Of all people, and in an iconic stadium in West Ham history, Declan Rice couldn’t have underlined any clearer why West Ham fans will be marching against the current regime this coming weekend.
I’m sure our former captain was not taking sides in the debate or even realised how his snapshot from Prague on Instagram would be interpreted. It was a classy, heartfelt reaction to the memory of that great night in the Eden Arena stadium when he skippered West Ham to European glory.
That was just over two years ago, 27 months to be precise. He was there this week with Arsenal, who produced an expected 3-0 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague in what is their home stadium.
Rice at the end took time to take a photo of the empty end of the stadium where a couple of years before, West Ham fans witnessed and celebrated that Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina.
He then posted it on social media with the words: “This end and stadium, the best memories here, forever grateful.” With a heart to underline his feelings. He didn’t have to do any of that, but many West Ham fans have now seen it and posted their appreciation of the gesture.
Without realising, probably, Rice’s picture and words sums up for many West Ham fans, the very core reason for the current campaign to remove this current regime. There will be a march to the stadium from Stratford station on Saturday ahead of the Burnley game, and the FAB (Fan's Advisory Board) and Hammers United hope for 10,000.
There has been, for me anyway, a misunderstanding of the protests of late. It’s not so much about the move from Upton Park, although I appreciate the anger still. It’s more about the state of the London Stadium, but the real reason in my eyes is a dissatisfaction with the way the club is run from the boardroom, from David Sullivan and Karren Brady.
It’s the failure to build on that European success, a platform Rice helped construct. It’s the four managers, the string of debatable signings that never seem to fit into any pattern or strategy.
It’s the failure to employ experienced football administrators, it’s the continued infuriating spectacle of an owner who dabbles in transfers and thinks he knows best.
Al that can be sorted reasonably quickly by the employment of specialists. What cannot obviously be achieved is any return to the good old days of the Boleyn, however much a now dwindling age group of fans feel who have never left the old place in their heads, and never set foot in the Stratford arena.
I first set foot in the Boleyn in 1958, so I don’t need telling what we have lost.
Change on that scale is not possible in the short term and even in the long term, will involve new owners with a clear financial plan and shed loads of cash, the discovery of a site for any new stadium and the wherewithal to make it happen. Other than sharing with Orient and their ideas for a new home - wouldn’t that he ironic - I can’t see that realistically happening any decade soon.
But the club could move into the real world. Sullivan may one day sell if someone wants to give him £800m plus, Vanessa Gold may even sell her 25.1%. But don’t hold your breath on that one.
No. I think our fans, certainly the ones marching, want to see our club streamlined in the professionalism we see everywhere else in the Premier League, a modern era. That can be achieved in the short term.
It’s too easy, and cheap, for Sky to say: "They’ve won a game, what are they complaining about?" It’s laughable to claim that the current relegation battle is the fault of the managers and players and nothing to do with Sullivan. Which is nonsense.
He and the board make the decisions, they employ managers, coaches and directors of football. They also run the club on a cash flow basis and have not invested in it since 2021. We are uncompetitive, and that is what will take us down in the end.
So don’t be distracted by all the emotion about leaving Upton Park and the rented arena we now play in, that should not be the main objective of the current protests.
Far too much of the MSM and TV approach to this has been the easy options, the easy questions about our stadium. On Sunday, after the outstanding win over Newcastle, the sit –in got some stick. Always a hard thing to implement, people have homes to go to, trains, planes to catch. Hanging about in Stratford is to be avoided. Me and the lad have to get back to Euston, I know many friends who have similar issues.
But for ten minutes or so, the sit-in worked, several thousand stayed behind. The club may not be bothered, but they still turned up the music to drown out the chanting. Like hell they don’t care.
And of course the variety of grifters and social media sites who depend on the club for access, information and gossip to keep the clicks coming, produced pictures which were clearly taken at the end of the protest when numbers had dwindled.
And of course there were the tourists outside having a beer, and still loads who genuinely didn’t know anything about the protest or what it was about. Some fans don’t care, "we’ve always had shit owners so what’s the difference now?" was one remark I heard. I suppose if you don’t understand us now, you never will.
If you are happy with the ridiculous signing of Niclas Fullkrug, he of the years of injury issues - the quicker he goes in January in search of a World Cup place, the better - then so be it.
The sort of transfers that annoy many and had Sullivan’s fingers all over it, was the arrival of Said Benrahma from Brentford when it is alleged that David Moyes wanted Eberechi Eze from QPR. The midfielder went to Crystal Palace for £17m and has since been sold to Arsenal for £67.5m.
We had trouble offloading Benrahma I recall, last seen trying to find a gate to keep bully dogs under control. This is just an example of a manager being overruled, for whatever reason. My view is that club owner should not be in that position.
The FAB are in consultation with the board. Two meetings I believe now with limited progress. The suggestion that we need a full time CEO was slapped down with the insistence that vice chair Brady is a full time CEO.
The peripheral stuff also got some traction. A museum, long overdue, maybe at the stadium, online or in council offices in Stratford, was discussed. As was possible installation of rail seats, improvements to the food in the stadium, maybe the women’s’ team playing there and a family zone.
When it came to finances however, transfer funding and policy - all the tough stuff - you felt from reading the minutes, that these things were kept at arm’s length.
And in the midst of all this, our new coach Nuno Espirito Santo, is trying to knock our squad into shape. Sunday’s win over Newcastle was a very good start, the side had energy, purpose and a youthful spring in its step. And Lucas Paqueta played like the superstar we all want him to be.
Then there was Freddie Potts, finally getting his full league debut after being ignored by Graham Potter for some obscure reason. He was excellent, but calling him the new Rice is just daft, let’s not put too much pressure on the lad.
What must have been obvious was that the crowd were right behind the team. Support the team not the regime has always been the call. It doesn’t stop Nuno being asked what he thinks of the fans’ protest.
He can have no real opinion, he’s been here five minutes and would know absolutely nothing about the long-term historical issues of our club. And he’s never going to question his new employers, is he? But he has the question before and after every game, and he always can only relate to fans' general issues over how we have been playing this season. And that’s the only reasonable answers he can give.
So on we go now to Burnley, a peaceful march will take place and nothing will happen inside the stadium. As it should be. And if Rice’s poignant picture from Prague hasn’t crystallised in many minds what we are complaining about, nothing will.
* Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
* Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the highlighted author/s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of KUMB.com.