While Karren Brady is peddling her lines in the Sun newspaper and David Sullivan appears on Jim White’s Talksport radio, David Gold remains silent and dignified.
He has significantly reduced his output on Twitter to minimal announcements and no longer involves himself in social media spats with West Ham fans.
Gold has the biggest connection to West Ham of all the shareholders having once lived at 442 Green Street and played for the West Ham youth team as a youngster.
Although he owns 35 per cent of the shares of West Ham, he is very much the silent partner of the shareholders and the respected elder statesman of the board.
He has continuously turned down the offer of media interviews in recent times including the Jim White believing no good could come of it.
He still cares passionately about West Ham and we think he will be around long after Sullivan and Brady eventually depart.
Maybe he should take up a role like Terry Brown with a life presidency role and a place for life in the director’s box. If an offer comes in that is good to take the club forward we think he will happily stand aside.
I think the protesters should cut the 84-year-old a little slack in their efforts to replace the trio and not tar him with the same brush.
There are those who will continue to plead he is guilty by association with the others but his silence in the current traumatic situation speaks louder than any words.
Maybe her ladyship should show him a bit more respect when spouting off about Covid.
As you say he’s 84, and hasn’t had the best of health in recent years, so Covid is high risk for him.
Something Brady seems to of overlooked in her rant.
At the risk of being called a lackey (either of C&H or of the board) I agree with what you have said Sean – and have said so before (e.g. he was calling for Moyes to be given a chance the day before Sully interviewed “Zorro” and then went on to appoint Pelle)
I thought that the flack that Gold got for posting a happy birthday to Snoddy on Twitter was uncalled for – so I am happy seeing you post this
Just for the record Zahooma every decision Sean and i make on pieces have to be agreed or they don’t appear. We know who is driving the club’s problems
Not sure if it’s Sullivan or the fans you’re referring to here Hugh ! Good article though
In what respect? Sean wrote it mate
I’ve never had any issues with gold, he is a fan who got to own his boyhood club. Unfortunately he obviously doesn’t have a voice yet gets dogs abuse. Sully is the runner of the club, and the 51% owner. He needs to sell and go now.
Sean
I concur with everything you have said regarding David Gold in this article.
I firmly believe that he is a genuine, honest man whose heart is in the right place and he has been sadly misjudged at times.
Almost totally with you Sean. Gold has always come across with dignity. The worst I would accuse him of is letting his enthusiasm as a fan overtake his normal professional demeanour. Eg this has led to him (twice) stating “this is the best West Ham squad in history”, and each time sadly the squad proving otherwise. Unfortunately, his enthusiastic support for the move of stadium cannot be forgotten by me but I am happy to be led to believe that he felt it would improve West Ham’s future and not just a property money making move that I suspect drove Sullivan.
If Gold was a bigger fan of West Ham than he is of money, he would’ve redeveloped the East Stand at Upton Park, instead of being complicit in the biggest lies told in recent West Ham history (which were that Newham wouldn’t have given planning permission for redevelopment and that there would be retractable seating at the OS). I agree that he cuts a much more dignified figure than S or B, but, in my view, he ought to be no friend of any West Ham fan with a memory of the last 10 years. Unfortunately, while I don’t go along with sloganeering, there’s a ‘G’ in “GSB Out”.
Not defending but frankly I always considered UP a dump with lousy travel links. Sometimes this backward looking romanticism needs to be challenged.
Agree, Hugh. It wasn’t the Bernabeu, but it was configured for football, had a lot of history and could’ve been redeveloped. One of the reasons it was “a dump” was that none of the owners ever spent money on it. On the day the Club left, you could still make out the shadow of the words “Dr Martens” above a lot of the turnstiles. Dr Martens, of course, had ceased any sponsorship with the Club years earlier. Nobody had given it a lick of paint in those years.
I think the football configuration thing has been discussed relentlessly without solution ljd. We are where where we are. I don’t believe any of it was driven by Gold. It was all a sullivan/KB thing as is most that happens at the club. I like Gold – he has humility and dignity. Not strong enough to withstand those two but a really nice bloke. I have worked for DS and eventually with two others walked out on him. His fingerprints are over every operation he controls. Nightmare – no need for heads of departments and there’s the problem STILL:-(
Which assumes everybody wanted to stay at a faded 19th century stadium which having been ‘redeveloped’ was still a dump with garbage rail links. Complicit in making a decision with which some don’t agree doesn’t make him guilty of anything other than having a different view to the old romantics
I have nothing but respect for David Gold. I like the bloke and I don’t give a fig what the GSB out mob think. I believe David Gold is proper West Ham born and bred and only wants the best for the club he loves. I think the bad decisions in the running of the club are mostly down to David Sullivan and his overblown ego. Sullivan comes across slightly as a jumped up arrogant little so and so full of his own self importance. Karen Brady has similar traits. Gold however, I wouldn’t tar with the same brush.
Had a bloke come on here this morning saying he hopes David Gold dies soon. It’s these sort of ****bags who will end this forum eventually. If some saw the awful hatred we do you’d feel the same. We have a great forum but scum is scum
Sorry about the abuse Hugh – what spoke volumes to me was Stuart Pearce’s comments when Moyes and team were not renewed about him never having met Sullivan but that Gold came in regularly after games to speak to them