It doesn’t seem to matter how often we say it, shout it, write it or talk about it, “get out of our club!” falls on deaf ears with the one person it’s aimed at.
Despite frequent rumours involving possible new owners surfacing - or resurfacing, as the case may be - chairman David Sullivan still sits firmly on his throne, dangling his legs and calling the tune.
The festering anger which has been there ever since the decision to leave our spiritual home at the Boleyn and move to the former Olympic Stadium, now known as the London Stadium, has steadily grown in intensity over the past season, and is now nearing fever pitch as we endure yet another frustrating transfer window.
It’s not necessarily the fact that no business of any consequence has been done yet in a window generally acknowledged as more crucial than ever for the future of our club, as Graham Potter looks to rebuild the ailing and misshapen squad he inherited from his predecessor Julen Lopetegui – in tandem with our much heralded but eventually much criticised Director of Football Tim Steidten.
To be fair, the market as a whole has been pretty quiet so far generally. And simply buying players willy-nilly, then finding out they’re the wrong players for the job you want them to do, is a pointless exercise. We’ve been down that road recently – it’s a large part of why we are where we are right now.
No, it’s the reasons put forward by our hierarchy for our lack of activity – constantly repeated by their compliant mouthpieces - which have angered the fanbase even more than usual.
Repeating again and again that we have no money to spend until we can generate funds from the players we have for sale is leaving all and sundry totally exasperated. Claiming we’re worried about breaching PSR rules – which independent sources counter-claim are unfounded.
Why have we found ourselves in this position? Who’s steering this ship as it heads for the rocks? Who has presided over a business plan for a club which recently enjoyed three consecutive seasons in the lucrative world of European football?
As mere tenants, paying a peppercorn rent for their stadium (like it or not) - the third largest football stadium in the country by the way, boasting ticket sales of 62,000 plus every home game and providing an income three quarters of the Premier League would love to enjoy - why are we pleading poverty with that behind us?
You could justifiably point to some spectacular failures in the transfer market, bringing with them eye-watering wages to drain away the cash. Clearly some poor decisions have been made regarding personnel in recent years under the stewardship of several different managerial regimes.
But one name and one individual has remained constant. No deal of any magnitude, and that includes managerial staff and playing staff, is made at this club of ours without the approval from the very top. If stories we’ve heard from former managers are true, some deals have even come as a direct result of our most senior owner’s personal involvement.
‘Gifts’ from the boss as they have come to be described. No matter how much wriggling and squirming goes on – and we all know there has been plenty of that – the buck has got to stop at the very top!
If the often-used analogy that West Ham is run like a circus is true – and that’s a view difficult to argue against currently – then the Ringmaster, the one who orchestrates the show, has to be accountable. According to a Deloitte report we are 17th in the world in terms of club revenue. So what’s with all the talk about being ‘skint’ and unable to spend without selling first?
West Ham come with a proud heritage. We may not be a ‘big club’ when compared with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea with their massive spending power. But we are still a club with huge potential, together with a loyal fanbase which is now being tested to the very limits. Many feel we are a club being held back by the current ownership – and one man in particular.
For a time under David Moyes’ leadership, our results and achievements on the field took centre stage. West Ham were back in the headlines for all the right reasons. Pantomime villains weren’t the major talking point around the club. That has all changed more recently. Public enemy No 1 has once again resurfaced with a vengeance. Will it ever change until the biggest change of all actually happens? I doubt it!
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