Shrewd appointments usher in new era of reconciliation | West Ham News

Very slowly, with each new hire, be it high profile such as a head coach, or a less visible appointment behind the scenes, West Ham United is travelling in a new direction. The combative era of Sullivan and Brady calling supporters their ‘customers’ and riding roughshod over fan opinions seems well and truly in the past.

Their new hire – head of supporter services and fan engagement (she’ll never get that job title on a business card) Arsenal’s Khali Parsons is a sign of the direction of travel as the Club attempts to heal ten years plus of division between owners and supporters that has been a corrosive backdrop to the football club’s history since before the move from Upton Park.

Nothing, of course, can change the hugely unpopular sale of the old ground and the dissatisfaction over the ‘rented home’ which the club now occupy, but there does appear to have been some serious ‘listening’ going on rather than the scant lip service paid to supporters’ grievances by Karren Brady in the bad old days.

According to westhamworld.co.uk“Parsons will officially take up the role in January 2027 and will also become the club co-chair of West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board, replacing Paul Stringer, [Chief Marketing and Media officer] who is filling the position on an interim basis….Her arrival comes at an important time for West Ham, with the club’s senior leadership structure changing significantly and supporter trust one of the issues the new hierarchy has openly acknowledged needs rebuilding.”

Indeed, the news also that former Hammer David Martin is to return to the club as u21 goal keeping coach could be seen as further news of a return to a club better in touch with, and more comfortable with it’s own heritage.

Not quite sure how it will feel as a West Ham fan, all of this unity after so many years of protest. Heaven help us if we also start winning games again: We really will have to pinch ourselves.