David Sullivan has gone public in admitting the Hammers are struggling to bring in the players David Moyes wants and suggesting there may be no signings at all this summer.
The chief shareholder chose to appear on his mate Jim White’s talkSPORT show and decided to defend the lack of business done at the London Stadium.
Not surprisingly he chose to hold the manager responsible declaring: “It is the manager’s decision. He doesn’t want to bring players in who, in his opinion, are just numbers, are just squad players. He wants to bring players in who will improve the team.
“We have a number of bids in for a number of players, these are key players at decent size clubs, obviously outside the UK. They don’t want to lose them so it is difficult. Whether we get any of these players, I do not know. Some are young, some are old.
”What we need is wins. The way we played against Arsenal at the weekend, we are capable of winning games.”
He then turned to the hugely controversial Grady Diangana sale which upset a huge number of fans – not to mention the likes of Mark Noble, Seb Haller and Declan Rice.
He said: “It was a decision made because we have eight wingers. Agents offer me players all the time and if they are wingers, I say ‘look we have got too many wingers’. We have some wonderful wingers who are not in the team.
“Robert Snodgrass who played yesterday in a holding midfield role scored a wonderful goal. Anderson is a fantastic player, Yarmolenko had two assists last night. Unfortunately, we have got a very unbalanced squad.
“We now have the funds to buy a player or two. Unfortunately players the manager wants, we can’t get. We have two or three bids. Unfortunately, the benchmark is very high, it is very hard to get those players.”
ClaretandHugh says: David Sullivan has made just about the worst move he could have done from his own point of view in giving it large on talkSPORT. He may believe that people are suddenly going to accept an approach which they have been resisting and protesting about for a long time by suddenly accepting all he has to say. That’s not gonna happen. We really haven’t a clue who advises him on media appearances – if anyone – but to be telling us publicly the manager won’t accept bringing in players he doesn’t fancy is more of a compliment to Moyes than a defence of the club’s inability to buy. We have had far too much dead wood through the door to repeat that craziness. Why he would explain the club is incapable of doing business because the benchmark is very high is a crazy thing for a chairman to say – at what other club would a person in such a position admit that to be the case? Best to say nothing at all SURELY! This sounds very much a case of him trying to say “it’s not my fault.” And the whole tone of the interview shows he is continuing to act – if we didn’t know already – as a de facto director of Football which frankly has been unacceptable for too long. He needed to stay silent but even that is now no longer an option.
What is apparent is that every other club is doing business – clubs around us, such as Villa, are spending money on players to improve their teams and don’t seem to have a problem in getting players in? Sullivan has done himself no favours at all, yet again, and deserves all the backlash he gets. Perhaps clubs don’t want to sell to him? They’ve seen that they’ll have issues in being paid (such as Frankfurt have with Haller) and don’t want the trouble.
Trying to blame Moyes for not just getting anyone in is another idiotic thing to do. Sooner we get GSBOUT the better.
One word….. DESPICABLE!
#GSBOUT
Let’s try to avoid slogans but yes
Understood
Thanks Cat…goes nowhere
Moyes high standards, or at the very least higher standards than Sullivan, are exactly what I took from this. Feels like Sullivan would happily get in 3 defenders irrespective of quality (within reason), as long as they were in budget. Isn’t that where he has being going wrong for 10yrs?!
Like Johnson and his government, beloved of GSB, he is afflicted by the ‘blame anyone but yours truly’ syndrome.
Stop the press, we might not sign anyone. As if we didn’t already know. Sullivan announced last week how the board will refrain from talking in public, except when he’s spouting his propaganda to chief crony jim White.
It’s a disgrace.. I really can’t quite believe how we havnt got one single player..he can give it all the usual dross but lets be honest ,no other club has had any difficulty adding to there squad..basically every other team in the prem has strengthened…now come on how can we only be the club that cant …we know there not good at running this club hence why most fans want them gone, but this really is outrageous saying they cant get one deal done ..it just screams something isnt right ….probably outrageous insulting bids come to mind …no one can defend this surely
Sullivan should keep his mouth shut. Can’t imagine Daniel Levy, for instance, appearing on the Jim White Show to talk about transfer strategy. Sullivan is creating the impression that he’s addicted to publicity, which would be fully in keeping with another of his fellow Board members. GSB – all three of them – are a constant embarrassment to the fans of what was a club, but is now merely a financial vehicle for shareholders.
And as for that coat he’s wearing in that photo…… Don’t even get me started!
Agree entirely on Sullivand and Brady but I see very little from Gold
Bringing Levy in as the example of not speaking publicly is probably not the best analogy when you consider his role in the Amazon prime series.
Blame,blame,blame.
Pellegrini and husillos – given total control(except for the forcing of £30m worth of players on them) and having no preinstalled structure for them to work with.
Moyes has only ever been viewed as a fall guy.
The issue is not about the top priced signings, it has been the constant stream of cheap squad fillers whose only positives are that they are better than nothing or the previous season’s cheap filler!
GSB are an embarrassment and an utter disgrace to the once proud name of West Ham United football club mi n
Pleasantly surprised to see C&H criticise something board related for once. However, i don’t have issue with him deciding to speak out, I just have issue with every single word that comes out of his mouth and him using his friendship with the worst sports presenter on the planet as his platform.
Basically, it’s everyone but him making bad recruitment choices – laughable !!
#GSBOUT
We have always criticised when required and will continue to do so – we just don’t scream hatred, abuse, insults and join hashtag stuff. That’s not our job. We are a news site
Although i sometimes disagree with sean and hugh they have nether come across to me as being in cahoots with the board.
Let’s be honest, your perception compared to the majority of the West Ham’s fanbase’s perception of what you are are, is a long way apart.
You may be a news site mainly, but very few consider you an independent news site, and you often post opinion pieces, which aren’t specifically news. So you are Moore Than Just A News Site!
Of course you use your contacts to senior people, including the directors of the club, to provide a free service with occasional exclusive content that is very useful to West Ham fans. But that comes at the price of leaning towards seeing and sharing things largely through their eyes.
We all understand that, Sean is pretty open about it, but for some reason you are still in denial. By continuing to argue that you report news completely independently, it just adds more fuel to the fire of the many who discredit you.
I’M NOT IN DENIAL AND i DON’T REALLY WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS. i JUDGE ON EVENTS AND DO NOT MOUTH OFF FOR IT’S OWN SAKE. i DON’T THINK i CAN MAKE THIS ANY CLEARER BUT i UNDERSTAND PEOPLE LIKE TO STAY IN THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND BELIEVE THEIR OWN PERCEPTIONS. SEAN AND I DISCUSS ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WE PUBLISH AND HAVE TO AGREE BEFORE DOING SO. WE ARE NOT INDIVIDUALS GIVING AN INDEPENDENT VIEWS BUT A NEWS SITE DECIDING ON EDITORIAL POLICY. IF YOU DON’T GET THAT AD YOU DON’T GET JOURNALISM. I’M NOT SURE HOW MY COLUMN ON THIS PIECE CAN BE DESCRIBED AS BEING IN DENIAL. PERHAPS YOU WOULD PREFER ME TO START RUNNING HASHTAGS AND EFFING AND BLINDING ABOUT THEM. YET ANOTHE RPERCEPTION TO SAY WE SAY THINGS THROUGH THEIR EYES. WE REPORT WHAT WE ARE TOLD. IF IT’S NOT LIKED TOUGH. FOR ALL THE FACT THAT WE APPARENTLY – ACCORDING TO YOU ANYWAY – ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH MOST FANS WE ARE FOLLOWED BY OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION SO YOU MAY JUST BE SAYING WHAT YOU PREFER TO HEAR. NOR DO I CARE WHO DECIDES TO DISCREDIT US. I DO WONDER WHY THEY READ IT IF IT APPARENTLY – ACCORDING TO YOU ANYWAY – UPSETS THEM SO BADLY. I CHOOSE NOT TO READ RIGHT WING PAPERS FOR THAT REASON. IT DOES HOWEVER SERVE THEIR USEFUL PURPOSE OF POURING OUT BILE ON THOSE WHO WOULD SOONER HAVE A PROPER DISCUSSION. WERE YOU TO KNOW MY PERSONAL HISTORY WITH HIM AND HOW SOME OF US WALKED AWAY YOU MAY BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO JUDGE. WE ARE PROBABLY BEST STICKINHG TO WHAT WE KNOW WHICH IN YOUR OWN CASE APPEARS TO BE KNOWING WHAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THINK BASED ON A FEW MOANERS AND GROANERS ON TWITTER AND FB
Just for the record, I didn’t say you were out of touch with most fans and I didn’t say you upset them badly either. I did suggest that most fans would perceive you (C&H) differently to your own perception, as there seems to be a general feeling that you protect, and deliver messaging for, the board.
You have many readers as people know you are in the know and you have a long history of exclusives etc – that doesn’t mean that all of them readers think you are independent. I read quite a few of your articles for example.
When i suggest you get discredited, I am not referring to facebook or twitter, I am talking about other independent West Ham media outlets, podcasts and youtube channels. Many of which associate you with being a board propaganda site.
Let’s be fair, when it comes to the board wanting to lower expectations for transfers funds and the like, you guys are always first with the news.
Maybe being in denial was not the right use of words, but what I do know about journalism is that when you have a good source for regular exclusive information, you do all you can to protect it.
As i said before, you provide a free service to many fans, and long may that continue. My opinion about where you lean politically is of course my right, but that wont stop me sense checking West Ham news on here from time to time, so it can’t all be bad.
You believe you know too much. You have no idea of my sources – you may believe you know but you don’t. I want to know what you mean by independent because if you are saying we are somehow webbed into the club I’ll need to think where we go with that. Truth is AD you and those you mention as having perceptions of us can think whatever you and they like.I certainly don’t care if their perceptions match ours. The reality is that most of the other websites, you tube channels have no serious sources and thus have a pop at us who do.I know this cos they message me asking for numbers etc I don’t have. You can believe you are sincerely right. In reality you are seriously wrong because you are guessing and guessing incorrectly. And that’s why I honestly have no concern about what you and others think. I know all the rubbish that’s been talked for 6 years about delivering messages for the board and frankly it’s crap but of course I wouldn’t expect you and them to concede that because you need to direct your anger or over concern somewhere. I’m more worried about how this nation comes through the worst situation I can remember rather than worry about football. Anything else would have seen my late wife having words with me about my mental state You have no right to decide where I lean politically. You have no clue about me, my character, attitude or beLIEFS. I could get annoyed but it really isn’t worth it. You want the news but object to where you think it comes from. That really is pretty sad and is another reason why I can’t be bothered to take anything you say or believe very seriously. And as I pointed out, and which you naturally chose to ignore, my former personal relationship with the chief shareholder as an employee is not the stuff of what dreams are made. So just carry on disliking us or whatever it is you feel GIVEN THAT YOU APPEAR TO WANT IT ALL WAYS and as you mention for free. It honestly doesn’t add up or, more importantly, MATTER.
We have the unbalanace because of those muppets Pellegrini and Husselos – wrong spelling but I’m not wasting energy looking to correct that morons name. All Sullivan has to do is step back and support Moysey. That’s it. Simple. To me, he was saying that Moysey won’t take deadwood – which is correct and once again anothe rreason to back DM and his staff. Sullivan would buy anyone who’s in the papers as he has done so in the past. Those days are hopefully coming to an end.
i hope DM and the lads all get better soon and get back to the team. Meanwhile, we have enough decent players from MF up, we don’t want to sell anymore (apart from Wilshere) but we need those 2 defenders asap.
Finally, for all the anti Moyes fans out there – we all have a right to our opinion, and my opinion is you’re wrong. Back him and the squad – don’t take your angst out of them just bacause you don’t like the owners. If it takes DM up until transfer deadline day to be sure of a player coming in then so be it.
He’s also laying blame at the feet of Pellegrini and Husillos – certainly they have a measure of responsibility if they are the ones that chose the players to bring in, but they weren’t the ones who said yes to the actual deals, and they weren’t the ones putting forward the money for them. In case Sullivan didn’t read the memo, that’s what the owner does, but is he holding his hands up and saying “mea culpa, I should have had better control over getting the best value for money for the club”?
Are we the only club who are affected by loss of gate revenue? It does not to have stopped the rest of the league spending?
Rather buy one decent player than the ****e we have been buying over the last couple of seasons… sanchez ect and a goalie who’s name we must never mention!
10 years ago we had a spirited and family friendly club, playing our style of football on our own ground. We hovered between the Premiership and the Championship admittedly and had the reputation of good football and never sacking our managers.We have had 8 in the last 10 years. Today we have a not so spirited team, not so friendly fan base playing disjointed football in an athletics stadium that doesn’t belong to su, and still hovering between the premiership and championship. Apparently we have no money after 10 years of business, although I read that our supporters bring in over £1m per home game and the last media and league payment of £113m .Remembering we have played a minimum of 19 games, ex cups for the last 4 years. Where is the money?
Good article Hugh – agree with what you said. What is revealing from what I read on Sullivan’s interview is that there was never any chance of us getting Eze and there is certainly no chance of us getting Said Berhama (sorry if I have misspelt his name)
I couldn’t follow the logic of his comment on Snoddy – is the fact that he had a good game as a holding midfielder negated because he was bought as a winger? To me it says well now we have one less winger and one more holding midfielder
Hopefully Semedo doesn’t play and have a blinder against us on Sunday
Think your analysis Hugh is spot on… No single person is bigger than the club but sometimes you get the feeling Sullivan feels he is special compared to other club owners in that he loves the club so much he can manage everything and that people in general like / trust him. Doesn’t seem to know his customers very well imo. The general media strategy from the club is laughable at the best of times under this ownership and interviews like this just dig themselves deeper turning more people away. The self proclaimed massive fans oversee so many things that most fans are turned off by but don’t ever seem to change tack and we are in a recurring bad dream. Would love a change of ownership don’t mind whoever but thereafter a serious approach of running a club (we don’t expect to compete with the big boys financially) but have a professionally ran club which is not a laughing stock. Critical is media relations more suited to a a club of our heritage and stature, this interview smacks of desperation and excuses (before the window has closed) and has become the norm over the last 10 years. Get the excuses in first, we love West ham it’s not our fault… Change the tune as that record is broken beyond repair
Unless he(Sullivan)is thick skinned this must be getting to him.
I think he will be looking to sell up sooner than later.
Well i hope anyway!