Make no mistake about it, Daniel Křetínský winning the managerial tug-of-war against David Sullivan at West Ham marks a crucial milestone in the changing balance of power at the football club.
Over the last 48 hours, Sullivan had sought to remove Nuno Espírito Santo from his position as manager, with reasoning being outlined through intermediaries and, to a certain extent, undermining some of the work Nuno has done since arriving at the London Stadium.
Personally, I don’t think Espírito Santo has been anywhere near as good as some are making out. Equally, I don’t appreciate parts of his record being conveniently erased while only the positive statistics are used to support his continuation as head coach.
That said, I also don’t believe he’s been anywhere near as bad as some are now claiming either.
And I certainly take reports that the entire West Ham squad were unhappy with him with a pinch of salt.
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By and large, I suspect Nuno remained popular with most of the players, particularly those regularly selected, which is probably true at most football clubs.
What does appear beyond doubt, however, is that Sullivan wanted him gone and Křetínský wanted him to stay.
Another Sullivan And Kretinsky Clash
We’ve seen the pair clash before.
The previous major power struggle came over Tim Steidten’s position as Director of Football. Křetínský had pushed heavily for Steidten’s appointment, but ultimately it was Sullivan who removed him.
It was a significant moment because it represented a clash between two completely different approaches to running a football club.
On one side, Sullivan’s more antique and agent-led methods.
On the other, Křetínský pushing towards a more modern recruitment structure.
That’s why the decision to retain Nuno feels important.
For the first time in a long while, it appears Křetínský has actually managed to force through the outcome he wanted despite Sullivan pushing strongly in the opposite direction.
Sullivan Influence Appears To Be Weakening
Certainly, it points towards increased influence from Křetínský and a diminishing grip on power from Sullivan, which honestly can only be viewed as a positive development.
Ideally, I’d still rather see a complete reset at West Ham with entirely new ownership and structure.
But in the absence of that, perhaps the best supporters can realistically hope for is Křetínský gradually limiting Sullivan’s influence over football matters.
For far too long now, West Ham have felt like a football club operating with outdated methods rather than modern structures.
Sullivan has never appeared comfortable with Directors of Football and has often seemed to favour trusted agents over a calculated scouting and recruitment department.
Add in numerous poor decisions and financial accounts which now leave the club carrying more debt than when he first arrived, and it becomes increasingly difficult to argue the current model is sustainable.
It wasn’t all that long ago that the Fans’ Advisory Board effectively issued a vote of no confidence in the hierarchy and called for both Karren Brady and David Sullivan to step aside from executive positions.
Ultimately, supporters were asking for competent football people to run the club.
With Brady now gone and Sullivan’s influence seemingly weakening, West Ham may finally be edging closer to that point.