EXCLUSIVE
By Hugh Southon
David Sullivan left West Bromwich Albion early on Saturday evening because his 97 year old mother Thelma was lying critically ill in a hospital bed.
West Ham United consumes the club’s co chairman and and chief shareholder but he was desperate on this occasion to get away to be by Mum’s bedside.
David himself has been through quadruple heart by-pass surgery and has been told by his doctors to avoid all stress.
He had parked up in an area which didn’t open until an hour after the game and thus faced the walk to his car which was interrupted by a baying mob of “supporters” invading his space as he tried to cope with a desperate Irons performance and a determination to get to his mother’s side as soon as possible.
His anguish was multiplied by the fact that most doctors believe that Thelma’s life span can now be measured in days.
These are the things supporters don’t see apparently believing that because they have been fans for 40 years they have the right to make a man’s life a living hell.
David Sullivan – despite the issues surrounding his mother and heading a familiy with the domestic problems we all encounter – is a 24/7 Irons workaholic.
He admits privately that the club is not a business but his “passion and hobby” and every inquiry I have ever made of him has been met with the sort of courtesy and respect he attempted to show the people who cornered him
Today he remains shocked by the real anger felt by some supporters towards himself and long term business partner David Gold.
And although he understands it’s a minority they were VERY vociferous !
However, the younger supporters, not heard on the filming on the fan sites, strongly disagreed with what was going on.
Our thoughts are with the Sullivan family and Thelma this evening!
Watching the way Mr Sullivan was treated was disgraceful. We all felt angry and let down by the performance on Saturday as it was appalling to say the least but these supporters need to realise that things as massively better than there where before the two David’s took over.
Ok yes they paid a lot of money to get up to support us but to abuse the owner for what the manager and players where responsible for is so out of order! Whether Sam goes we will see but whatever the owners do will be in the best interests of the club. If you don’t like it then don’t go! Simple! I am ashamed by their behaviour and they brought great shame on our club!
These people are not fans, no matter if they have season tickets and go to every game and you shouldn’t legitimize them by naming them fans,
They are brainless morons that can be found in every sport and every walk of life. One sees them on TV at all sorts of events and they can usually be identified by the bottle of beer in their hand.
It is people like Sullivan who are the true fans. Who else would pour their hard earned money into a game that brings you nothing but headaches and abuse from a bunch of ignorant slobsw
Hey,enough of the stereotyping,i walk around with a bottle of beer in my hand.I love a drink-up on match day but i dont go around attacking people.Be it verbally or physically.But i guess if you us terminology like ‘one’ not ‘i’ or ‘we’ we live in different spheres of life.Clearly you believe anyone on match day to be seen with a bottle in hand is a thug.
Sorry for what happened,
But a lot of fans put every penny they have and it is hard earned into our club it might not be in there millions and they might have beer in there hands and that’s besause they can’t afford champagne, but that does not make them thugs,
Just because we have been brought up to think and speak our minds does not make us all result to attacking people in public,
It was unacceptable behaviour, only at the start of the season everyone was praising the David’s for the transfer business, they don’t pick the team Sam Allardyce does. Hopefully the people involved feel suitably ashamed but who knows…
Unfortunately No.32, these people are probably far too moronic to have any sense of shame. Everyone has the right to an opinion, the freedom to express it. No one has the right to bully anyone, behave in such an aggressive manner or be downright abusive. I wish David Sullivan had offered them all a refund – on cancellation of their season tickets because our club would be all the better without these people.
The two Davids are very approachable people and clearly try to make themselves available to the fans where possible. These idiots will spoil that for everyone as the Chairmen could not be blamed if they choose in future to distance themselves from fans, for their own security. The saving grace is that such mindless followers, I wouldn’t call them supporters, are a very small minority, as is evident from the outpouring of support for David Sullivan on most of the supporters sites. The simple fact is that our club possibly wouldn’t have survived without the Davids and certainly wouldn’t have progressed without both their support and financial input. We owe them some gratitude, as well as respect.
I don’t think we should abuse those fans. They said some ridiculous things but they wanted to vent their anger at someone and who better than the Chairman of the company that dishes up high priced rubbish masquerading as football?
Not being used to meeting powerful people they didn’t have the words to express their dissatisfaction. That’s all. There was no violence or threats. Just drink inspired abuse from one or two and incoherent arguments but I hope David Sullivan gets the overall picture.
After all these guys are not special hooligan fans. They are normal working class football fans that had travelled a long way, spent a lot of money and watched a bunch of millionaire players not turn up. The manager is a cynical survival specialist rather than a tactician. He made ridiculous team selections based on anything but merit, and for the umpteenth time the football was crap.
How big a fan is David Sullivan because if he is what he claims, then he will not renew SA’s contract this summer. But survival in the Premier League with £125+m TV money in prospect could just be more compelling than disgruntled fans that provide around a third of WH’s revenues….
Take another look!
You can look and look HUGH but people have different standards to some it was disgusting moronic stupid Ect Ect,I don’t think anyone is condoning it but I also think these people were along way from brainless football hooligans that some think they were,
We need to stop the rot now and move on to a different subject, if the owners and the police think there is more to do on the situation then I am sure they will take the apropit action,
We have all seen the recording and probably a lot of people know the offenders, if they are attended then let them take what ever action they think is acceptable.
What happened to Mr. Sullivan on Saturday was a disgrace and utterly inexcusable. I have a lot of respect for what the two David’s have done for the club and without wishing to be melodramatic, they probably saved the club from financial ruin. He deserved more respect than he received from those who confronted him. Also got to like the way he handled it , offering to shake hands rather than add to the tension.
I hope he gets to spend time with his mum before her time comes. Football really pales into the background in comparison.
Having said that, if his doctors advised him to “avoid all stress” – is he really doing himself any favours doing this job in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, credit where it is due but really I would not want his work with the hammers to end up killing him. I am sure his family would agree. The job brings stress and with the high demands of the supporters you either have to deal with it or move on, for your own good as well as that of the club.
Inexcusable as their behaviour was towards him , i wonder if they knew the real reason he was leaving early would it have been a similar reaction.
I agree with you Celtic; I’m also frustrated by this defeat and above all by our manager, but in my opinion this is not the right way to solve problems.
I saw another video on youtube where Mr Sullivan puts his hand on his chest probably because he is afraid and shocked. That moment made me think.
First of all he’s an old person, I feel sorry for him.
@canchaz. They weren’t legitimized buddy. The word supporters was in inverted commas
Anyone who has doubts over our owners need to put SkySports on and have a look at what’s happened to Birmingham City since their fans drove them out the club
Yeah i was just watching that.Bet their fans wish Sullivan & Gold were still there now!