I can really only speak personally when responding to Baroness Brady’s open letter to fans, which Simon published earlier this evening.
Whilst I would always encourage the club to maintain open communication with the fan base, Brady’s statement took a long time to address the one issue I wanted to read about: concession ticketing.
That’s not to dismiss what was said in the build-up of her letter, but it didn’t really need saying. Of course, I’m delighted that George Earthy scored a goal and got his chance. Yes, I’m grateful to David Moyes for winning a trophy and I absolutely welcome Julen Lopetegui to the club. However, her observations and platitudes were mere hors d’oeuvres ahead of the main course.
Karren did eventually get to the point in addressing the ticketing issues, which have prompted a petition signed by over 10,000 West Ham fans, a boycott of club merchandise, and many pledging not to attend the Betway Cup. Unfortunately, when she did address the elephant in the room it was clear that nothing would change.
Put simply, Brady has failed to grasp what the real issues actually are, as was clearly demonstrated with her use of the term ‘small price uplift’.
Not good enough
There is an absolute failure to comprehend just how angry fans are that the oldest and youngest supporters are being asked to climb to the very top of the stadium or pay full price for new concession tickets.
It’s a cruel policy that makes anything else the club says about community projects or fan engagement totally redundant. Like many, I completely switch off with the overuse of acronyms to describe the latest version of a supporters committee. I have zero faith that any club-selected fan advisory board will do anything of note, and I’m surely not alone.
So the message from Karren Brady was a complete waste of her time and ours. It should have read, “Dear West Ham fans, we’ve received your feedback regarding recent ticketing changes and would like to apologise for the clumsy way the club has dealt with the issue. We hereby announce all changes to the concession season tickets have been scrapped.”
It now appears clear to me that nothing will change the policy, and it’s here to stay, irrespective of petitions or boycotts.
all she is Sullivan’s mouthpiece
The day they called us customers said it all. OAPs and kids they don’t want us.
Kids are the future of our support. They need to realise they are pricing them out massively.
Could be worse mate, I turn 65 in December and I won’t be able to get a senior concessio, ever!
People Listen!!! You have to rearlize they do not understand what us fan’s have to put up with if they think they do just take one so called matchday experience form out of their executive box and see what fans have to put with. There not fans they don’t care about us fan’s it’s all about 1 thing only how to line their pockets…..
Great piece of writing.
The West Ham we knew and loved was binned when the xxxxxx and the xxxxx got their filthy hands on our club. They are repulsive. Our club is in the hands of filthy rich exploitation merchants who went crawling to the human rights abusing regimes of the Middle East and even they told these greedy, thieving billionaires to do one.
Time for fans to vote with their feet and boycott the Betway Club and Club shop!!
We have to kick them where it hurts, otherwise they stay Deaf & Dumb!!!
Unfortunately fans won’t do that. They are buying the new kit in droves. If fans boycott the game and stop buying the new strip, even fir a couple of weeks, theb the message might get through.
I think it’s acceptable what the club are doing about concessionary tickets. We have the cheapest season tickets and the situation is being abused by people buying confession tickets, upgrading them for matches that fans want to attend and leaving them empty for other games. I know this for a fact because we have a few of them in our group.
If you bought a season ticket when we moved to Stratford then there isn’t really a problem unless you want to move seats. You’ve had 7 years to sort thst out.
We have to improve our match day income and the atmosphere and this is a positive step to achieve that.
What planet are you on. But as they say, there’s always one
I don’t get the boycott the club shop thing. Revenue we earn makes us a bigger better club able to buy bigger better players. Why would you want to harm that. I don’t see it as lining Sullivan pockets. His pockets are already lined anyway. The money goes to the club. Makes us a richer club. Anyway much as I agree with Gonzo and disagree with treatment of concession fans etc I’m also aware it happens at every other club. Has anyone looked at how much they charge for season tickets at places like Tottenham and Arsenal by the way?
People like you are the dregs of society
Disagree with Barry, join the dregs! Personal abuse is not necessary and makes the abuser look a fool.
It’s getting saucy on here ain’t it
At the end of the day we are ££ to her and him Karen put a stop to people with learning disabilities visiting the stadium for free. Just goes to show how much they really care.
Being a season ticket holder for nearly thirty years and retired I was more than disappointed that I could not get a concessionary ticket unless I was up in the gods
We have all known for to long it’s just about money to them they have no respect for fans
Yet again shamefully wrong west ham board
Nothing will change until dumb and dumber are gone. A rich Englishman needs to buy the club not Arabs, Russians etc. An east end club needs an east end boy to take over. In the meantime, boycott the xxxx and Brady bunch plans!⚒️⚒️🫧🫧
with a letter like that you can guess what they say about the fans and families who were born into and grew up with this club.
When I read it, I just see blah,blah,blah,blah………
Can’t get a season ticket because fixtures are changed too often and too many at such short notice, stopped my claret membership last season and stopped going in 2024 and won’t renew or be going again this season.
Didn’t like things under Moyes but he was just a blob in the bigger picture and until the current board goes, not a lot will probably can change.
I shall be watching every game still, my love for my team never changes but you just have to make a decision.
I know me not going to games changes nothing and I don’t spend hardly any money at the ground anyway, so I am going to have no impact on that score personally.
It’ll be a happy day when Sullivan & Brady f#ck off. I get my shirts from DHGATE now, only £20 max with player name and number on the back. Passable quality and they’re already selling the new home kit
I am a life long Irons supporter.
My first game was in the 1960/61 season.
Now I’m disabled and climbing up to the gods in the London stadium is just not an option for me, nor is paying the cost of the lower tiers.
The return train fair is £30 plus the match ticket making pitch side support off the table.
I have to content myself with MotD or the radio or YouTube the day after.
I get they have to make a profit but the attitude towards disabled supporters is abhorrent!
I’m a senior citizen with mobility issues. I would’ve spent just under a £1k for a concession in an area adjacent to a corner flag. But there’s no way I’m travelling from Bristol every home game to crawl to the upper upper seats with a pair of binoculars to watch a game. It’s properly taking the ****!
I agree with you absolutely.And ignoring this completely in her ‘open letter’ is just rubbing salt into the wound.
I’m old have problems with my knees, I’m sad to sayI won’t be going to home games anymore.
I’m an 80 year old pensioner I can’t afford to follow the club I’ve followed since 1952 Ted Fenton will turn in his grave the way Sullivan and Co are treating the elderly and driving away children who are the future of this great club .
Boycott the Bars and the other fortune making fascinated
Make then realise we are the loyal backbone of
west ham United.
As a Palace fan (I’m sorry) it seams they are taking the P*** I am a pensioner and my seat in the lower homesdale is £370
Not a Parish fan but his prices since we have been back in the Premier League is nothing to argue about
Typical dross from the person paid 2million quid by Daniel Kretinskyto “enable” the smooth transition to his ownership. Seems hes taking it back now with no regard for true fans.
What planet are you on. But as they say, there’s always one