West Ham United have surprisingly announced the exit of Karren Brady after 16 years serving as vice-chair at the Premier League outfit.
The 57-year-old joined the board in 2010 following the takeover of David Sullivan and David Gold.
During her time in East London, West Ham United were relegated, promoted, reached a Europa League semi-final and won the Conference League. Yet, Karren Brady was far from a popular figure.
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Anti-Brady chants could be heard once more from the Hammers end as Nuno Espirito Santo churned out a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Not that you need reminding, but here are some of the contentious moments which came together to make Brady a highly unpopular presence at the London Stadium.
Karren Brady leaves West Ham United after 16 controversial years
Covid controversy
When the coronavirus put the 2019/20 Premier League campaign on board, it did not take long for Brady to claim that the entire season should be cancelled and labelled ‘null and void’. Given that West Ham were in serious danger of relegation when such claims were made, it is far to say many presumed her arguments were not exactly coming from the right place.
The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew accused Brady of ‘naked opportunism’ in the face of a world-shifting crisis.
The Culture Club – or not
The West Ham bosses were forced to defend Brady after she appeared to suggest the grand old club had ‘no culture’ before the double-David takeover of 2010, per The Standard.
Her backers will suggest that Brady simply meant the club lacked ambition behind the scenes. Other, less forgiving members of the fanbase though, felt this was a crass and unnecessary jab at a historic institution.
Either way, it cemented Brady’s reputation for making unpopular, albeit possibly clumsy, public statements.
The London Stadium move
Three years before West Ham left their beloved Upton Park for the bowl without a soul that is the London Stadium, Brady was among those who promised a ‘world-class’ arena for the modern game.
Over a decade later, it is fair to say the London Stadium move remains as unpopular now as it did back then.
Sixteen contentious years…
Tell us Brady's most controversial moment…
Only last week, it emerged that, to her credit, Brady was looking into improving the matchday experience by introducing safe standing. Like so many issues at the London Stadium, however, a solution remains out of reach.
“Safe standing expansion is not going to happen in the future,” the Fan Advisory Board stated in the meeting minutes on the West Ham United Independent Supporters’ Committee website.
“Why this matters for supporters? Safe standing will: improve the atmosphere, improve safety, massively enhance supporter experience and demonstrate that the Club is willing to invest in the matchday experience.
“There are no immediate plans to expand safe standing into lower and upper tiers. Further, in advance of the FAB meeting on 26/02/26 Supporters provided a three-page document outlining many proposals to improve the match day experience.
“Karren Brady explicitly asked for input from the FAB in that meeting on improving the match day experience. The Club however had not provided her with sight of the document prior to the meeting. Supporters are still waiting for a response from the club on this document.”
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