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FrancoisVanDerElst 1:02 Sun Jan 24
Credit to the chairman

We used to be known as a selling club,who sold a lot of young talent as soon as 'bigger' clubs came calling
It is probably since the 11/12 season we sold one of our better players (Parker )
And even now you don't sense we would sell any of our top players even though we have more 'saleable' players than we have had for years Cresswell,Reid,Payet,Kouyate would all have been off in years gone by
This is a great credit to our two chairmen

Brucies_Star_Prize 2:33 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

Alex V 5:00 Sun Jan 24

The team that G&S took over finished 4th bottom of the Prem with 35 points. That was following a period of minimal investment and selling off our best players to keep our heads above water.

Our squad was full of ageing players on big money, or others that simply weren't good enough. We were a relegation waiting to happen which is exactly what transpired.

That's not absolve the owners of any blame, they appointed a poor manager, didn't invest enough in the team until January and played their part in our relegation.

However following that, they appointed a manager who got us promoted at the fist time of asking, kept us in the division and stabilised us (albeit not with the prettiest football). They then put in place processes to improve our recruitment massively, and two years on we have a talented squad; a blend of young players and quality with sell-on value.

They've also bought in a manager with the potential to push the club to the next level, playing the sort of football that our fans want to see. Added to that the move to the OS, which regardless of individual opinion, provides the infrastructure to facilitate this.

So aside from the fact that the team in 2009/10 was a Prem team, and the team now is a Prem team, there is very little else that is comparable.

Alwaysaniron 12:05 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

claret50 3:44 Mon Jan 25

So would I. Some on here can't actually see the business benefit this woman brings to the club.

She's not a West Ham fan but she's a bloody shrewd head on her shoulders and to be honest we as a club need that given the clowns we've had at the helm in the past. Getting the OS on the deal we have achieved is a fantastic piece of business.

Northern Sold 12:04 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

Last night I watched that Krays film that Sullivan finaced.... what a pile of old dog that is... apparently he had been found making up false accounts on the IDMB so that he could put glowing revues of the film (everyone else on there has given it 1 or 2 stars out of 10)... anyway... do not watch... it's shite

Mr Polite 11:52 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

I wouldn't give her a shit sandwich if she was starving.

Vile woman

claret50 3:44 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

I would also give credit to the Brady lady who led the negotiations for the clubs move to the new stadium.

Gavros 2:29 Mon Jan 25
Re: Credit to the chairman

Good point about the loaned money. There's probably a way of either turning that into equity, fixed income debt or some hybrid of it that would allow an investor to come in and not trigger the taxpayer clawback clause (over and above the 10% that stramur still have and the 25% that sully bought off them after the contract was signed and which may not be subject to said clause).

Johnson 8:28 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Absolutely CHH, if we do well then they'll get they're money back with the to be specified rate of interest.

What was it they've said in the past about being open and honest?

And yes, good point about Rafa, if you want to look at it like that. He was their FIRST choice, Bilic was down their list so if they got their way and all that.

CHH 8:23 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Let's hope they get it back and are handsomely rewarded for the risks taken.

It means we will probably be doing very well as a club

I think the triumvirate have done a fine job overall.

I am looking forward to the move to the OS 201 days to go

Bloody Lucky Rafa went to Real though

Johnson 8:03 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Why does pointing out the FACT they have loaned the club a lot of money mean I hate it, RH?

Take your time.

RH 8:02 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Is there anything you don't hate about the club Johnson ?

Johnson 8:01 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

They've LOANED money, quite a lot of it in fact. They'll get it back and then some.

Chigwell 6:53 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

They have pumped money in, even when things were looking kind of grey for us, with the result that we appear (by our standards) a fairly safe bet to stay in the PL for some time.
Nice as that feels, I can't believe that it was just because they are West Ham fans that they did it. As experienced football chairmen, they could no doubt see the opportunity that the OS would provide, and that that we were probably prime candidates to move in. (Maybe as owners of it, which would have increased our value many fold).
So although a risky investment, it was one with potentially huge profits. As businessmen, they will probably feel that the right thing to do next is to find a buyer to (a) maximise the return on the risks that they took, and (b) give the club financial security beyond season-to-season working profits.

Spandex Sidney 5:39 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Even with Avram, relegation, Sam, etc does anyone remember the shit we were in when we realised we had the first potless Billionaire? We could easily be where Portsmouth are if it weren't for them you ungrateful cunts.

Put their own money in to make sure it didn't happen. It's funny how quickly people forget the big picture.

Alex V 5:21 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Mike Oxsaw 5:13 Sun Jan 24

True enough, but we can only try and compare. It goes both ways, as of course with the lucrative TV deal that exists now WHU would unlikely have been in such financial trouble as they were pre-Sullivan.

And while it's true that we can beat anyone at the moment, it's also true of a number of other traditionally mid-table outfits - Stoke, Leicester, Palace, Southampton. The worry is that the phenomenon might stretch to every side in the league in a year or two - in which case the opportunities may be great, but the threat of relegation is also still real. Basically I'm not sure if it's something we can give credit to the owners for - it's just a change in the whole ecosystem at this level.

Mike Oxsaw 5:13 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Alex V 5:00 Sun Jan 24

You seem to conveniently be ignoring that the league in which we play today is a different beast to that in which we were playing when the owners took over.

Just about the only common point between the two is the name - a label.

Alex V 5:00 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Brucies_Star_Prize 4:47 Sun Jan 24

In some ways we are in a similar position - a Premiership outfit, destined to stand or fall according to whatever our transfer haul is each Summer. And actually you could say that pre-Sullivan the club was actually trying to address the boom-bust policies of relying on the transfer market - now we are more heavily invested in that rat race than almost ever before.

I'm happy to admit I'm not quite sure where on the scale we are, but I'm not willing to dismiss any extreme as nonsense at this stage. We'll see.

Takashi Miike 4:53 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

we're miles in front of where we were when gold and sullivan took over. squad wise we now have strength in depth, we have some decent youngsters too knocking on the door, we have a manager who's got the team playing in the right way and in regard to sell ons, id say most of the squad would be picked up now for a decent fee if we ever needed to make changes, whereas back then we wouldn't have been able to give away most of the squad

Mike Oxsaw 4:47 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

It's been a long, unpalatable & often dreary road, much of it spent in the dark & dismal Hoofball Pass, but we do now seem to be back on the West Ham Way, gracing the fields of fertile football once again.

Brucies_Star_Prize 4:47 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Alex V 4:23 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

I'll happily point out where you are wrong.

You refer to being 'back to where they started' as an 'uncharitable interpretation'.

Except it's not an uncharitable interpretation, it's absolute nonsense. There is absolutely no way whatsoever that it could be claimed we are in a similar position to where we were when Gold and Sullivan took over. To suggest as much is imbecilic.

Alex V 4:39 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

>>> ...Or better still you could actually write about the actual topic rather than slagging off others. If you're even capable of doing so.

Obviously not :).

Vexed 4:33 Sun Jan 24
Re: Credit to the chairman

Alex V 4:23 Sun Jan 24

The stupidity in your post was obvious, I don't need to explain. I don't wish to converse with you either Alex, it was for your information so that you could one day sort your shit out. Admittedly it was a long shot. Now fuck off.

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