Monday Night Football a week today features the return of the Premier League after another International break – amen to that. But the fixture is set to highlight the dispute between West Ham’s protesting fans and the board in a very public manner. Which is just as the protesters planned.
The very real danger is of course that the fan ‘boycott’ of the game hands an advantage to the visitors at a time when West Ham are truly desperate for the home advantage to yield three points. The club sits in nineteenth position and it is new coach Nuno’s first home game in charge. For the coach and his team, the protest couldn’t be at a worse time.
To mitigate this, no doubt, ‘Hammers United’ have set out their own open letter to the new manager and coaching staff endeavouring to separate the board protest from support for the players and coaches. A pretty tough act as it seems dangerously close to an act of self-harm to actively ‘stay away’ from supporting the team you want to stay in the Premier League.
Hammers United protest group sends message to Nuno and coaching staff:
“As you will no doubt be aware, prior to your arrival at the Club, we launched the No More BS campaign which is calling for the resignations of Karren Brady and David Sullivan. This campaign was not aimed at your predecessors, it is not aimed at you and your team, and we would like to take this opportunity to make it absolutely clear that you have our full support.
We held our first, and very successful, protest two weeks ago, and have a variety of pre-planned protests over the coming weeks and months. One of these is a boycott of the match against Brentford on Monday 20 October.
The decision to hold a boycott was not taken lightly, but we believe that given the serious nature of the damage that will continue to be inflicted on our Club while Ms Brady and Mr Sullivan remain in place, it is a necessary and justifiable step that must be taken. “
Not quite sure how any of this is likely to bring the best out of our XI on the pitch who have surely had enough change and uncertainty to deal with over recent months. Unfortunate timing indeed as when the protest was planned, the ‘old’ regime of Potter and his team was still at the helm.
I personally will attend Monday nights game from kick off to the end I intend to support the boys and the club like I have for sixty odd years , if you don’t want to that’s fine stay away but stop trying to make us who want to support the team ,club whatever you call it do otherwise.
All those wishing to support the team, go and create an atmosphere that you have failed to deliver on multiple occasions over the last few decades. (Decade and a half anyway).
Those who want to protest do so hopefully not relisting your tickets. A half empty/half full will make the point, back the team. And BS will ignore regardless. 51% protesting might be enough for Kretinsky to take notice 👀
🤡s Need to follow Potter out the door
Please fans change your mind.Do not boycott the Brentford game. The new manager and team need the crowd behind them.let’s show how much we care about this club and make this a game to remember and get this stadium rocking.
Protest as much as you like before the game and after the game.
But we can not afford to let protests over look the importance of this game,especially for Nuno.
He can take us forward and make the team perform again and get back the confidence they have lost.
Let’s lift the team on Monday and show the togetherness we have for the team and Nuno
Come on you Irons
The people on here saying don’t protest the games sicken me they live in narnia. These utter cretins have to go no matter how
People who have supported their team for over sixty years annoy you, I think you have the problem,
In this day and age, the team should be professional regardless of fans input, they are paid millions so get on with it.
How else are the board going to get the message?
I think there’s a very simple solution here that keeps everyone happy. TV screens don’t notice a few empty seats but do notice a movement of people. Best by far would be everyone buying tickets, staying on the concourse till say the 15th min (representing the 15yrs these fraudsters have owned our Club) and then a mass movement of ppl to their seats. That way a) tv screens would capture it all , b) protest point very much proven and c) we’d have bums on seats for 75% of the game to hopefully cheer us on to a massive 3pts. Martin, if you are in contact with anyone from the Protest Group please share and thank them for their efforts.
I too think there’s a very simple solution here that keeps everyone happy.
Get your money out of your pockets and buy out the owners. Double bubble – you also get to call all the tunes and please everyone.
Happy, happy days.
They should be called hammers devided not hammers united. Do all the protesting you like but don’t affect games. These are the same people that were being wrestled to the ground by an angry Mark Noble and carrying corner flags onto the pitch. Keep your protesting away from the stadium so those that want to support their team and try and generate a good atmosphere at least stand a chance.
This is an example of self harm.
The fans need to get behind the team and make the London Stadium a rowdy, intimidating place to visit for away teams.
The boycott makes it more likely West Ham won’t win the game – find another way to protest!!
Nothing to do with Potter – this protest needs to be forceful because if Sullivan and Brady continue to run the football side of this club it is doomed.
The timing is unfortunate, but this club is always treading water anyway, so has little significance. Something drastic has to change – Sullivan sacking and appointing managers trying to deflect attention on him is over. Get out !
Protests nothing to do with Potter but they didn’t exactly help him did they at a time when the team needed support from the fans.
I disagree, the ‘supporters’ boycotting the game will be putting their tickets on ticket exchange to get money back so the club & Sullivan will be getting paid twice!
Why cant you see that what you are planning will have no impact on the people you are targeting, but it will impact on everyone else, the team, the manager and other supporters, It will also impact Brentford who will love it!!!
I really do understand the reasons for the protest, but the timing is simply all wrong.
The first home game for a new manager with the team desperately needing our support, it’s just so wrong!
I cant see any way that this feels right for a protest of this type now.
By all means do it on a later date, but not now, the team and manager need our support & i will be giving it 100%.
Common Hammers United- think this through, is this really going to get the results you want now.
If we don’t Win all the talk will be about our status as a Prem team, not empty seats.
Most of the protesters will be season ticket holders anyway so missing the game won’t hurt Sullivans pocket, but will hurt the team
Sounds like another shot in the foot in true West Ham style. If the issue is with the owners, then protest then go to the game and support the team