West Ham vice-chair Baroness Karren Brady has addressed fans in an open letter, which can be read in full on the club’s official website.
The public address touches on topics including the London Stadium, matchday experience, and fan advisory matters—but without offering much real detail. Suffice to say, the former Olympic venue still has its fair share of issues, most of which stem from the failure to fully convert an athletics arena into a football ground.
There are certainly a few tweaks that could slightly improve the matchday experience, and collectively they might make a small difference. But the bottom line is this: West Ham fans remain detached from the action on the pitch, and no amount of flag waving or pyrotechnics will change the sheer physical distance between supporters and players.
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West Ham fans are miles from the action at the LS
Granted, the London Stadium has had its good moments, and the atmosphere can be excellent—but that depends on the quality of the team, the entertainment on offer, and the ability to compete. And it’s in this area where Brady’s letter really fell flat. Fans are crying out for a team they can believe in, enjoy watching, and rally behind—something that could help bridge the emotional and physical gaps the stadium presents.
Brady dodges the big issue
Brady wrote: “We received many questions relating to football decisions and player recruitment. However, the truth is that it simply would not be beneficial or appropriate—for reasons of protecting our objectives on the field—to reveal which players Graham Potter is keen to sign, which positions he is prioritising, or how much we will be spending.”
Fair enough. No one’s expecting a full reveal of targets and tactics. But with the club repeatedly pushing a message of financial restraint, fans are understandably worried.
After flirting with relegation last season, it’s painfully clear that this West Ham side needs major improvement—and just as obvious that Graham Potter needs his own players to implement his vision.
So whilst it may be bad practice to publicise specific transfer plans, it would be helpful to reassure supporters that we will be active in the window. A simple message like: “I want to reassure West Ham fans that the club will be very active in the transfer market this summer and manager Graham Potter has targeted some very exciting players” would go a long way.
Instead, fans are continually being told that we’re skint—and even if we sell players, only a percentage of the revenue will go to the manager.
This is not why we left Upton Park. And this most certainly isn’t a world-class team in a world-class stadium.