Sullivan out!

[Jaan Kenbrovin]

[goose]

The club is fucked. If we aren’t relegated this season it will be next season or the season after if things don’t change fundamentally. I said before we’re the new Everton.

Declan Rice got us out of a short term hole, but we managed to balls up that opportunity.

we don’t recruit well. Look how many players over the last 4 or 5 years that we’ve lost money on.
we can’t keep doing that.

coupled with that we aren’t producing players. We need young players coming through of PL quality but simply haven’t produced any. If we can’t produce players it puts even more pressure on recruitment.

things must change asap.

[northbankboy68]

Matt Law article below..


How West Ham United lost their soul

Lofty promises were made when the club left Upton Park but haphazard spending and muddled thinking have led to growing apathy

At the end of this season it will be 10 years since West Ham United shut the gates of Upton Park forever with vice-chairman Karren Brady promising “a world-class stadium for a world-class team”.

No wonder frustrated supporters, among whom Tony Cottee – the fifth-highest goalscorer in the club’s history – counts himself one, believe promises have been broken.

Until now, West Ham’s average position over nine Premier League seasons since the move to the London Stadium has been 11th and that is threatening to get worse with the team losing their first two games of the league campaign and dropping out of the Carabao Cup.

In nine top-flight seasons before the move, West Ham’s average position was 12.5 and that included one bottom-placed finish that resulted in a season in the Championship.

There has been the Europa Conference League success and some memorable European nights, but West Ham have continued to sell their best players - Dimitri Payet, Declan Rice and Mohammed Kudus - since leaving Upton Park. Lucas Paqueta would have left for Manchester City had it not been for spot-fixing charges he was cleared of and the so-called “world-class stadium” has driven an irreparable wedge between thousands of fans and the club.

“I’ve always said it’s a wonderful stadium but it’s not a wonderful stadium for football and the board failed to recognise that,” said Cottee. “Promises were made to the fans about what the stadium would mean, but then you see Kudus move to Tottenham. It was meant to stop things like that happening. If you make promises they have to be delivered. I’m sure the board would point to winning the Conference League and that was a wonderful moment, but what good is it if it’s not built on and we’re fighting relegation or, even worse, going down a couple of years later?”

Anger, which prompted protests against the board after the stadium move, has developed into apathy among some. Fed-up fans walked out during the thrashing by Chelsea and such has been the silence on some matchdays that at least one visiting manager wondered whether an unofficial minute’s silence was being observed mid-game.

Cottee points to West Ham’s fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur, another of his former clubs, Everton, and Manchester City, as examples of clubs who have got their stadium moves right.
“West Ham fans would have moved all day long, it’s not about the move, when you go through all the ways it could help the club,” he said. “They would have accepted the move if it was like the other clubs, moving into a purpose built stadium or properly converting a stadium like Man City did. But West Ham moved into an athletics stadium and now play in an athletics stadium. That’s not to say it can’t generate an atmosphere because there have been some wonderful nights there like Sevilla. But they have been few and far between.”
Cottee, who scored 146 goals across two spells at West Ham spanning eight years, claims he has been frozen out by the club’s board since backing a proposed takeover bid in 2021. But that has not stopped him attending games and sharing the frustration of supporters.

“I’m not welcome by the board and, yes, it hurts me because I love the club,” said Cottee. “I would love to be involved again if there was a new board, there’s nothing I’d like more.
“I don’t get invited to anything or given any freebies, but I still pay for my season ticket in the corporate lounge. It costs me thousands, so I know how the fans who pay every week feel. I’m one of them and I hurt just as much as them. Things have got to change in my opinion because, trust me, a lot of people didn’t renew their season tickets and there will be a lot of empty seats if things go on as they are.”

Following Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, captain Jarrod Bowen clashed with supporters who had seen their team fall to a third successive defeat.
“The fans are frustrated and angry, and it’s understandable,” said Cottee. “All I would say is that if you’re going to have a go at anybody, then don’t have a go at Jarrod Bowen because he’s the one person who has given everything.”

Cottee acknowledges that West Ham’s players and head coach Graham Potter must take their share of responsibility for results, but believes mistakes will be repeated under the current ownership.

Since West Ham moved from Upton Park, only Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham have higher net spends according to figures published by transfermarkt.

But money has been wasted, particularly the £105m that was banked for Declan Rice. The decision to spend almost £30m on striker Niclas Fullkrug, who was 31 at the time, shocked rivals with most clubs reluctant to sign ageing players with little or no resale value.

West Ham are still to replace the leadership or energy of Rice, although midfield reinforcements, including Soungoutou Magassa, are expected to arrive before the transfer window shuts.
‘David Moyes should have been allowed to build’

“I’ve said nothing will change unless there’s a change of ownership and I stand by that, mainly on the basis of the way the club has been run over the past 18 months,” said Cottee. “We had a great manager in David Moyes and they couldn’t wait to get rid of him. There’s nobody with any football knowledge on the board and they’ve spent millions of pounds on players who aren’t good enough.

“They seem to only have a weekly plan. Certainly not a 10-year plan, a five-year plan or even a two-year plan. There’s no structure and no business plan for the football side of things at West Ham, that’s obvious. They make erratic decisions and appoint the wrong managers. The appointment of Julen Lopetegui was just ridiculous and anybody could have told you that at the time.

“The current problems started in January 2024, when David (Moyes) was manager. We had won away at Arsenal and we were sixth in the Premier League, and still in the Europa League. In the January transfer window, he needed backing with the signing of four players. But what did they do? They let three or four go and signed one, Kalvin Phillips, and we all saw what happened there.

“They hung the manager out to dry and as a result West Ham lost the third best manager in the club’s history. As far as I’m concerned it was a sliding doors moment, similar to when I was at the club in 1986 and we finished third, the board never invested and we got relegated two years later. David should have been given a five-year contract and been allowed to build on what he achieved.”

Tim Steidten left his role as technical director in February and Kyle Macaulay arrived as head of recruitment, but critics argue that chairman David Sullivan continues to take the opinion of too many allies outside the club.

That has contributed to Potter fighting against a tide of discontent at West Ham with a squad that has been put together by a number of people with different philosophies, priorities and agendas.

Encouragement may be taken from the fact in his second spell at the club, which proved to be successful, Moyes managed five league wins in his first 19 games at the end of the 2019-20 season and started the next campaign with two league defeats. Potter had five league wins from 18 games - including against Arsenal and Manchester United - last season and has started with two top-flight losses this term.

“I like Graham Potter,” said Cottee. “I said he should have been appointed when Lopetegui was and maybe we could have avoided some of the current problems if he had come in earlier. He seems to be a genuinely good guy and I think he’s a good coach, but he needs results. He needs at least a draw at (Nottingham) Forest at the weekend, otherwise the walls will start closing in.

“You hear a few people saying ‘get rid of him’. But then what do you do? Who do you replace him with? Sean Dyche? You can’t just keep changing managers and nothing else. Graham is still the right person in my opinion, but he needs to get some results – fast.

“We’re in really big trouble with the way things stand. It needs to change in the last few days of the transfer window with the players that are brought in. I’m scratching my head at why it’s been left so late until the last minute. Surely you get them in as early as possible to have a pre-season with the club. But, as I said, there’s no plan.”

Superb!

[twoleftfeet]

I just watched a YouTube video on Hammers Chat by a guy called Mark, a 30 year West Ham veteran.

I think he sums up beautifully what the majority of us think about the disconnection of the club from the fans, the move to the bowl and its ramifications and just how much the heart and soul was ripped out of the club when we sold our home.

All dreadfully sad really. 

[GBHammer63]

Nail , head, Oxsaw

[Mike Oxsaw]

Like Birmingham before us, Gold & Sullivan were never interested in football or the football club.

In both instances is was driven by potential property developments and, if I remember correctly, and I'm sure some on here will relish in correcting me, the possibility of building operating a casino attached to both new football grounds.

When that idea vanished at Birmingham, it was still not completely off the table for the redevelopment of Stratford for the Olympics, but that idea, too, was subsequently scuppered and the pair were lumbered with a football club which, as businessmen, neither really wanted.

Rather that, in both cases, appoint a team to run the footballing side, they decided that their experience in greasing dildos was perfect to build a world class football team.

Being egotistical, they simply couldn't admit to not knowing (anything) and so simply used the brute force of their ownership to drive the club "forward", rather than delegate the tasks to correctly identified individuals, step back and play a few rounds of golf.

It is indeed a train crash that we are witnessing, and the journey started the minute Gold & Sullivan bought the club.

[Massive Attack]

Matt Law article below..


How West Ham United lost their soul

Lofty promises were made when the club left Upton Park but haphazard spending and muddled thinking have led to growing apathy

At the end of this season it will be 10 years since West Ham United shut the gates of Upton Park forever with vice-chairman Karren Brady promising “a world-class stadium for a world-class team”.

No wonder frustrated supporters, among whom Tony Cottee – the fifth-highest goalscorer in the club’s history – counts himself one, believe promises have been broken.

Until now, West Ham’s average position over nine Premier League seasons since the move to the London Stadium has been 11th and that is threatening to get worse with the team losing their first two games of the league campaign and dropping out of the Carabao Cup.

In nine top-flight seasons before the move, West Ham’s average position was 12.5 and that included one bottom-placed finish that resulted in a season in the Championship.

There has been the Europa Conference League success and some memorable European nights, but West Ham have continued to sell their best players - Dimitri Payet, Declan Rice and Mohammed Kudus - since leaving Upton Park. Lucas Paqueta would have left for Manchester City had it not been for spot-fixing charges he was cleared of and the so-called “world-class stadium” has driven an irreparable wedge between thousands of fans and the club.

“I’ve always said it’s a wonderful stadium but it’s not a wonderful stadium for football and the board failed to recognise that,” said Cottee. “Promises were made to the fans about what the stadium would mean, but then you see Kudus move to Tottenham. It was meant to stop things like that happening. If you make promises they have to be delivered. I’m sure the board would point to winning the Conference League and that was a wonderful moment, but what good is it if it’s not built on and we’re fighting relegation or, even worse, going down a couple of years later?”

Anger, which prompted protests against the board after the stadium move, has developed into apathy among some. Fed-up fans walked out during the thrashing by Chelsea and such has been the silence on some matchdays that at least one visiting manager wondered whether an unofficial minute’s silence was being observed mid-game.

Cottee points to West Ham’s fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur, another of his former clubs, Everton, and Manchester City, as examples of clubs who have got their stadium moves right.
“West Ham fans would have moved all day long, it’s not about the move, when you go through all the ways it could help the club,” he said. “They would have accepted the move if it was like the other clubs, moving into a purpose built stadium or properly converting a stadium like Man City did. But West Ham moved into an athletics stadium and now play in an athletics stadium. That’s not to say it can’t generate an atmosphere because there have been some wonderful nights there like Sevilla. But they have been few and far between.”
Cottee, who scored 146 goals across two spells at West Ham spanning eight years, claims he has been frozen out by the club’s board since backing a proposed takeover bid in 2021. But that has not stopped him attending games and sharing the frustration of supporters.

“I’m not welcome by the board and, yes, it hurts me because I love the club,” said Cottee. “I would love to be involved again if there was a new board, there’s nothing I’d like more.
“I don’t get invited to anything or given any freebies, but I still pay for my season ticket in the corporate lounge. It costs me thousands, so I know how the fans who pay every week feel. I’m one of them and I hurt just as much as them. Things have got to change in my opinion because, trust me, a lot of people didn’t renew their season tickets and there will be a lot of empty seats if things go on as they are.”

Following Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, captain Jarrod Bowen clashed with supporters who had seen their team fall to a third successive defeat.
“The fans are frustrated and angry, and it’s understandable,” said Cottee. “All I would say is that if you’re going to have a go at anybody, then don’t have a go at Jarrod Bowen because he’s the one person who has given everything.”

Cottee acknowledges that West Ham’s players and head coach Graham Potter must take their share of responsibility for results, but believes mistakes will be repeated under the current ownership.

Since West Ham moved from Upton Park, only Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham have higher net spends according to figures published by transfermarkt.

But money has been wasted, particularly the £105m that was banked for Declan Rice. The decision to spend almost £30m on striker Niclas Fullkrug, who was 31 at the time, shocked rivals with most clubs reluctant to sign ageing players with little or no resale value.

West Ham are still to replace the leadership or energy of Rice, although midfield reinforcements, including Soungoutou Magassa, are expected to arrive before the transfer window shuts.
‘David Moyes should have been allowed to build’

“I’ve said nothing will change unless there’s a change of ownership and I stand by that, mainly on the basis of the way the club has been run over the past 18 months,” said Cottee. “We had a great manager in David Moyes and they couldn’t wait to get rid of him. There’s nobody with any football knowledge on the board and they’ve spent millions of pounds on players who aren’t good enough.

“They seem to only have a weekly plan. Certainly not a 10-year plan, a five-year plan or even a two-year plan. There’s no structure and no business plan for the football side of things at West Ham, that’s obvious. They make erratic decisions and appoint the wrong managers. The appointment of Julen Lopetegui was just ridiculous and anybody could have told you that at the time.

“The current problems started in January 2024, when David (Moyes) was manager. We had won away at Arsenal and we were sixth in the Premier League, and still in the Europa League. In the January transfer window, he needed backing with the signing of four players. But what did they do? They let three or four go and signed one, Kalvin Phillips, and we all saw what happened there.

“They hung the manager out to dry and as a result West Ham lost the third best manager in the club’s history. As far as I’m concerned it was a sliding doors moment, similar to when I was at the club in 1986 and we finished third, the board never invested and we got relegated two years later. David should have been given a five-year contract and been allowed to build on what he achieved.”

Tim Steidten left his role as technical director in February and Kyle Macaulay arrived as head of recruitment, but critics argue that chairman David Sullivan continues to take the opinion of too many allies outside the club.

That has contributed to Potter fighting against a tide of discontent at West Ham with a squad that has been put together by a number of people with different philosophies, priorities and agendas.

Encouragement may be taken from the fact in his second spell at the club, which proved to be successful, Moyes managed five league wins in his first 19 games at the end of the 2019-20 season and started the next campaign with two league defeats. Potter had five league wins from 18 games - including against Arsenal and Manchester United - last season and has started with two top-flight losses this term.

“I like Graham Potter,” said Cottee. “I said he should have been appointed when Lopetegui was and maybe we could have avoided some of the current problems if he had come in earlier. He seems to be a genuinely good guy and I think he’s a good coach, but he needs results. He needs at least a draw at (Nottingham) Forest at the weekend, otherwise the walls will start closing in.

“You hear a few people saying ‘get rid of him’. But then what do you do? Who do you replace him with? Sean Dyche? You can’t just keep changing managers and nothing else. Graham is still the right person in my opinion, but he needs to get some results – fast.

“We’re in really big trouble with the way things stand. It needs to change in the last few days of the transfer window with the players that are brought in. I’m scratching my head at why it’s been left so late until the last minute. Surely you get them in as early as possible to have a pre-season with the club. But, as I said, there’s no plan.”

[Massive Attack]

And another..

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... an-potter/

[Mike Oxsaw]

Demanding Sullivan and Brady to get out of our Club is really positive and sensible.

Not a hint of a "Whoooooosh!".



Oh, wait....

[Massive Attack]

It's building..

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... o-easy-fix

[GBHammer63]

Thanks XK for putting me straight, I'm going to make an effort not to be as rude on here as it’s not clever I will retract my suggestion of doing anything as scandalous and obviously illegal as buying a shirt from them naughty far easterners and I will refrain from calling you a thin skinned do gooder cսnt.

I stand corrected, accept my apologies 

[XKhammer]

Demanding Sullivan and Brady to get out of our Club is really positive and sensible.

Agree but not by buying illegal snide shirts 

[XKhammer]

Live is just too short

Im still knackered from that journey back from game last night...did you go tubby?

[Lee Trundle]

Live is just too short

[Massive Attack]

Demanding Sullivan and Brady to get out of our Club is really positive and sensible.

[XKhammer]

How about this, the truth is there are a lot of fans who will always turn up no matter what, but how about they at least turn up in cheap Chinese replica shirts instead of club kit? Still wearing your clubs colours, giving nothing to Sullivan and let’s face it, the ground is getting nearer and nearer to being empty at HT anyway.

 

And where are you going to get all this cheap Chinese replica snides from?
How do l get a refund for my purchase of the shirt?
Daft idea and illegal and as you correctly stated many will turn up no matter what

Still think we'll finish 10th, joyo?

Why not?
Live is just too short
How's the diet going?

[XKhammer]

I don’t call out people on here as a rule, everyone is entitled to an opinion, my opinion is XK you really are a negative cսnt, fuck me if you can’t get behind something this simple then keep doing what you’re doing, as for the shirt refund, you spent your money unwisely, if you make a bet that don’t come off would you look to the bookie for the refund?

Im not the negative one here plus l very rarely refer to others l don't know as cսnt,but you're coming close
Try posting something positive and sensible 

[Gank]

To be fair to XK, you are asking him to avoid giving money to Sullivan by purchasing a SECOND West Ham shirt.

[GBHammer63]

I don’t call out people on here as a rule, everyone is entitled to an opinion, my opinion is XK you really are a negative cսnt, fuck me if you can’t get behind something this simple then keep doing what you’re doing, as for the shirt refund, you spent your money unwisely, if you make a bet that don’t come off would you look to the bookie for the refund?

[Lee Trundle]

I’ve been saying this for ages, literally the only thing we can do that will panic them/get attention is to not turn up, it’s that simple. 

How about this, the truth is there are a lot of fans who will always turn up no matter what, but how about they at least turn up in cheap Chinese replica shirts instead of club kit? Still wearing your clubs colours, giving nothing to Sullivan and let’s face it, the ground is getting nearer and nearer to being empty at HT anyway.

 

And where are you going to get all this cheap Chinese replica snides from?
How do l get a refund for my purchase of the shirt?
Daft idea and illegal and as you correctly stated many will turn up no matter what

Still think we'll finish 10th, joyo?

[XKhammer]

Sheffield Wednesday fans know how to start a protest. 7,000 turned up last night v Leeds including Leeds fans. 

Our lot keep turning up in their thousands, giving cuntshovel Sullivan their money, yet still moan. Nobody ever learns

I’ve been saying this for ages, literally the only thing we can do that will panic them/get attention is to not turn up, it’s that simple. 

How about this, the truth is there are a lot of fans who will always turn up no matter what, but how about they at least turn up in cheap Chinese replica shirts instead of club kit? Still wearing your clubs colours, giving nothing to Sullivan and let’s face it, the ground is getting nearer and nearer to being empty at HT anyway.

 

 

And where are you going to get all this cheap Chinese replica snides from?
How do l get a refund for my purchase of the shirt?
Daft idea and illegal and as you correctly stated many will turn up no matter what

[Massive Attack]

Getting a few nibbles from the mainstream media now, as said before once they start Sullivan won’t ignore it for long, it draws attention to the way they’ve run this club, their egos won’t allow them to say nothing for very long thereby drawing even more attention, the petition, the proposed demo, it’s not doing nothing. Sign up for everything you can to keep the likes of talk sport nibbling.

In the future wouldn’t it be nice to think that you’ve done your bit to help rid us of these cunts, rather than knowing you blanked things like that petition and never did your bit?

Just did. Can't do any more.

Yeah we can, we got more tenacity than them cunts, keep up the good work, tell whoever you know to sign up. 

I've done it all, walked away for good until they go and I'll join the next march/protest. But honestly I've tried everything from pushing the petition, doing the phone-ins etc whilst I'm unable to go games now as my last final protest. 

[GBHammer63]

Getting a few nibbles from the mainstream media now, as said before once they start Sullivan won’t ignore it for long, it draws attention to the way they’ve run this club, their egos won’t allow them to say nothing for very long thereby drawing even more attention, the petition, the proposed demo, it’s not doing nothing. Sign up for everything you can to keep the likes of talk sport nibbling.

In the future wouldn’t it be nice to think that you’ve done your bit to help rid us of these cunts, rather than knowing you blanked things like that petition and never did your bit?

Just did. Can't do any more.

Yeah we can, we got more tenacity than them cunts, keep up the good work, tell whoever you know to sign up. 

[Massive Attack]

Getting a few nibbles from the mainstream media now, as said before once they start Sullivan won’t ignore it for long, it draws attention to the way they’ve run this club, their egos won’t allow them to say nothing for very long thereby drawing even more attention, the petition, the proposed demo, it’s not doing nothing. Sign up for everything you can to keep the likes of talk sport nibbling.

In the future wouldn’t it be nice to think that you’ve done your bit to help rid us of these cunts, rather than knowing you blanked things like that petition and never did your bit?

Just did. Can't do any more. Coming up now.

[GBHammer63]

Sheffield Wednesday fans know how to start a protest. 7,000 turned up last night v Leeds including Leeds fans. 

Our lot keep turning up in their thousands, giving cuntshovel Sullivan their money, yet still moan. Nobody ever learns

I’ve been saying this for ages, literally the only thing we can do that will panic them/get attention is to not turn up, it’s that simple. 

How about this, the truth is there are a lot of fans who will always turn up no matter what, but how about they at least turn up in cheap Chinese replica shirts instead of club kit? Still wearing your clubs colours, giving nothing to Sullivan and let’s face it, the ground is getting nearer and nearer to being empty at HT anyway.

[stubbo-admin]

No idea the veracity of it, but Nick that started the petition was highlighting that with the new regulator coming in, mass fan sentiment via things like Petitions can actually drive regulator invovlement to look at the running of a club.

They have powers to conduct a fit and proper persons review of incumbent owners as well as new owners, and in some circumstances even force a sale of an incumbent....so whilst none of it is guaranteed, there is scope for an 'outcome' with the petition if sufficient numbers are built.