Here’s how David Sullivan and Karren Brady could react to West Ham fan protests at Burton
The protests are continuing to take place at West Ham.
With a season ticket holder recently banned from attending fixtures for holding what was deemed an oversized banner reading “Time 2 Sell – Name Your Price”, Hammers fans decided to hold up a display reading the same words in the away end against Burton Albion today.
Alongside this, a plane flew over Burton’s Pirelli Stadium, reading: “Sullivan & Brady out – No more BS”, in another attack against chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.
This comes after it was revealed that Brady will attend a meeting with the Fan Advisory Board later this month to discuss West Ham’s direction, alongside ticketing and issues at the London Stadium.
The stubborn pair at the helm of the club will not have reacted positively.
- Read more: Henry Winter details new West Ham fan protests, plus update on what Karren Brady has planned
David Sullivan and Karen Brady will not have reacted positively to continuing West Ham protests
West Ham have made their thoughts very clear across recent weeks, with the aforementioned issues regarding banners at the London Stadium, and the removal of supporter Nicky Hawkins, who runs West Ham Fan TV, after the recent 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Recording his interviews in the same spot that he has every other week for the last 10 years, since the stadium move, Hawkins was ushered away by stewards – further emphasising that any criticism is not welcome at the moment.
This is not the first time that protests have ensued at the London Stadium. Fans will remember the infamous pitch invasion of 2018, where players and the hierarchy were questioned following a 3-0 defeat to Burnley.
But since then, the feeling has further set in that their sizeable stadium just doesn’t feel like the home that Hammers fans were promised prior to the move 10 years ago.
Given the two recent reactions, it is highly likely that Sullivan and Brady will not react positively, nor will they be willing to take the criticism on board, making the upcoming FAB meeting feel even more like a PR move, rather than a meeting to shift the club forward.
West Ham’s hierarchy have been walking into a mess for too long
The argument that will be made by higher-ups at West Ham will be that money has been spent. And then the answer will be: money has been wasted.
When the Irons moved to the London Stadium in 2016, they were promised the world.
The world-class players mentioned never arrived, and when it comes to the world-class stadium mentioned, well, supporters across the country know that idea never came to fruition.
Recruitment has been inconsistent, and so has the direction. A well-run Premier League club would not try to instil three distinctly different styles with Julen Lopetegui, Graham Potter and Nuno Espirito Santo in just over a year.
And this inconsistent recruitment was masked by the time of David Moyes, who had taken the club as far as he could when they triumphed in the 2022-23 UEFA Conference League, before the hierarchy’s ambition was shown when Declan Rice was not adequately replaced, despite the club raking in over £100 million for the now-Arsenal midfielder.
Whether the reaction is positive or whether the upcoming meeting is all a PR ploy, West Ham cannot hide from the fact that their current mess and ongoing relegation battle is a completely self-made mess.
And from a financial and job perspective, it will only be the players or manager Nuno who are blamed by the hierarchy come May.
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