West Ham’s new-look board reportedly want to distance themselves completely from the old regime and they have an easy opportunity to do just that literally staring them in the face.
It pretty much goes without saying that any new ownership or hierarchy would want to do things their way and differently to those who went before them.
In West Ham’s case that is a necessity rather than a choice.
The vast majority of Hammers fans had complete and utter disdain for David Sullivan and Karren Brady – with the move to the London Stadium and the broken promises made sitting at the very heart of that resentment.
New-look West Ham have exciting grand plans but one easy win
Relegation from the Premier League with club record losses seemed a fitting time for Sullivan and Brady’s reign to come to an end after 16-and-a-half years.
Brady jumped ship in the thick of a relegation battle towards the end of the season, just weeks after urging everyone at the club – from the boardroom to the terraces – to rally together to survive.
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Six weeks later Sullivan followed, resigning from the board before Daniel Kretinsky became West Ham’s new majority owner by purchasing 16 per cent of the Gold family stake to take his holding to 43 per cent.
Sullivan remains co-owner with 38.8 per cent, but is now expected to sell – whether he wants to or not.
Various sites are now reporting Kretinsky and the new-look West Ham board are desperate to disassociate themselves from the old regime.
Exciting plans have been communicated, both officially and unofficially, since Kretinsky became Hammers chief.
The Czech billionaire has already plugged a £90m hole in the club’s finances by increasing his stake at £5.6m per share.
Kretinsky has gone on record saying West Ham do not need to sell their best players for financial reasons and has pledged to fund Nuno Espirito Santo’s war chest for a summer rebuild to ensure an immediate return to the Premier League.
West Ham badge change will instantly get fans onside
Newcastle’s jewel in the crown head of recruitment Steve Nickson is also on his way to West Ham as the club’s new director of football.
There have also been rumours Kretinsky wants to buy the London Stadium outright and make it fit for football as well as developing a long overdue new training complex.
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But if West Ham really want to draw a line under the old regime, there is an open goal chance sitting right under their noses.
One of the long list of grievances Hammers fans have with Sullivan and Brady’s regime is the hugely controversial change to the club’s badge.
The vast majority of West Ham supporters despise the new badge – particularly the loss of the club’s castle and the introduction of the word ‘London’ to the crest.
Brady ordered the badge change to tie in with the move to the London Stadium. It says everything that both were a complete disaster and remain major bones of contention a decade on.
You cannot go a day on West Ham social media without fans mocking up kits with the old badge – or a version of it – on the new kits.
New Era are replacing Umbro for next season’s West Ham kits. While it is likely far too late to change the badge for that strip, Kretinsky and co could win Hammers fans over immediately – and show they ‘get it’ – by announcing plans to change the badge back to a more traditional emblem.
Getting rid of the word ‘London’ would be a start, the return of the castle even better.
Most want to see the badge before the change reinstated but an iteration of any of the crests from the 70s, 80s and 90s would delight supporters.
Plans for the London Stadium and a training ground are likely to be lengthy and protracted involving negotiations with the LLDC and over land. So those can wait for now while West Ham concentrate on a return to the top flight.
A badge change, for the season after next – when the Hammers will hopefully be back in the Premier League – is far more straightforward and one of the easiest wins Kretinsky and the board could wish for.
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