West Ham chairman David Sullivan and the Hammers board have come under fire from supporters for a long time — even more so after their downward trajectory since 2023.
West Ham braced for fan protests as tension with ownership escalates
As per The Telegraph, West Ham supporters are poised to stage protests against the ownership at every Saturday home game this campaign — sending a clear message of discontent towards the hierarchy.
Their controversial move to the London Stadium, which forced loyal supporters to wave goodbye to the beloved Boleyn Ground in 2016, was promised to bring a change of direction — with supporters told they would get a “world-class stadium for a world-class team” (The Telegraph).
However, after what was an unforgettable closing ceremony at the Boleyn, made better by a 3-2 win over Man United that night, West Ham have done little to make good on their pledge to kick on.
David Moyes guided the club to three consecutive seasons in Europe during his second spell in charge, including a journey to the Europa League semi-finals in 2022, and West Ham topped off their exploits abroad by winning the Conference League.
Their glorious night in Prague ended the Irons’ 43-year-wait for silverware, with West Ham also lifting their first European trophy since 1965.
However, apart from a brief adventure under Moyes, their move to the London Stadium has failed to deliver what was promised by the board — and West Ham have only got worse since their Conference League victory.
A succession of managers in Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter were shown their marching orders after failing to build upon Moyes’ era, with Nuno Espírito Santo now in the West Ham hot seat as he seeks to deliver where his predecessors failed.
9. Sam Allardyce
30.7%
10. Julen Lopetegui
30%
11. Gianfranco Zola
27.8%
12 Graham Potter
26.1%
13. Avram Grant
18.9%
via StatMuse
Nuno is making his presence known by axing James Ward-Prowse already, and some reports suggest that West Ham are prepared to back their new manager with new signings in January.
However, tensions between the fanbase and West Ham have now reached breaking point, with former boss Harry Redknapp now predicting a bold move by Sullivan to transform the club.
Harry Redknapp predicts David Sullivan decision to transform West Ham
Speaking to GiveMeSport, the ex-West Ham and Tottenham manager has predicted that Sullivan will sell his West Ham shares to billionaires from the Middle East.
“One day Sullivan will sell up,” Redknapp said.
“He will sell his shares to multi-billionaire Saudi Arabians or multi-billionaire Americans. That’s what you need on board now to be able to compete at the very highest level.
“They’ll be OK this season. I don’t see them going down. The new left-back (El Hadji Malick Diouf) looks a good lad, and they have Jarrod Bowen, who is outstanding. But they need a striker and look weak at the back. It’s about recruitment.”
Interestingly, the 78-year-old has actually moved to defend Sullivan too — claiming that the divisive chair has pumped his own money into the club and a lot of the blame for West Ham’s woes lies with their recruitment department.
“David has backed the club with his money. You cannot argue with that. Players have been signed. But the people that have signed them have let the chairman and the club down,” Redknapp continued.
“West Ham always seem to be in ‘crisis’. It goes from one to another. There’s bitterness, which ranges from the chairman being chased down the street by fans or protests or discontent.
“They had five managers in the first 90 or so years of their existence, and now they are getting through them so quickly. They’re not alone, of course, in this day and age, but West Ham used to have an air of stability about the place.
“It’s a massive club. They fill a 60,000-seater stadium every week and if the club got to move in the right direction and fulfil its potential it could challenge for titles, no doubt about it.”
West Ham take on Arsenal this Saturday as Nuno prepares for his second game in charge, with Mikel Arteta’s side overwhelming favourites, especially considering their major threat from set pieces.
Failure to deal with dead balls has been a real thorn in West Ham’s side this season, so Nuno’s men are seriously up against it at the Emirates, as they also look to contain Arsenal’s plethora of attacking talent.