Classy West Ham fans have called off their next protest against the owners as a mark of respect to Everton ahead of a poignant reunion with David Moyes.
Everton fans will empathise with what West Ham are going through right now.
Toffees supporters have been busy protesting over various issues in recent years including about how their club was being run, against the Premier League and over ticket pricing.
While the Hammers were able to spend in recent seasons, Everton faced financial restrictions and docked points.
There has been something of a role reversal over the last year.
Everton have the ambitious new owners they craved and money has been spent to bolster their squad following the second coming of David Moyes.
Moyes reunion at Everton’s new home exposes West Ham board missteps
Over 16 months on from Moyes’ departure, West Ham are still being told they made a big mistake letting him go.
Debate continues to rage about whether the Hammers should have retained the Scot, who has been doing a fine job back at Everton since his return.
One thing West Ham fans are agreed upon, though, is that the way it was handled and the succession planning – or lack of it – sums up the shambolic way the club has been run by the owners.
The Irons are lurching from one crisis to another and Graham Potter, their second manager since Moyes’s departure, is on the brink of being sacked.
That is now likely to come after the Everton game if West Ham were to lose. Although David Sullivan and Karren Brady could even wait until the October international break before making the change.
Over 4,000 Hammers fans took to the street leading to the director’s entrance at the London Stadium in protest against the owners ahead of the defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Hammers United is the fan group leading what it vows will be a season-long campaign of activism, including a planned boycott of the next home game against Brentford.
West Ham fans are demanding Sullivan and Brady stand aside, using their initials in their slogan ‘No more BS’.
Things are starting to get ugly in what the nationals are billing ‘civil war’ at West Ham.
Classy West Ham fans call off next protest against owners
Sullivan’s reality TV star fiancée has launched sweary defence of the West Ham chief in a series of social media clashes with Hammers fans.
The delay in sacking Potter has angered supporters.
Many believe West Ham’s board hope to undermine the boycott by appointing a new boss during the international break.
Hammers United’s next public show of displeasure towards the owners was set to take place during the Moyes reunion on Monday night.
But classy West Ham fans have called off the protest against the owners as a mark of respect to Everton.
The decision has been widely praised and shows exactly what the Hammers support is all about despite their deep unhappiness at their current situation.
In many ways a reunion with Moyes, at a brand new, wonderful purpose-built football stadium against a team that has had a host of exciting players added to it – including Jack Grealish, a player the West Ham board snubbed – is the perfect opportunity to shine a light on the missteps of the owners.
But Hammers United have announced their next protest at Everton has been called off.
West Ham fans had intended to start their campaign of away-game black balloon protests against Sullivan and Brady at Everton.
Hammers shelve protest plan as mark of respect to Everton
But as soon as Hammers fans heard there was a tribute to Bradley Lowery planned as part of raising awareness of childhood cancer, the protest was shelved without a second thought as ‘the right thing to do’.
“At Everton away we will not be protesting,” Hammers United announced.
“We had intended to start our away protests at Everton but there is a tribute to Bradley Lowery planned.
“We have spoken to our friends at the Everton Fan Advisory Board and we think it would be right not to protest with black balloons for this game only as a mark of respect.
“We will therefore protest with black balloons and flags at away games starting with the Arsenal match.”
Some things are simply bigger and more important than football and this shows what kind of people West Ham fans are deep down.
Hammers fans can be sure Everton would have done exactly the same if the roles were reversed.
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