What a difference a day makes. Yesterday started calmly enough with reports of ‘talks’ about Mohamadou Kanté’s London Stadium future yet ended with the kind of once-in-a-decade seismic news ‘hand grenade’ that saw West Ham hit the national headlines.
The ‘BS era’ may be over but nobody is really sure what comes next. Whilst the newly-resigned Chairman may be away from the executive side of the club he’s still a major shareholder so it is possibly a little early to put out the claret and blue bunting or organise an old fashioned east end knees-up.
Media have been quick to assess Sullivan’s legacy – football365.com’s fairly brutal summing up of the regime’s failures pulls no punches:
“Sullivan’s true legacy at West Ham will forever be knocking down Upton Park in an act of cultural vandalism from which the club has never truly recovered.
‘Cultural vandalism’ – knocking down Upton Park and moving the club to its rented home is Sullivan’s legacy
The move to the London Stadium was sold as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in the upper echelons of the Premier League on an equal footing with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
This could still have been true, even after it quickly became apparent that the venue was singularly unsuited to football and West Ham fans had been sold a pup.
But the most damning point of all is that West Ham didn’t change enough. Largely due to Sullivan’s inept running of the club, they continued to be a mid-table team that often flirted with the drop.”
This morning, it feels, I imagine, a little bit like a former Soviet – occupied eastern European country the day after the troops quietly packed up and left in the early 1990’s. Fans, commentators, players, officials and hundreds of West Ham United employees will be wondering what on earth comes next.
With the summer transfer window opening in seven days time, you’d think it is likely to be a pretty busy week in West Ham’s beleaguered boardroom.
If, as believed to be the case, deciding to retain Nuno Espírito Santo’s services was down to Daniel Kretinsky, that is already looking a pretty shrewd choice based on what followed yesterday.
Regardless of whether the Portuguese manager lasts the season, just now, having a ‘trusted’ face of continuity and stability on the ‘playing side’ of the football club is probably the only thing stopping a mass 2003-style player exodus. We hope.
Do you really believe Sullivan will not be still pulling the strings via his sons, smoke and mirrors I think 🤔
Can someone explain to me why nothing is ever straight forward at our great club? The new season in a new league will start in two months, and we have absolutely no idea who the players are that are going to be wearing the shirt. And even less idea who is actually going to be running the club. Pathetic !!
And before anyone comments. I am more than aware that there have been occasions when it has gone spectacularly wrong, but at this stage I don’t think we have a lot to lose. My theory, or wish if you like. Is that when the current shareholders finally decide to cash in. And some mega rich consortium or other, who hopefully have even the most basic grasp of how to properly run a modern football concern. Will buy the club and the ground,knock it down and build a proper football stadium on the site. Construct Premiership level training facilities, and invest in some top four calibre players to train on it.. Trouble is, the very long term fan that I am, bearing the scars from previous promises that have been made and broken, knows that this unlikely to ever happen, but I live in hope, cos I’m an idiot…Anyway, COYI…
Some clarifications. Kretinski doesn’t own the Post Office, only Royal Mail. Sullivan doesn’t own WHUFC, he is a major shareholder but not the majority shareholder. Not all supporters wish we were still at Upton Park. Step away from the Bobby Moore lower & Trevor Brooking lower & you don’t hear many complaints. Many people appreciate the relative ease of transport, the vastly more pleasant walk from the station, the front of house space inside & out, better leg room, better sight lines, a good big stadium atmosphere on the rare occasions that the team does well, and the knowledge that it gives the club the opportunity to realise its potential if someone would come in run it who knows what they are doing. Some people would disagree & it’s their prerogative, but it should not be assumed that a majority of supporters would rather be at Upton Park. Sullivan’s failing was not the move, but the tight fisted, narrow minded, unambitious, control freak, dinosaur approach that failed to capitalise on it.
I’ve supported the Hammers since 1958 so have been fortunate enough to witness all their triumphs including winning the World Cup.Upton Park is where all the great memories have been made.The London Stadium is where all the bad memories will remain until someone demolishes it and builds a new ground that we own.I remember an interview with Gold and Sullivan on Talk Sport after they had bought the club and Sullivan was already talking about obtaining the Olympic Stadium .All he has ever been interested in is money. When I had the good fortune to spend a day with the great Ken Brown in 2013 , i asked him what he thought about the proposed move from the old ground and he shrugged and said it’s not our club any more,is it Mick? That just about sums it all up.
I’m not sure Kretinsky is the guy to take us forward. Anyone used the Post Office recently? And why do we think retaining Nuno means there won’t be a mass exedous? This site has commented many times on just how unpopular he is amongst the playing staff.
For me the club needs buying and all current owners exiting our club. And pushing the reset button on the coaching team wouldn’t be a bad thing either, so long as we bring in a young, fresh, energetic manager like McKenna who isn’t afraid to plan long-term and who won’t walk mid-season if the PL comes calling.
Sullivan dragged the club down into the gutters that he operates and thrives in . Our once proud club is a laughing stock laden with debt and average players.
It will take many years to recover and times can get much worse before they get better.
Don’t let your guard down. He may have left but his son is still there. He still owns the club.
Do you really expect him to keep his nose out of things?
Its on the club website joint chairs are kretinsky and the golds not his boys
Sullivan Gold and Brady, destroyed the old West Ham Utd we all loved, and tried to build a new one…. The ols Ground could and should have been modernised The Chicken Run could have been re-built a 55000 stadium would have sufficed……..
Definitely, could have been rebuilt but who would have paid for it?
.. plus don’t forget someone, I don’t know who, made a huge great fat profit from selling the Boleyn for redevelopment.
I’ll give you a clue when Sullivan sold Upton park he was a millionaire by the way it was sold twice in as many weeks for double what Sullivan said he sold it for, call me old fashioned but a property developer which he became getting scammed by whoever he originally sold it to doesn’t sit right but brown envelopes do , and it was no surprise he was a billionaire by the time he moved to the the LS you do the maths
Totally agree could have ground shared for a season and moved the pitch and front stand moved closer to green street,increase the chicken run size and the north bank because the bus garage had gone could have pushed it to 45/50 thousand plenty big enough
Sullivan has failed us as a competent owner but to call knocking down the Boleyn cultural vandalism is ridiculous. The Boleyn was an antiquated stadium in a squalid part of east London with little transport links.
Our failure to get to compete at the highest level is twofold. Firstly Sullivan and Golds poor management and secondly because the fans including me want to watch football on the cheap. The uproar from the fans when there is ever a suggestion of increasing prices. Arsenal and Tottenham are twice our prices and they have waiting lists we can only dream about.
Fully agree Ted, Upton Park wasn’t going to elevate us to where the fans want to be. My first live game was march 1969 , I have many fond memories and saw many great games but also went through some awful times, getting away after a game was a nightmare and thats with only half the amount of fans.The stadium move is only partly to blame for our position now, it’s the mismanagement and running of the club which is a scandal. I fear it’s going to be a long rocky ride back to where us fans can only dream about. Keep the faith COYI