West Ham United owners David Sullivan and David Gold may have taken a vow of silence but they know how to make their voices heard.
After angry protests 18 months ago, the divisive duo ripped up the club’s recruitment process. They hired a title-winning manager in Manuel Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos to oversee transfers.
They even splashed out the kind of money they had promised but failed to deliver. And they also pledged to stop doing interviews and airing the club’s business in public.
As many West Ham fans feared that has proved to be a one-off. Sullivan and Gold sanctioned a pathetic £25million net spend in the summer.
Board get the blame game underway
Pellegrini saw 11 players leave and signed just two for the first XI in Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals.
But as the dark clouds start to gather following a dismal run of no wins in six, it seems the West Ham blame game is underway.
West Ham website Claret & Hugh regularly claims to have a ‘top level source’ inside the club – believed to be Sullivan himself.
So when Claret & Hugh reported on Monday that the “West Ham board” are unhappy over the signing of £24million Fornals, it carries some weight.
‘All we can do is hope and pray’
“There have been some disappointments and Fornals in particular cost a lot of money so all we can do is hope and pray that they come good very quickly but sacking the manager is out of the question,” C&H claim their top level source told them by email.
Rather laughably freebie goalkeeper Roberto and bargain basement £8million gamble Albian Ajeti were also highlighted as disappointments.
The irony of criticising a manager over signings when he has been given a paltry £25million to spend. And that will not be lost on West Ham fans.
If Pellegrini had been given the money he surely would have signed better quality players than those in question.
You get what you pay for Sullivan and Gold
The simple fact is you do not sign a quality young striker in the modern game for £8million. And Ajeti looks exactly what he is, a low cost gamble that is unlikely to pay off.
It would of course be no real surprise if the board have resorted to their usual blame game tactics via the usual suspects.
We have been here many times before from Sam Allardyce to Slaven Bilic and David Moyes. Even Avram Grant, as hapless as he was, received no backing in the transfer market from Sullivan and Gold to make it work.
If the owners are looking for people to blame, they only need to find a mirror.
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