by Staff Writer
Friday, 29th August 2025
The two key figures in West Ham United's boardroom have come under attack from all quarters this week, having received a barrage of criticism from the public and media alike in recent days.
A number of negative article have appeared in the media this week from nationally-renowned writers such as The Telegraph's Matt Law, The Observer's George Simms and The Times' Martin Samuel, all of whom have criticised the regime and their stewardship of the club, which began 15 years ago in 2010.
And with the club's supporters pledging to take to the streets again in the coming weeks in an attempt to persuade current chair David Sullivan and vice chair Karren Brady to resign from their positions, the duo will no doubt be feeling somewhat under siege.
Even so, the last thing they might have expected is to discover commentators of other sports unrelated to football directing their ire towards the duo - which was the case on Friday afternoon when Sky Sports' Formula One expert David Croft, a lifelong Hammers fan, added his voice to the crescendo of criticism.
"I've been worried as a Hammers fan for many, many years to be honest," began Croft, speaking on Sky's new Premier League Friday show. "What's happened over the summer and what happened at the end of last season has been no different to the season before that - it's just a continuation.
"We've signed a player today - Mateus Fernandes. We should be rejoicing because our midfield needs bolstering and needs some quality in there as we haven't got that at the moment.
"It's a summer where the board have wanted to clear out a load of players. We've bought [Malick] Diouf in and he's looked ok and we've bought Callum Wilson in, but I don't understand that signing because he's not a Graham Potter player at all.
"We have a board, it seems, at our club - and I really hate to go on a sour note here - who don't seem to have a long-term plan at West Ham. We won the European Conference [League] a few years ago but we've not built on that success.
" The transfer policy seems to be haphazard at best, the chairman thinks he can sign all the best players - and that hasn't happened - and the manager, up until now hasn't been backed.
"So yes, I'm always concerned as a West Ham fan."
Didn’t see this collab coming… 🤩
Sky Sports’ Formula One commentator David Croft, a lifelong West Ham fan, gives his take on the club’s current situation ⚒ pic.twitter.com/8l7P7KJEbD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 29, 2025
* Supporters group Hammers United have confirmed the dates of their planned protests against Sullivan and Brady.
On Saturday 20 September, the group plans to line the route from Marshgate Lane to the Directors’ entrance at the London Olympic Stadium with demonstrators. A month later, on Monday 20 October, the organisation are calling upon fans to boycott the Premier League fixture with Brentford.
Additional demonstrations are also planned, with further details to follow in due course.
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