Norwich based artist David “Gnasher” Nash who founded Gnashers Murals is back at work today in Newham creating a second West Ham mural close the famous ‘Long Live the Boleyn’ wall yards from where the Boleyn Ground once proudly stood. The art was commissioned by West Ham supporter Vik Taak who works for Newham Council as a tenant liaison officer and is part of a Newham street art project.

Vik has previously worked with local councillors, community groups local businesses and contractors to sponsor materials and hopes to work with schools to persuade young people they shouldn’t just spraying anywhere. Vik previously said  “I love street art, we want people to come to Newham to see it and spend money while they are here. Shop keepers are happy as long as the art is not offensive”

Vik and Gnasher are being tip lipped on what the subject matter is this time telling social media followers to check back in for progress updates.  Vik tweeted “Here we West Ham fans the 2nd bit of Street Art in Newham is about to start!! With @GnasherMurals”  Check in with https://twitter.com/VipDigitalpics for updates.

To quote a disgraced artist that will not be named. Can you guess what it is yet?

Last year Gnasher created a mural on Priory Road of Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds which can be seen below.

Karren Brady will never be everybody’s cup of tea and there have been many problems between her and the fans over the London Stadium.

We would not argue the fans have been unfair in their judgements of some of her words and actions which have often been abrasive.

However, she yesterday appeared before a London Assembly committee after major concessions have been received by the club from the stadium operators.

Here’s how the fans on the ClaretandHugh website responded to her performance.

O Every fan should watch this, not only to get the facts but to see what a major asset we have in Karen Brady. By heck she was impressive! If someone doesn’t have the time to watch it all I would recommend the section from 1:15:40 where she lists West Ham’s contribution to the area – makes you proud. I hope when her image appears on the screens in future there’s a big cheer instead of the boos I heard last time I was there.

O Most impressive. Obviously the Mayor took the chance , after the Burnley game, to grandstand and stick himself up front. Once everything died down and no further press opportunities were on offer, he lost all interest.
I sincerely hope the next hearing is also televised. I can’t wait to hear our landlords answers to some very serious, probing questions. Bravo BKB
COYI.

O Just watched this in full and for any of the doubters that Karren Brady does not have the Hammers interest at heart, they should do the same. There is a reason why she is so successful and it comes down to commercial acumen. We are extremely lucky to have such a talented individual at our club. The London Assembly were almost willing her to take the LS off of the tax payers hands…..I think this will happen, when the deal is right for WHU COYI

O Watched this throughout and have to say Karen Brady was really impressive and convincing. Hopefully the campaign of misinformation by the Mayor and the others will stop and some commonsense applied. Sadly I can’t see that happening as it is much easier to blame West Ham for everything! Whatever happens in the press, it is to be hoped that the people responsible for the sheer waste of public money will be held to account, but again I’m not holding my breath on that either!

O Got to say after watching Baroness Brady this afternoon she has my 100% support after the way she fought the corner, considering the abuse she has taken on social media in this past couple of months. She called West Ham as a family, families stand together let’s hope we can all stand together owners and supporters alike. We are bigger and better than the stadium operators.

West Ham Vice Chairman Karren Brady revealed yesterday at City Hill that a statue will be commissioned to fill the empty plinth at Champions Place outside the London Stadium originally intended for the World Cup champions statue from Green Street featuring Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst.

Earlier this year Newham council under a new mayor vetoed the move of the existing statue from the corner of Green Street and Barking Road despite previously agreeing to the move under previous mayor Sir Robin Wales.

Brady also revealed that the London Stadium East Stand will be renamed after a former player that is respected, this is largely anticipated to be Billy Bonds although no official confirmation has been made.  The Club previously tried to rename the road bridge to the stadium the Billy Bonds way but failed to reach agreement.

Today we ask who should be honoured in a new West Ham statue outside the London Stadium?

Happy to add additions suggestions we may have missed.  Vote below:

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Bill receives his lifetime service award

Ok, ClaretandHugh is ready to stage a protest march if the Irons don’t do the right thing…!

Karren Brady has let it be known that the London Stadium’s East Stand is to be named after a Hammers legend adding that it won’t be Dimitri Payet when mischievously asked the question at the London Assembly meeting yesterday (Wed).

There is only one contender and if it goes to anyone other than the first winner of the club’s lifetime service award there’s gonna be trouble – from here anyway.

That man is Billy Bonds – nobody else will do.

It would mean that the Hammers ‘holy trinity’ of  Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking and Bonzo will be ‘together’ again in the new stadium.

Everybody has been crying out for Bill to be honoured by the club and it would be staggering if anybody else were named as the recipient of this honour.

The three men were great mates and it’s more than arguable that Bill was the most dedicated guy every to wear the shirt.

So come on you Irons – let it be known quickly that he is the one before we start putting our protest march plans in place.

🙂

Tottenham appear to have suffered a major blow ahead of the game against us on Saturday.

The Evening Standard is claiming that Dele Ali has been ruled out of the game at the London Stadium which gives the Irons a perfect opportunity to get back on course after the Brighton and Hove Albion defeat.

The London daily evening ‘paper says the Spurs attacking midfielder will play no part in the match because of a thigh injury that has kept him out of the club’s last three matches.

The Standard report Alli is definitely out but it remains to be seen if he will joined on the sidelines by the likes of Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele, Serge Aurier and Danny Rose, who have also missed matches due to injury in the last few weeks.

Victor Wanyama’s involvement is also uncertain after he came off hobbling during international duty this week.

West Ham’s investigation into the youth coach Mark Phillips who went on a march organised by the Democratic Football Lads Alliance, will focus on whether he has brought the club into disrepute claims the Guardian who first broke the story earlier this week.

Phillips, who was suspended on Tuesday, is facing the possibility of losing his job after he tweeted about attending the DFLA’s march through central London last Saturday and went on to defend the organisation in subsequent tweets which he has since deleted.

West Ham’s own human resources team are now leading the investigation and have accepted that the march was not illegal according to Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg. He says they are adamant that Phillips has not been suspended simply for choosing to attend the march.

Friends of Phillips have defended him by saying that he went on the march because his sister, Natasha Aldridge, who was an eyewitness on the night of the London Bridge terror attacks. They have said he was showing support for her rather than the DFLA.

Kick it Out is prepared to offer Phillips a chance to attend one of their anti-discrimination courses. However, they told the Guardian they would not want to oversee a box-ticking exercise. Phillips would have to show a genuine willingness to learn.

West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady had admitted that the London Stadium with its current contracts would be difficult for West Ham to take over despite saying it is something she would look at.

Speaking to London Assembly budget monitoring committee at City Hall she said the club would need to be really clear how UK Athletics, seat moves, long-term stadium maintenance costs and the operator were factored in to even consider it.

Brady said “To be blunt, the reason we fixed our rent as a contribution to the operating costs is we did not want to find ourselves in the same position as E20 now find themselves in. We didn’t want to pick up costs of an operator we have no control over so we made an estimate being £51,000 being the cost at Upton Park”     

Brady added “If I put myself in E20’s place and I have to pick up the contracts that they have signed which don’t seem to be very commercially geared in my mind with the operator, with seat moves, with UK Athletics and other users then I think that would be a very difficult situation for anyone to take over”

West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady says she find E20’s match day costs of up to £290,000 per West Ham game quite incredible and she doesn’t understand them.

Brady explained to London Assembly members at City Hall today that West Ham’s costs at the Boleyn Ground before the move were £51,ooo per match day including stewarding, police and electricity for the former 35,000 stadium in Green Street.  She added even doubling that amount should mean a cost of £102,000 per match day which would be less than West Ham rent for the London Stadium. She says she shared those figures as part of the original tender process.

Brady insisted that West Ham’s rent was not too low at close to £3m per year but the London Stadium running costs were way too high. “I refuse to accept any criticism that our rent is too low, because that is simply not the case. Costs are too high,” Brady said.

Brady claimed she offered free help to the stadium owners 15 times but her offer of advice despite 25 years of running stadia had been refused.