David Sullivan’s five biggest West Ham controversies that have left supporters fuming
David Sullivan has come under heavy scrutiny in his time as West Ham chairman.
Sullivan took control of West Ham in 2010, having previously owned Birmingham City before selling his shares at St Andrew’s in 2009.
It is fair to say that since then, the Irons have overseen many highs and lows, with West Ham’s Conference League win under David Moyes being the key moment.
With that being said, recent embarrassment for West Ham against Tottenham under Graham Potter has sparked further annoyance towards the boardroom.
Now, West Ham Zone has assessed five moments which have led Sullivan to such widespread fury towards him at the London Stadium.
West Ham fans rage over London Stadium move
The move to the Olympic Park was supposed to be the beginning of a new era for the claret and blue outfit in a new 62,500 capacity arena.
As positive as this looked to be, it now appears to have been more of a financial decision than for the betterment of the football club.
A yearly rent of just £2.5million allows the Irons for greater flexibility, but doesn’t allow them to profit from other events such as concerts and the like.
The stadium has also been looked down upon by supporters, with the mass exodus in West Ham’s defeats against Chelsea and Tottenham being clear evidence of that frustration.
The idea of a “world-class” ground for the Irons hasn’t been seen by supporters who continue to yearn for an impossible return to the Boleyn Ground.
Selling Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham
There has been a general lack of positive signings in E20 over the years, with many failing to impress in claret and blue.
With that being said, Kudus was one player in his debut season who caught the eye and looked to be an electric addition from Ajax.
This led to disappointment in his second campaign when the Ghana international failed to impress before Kudus ultimately moved on and joined Tottenham.
| Stat | 2024/25 | 2023/24 |
| Appearances | 35 | 45 |
| Goals | 5 | 14 |
| Assists | 4 | 6 |
This move to a local rival would have been hugely frustrating in itself, but the fact that Sullivan allowed Kudus to leave on a cut-price deal.
Considering he had a release clause of £80m, letting him go for a fee in the region of £50m has to be seen as a failure for the East Londoners.
This is thanks in part to the poor way that funds have been spent when they have come in through the doors at the London Stadium.
West Ham have failed in the transfer market
In 2023, Declan Rice left the Irons to join Arsenal for over £100m, and there was hope that that fee would be distributed wisely.
In that summer, Kudus came in alongside underwhelming signings like Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
This trio have gone on to be largely frustrating in recent years, representing a trend which has only continued into more recent windows.
Last summer, Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka came in to some fanfare.
This seemingly positive business went down well to begin with, but there lack of impact in the capital has once again reflected badly on Sullivan.
Fans have blamed the failure of these transfers on the management selections, something which ultimately has to be blamed on the hierarchy.
David Sullivan shows lack of ambition with managers
The Hammers have set a trend for picking up head coaches who are already unemployed, as opposed to picking the best candidate for the job.
This has most recently seen Potter and Julen Lopetegui take up the job and have failed to make any sort of positive impact in E20.
Fans have viewed this as a lack of ambition and have been left hugely frustrated by it, especially in light of other appointments, such as Manuel Pellegrini.
West Ham manager time in post since 2010:
- Graham Potter – 250 days
- Julen Lopetegui – 191 days
- David Moyes – 1645 days
- Manuel Pellegrini – 545 days
- David Moyes – 190 days
- Slaven Bilic – 859 days
- Sam Allardyce – 1460 days
- Avram Grant – 318 days
These three have all failed to make any sort of difference for West Ham, and the blame for the decision to have them in the dugout has to be down to Sullivan.
This is especially the case given that someone as successful as David Moyes was shown the door after bringing a European trophy through the doors.
David Moyes’ sacking was the wrong decision
It is fair to say that West Ham fans were growing in frustration with the Scot and his lack of dynamic football that was being played elsewhere.
More recently promoted clubs like Brighton and Bournemouth were famed for their easy-on-the-eye tactical approach, which wasn’t seen at the London Stadium.
As a result, some fans wanted to see their side go in a different direction, but it was the choice of Sullivan to move Moyes on at the end of his contract.
For a head coach who had won the Conference League and dragged West Ham up to the top half of the Premier League, he deserved the chance to continue.
It was the wrong decision to let the Scot go, something which has since been showcased by his positive work since taking over at Everton.
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