By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
For the life of me, I cannot understand why former West Ham chairman David Sullivan would want to attend home games at the London Stadium.
Unwanted and unappreciated by many supporters, Sullivan was effectively booted out of his own boardroom by the current West Ham hierarchy. It would seem there are very few fans who actually want him back at the London Stadium on a matchday.
Sullivan himself claims that this season he is simply going to be a West Ham fan.
That appears rather disingenuous from where I’m standing, but even if we accept that at face value, I still fail to see why he can’t support the club from the comfort of his own diamond-encrusted Chesterfield armchair.
As West Ham’s ownership saga continues to dominate the headlines, Sullivan’s matchday presence feels like an unnecessary distraction rather than a positive development.
Who actually benefits?
Quite why the London Stadium and the Metropolitan Police would have to put additional provisions in place simply so Sullivan can attend games is beyond me.
At best it feels like a vanity project. At worst, it gives the impression of somebody wanting to irk the very supporters who made it abundantly clear they wanted change at the football club.
From a purely human perspective, I struggle to understand why anyone would willingly attend an event where they know they’re unpopular with tens of thousands of people.
Each to their own, I suppose.
Most supporters have already moved on
That said, I do think a little too much is being made of the disruption Sullivan’s attendance could supposedly cause.
There have been suggestions that additional security measures may be required to deal with possible unrest among West Ham supporters.
Personally, I don’t buy it. Suggestions that it could all ‘kick off’ in the stands are wide of the mark.
The truth is that, for most Hammers fans, David Sullivan is yesterday’s man.
He’s gone.
Most supporters have moved on and are far more interested in who eventually takes the club forward than dwelling on the previous regime.
I very much doubt Sullivan’s appearance at the London Stadium will provoke the kind of anger some are predicting, and I suspect the vast majority of fans will simply ignore him.
Even so, I still think it’s probably best for everyone concerned if he doesn’t bother turning up at all.
After all the issues he has caused the club he has the front to say he will attend games as a fan as you say hes yesterdays man but it may not kick off but he can expect a. Lot.of stick.only a complete fool would turn up.at a place any place where hes hated with a passion then this is sullivan.wete talking about a total nightmare.with no common sense
I’m sure there’s already a few unsavoury football chants being practiced ready for the first sighting of him in the stands 🤔 COYI ⚒️⚒️⚒️
Most would say that Sullivan is unwelcome so it would be a positive for him not to be there.
Why on earth shouldn’t he go to watch home games? It is something he has been doing all of his life much like the rest of us. When he went to school in Hornchurch in the early sixties he regularly attended matches.The only thing he is guilty of is not running the club particularly well especially since the passing of DG. I am particularly grateful for him rescuing the club after the shambles of the Icelandic idiots.
I wonder who is going to rescue us after DK and AS who are only interested in money for themselves have moved on
Gonzo the sad truth is hes still the majority shareholder like it or not