was so good to see our performance on Saturday built round Noble (a proper club captain if ever I saw one), Collison and Tomkins. I guess my ideal would be a Tony Carr team playing in L1 or L2 and building from there. Where I live now, my local team (Isthmian league Prem) were involved recently in a cracking 0-2 home defeat in which 7 players were sent off in the last 20 minutes. Now that’s what I call entertainment, not the sterile, corporate rubbish we’re fed at UP these days.
I totally agree with your comments. The problem we have is when you see the likes of Chelsea Man City Man Utd and Spurs spending mega money on players and wages they get jealous. I believe that they did try and sign strikers through the summer but I think it is not as easy as people think it is. Lets face it they stand to lose a lot of money if we go down again they wouldn’t send us out so obviously short in a position unless they had to. I don’t think we would be where we are now if Andy had come back when they expected him to and of course key injuries to Reid Collins and Tomkins all at the same time!
Fully agree with this article. People should be grateful we are still in the premier league. The way the club has been run in recent years we deserve to be in league 2. The davids have completey saved us and I am 100% behind any decisions big Sam and the board make.
All the foolish fans calling to get rid of them should take a good hard look at themselves, and be grateful we are where we are.
The owners have already embarrassed the club beyond recovery by hiring Sam Allardyce in the first place
Spare us the nauseating pass us the sickbag stuff !Your pontification of the ‘Messiahs’is pure fantasy land stuff !You are clearly taken in regards The House of Spin.However some of us have a different opinion of G& S the FOUR time relegation ‘kings’,soon to be the FIVE time relegation ‘kings’What a CV ?!Through their years as Owners of the Daily Sports. ,they have built up a whole array of contacts in the media.The deluded media think they are ‘personal’friends with Gobby and mate..which they most certainly are NOT.They leak out conflicting ‘exclusives’to different hack.To some they will say they are ‘closing’in on Traore ,to the others they say they are back ‘in’ for Lamberts.Sounds impressive ?In reality they’ve already signed their striker…Carlton Cole.The reality these boys do one ‘marquee’very early in the summer ,then one which cost a bit of dosh.This is topped up with Barry Silkman bum of the months.Loans,freebies and loans are their forte !But they dug deep in ‘their’pockets to sign Carroll and Jarvis ??Lol !NO they didn’t !Messrs Carroll and Jarvis were bought with a £60 million loan secured against our telly money !Google West Ham the Vibrac Corporation.A loan that is costing West Ham NOT Gobby and mate TEN MILLION in in interest.These boys are pathological liars who lie when their lips move.They think NOTHING OF LIEING to the clubs fans.Even the young son Jack is part of the act.Who will ever forget the classic tweets”Everybody at the club thinks he’s the NEXT Tevez!”Five minute later he tweets to another fan “If he doesn’t make it..he cost little money ! “Christ they think so little of us they get their nipper to lie to us !”Sam rightly told Sullivan to shove Barry Silkman’s bum of the month up his are.In the summer the house of spin were at it again.Feeding the clubs loyal support bullshit after bullshit !First of we were told that they couldn’t get a ‘back up ‘striker as no one wanted to ‘sit on the bench’Eh who was talking about ‘back up ‘options ?All PL clubs operate with three or four strikers vying for positions in the team !Its called giving the manager choices !The next tactic was to get their choirboys in the media to shift The blame onto Sam.”He bought Downing for six million instead of a striker”They whined.Well put yourself in Sam’s position.THREE months earlier you gave Sullivan a list of transfer targets including strikers.With all the realistic strikers gone ,Sullivan knocks on Sam’s door and says:”I present you Barry Silkman’s latest bum of the month called Rojas !Rojas or Downing ?You would be out of your mind NOT to sign Downing.The next tactic was to say that they had reached their limit according to FFP rules.FFP rules whose first compliance test only comes into effect in 2015.When I tweeted this to David Sullivan jnr on Sept the second he tweeted back “Yes we know but we thought we’d start early!”You couldn’t make it up could you ?The next thing they are claiming they ‘tried ‘to get Ba or Lukakulu.Utter rubbish !However this is not the first time failing to invest in a striker saw them steer their ship to relegation.TEN years ago Brum finished 9th in the PL.The following season the clubs leading scorer,Mik Forrsell got injured,they refused to bring in a striker..and down Brum went !Relegation is a way of life with these tight arses !’Embarresement “Nah its disgrace the way these clowns treat our great club and its supporters.With utter distain.One !Two !Three!Four!Time to shove G&S the FOUR time relegation ‘kings’out the door !!!
In what way are we better off? The 7 year plan is a complete shambles. The true extent of our current debt is not known.
Sydney Hammer eh? well if that means you reside in Aussie and only get your news from the Club’s PR or Sams publicist then that explains completely your totally misguided views about what is really happening at this club. Some of us have actually to pay good money to sit through the dismal fare served up most weeks, and we get people like you who do not expect us to air our views! I think you would be more at home on the Titanic playing your violin whilst the ship sinks but those of us who have supported this great club for years ( me only for 79 at the moment) expect more in terms of player recruitment, a system where our team actually pass the ball on the ground rather than the constant hoofing so beloved by SA, and obviously condoned by the two Davids. Action is required now before it is too late.
The old “I go to every game, so that makes my judgement more valid than yours” comment.
At the end of the day whatever you think of Sam & the owners this protest can wait. At best it is I’ll concieved, and poorly timed, at worst it is totally counter productive. The homemade banners etc are quite frankly left at home !!!
I think these “supporters” need to get a grip….you want to protest? Do it after the game, stand outside the front door and sing your songs and get it off your chest. The last thing the players need is the unstabilising effects of a midgame protest. If we win tomorrow, that’s two on the bounce and any protest will just be seen as ridiculous….what makes me laugh is when you ask if they will wait until after the game and see what the actual result is they say things have to change. When asked how I felt West Ham would do this season, I knew we would struggle…some people were asking for top 6…..as long as we are in the PL when we move to that stadium that is all that matters to me…then we build, then we grow, then we invest (more)…..it also needs to be remembered were it not for Gold and Sullivan we might be down where Portsmouth are now….unless you have millions of your own to pump into the club I’d be thankful that someone did have
You live in Australia and slag off the fans who actually attend, spunk their money on a club taking us for mugs and have had enough?
Turn it in you fucking idiot.