West Ham pour oil on troubled waters

The statement West Ham United released on Wednesday evening in response to the planned protest was supposed to reassure supporters, but it only fuelled their discontent.

The club highlighted their financial investment in the squad and training facilities, the need for improvement and a “positive and productive” meeting with the fan advisory board (FAB) that vice-chair Karren Brady attended and where fan groups served their “vote of no confidence” letter.

The statement was in response to supporters group Hammers United urging fans to protest against the owners before Saturday’s home Premier League game against Crystal Palace. They also want to boycott the next fixture at the London Stadium, against Brentford on October 20. Many feel the board have not taken any accountability for the club’s continued struggles.

One fan told The Athletic: ‘Most fans are coming to the end of their tether. We’re heading towards the Championship. Fan fury made David Sullivan (the majority shareholder) change his ways before, maybe it could make a difference again.’

Rachel McFetridge, chair of the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust commented: “The statement lacks substance and has antagonised people. Some who were maybe on the fence would’ve read that and felt disappointed. They tried to make improvements to the stadium, but is that really significant investment? Not only do we keep selling our best players, but it is at a loss. That wasn’t supposed to happen by moving to the London Stadium.

“More and more supporters are giving up their season tickets. It’s a travesty. The statement says we’ve spent £4million ($5.4m) on training facilities, but that’s laughable when compared to other Premier League clubs.”

One fan gave a very different view: “It can’t be just about money because West Ham have spent money. But everything about the players they have bought in the last 3 years just says competent but bland. Sadly West Ham fans aren’t ready to embrace any kind of future, they’re far too busy wishing that they still lived in the past, in a 19th Century football stadium with a crowd capacity less than Crystal Palace. The Luton of London. They’re not prepared to act to make the London Stadium work. West Ham fans could be the agents of change, instead they are the drivers of failure.’

In response another fan said: ‘I think the stadium has a lot to do with the malaise. It amplifies it. It’s not a world class football stadium, it may be a world class athletics stadium, but not for football. It is extremely basic. ‘

A further comment was: ‘Upton Park was a great place to watch football. Especially under the lights. The new stadium is just strange - strange location, strange atmosphere. It feels like it’s tacked on to a shopping centre at one side and a business park at the other. To complicate it further the club don’t even own it. To a certain sensibility it looks bigger and more impressive than Upton Park but the reality is it was a cheapo option to make some extra cash.’

I thought the Boleyn Ground had a great atmosphere. But you can’t go back to the future. Better performances on the pitch would lead to happier fans.

Fans protest: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqjeyxe9d1lo

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The Political Economy of Football V2

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