Brady’s stadium view in perhaps her toughest ever interview
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.