West Ham are in trouble off the pitch as well as on it. The team is still two points behind nearest rivals Nottingham Forest and anchored in the relegation zone with eleven games to play. Heading to Anfield at the weekend, Nuno’s men face what is historically an almost impossible task – to pick up three points against Liverpool is about as big a mountain to climb as any in English professional football.
Off the pitch the club appear in trouble too. The supporter / board conflict rages on as the ‘No More BS’ campaign receives the oxygen of publicity with the fans waving their red cards at every televised fixture. Rumours abound that vice chair Karren Brady is on the point of exiting. (More on that later this morning!)
West Ham chairman David Sullivan watches from the directors box
M0re financial woes: David Sullivan
No accounts have yet been published and rumours are that the losses are heading toward the £100 million mark: Speculation it maybe, but the club is still dragging its feet on publication.
On top of this chairman Sullivan’s woes have deepened still further after a 5 year battle to avoid another £3.6 million payout has gone against him, writes thesun.co.uk.
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As the ‘paper summarises:
The Hammers were due to pay a penalty to the London Stadium, owned by the taxpayer, for any sale of shares which increased the club’s value. After Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky bought a 27 per cent stake in 2021, the club contested £3.6m of the £6.5m paid to their landlords in 2023 following an “expert determination” from a lawyer.
Last year the High Court ruled that the determination was flawed and that the London Stadium should repay the £3.6m. However, Stadium bosses then took that verdict to the Appeal Court and have now won the case once more.
But West Ham are digging their heels in and have confirmed that they will attempt to appeal this decision, dragging on the legal wrangling.
If ever there was a time to focus on events on the pitch, this was it, with something approaching £200 million likely to be the long term cost of relegation. West Ham, it seems, simply cannot find their way out of the controversy minefield which, sooner or later, is likely to result in one landmine or another (for there are many) exploding in their midst.
Another reason, no doubt, for Nuno’s appeal for supporters to make some noise and get behind their beleaguered team. I’ll bet he wonders what he signed upto. If the Manager and his team can remain focussed amidst all of this and claw their way out of 18th position whilst the thunderclouds roll into the boardroom, we should be justly proud of them.