For West Ham United fans it was inevitable, they knew it was coming.
Against the backdrop of an unprecedented global health crisis, death and financial turmoil for the nation West Ham’s billionaire owners could not resist the chance to plead poverty.
West Ham fans have been protesting to get Sullivan, Gold and their vice-chairman Karren Brady out of the club.
Brady has already dragged West Ham’s name through the mud during the pandemic. Breaking ranks to become the first Premier League club official to publicly comment on the situation when she declared the season should be null and void last month (The Sun).
Shameful to talk shop in crisis
Now we have the club letting it be known via various channels that West Ham will have to sell their stars in the next window.
Reports and claims from a host of sources include reliable insider ExWHUemployee, Football Insider, Football London and Claret & Hugh.
Have West Ham’s hierarchy no shame?
Fans are not even angry anymore. They have become apathetic towards the owners. They expect this kind of crass behaviour.
West Ham fans, salt of the earth football supporters if ever there were some.
Fans who were sold empty promises on leaving their beloved Upton Park for a stadium completely unfit for a football club.
A stadium which West Ham’s owners have to pay just £2.5million a year for in rent. That is roughly the income West Ham make from ticket sales in one category A Premier League game.
West Ham trimmed around £600,000 per week off their wage bill last summer too.
Last week Brady proudly trumpeted that she was taking a 30% pay cut so that West Ham staff could remain unaffected (Daily Mail).
Usual channels feed fans what they don’t want to hear
But no sooner had the club done the right thing than it was being fed to fans via the usual channels that there is:
A) Little to no money for signings in the next window.
B) As a result the club will entertain offers for pretty much any player within reason during the next window.
C) Sullivan is ‘already in circles’ talking about the financial situation West Ham are in.
Yes this situation is unprecedented for all of us. But you don’t see other Premier League clubs using it to warn of impending fire sales at a time when the average person in the street is in fear of their lives and livelihoods.
Sullivan and Gold should forget selling players. Just focus on selling the club. And give West Ham’s long suffering fans the owners they deserve and something to look forward to after all this.
Forget selling players, just sell the club
And don’t tell us it can’t be done. Newcastle are on the verge of an exciting takeover.
A takeover West Ham could surely have muscled in on had the owners played their cards right over valuation.
There always seems to be a reason West Ham have no money.
The truth is nobody knows what is going to happen.
But at the moment the club are not losing out on any television money. They do not have to hand any back until such a time that the season is cancelled. And that is unlikely in light of the Premier League’s latest vow to finish the campaign on Friday (Sky Sports).
There is a time and a place for everything. And the simple fact is West Ham should not even be talking about money at this time.
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