David Sullivan must address uncomfortable truth about who is to blame for West Ham’s continual struggles

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West Ham United have been incredibly poor since January 2024, and David Sullivan is partly to blame for those struggles.

Sullivan took far too long to sack David Moyes, and the same can be said for the way in which he elongated Julen Lopetegui‘s stay at the London Stadium.

Graham Potter replaced the Spaniard as the new West Ham head coach, but nothing has really changed.

A huge rebuild will be required once again this summer, but Sullivan has made it clear that funds are tight at West Ham.

And it will very much be a case of Potter having to sell before he can buy.

The Hammers will have to be really careful next season. If Potter isn’t adequately backed in the transfer market, we could be in a for a real struggle in the 2025/26 campaign.

Sullivan needs to look at himself in all of this. There are many people to blame for our problems right now, but the West Ham co-owner has to take some responsibility.

David Sullivan must accept who’s to blame for West Ham’s struggles

The Hammers co-owner is often a target for criticism from the fans.

The move from Upton Park to the London Stadium is still very much a bone of contention for the West Ham supporters.

And the fact that Sullivan seems to be continually pleading poverty to his usual mouthpieces is another source of annoyance for the fans.

Somewhat surprisingly, Potter has insisted that Sullivan has told him that money is there to spend at West Ham.

However, the proof will be in the pudding this summer.

What is certain is the fact that Sullivan has owned the Hammers for 15 years now, and he is still yet to pay a fee for a manager.

When you think about it, it’s actually laughable. And we wonder why we’ve historically struggled under the 76-year-old’s ownership.

David Moyes the exception to the rule

It is worth highlighting the success that Moyes achieved at the London Stadium.

However, the Scot was an anomaly and the board got really lucky with him.

Things could have worked out completely different during his first five months in charge.

Had the Hammers got relegated in the 2019/20 season, we obviously wouldn’t have gone on to achieve the success that we did.

West Ham will never make genuine progress as a club until David Sullivan, or more likely new owners, actually splash out on a fee to appoint a top-class manager.

There is a reason why all the managers the club keep appointing are out of work.

What I will never understand is Sullivan was more than happy to part with £15 million to sign Danny Ings, but he will never pay a fee for a manager – arguably the most important person at a football club.