“Should be Ashamed” Top Journalist Rips into West Ham Owner

West Ham fan and Guardian columnist Jacob Steinberg has delivered a damning verdict on Hammers chairman David Sullivan in his latest newspaper column.

With West Ham teetering on the brink of relegation, Steinberg looked back at the promises made by Sullivan and Karren Brady during the move to the London Stadium — the talk of a “world-class team in a world-class stadium” — and compared it to what has actually been delivered.

And one of the biggest indictments of Sullivan’s reign is the fact that so many clubs once viewed as significantly smaller than West Ham have now overtaken us despite operating with smaller crowds and tighter budgets.

Smaller Clubs Leave West Ham Behind

None of this will come as any surprise to West Ham fans.

But sometimes seeing it written down in black and white makes it feel even worse.

As the old saying goes, people rarely notice gradual change while it’s happening. And viewed through a modern Premier League lens, it’s now easy to think of Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford as established, well-run top-flight clubs.
But it wasn’t always like that, in fact the transition has happened during Sullivans stint.

Bournemouth, Brighton And Brentford Context Matters

As someone who moved from East London down to Boscombe at the age of 13, I know exactly where Bournemouth have come from.

A lot of my mates supported the Cherries and, believe it or not, I can even remember Harry Redknapp managing Ian Bishop in black and red. Bournemouth were a small club.

Brighton, until relatively recently, were playing in a converted athletics and hockey stadium, while Brentford traditionally operated as the fourth-biggest club in west London, often overshadowed by Queens Park Rangers.
Which is why Steinberg’s comments hit home.

Steinberg Nails West Ham’s Biggest Problem

“West Ham should feel ashamed when they gaze up the table and see Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton challenging for Champions League qualification.
“Those are clubs with proper structures and clear identities, allowing them to punch above their weight.
“What they lack in size is made up for in expertise.
“They play in smaller grounds than West Ham, whose stadium holds 62,500, but they are more organised, more intelligent and more adept at squad-building.”

The Biggest Issue? Nobody Thinks They’ve Failed

The only thing Steinberg may have got wrong is the idea that Sullivan should feel ashamed.
I honestly don’t think he does.

In fact, I suspect West Ham’s majority shareholder still views his time at the club as a success — much in the same way Brady seemed to while practically patting herself on the back during her exit.
And that, for me, is one of the biggest reasons West Ham struggle to move forward.

Because the first step towards improvement is admitting mistakes have been made and recognising what has gone wrong.
And under the current ownership, that moment never really seems to come.