Justified pressure mounts on West Ham’s shoddy board

The recent ousting from the FA Cup at the hands of West Brom’s second team at the London Stadium has rightfully welcomed media pressure on West Ham’s board, the architects of a once-proud club’s demise.

Call West Ham supporters whiners or complainers all you want, if you’re looking in from the outside you really have no idea. Constant failed promises, bait-and-switches, and straight-up lies have soured the relationship between board and supporters and it has reached a point beyond repair.

The loss to West Brom’s reserve and bench team in the fourth round of the FA Cup at home for the Hammers has encouraged the media to speak up on the issue now. Supporters are getting the long overdue backup from media outlets and individual pundits who are calling into question the actions of the board in recent years.

The FA Cup loss was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. The most recent saga started with the club’s former manager failing. The board swung big on Manuel Pellegrini’s appointment but have failed to back him financially this summer, leaving him short-staffed and vulnerable to issues with squad depth. Given every opportunity through November and December to get things straight, Pellegrini was sacked two months too late.

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David Moyes, who was believed to have been notified of the potential opening in November, was re-appointed on December 29th and all signs pointed to him having some money to spend in January to reinforce the injury-ridden first team. 27 Days into the transfer window and the Hammers have re-signed Darren Randolph, a 32-year old backup keeper with nothing else imminent or close.

The most recent transfer rumor that has emerged since the media really started condemning David Sullivan, David Gold, and Karren Brady was so typical of these three and shows how completely disconnected they are from the supporters.MLS centre-back Aaron Long won’t be headed to East London just yet as New York Red Bulls have rejected an offer of £382k pounds for a 6-month loan deal, with a £3.4m option to buy in the summer.

The USA international and versatile defender could be used in the Hammers team, but a central midfielder (realistically two) is much more of a priority over a CB, as well as a right-back. Regardless of West Ham’s needs, this offer for a 27-year-old International in the prime of his career is laughable – the loan option and overall fee.

Always looking for a deal, the board have yet again shown their disconnectedness and ineptitude to help their own team out of the very clear and threatening risk of relegation. Wrong position, wrong offer, and the wrong idea around getting very necessary players in to support THEIR manager.

Matt Law was right to breakdown the spend and failure the board has inspired since taking over this team, especially in the past four years. Joe Cole is right to question their actions after appointing David Moyes and not having any plan on how to steady the ship in the transfer market or with investment. And lastly, every supporter is right to voice their displeasure with how their club has lost its soul at the hands of three business people who cannot run a football club.

This club is currently rotting from the inside out, or more appropriately, from the top down. The owners are clueless, the manager is helpless, and the players are careless. The only thing keeping this club afloat is the committed and loving supporters that will die before giving up what is rightfully theirs. Let’s hope the message gets across – enough is enough; the board needs to admit to their mistakes and sell this club.