Hammers vice charman Karren Brady has found herself at the centre of a pretty torrid interview in which the journalist responsible – from The Times – has asked her the sort of questions that may have needed answering for some time.Journalist Sabah Maddings – writing under a headline declaring – Karren Brady: ‘I try not to promote myself but it’s hard’ -makes some wicked points about how she perceives as her “two sides.”
The piece focuses mainly on her various business interests – which have been a problem for Hammers fans for some time – notably her Sky column which many of us believe represents a big conflict of interests.
But beyond the main focus of the article she has a brief word about Hammers fans bitterly disappointed at the way things have worked out at the London Stadium.
She declares: “Football is a kind of religion for (West Ham fans). You do everything you can to make it work. Sometimes it doesn’t!”
At a business level the “sometimes it doesn’t” comment means in real terms that pre-tax profits of £19.2 million in the year to the end of May 2008 are down from £43 million. Sales meanwhile fell from £183.3 million to £175.3m
The bitter complaints about the stadium itself from many fans may or may not be included in the Brady view of things. Like much else in her answers, that is unclear.
The only other direct reference to the Irons comes from her as the person charged with sacking Manuel Pellegrini where she adds: “We did expect him to do what he had to do.”
Meanwhile Maddings writes that one side of Baroness Brady is the warm womens’ champion and the other “a question dodging self promoter” who according to her website is ‘ one of the most highly influential, high profile and respected female business leaders in the UK.’
Her latest business venture is named after herself – The Karren Brady MBA – available to all wanabee top operators, by the way, at a mere £12.5k if you are interested !
Her comment on that: “There’s a really fine line between promoting the things you believe in and people believing you are promoting yourself. That’s a very hard line not to cross and I try not to cross it.” Hmm!
Her role as a womens’ rights campaigner is covered along with her resignation from Sir Philip Green’s holding company following allegations the retail tycoon sexually and racially harassed staff.
Brady claimed she had a “sense of duty” to its employees and that “walking away” would be the easy thing to do. Two weeks later, she resigned.”
She’s asked, “as an influential woman”, whether she doesn’t have a duty to speak out against men who behave as Green allegedly did? She once denounced Harvey Weinstein as a “serial predator”.
Maddings reports: The temperature in the room drops. “I do speak out about these types of things,” Brady snaps. “I speak out quite vocally, whether that’s through my columns [in The Sun], whether that’s in the House of Lords, or whether that’s generally, so to suggest I haven’t wouldn’t be right.”
That’s the one and only mention of The Sun which some claim earn her around £4k a week. It feels bizarre that she should speak out on such matters to a tabloid which has no serious record of looking at women’s minds rather than their bodies.
Karren Brady has always been a hugely controversial West Ham figure – this interview probably demonstrates why more accurately than any before it.
Karen Brady the Ego is all that comes across to me….. Me, Myself and I. Contradiction after contradiction, where the standard business models don’t apply to her and it has everything to do with luck and chance, instead of planning and direction.
I’m still trying to figure out what makes her such a fantastic business woman……in fact, I’m perplexed. As one of Alan Sugar’s assistants who is tasked with watching each of the candidates every action with hypercritical eyes. Which requires an in-depth understanding of business acumen…… this understanding is sadly lacking from her own role as a Sporting Executive at West Ham United Football Club.
IF the basic infrastructure of the business is not right, there is little to no chance of competing against clubs with similar businesses who have a better infrastructure in place.
As far as I’m concerned, she is close to useless in her role…. whatever that is and could only operate in her capacity at a dysfunctional run club like ours?
I’d like to thank Journalist Sabah Maddings for NOT pandering to her or treating her to the respect that she is afforded by her pals in the press.
That’s a fair assessment Cat. She plays the Politics well and dodges questions that need the real answers like the Matrix moves lol. The main reason she is in that position is because she was wealthy from her Family that is it.
Nil Planning or Forsight.
I just finished 21 years in the Military in Logistics. And we had to plan so far in advance because of Ship movements and plan for potential defects. It’s no different in any buisiness to plan ahead effectively
In any well run club she would have been shown the door a long time ago. One wonders what keeps her safe in her job. Is anybody afraid of secrets she knows?
To be the woman she is in the business world and get where she is I’m guessing she would have to have an incredible amount of self belief and self confidence and probably has also to have a bit of a thick skin too to put herself up for the things she does. All the knockers should look at the way West Ham have risen to being the 17th richest club in the world in terms of revenue and ask me again what she has done for our club exactly. It’s hard to work this website out because it seems to be anti Brady, yet pro board. At the same time it seems to endorse people like hammers chat who broadcast anti board sentiment on a regular basis.
Maybe that shows C & H is a balanced site which allows all points of view to be heard.
Hahaha, you wish
Ms Brady did a good job on arrival at UP. We were in a mess, on a downward spiral to Administration. She and S&G ensured this trend was reversed. However, since that time the skill set required to manage a growing business successfully has not been evidenced. Yes, we have moved stadium and now have a larger crowd which has increased revenue……but by how much. “Not a lot” is the tv catch phrase I believe. The majority of the increase in revenue is from tv money NOT increased crowds, not increased shirt sales with the London brand seemingly not increasing our exposure as planned. It is interesting that a lot of the dialogue from S, G & B last week was underlining the social benefits of the ground move…….the cheap season tickets being the obvious but not only example. This is a great positive but appears to have moved from being a side benefit to the main benefit. The step change in quality of player is yet to appear (the present team player by player is no better than our last at UP and clearly performs far worse), the stadium is still work in progress and the reality is until the stands are nearer the pitch (ALL of them) we will never be that happy. Ms Brady is the CEO and should be ensuring our non tv revenues increase significantly in real terms. To date she has failed.
I rest my case, case, case………..
As referred to elsewhere, having been in her company and witnessed her rantings on several occasions, it is sad that Double D’s feel so inadequate as to have allowed themselves to be hypnotised by such a self-obsessed person and for so many years.
They seem confused as to which kind of inappropriate persons they should listen to: children or egomaniacs.
Unfortunately, they allow their own self-interests to cloud their ability to properly understand the farther ranging requirements of a football club.
‘Lady R’ can only excel in an environment where the much older owner(s) are out of their depth, in the first place; our owners fit that bill to a t/tee. Perhaps they are attempting to equalise their previous ‘careers’?
Question whether the club would miss her.
Surprised she isnt trumpeting the achievement of the carpet more.
Also, west ham fans ‘religious’, hmmm well her and the brothers were leading us to the promised land, were they not?
As for speaking up for womens rights, writing for the scum is total moral conflict, much as i love West Ham i wont have sky as i wont directly contribute to murdoch.
She didn’t have any qualm voting against disabled peoples payments and protections when the house of lords had a chance to reinstate them. Many carers are women, that was a despicable act by a priviliged few.
Not a fan of Brady, based on her self-promoting and spurs loving comments.
Appears blind to the genuine reasons to question their stewardship of the club, their series of dodgy management appointments and bargain basement or dads army transfer policy.
Nice carpet
In 45 years supporting our club I’ve never hated an anyone at our club more she is as far removed from the fans as it is possible to be. Her sun column when bilic was sacked was just nastiness personified. A horrible excuse for a person for me she represents everything bad about our club the past 10 years. I am genuinely ashamed she is still linked to our club.
The thing that gets me about them, shown in their recent ‘statements’,is that they all seem to talk about the lack of success on the pitch as if it is something that just happens, like the weather or natural disasters. Sullivan did mention about possible errors appointing ‘some managers’ & that they had ‘made mistakes’ but it would be much more constructive if they told us what those mistakes were. Do they even know where they have gone wrong?Even better if they gave some indication that lessons had been learned for the future. But you get the feeling they still think they have done everything right except the football side where some mysterious curse has prevented us developing into a decent side. I read this stuff & feel absolutely zero confidence that anything will change for the better.
By the way that is not a board out rant. They have all been successful people in their own fields & don’t lack intelligence. I am amazed that people in their position have been unable to bring in changes in West Ham’s performance. In the end money is the key & they don’t have enough of it to make us European champions, I understand that much. But they have enough to have us averaging top 8 rather than bottom half with repeated relegation worries. For heavens sake show some humility & accept that other owners are doing this better than you are, and then try to learn from them!
Spot on Hugh.
What has she actually done that has benefited the club?
Inadvertently stopped us signing Slimani?
Stopped a few potentially bad signings because they may or may not have abused females?
Thankfully she failed in her bid to rename the club and the less said about her “massively successful stadium migration” the better!
I remember her publically urging us all to watch a programme about her that was on the same time as one of our matches.
West Ham United should be run,on a day to day basis, by someone who spends 100% of their time and effort on it,imo.
Part time CEO? Unheard of and poor
Every time i hear a fan mention the owners not having enough money to make us top 4/6/8, i think back to Leicester winning the title with a squad that didn’t cost millions. Even the Leicester of this season haven’t gone out and spent more millions than we have to be 3rd in the table. It’s such an inept point. Sheffield United are another case in point this season. What happens on the pitch is first and foremost down to the management of the players that are on it by the person appointed to run the team. It’s not down to the owners. Yes, they pay to get the players to the club and in the past, due to Sullivan being in charge of transfers, those players haven’t really worked out but this season Pellegrini, who we all thought was going to take us to the next level (European qualification) had the starting 11 he wanted and, injuries to Antonio and Wilshere aside, played them and yet the football still wasn’t that great. How is that the owners fault?
As for Brady, she is a successful business person. Anyone as successful as her in the business World is generally there due to some nefarious behaviour. Show me a business person that isn’t. Why some fans of West Ham have such a hatred towards her says a lot more about them than her, ditto the board. I bet a lot of people read a paper owned by some right wing billionaire or have an apple product made by some poor modern day slave in a Chinese factory. We all make bad decisions. Picking and choosing who we don’t like when every one of us share similar negative traits isn’t very smart.
As a couple of fans on here have said recently, we’re in a much better position to progress now than we’ve ever been. It might take a little longer than we initially believed but instant gratification at the cost of the future of our club doesn’t make much sense, does it?
Why doesn’t a side with little financial backing (which Leicester definitely are not btw) win the PL every year then?Or even every 5 years? Have a look back through the league winners in England and in Europe over the last fifteen years. Think you are the one making the inept point.
Brady is a list.
I would have sacked her
This can’t go on
Cut her off the paylist
Hope this soon will end