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West Ham board continue to grow apart from fans

By Scott Johnson

Jul 21, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of the seats at Olympic Stadium with the team name West Ham United F.C. prior to the London Anniversary Games. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of the seats at Olympic Stadium with the team name West Ham United F.C. prior to the London Anniversary Games. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been a tough season for West Ham, there’s no denying that. But the handling of the situation by the board has made the situation worse, not better.

Now before I get started, I was fully in support of the board before the season. It was a tough decision about moving away from Upton Park, but I felt it was the right one. If managed properly. I also understand the need to be sensible with money, but not to hinder the team. THe board did seem to be on the fans side where possible.

However in recent transfer windows the club has run a dangerous game. Failing to produce any kind of serious offer when players were available is a criminal error, and the media management has been nothing short of diabolical.

I enjoy the fact David Gold is on twitter, for the most part. It enables a direct dialogue when things are OK and you can see an instant reaction. But, for the same reason I don’t think Donald Trump should tweet, do not do it when you’re under pressure. You cannot respond to any arguments in 140 characters, it only makes it worse. Tweets like this are inexcusable. They show a complete lack of understanding for the fans.

The Top of the club

Any the official media handling doesn’t get any better. Despite almost every fan thinking it a horrendous idea, the club website began posting an ‘insider’ page. This gave a supposed insight into the boardroom dealings. At best it was misleading for the fans when things didn’t go through, but at worst it was downright toxic to the club’s attempts to sign players of quality. The entire footballing world knew what we were up to in the transfer market.

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And then the club also linked a very divisive article on the official website. The article had a lot of truth in it, but posting on the official account showed a complete lack of empathy. It drove an even bigger wedge between more fans than ever.

On top of that, the stadium move has been handled appallingly. I was aware it was going to be tough, and with the club not the owners all problems were going to be harder to fix, but every attempt to push a solution has been awful. There are issues that should have been sorted long before we became tenants (security, stewarding, food issues) and the board have to take responsibility for that.

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The fans are the heartbeat of the club, and it is currently being stifled. I know the board aren’t doing things maliciously, but it’s the poor action that’s contributing.

Going Forward

The club needs to remain West Ham at its core. So this is what I would recommend:

  • Get some of the Upton Park stewards back in. I know it is tough because we don’t own the stadium, but it needs to happen. The respect was mutual and no-one wanted to ruin anyone’s day. At the London Stadium the stewarding is diabolical and the atmosphere suffers.
  • Sign the players you’re after. Constant low-balling has left the club as the joke of the Premier League. If you want quality, pay for it. Don’t try and save and then complain you couldn’t get the players you were after.
  • Keep transfer news tight. Don’t leak information in an attempt to seem interesting. The fans will be interested when a player signs.
  • Push for safe standing. I want to change a lot about the stadium’s running, but I don’t think the board has the power. However it can push for safe standing to be accepted in the Premier League, and I believe it would truly change the atmosphere.

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Maybe then the fans will feel behind the board again. I certainly don’t think a change at the top will do much, but there needs to be action here. Otherwise the club is in a lot of trouble.