West Ham’s owners were forced to put their heads above the parapet when they filed club record £104m losses last week – and they made a bold claim about the fans.
Nuno Espirito Santo has brought a feel-good factor to West Ham on the pitch as the team fights to stay in the Premier League.
Off it, though, West Ham’s owners are under more pressure than ever after filing club record losses of £104m.
West Ham’s finances are the worst the Premier League has ever seen bar Chelsea’s £300m plus losses.
West Ham owners insist they strive to always put fans first
Hammers supporters were already waging a season-long campaign of protests against West Ham’s board – and particularly majority owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.
There is no love lost between the terraces and the boardroom in east London.
Would you take relegation if it meant that David Sullivan would leave?! 🤔
Not a nice position to be in – but what would YOU choose if you had to?
But West Ham’s owners have made a bold claim about the fans in a statement on the club’s £104m losses.
The list of grievances Hammers supporters have about their owners is long and unwieldy.
West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board issued a public vote of no confidence in the owners earlier this season and have been demanding answers and action on a series of important subjects ever since.
Those answers have not been forthcoming, culminating in a recent West Ham FAB summit meeting with Brady, which the club had pushed back from January.
Not listening to supporters is chief among the issues commonly raised by many of the Hammers faithful.
Therefore many West Ham fans may be surprised to see what the board have said about them in their statement about the club’s finances.
Addressing their stance on the club’s fans in the accounts, West Ham state: “Fans are the lifeblood of our club and are always foremost in our decision making.
West Ham’s owners: Fans are the lifeblood of our club
“We have a Board objective around putting our Fans First in our decision making recognising our custodianship
“We are proud to have an ever-increasing number of supporters’ clubs around the world.”
This is shocking! 😰 Relegation is going to be dire for West Ham…
What would YOU do to avoid this mess?
In a further lengthy statement on supporters, which you can read in full on page 11 of West Ham’s 2024/25 accounts, the Hammers’ hierarchy said they strive to ‘always put fans first’.
“West Ham United remains committed to listening and responding to the needs of its supporters and one of the Board’s core objectives is to always put fans first,” West Ham’s owners state.
“The Club are delighted to have met all the requirements contained within the Premier League’s Fan Engagement Standard in the 2024-25 season, evidence of our continued commitment to listen to our supporters.
“This places us in an excellent position as we prepare to meet and exceed the incoming potential licence conditions from the Independent Football Regulator in relation to fan engagement.”
A penny for the thoughts of West Ham fans on this.
It is one thing the board stating their objective is to always put fans first. But it is another thing entirely actually doing it.
West Ham’s FAB should publish minutes from the recent meeting with Brady soon.
They promise to be very revealing indeed, with fans pushing for official responses to the following key questions:
- When will the Club move to a professional governance model (which they believe is a CEO + Director of Football with autonomy)?
- What credible financial strategy will enable consistent squad investment, and prevent PSR concerns?
- How will the Club balance revenue generation with fan experience, inclusion and equality?
- Where is our heritage and why has it not been displayed seven years since the written commitment by the board was made?
- What is the five-year vision for West Ham United on and off the pitch?
- What structural changes will ensure genuine, timely and meaningful supporter engagement in future decision-making?
- What is the long-term footballing vision for recruitment, youth development, and European competitiveness?
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