Karren Brady has made a number of bold pledges and promises in her 16 years at West Ham vice-chair – but one in particular when she first arrived has now come back to haunt her.
There has been intense speculation in recent weeks that Karren Brady is set to stand down as West Ham’s vice-chair.
The Hammers have stated they know nothing of any plans Brady has to resign.
But now she may be left with no choice in the wake of West Ham finally confirming a record £104m loss in their latest accounts.
Brady’s 2010 promise about West Ham’s finances now haunts her
Hammers News revealed West Ham would announce record losses in excess of £100m in their 2024/25 accounts when we ran an exclusive all the way back in June last year.
That was confirmed when West Ham’s accounts were filed on Friday, one day before the February 28th deadline.
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Brady has always been a divisive figure among Hammers supporters.
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Not least for the promises made to West Ham fans when she led the move from the club’s beloved Upton Park home to the London Stadium.
West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady with husband Paul Peschisolido watching the Premier League defeat to Brentford
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Brady celebrated the move as ‘the most successful football stadium migration in history’ despite a litany of issues and deep-seated resentment towards the bowl-shaped Stratford arena nearly a decade on.
West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board have been calling for the resignation of Brady and Sullivan since publicly announcing a vote of no confidence on the ownership back in September.
West Ham’s FAB met with Brady and others this week amid the rumours she will stand down and ahead of the huge losses being announced.
It is a pledge Brady made when first arriving in east London alongside David Sullivan and former co-owner David Gold, which is now biting her hard.
Brady promised fans West Ham would never be in financial turmoil again on her watch
When Sullivan, Gold and Brady took over at West Ham, the club was reportedly on the brink of administration with over £100m of debt.
Since then, Brady had overseen a major turnaround in the club’s finances, with West Ham the 16th most lucrative club in world football during their recent European adventures.
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Not a nice position to be in – but what would YOU choose if you had to?
David Sullivan takes in a West Ham match from the directors' box
Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images
Now, though, West Ham appear to be back where they started when Brady and co arrived 16 years ago with £104m losses announced.
And given what she promised Hammers fans back then, it now seems her resignation is the only realistic option.
West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady at the Hello! Inspiration Awards - VIP Arrivals
Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Writing in her newspaper column in The Sun back in 2010, Brady told supporters West Ham would never face the financial turmoil they inherited under their ownership, vowing a rather grave forfeit should that ever happen.
“To West Ham fans I’ll make a single pledge – while we are on the board, we will hang in the Tower of London before your club again goes through the financial turmoil which so nearly brought it down,” Brady said in her column 16 years ago.
While that is a very extreme pledge, it is clear that West Ham are indeed back in a state of financial turmoil.
So while hanging in the Tower of London is clearly a forfeit Brady never envisaged being realised, fans feel the latest accounts prove it is time for heads to roll.
One point that won’t be lost on supporters is that West Ham’s wage bill rose to £176m last year.
Among those picking up bigger salaries was Brady, whose wages increased to £1.472m.
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