An Honest Season Appraisal

[terrya1965]

..What I find weird about you,is that you never find fault with our owners?

Just for the sake of debate I'm going to poke the hornet's nest. First of all cards on table I can't stand Sullivan, who I have met briefly during my business career years ago, so this is in no way a defence of him and the other ownership. But that said I have yet to see an owner miss an open goal, give away a penalty or get sent off twice in important European fixtures.

They are owners whose reason for being owners is to make money for themselves. Pure and simple. Clearly they are doing that, anyone who can read a balance sheet can see it as the accounts are a matter of public record. So in that respect they are achieving their objective and no doubt consider themselves to have been successful, particularly as they will trouser a very tidy sum indeed when, eventually, they sell up. Whether you or I like it or not that can't be denied. If we were fortunate enough to be shareholders we would be delighted with the performance of our investment. I don't know the exact figure they paid for the business, because if I remember correctly it was done in about 3 stages but I do know it was for a lot less than it would be sold for today.

So what's to criticise ? You and I know what criticism will always be thrown at club owners but is it realistic to do so ? With your business head on why would you want to release millions of pounds to be spent on "playing assets" with no guarantee they would improve the financial performance of the business. As long as we customers, either by buying season tickets, club merchandise or paying our Sky subs, continue to throw money at the business (and of course this doesn't only apply to "customers" of West Ham), why on earth would the management of a profit making cash cow feel the need to change the business model.?

It's one of the reasons I always have a chuckle when I read on the various forums , or, even better, see the click bait presenters wanking themselves into a frenzy over Kretinsky's wealth, all the assumptions that wealthy owners = big spenders. We all know that's not how it works. There have only been two owners whose reason for buying a football club has not been to make more money. One of those is Manchester City who see their club as a promotional vehicle for the UAE and Roman Abramovich. I could possibly also have mentioned Jack Walker of Blackburn but even Blackburn, after his death, were sold for a tidy profit compared with what Walker originally pauid.

Whiskyman,you don't have to tell me about the owners of today..It's all about making a nice tidy sum of doe and less to do with sport.Tbh mate,I'm falling more out of love with the game every day.You have already explained all this in a post a few weeks ago mate..To me,the Football club belongs to the fans,not owners,players or managers..They can get up and leave when they want to,it's different for us.We are the heart and spine of the club,without us,nobody would make any income,whether that is us attending or subscribing to the game.

Back to G & S..The main thing that pisses me off about our owners is they have not backed the manager,when needed..It's not just the last 2 years,it's the years before that.The main reason Payet left is because the owners didn't want to invest in the team.

The past 2 years,when we could have pushed on,we didn't,because the owners didn't want to put their hand in their pockets..January was the biggest kick in the teeth.

You say there is no guarantee on returns on their money,but if we'd have qualified for this and last season Champion's League(missed out by 2 points),they'd have made plenty. It would have properly put us on the map..Suddenly the interest of West Ham goes up..We start selling more merchandise and we start growing more...It wasn't a big gamble,it just needed 2 or 3 players,but they failed to deliver.

[terrya1965]

Not bad for a crap team finishing 7th,considering the season before last,we'd been fighting relegation,(apart from one year) every year for the past 8 years?I think many of us would have taken the last 2 years,in the time we'd been in the PL.

Like many on here will vouch,Moyes has his faults,but overall,you cannot knock what his done.

I bet if we won the PL,you would still be criticising the team...What I find weird about you,is that you never find fault with our owners?

Please tell me what the current owners have done that is so much worse, or different, than previous owners?

Football is a different commodity to what it was years ago.Owners made a few quid out of it,now it's a massive money making business,so don't bother comparing the past.

[Whiskyman]

Just for the sake of debate I'm going to poke the hornet's nest. First of all cards on table I can't stand Sullivan, who I have met briefly during my business career years ago, so this is in no way a defence of him and the other ownership. But that said I have yet to see an owner miss an open goal, give away a penalty or get sent off twice in important European fixtures.

They are owners whose reason for being owners is to make money for themselves. Pure and simple. Clearly they are doing that, anyone who can read a balance sheet can see it as the accounts are a matter of public record. So in that respect they are achieving their objective and no doubt consider themselves to have been successful, particularly as they will trouser a very tidy sum indeed when, eventually, they sell up. Whether you or I like it or not that can't be denied. If we were fortunate enough to be shareholders we would be delighted with the performance of our investment. I don't know the exact figure they paid for the business, because if I remember correctly it was done in about 3 stages but I do know it was for a lot less than it would be sold for today.

So what's to criticise ? You and I know what criticism will always be thrown at club owners but is it realistic to do so ? With your business head on why would you want to release millions of pounds to be spent on "playing assets" with no guarantee they would improve the financial performance of the business. As long as we customers, either by buying season tickets, club merchandise or paying our Sky subs, continue to throw money at the business (and of course this doesn't only apply to "customers" of West Ham), why on earth would the management of a profit making cash cow feel the need to change the business model.?

It's one of the reasons I always have a chuckle when I read on the various forums , or, even better, see the click bait presenters wanking themselves into a frenzy over Kretinsky's wealth, all the assumptions that wealthy owners = big spenders. We all know that's not how it works. There have only been two owners whose reason for buying a football club has not been to make more money. One of those is Manchester City who see their club as a promotional vehicle for the UAE and Roman Abramovich. I could possibly also have mentioned Jack Walker of Blackburn but even Blackburn, after his death, were sold for a tidy profit compared with what Walker originally pauid.

Whiskyman,you don't have to tell me about the owners of today..It's all about making a nice tidy sum of doe and less to do with sport.Tbh mate,I'm falling more out of love with the game every day.You have already explained all this in a post a few weeks ago mate..To me,the Football club belongs to the fans,not owners,players or managers..They can get up and leave when they want to,it's different for us.We are the heart and spine of the club,without us,nobody would make any income,whether that is us attending or subscribing to the game.

Back to G & S..The main thing that pisses me off about our owners is they have not backed the manager,when needed..It's not just the last 2 years,it's the years before that.The main reason Payet left is because the owners didn't want to invest in the team.

The past 2 years,when we could have pushed on,we didn't,because the owners didn't want to put their hand in their pockets..January was the biggest kick in the teeth.

You say there is no guarantee on returns on their money,but if we'd have qualified for this and last season Champion's League(missed out by 2 points),they'd have made plenty. It would have properly put us on the map..Suddenly the interest of West Ham goes up..We start selling more merchandise and we start growing more...It wasn't a big gamble,it just needed 2 or 3 players,but they failed to deliver.

I thought Payet left because of issues with the female population of Essex. Or a few of them anyway.

And it’s all very well saying “if this” and “if that”, but if is a bloody big little word.

[terrya1965]

Whiskyman,you don't have to tell me about the owners of today..It's all about making a nice tidy sum of doe and less to do with sport.Tbh mate,I'm falling more out of love with the game every day.You have already explained all this in a post a few weeks ago mate..To me,the Football club belongs to the fans,not owners,players or managers..They can get up and leave when they want to,it's different for us.We are the heart and spine of the club,without us,nobody would make any income,whether that is us attending or subscribing to the game.

Back to G & S..The main thing that pisses me off about our owners is they have not backed the manager,when needed..It's not just the last 2 years,it's the years before that.The main reason Payet left is because the owners didn't want to invest in the team.

The past 2 years,when we could have pushed on,we didn't,because the owners didn't want to put their hand in their pockets..January was the biggest kick in the teeth.

You say there is no guarantee on returns on their money,but if we'd have qualified for this and last season Champion's League(missed out by 2 points),they'd have made plenty. It would have properly put us on the map..Suddenly the interest of West Ham goes up..We start selling more merchandise and we start growing more...It wasn't a big gamble,it just needed 2 or 3 players,but they failed to deliver.

I thought Payet left because of issues with the female population of Essex. Or a few of them anyway.

And it’s all very well saying “if this” and “if that”, but if is a bloody big little word.

Lets just put it this way Whiskyman,we'd have had a hell of a chance.You know that and I know that.

Some fella summed up how we do transfer business on KUMB.

Splash a bit of cash for a managers first season or if we're in trouble. Scrimp and save every other time and try and screw every penny out of a deal so Sully can satisfy his ego that he's got one over on someone. It's how they've always operated and always will.

[Dwayne Pipes]

Payets leaving issue was to do with cunt but not our pair.

[Whiskyman]

I thought Payet left because of issues with the female population of Essex. Or a few of them anyway.

And it’s all very well saying “if this” and “if that”, but if is a bloody big little word.

Lets just put it this way Whiskyman,we'd have had a hell of a chance.You know that and I know that.

Some fella summed up how we do transfer business on KUMB.

Splash a bit of cash for a managers first season or if we're in trouble. Scrimp and save every other time and try and screw every penny out of a deal so Sully can satisfy his ego that he's got one over on someone. It's how they've always operated and always will.

But still the lemmings, that's you and me by the way, continue to pay their money to watch the "product". And thus the money continues to roll in. Where is the incentive to break the mould ?

[terrya1965]

Lets just put it this way Whiskyman,we'd have had a hell of a chance.You know that and I know that.

Some fella summed up how we do transfer business on KUMB.

Splash a bit of cash for a managers first season or if we're in trouble. Scrimp and save every other time and try and screw every penny out of a deal so Sully can satisfy his ego that he's got one over on someone. It's how they've always operated and always will.

But still the lemmings, that's you and me by the way, continue to pay their money to watch the "product". And thus the money continues to roll in. Where is the incentive to break the mould ?

Of course and that's exactly why they do it.

I didn't think you had been to the LS for a few years..I haven't,though my kids go quite regularly. I think we have similar reasons,though I was tempted to go this year.

[Whiskyman]

But still the lemmings, that's you and me by the way, continue to pay their money to watch the "product". And thus the money continues to roll in. Where is the incentive to break the mould ?

Of course and that's exactly why they do it.

I didn't think you had been to the LS for a few years..I haven't,though my kids go quite regularly. I think we have similar reasons,though I was tempted to go this year.

I haven't. My "support" , and I guess it's for football in general as opposed to just one club, is from my Sky/BT subscriptions.