Skip to main content

'We were promised a dream, we were given a nightmare'

The controversy over events at the London Stadium rages on with parts of the British public seized by 'one of its periodical fits of morality' of which the original quote said 'We know no spectacle more ridiculous'. Fans shouldn't invade the pitch, but they have to be very angry to do so and it is worth trying to understand what lies behind that anger.

Mark Walker of the West Ham United Independent Supporters' Association writes in The Times this morning. I appreciate that there is no generally accepted spokesman for West Ham fans, indeed this is part of the problem. They are the only London team, so I am told, not to have a supporters' trust.

He says: 'West Ham are the only Premier League club that won't engage meaningfully with their fans. One of the key frustrations of supporters is that their voices are not being heard. What does the club fear?' [As a Charlton fan, I can sympathise with a situation where the owners won't engage in meaningful dialogue with the fans].

'What our supporters have always enjoyed is being a bit different: playing the game a certain way, despite modest resources, being a little bit better in so many ways - and that included having one of the best football grounds in the country. [I remember going there on Boxing Day to see Charlton lose 5-0.] By moving the club, they have turned us into a Trotters Independent Trading version of Arsenal.'

'[The] directors raised expectations beyond a point where they had the competence or willingness to deliver. The lack of investment on and off the pitch has caused the ill-feeling to spread far beyond the thousands who know the stadium is not fit for purpose. What happened on Saturday was pent-up rage and, whatever your issue with the club, the cause is to be found in the directors' box, next to Sir Trevor Brooking.' [This is an edited down version of what he says].

West Ham have requested taking control of the stewards, who are employed by the stadium operator. However, that is unlikely as the operator would be owed millions of pounds to cancel their lengthy contract with the stadium owner.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fulham requires big funding from owner

After lengthy delays, Fulham’s shiny, new Riverside Stand has finally opened, creating “a unique Thameside destination with first class facilities for supporters and partners on match days, as well as for the wider community year-round”. This ambitious project has increased Craven Cottage’s capacity by around 4,000 to 29,600, while it has also taken advantage of the club’s fantastic location and wealthy catchment area by including two Michelin star restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, corporate hospitality and event space, all benefiting from views of the Thames. Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh observed, “Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane.” Indeed, there is also an exclusive members club – with a football season ticket as an optional extra. It’s fair to say that “the times they are a-changing”, as this is a long way from the traditional pie and a pint. However, in a world where clubs face the tw...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's no deal say Spurs insiders over Taiwanese takeover

Senior figures at Tottenham Hotspur insisted on Friday that they had not been informed of any deal to sell Daniel Levy’s stake in the club. A business group, Eight Sports Capital — which is said to include a billionaire Taiwanese financier — claimed that it had an agreement in place to buy a 24.99 per cent stake in ENIC, the club’s majority owners, from Levy, who owns 29.88 per cent. The Times has been told Ng Wing Fai and Brooklyn Earick form part of the group, having both been linked previously to potential takeovers of the Premier League club. The Taiwanese businessman, Richard Tsai, is also said to be part of the consortium. He is reportedly worth £7 billion.  Last year Earick, the former DJ and tech entrepreneur, was part of an attempted £4.5 billion takeover, which was “unequivocally rejected” by Spurs.  An ENIC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that neither ENIC nor THFC are aware of any sale by Daniel Levy’s Family Trust of its minority stake in ENIC, THFC’...
Post a Comment
Read more

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...
1 comment
Read more