West Ham Chairman David Gold was door stepped by journalists at a Premier League meeting yesterday. Accounts of the unscheduled press interactions now fill the papers this morning.
Speaking about the attack on Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward home Gold told journalists “I know exactly what Ed’s experienced. I’ve experienced it four or five times myself, what you’ve got to understand is that it is by a minute percentage, a couple of hundred people.”
“In my mind you’ve got a couple of hundred belligerents who want to, metaphorically, burn your house down. And those 200 will gather people who are listening, or walking by and wonder what it is all about.”
On Thursday the Premier League announced that fans who behave in an “unacceptable” manner towards players, supporters, club employees or referees will face a Premier League-wide ban. The Premier League said anyone banned by a single club will be banned by all 20 clubs.
“The league will come together as a unit to protect the likes of Ed and punish those perpetrators. It cannot be tolerated,” said Gold. “Manchester United are a big club, Ed Woodward is a big figure in the game. He cannot be worried about his wife and children.”
Gold added: “The Burnley game was dreadful. My 10-year-old granddaughter said: ‘Grandpa, what do they mean? You’re not a liar, are you grandpa?’ I mean, what do you say to a 10-year-old?”
“The story is that we are liars. That we have taken all the money. That is wrong,” said Gold.
“We are not liars. We have made mistakes. David Sullivan is not a bad person. He wants the club to be successful. Karren Brady works her socks off for the football club. And then you read these terrible things.”
“Do I look like I’m in it for profit?” he said. “I’m the kid who grew up in a life of poverty and used to bunk into West Ham. I have not received a penny in salary or expenses from West Ham in 10 years. I know of owners or chief executives that are earning £3m a year. All my young life, the club was in the old Second Division. We are in the Premier League now. OK, we’ve got a few problems but overall we’re moving upwards. There have been a few difficulties with the stadium but the one we have now holds 60,000.”
“I spoke to a cab driver on Wednesday who spent half an hour saying how he was thrilled with the stadium and how his kids love it. But is he on the television? Is he in the paper? No. All that’s in the paper is the guy that wants to kill me or burn my house down. That’s the problem.”
Gold is correct. I walked past the two hundred belligerents myself at the last game. Found myself trying to explain to my kids why there was people standing about on the grassy mound next to the aquatic centre. Don’t worry about them I said. They don’t support West Ham.
Is ken for real? I’d suggest that maybe you weren’t a true West Ham supporter.
Don’t call other fans please. Thanks
Yet Ken is allowed to call fans with a grievence against the board who are protesting in a peaceful manner beligerents (as I’m sure you know Hugh, a beligerent is someone acting in a hostile or agressive manner, certainly NOT the case in this instance).
And 200 atendees? Do behave mate.
I missed Ken’s comment Maca but no he shouldn’t have been allowed to and i’ll try and sort out with moderation team. Don’t tell me to behave mate. I allow all views here and am deliberately stepping back to allow the discussion to continue but let’s not start calling each other. Solves nothing
I wasn’t telling YOU to behave, I was referring to Ken’s estimate of 200 people!
Apologies mate
You obviously didn’t walk past if you think there were 200!!
Clearly not blessed with good eyesight pal. Might want to go to specsavers if you think that was 200
That is disgraceful, I have been a fan for over 50 yrs and I was there amidst the 2000 because I am passionate about the club and distraught at its steady decline. To be called a non supporter smacks is nuttier pilff. We all have our opinions but to be castigated for having them is why this club is in a great crisis.
I agree with David, there isn’t enough positive publicity on the directors. They saved our club, they gave a big budget to spend on players to Pelle, what did he do, wasted it. His the man we should blame.
They didn’t everything right, not surprising. I and fans all around me in the Billy Bond stand, loved Upton Park but thought we needed to go up a level on a stadium, and no one around me dislikes the London stadium and the atmospire is great, when the fans get behind the team.
Couldn’t put it better myself.
Having supported at Upton Park since 1962 the ground lost its charisma once all seater and that monolithic west stand dwarfing rest of stadium!
As for fortress we were relegated three times and Iremember quite a few dire seasons with the odd one off good year.
Some need to stamp on their rose coloured glasses!
My kids and grandchildren love new stadium and we actually can be season ticket holders which was a distant and expensive dream at Upton park
He dosnt help himself…he said ,, we are not in crisis we are on the up ,, really mate in the relegation zone after all the expectations ….come on , if people want to protest that’s fine as long as its peaceful, he goes on about taking no money but last week they took 3 million in interest on there own loan to the club ..🙄👍 brady is a disgrace the way she goes about her business imo….I wouldn’t say im a board hater im just fed up of the last 5/6 years of expectations that they gave but it’s just one failure after another ..in the end it gets to much
I’m not calling them liars but one things for sure they are not
taking the club in the right direction poor training grounds
no scouts to speak of a ground we don’t own wich is designed for athletics not football
Another PR disaster. Allowing himself to be “doorstepped”, and to provide off-the-cuff” comment, is amateurish in the extreme.
Oh, and as for the “not in it for the profit” comment, the 4% to 6% interest rate on loans to the club suggests a different story.
Please don’t be fooled by Mr Gold’s “woe is me”.
The team are not performing, the fans are restless their frustrations are voiced and as is the way it’s bad/negative news that grabs the headlines, the need for some fans to blame someone falls upon the board. Now I have no idea of the intracisies of running a football club but I would imagine for successful businessman there would surely be easier way’s of making money.
They paid the money and appointed a ‘top class coach’ in Pelligrini and backed him in the market with the signings he wanted, everyone was happy, now there either injured or out of form the team struggling and it’s the boards fault. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. I respect and understand people’s views on leaving the Boleyn and why they blame the board, I loved the ground, but also remember the crush at the turnstiles and barriers in the stands before it became all seater, and where it must be said along with all other grounds it lost most of its atmosphere, I believe the chance to move to the new stadium to increase the numbers, to move up a ‘level’ was too good to pass by, I like the stadium.
I’m sure the board are fans and only want the best for the club, the fans, and for West Ham to be successful on and off the pitch. Now more than ever we need to get behind the team and stay in this league, I feel if we’ll thrive if we do, lessons have been learnt, I’m sure we will be stronger for it. COYI
Except that it’s been proved they are liars. DG himself said the stands wouldn’t be further from the pitch than at UP and if they were, we wouldn’t move. This was a lie. World class stadium. Another lie. Haven’t taken any money from the club. Another lie as they take interest from the club.
And don’t think DS is a bad person. Just a greedy incompetent one.
Yes what about the interest over ten years on the “ Loans “ that we still owe you and Sully. Even Mr Ashley wasn’t embarrassed enough to charge. You being such a great fan and all that rubbish. You clearly keep stating “ you don’t need it “ 🤷🏻♂️ Fickle fact.
A fan was banned for a tee shirt with six letters on it for “deliberately incite incite the crowd.
A co-owner of the club calls protesters belligerents who want to destroy the club as well as liking a description of them as morons and neanderthals – All topped off with a comment potentially comparing them to the thugs that attacked Ed Woodward’s house and indeed fearing for his life!!
I know which of those two stories I would say was intended to “deliberately incite the crowd”
It’s all been peaceful and done away from the stadium and the moral high ground is with the fans who are unhappy with the running of the club and the fanciful stories they have been fed for years and want change.The media can see it and so can more and more fans.
Yet another own goal by an ownership who don’t want scrutiny or bad press.