January will mark eight years since the two David’s took over at West Ham. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since then!
They started out by making 10 pledges on how they would be taking the Club onwards and upwards.
With the current unrest between Board and fans I feel now is a good time to review their pledges and to see how they are getting on.
- Appoint the right manager
Avram Grant, Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic and David Moyes. They have all been appointed by Gold & Sullivan during their time at West Ham.
Grant – DISASTER
Allardyce – SUCCESS (some of you will disagree but that man was great for us)
Bilic – MIXED!!!! Great first season, shocking after that. How much did Payet make him seem better than he was I wonder?
Moyes – TOO SOON TO TELL
Verdict – After a shocking start they seemed to get their act together. Jury is still out though!
- Sign new players
I don’t know how many players have been signed by G&S. Some have been an undoubted success, others a disaster. Payet was one of the greatest talents to pull on a West Ham shirt, despite his snake-like personality!!
Verdict – UNDECIDED. I think we have a better squad since they took over but I don’t know how much of that is down to them.
- More Investment in the Academy
A couple of years ago I would have marked this down as a fail. Getting rid of Tony Carr was a brave decision but I think it was the right one. We are finally seeing some serious talent come through the youth ranks.
Verdict – SUCCESS. Martinez, Quina, Rice, Oxford, Holland. I could go on but they have done what they said they would do.
- Continue to clear the debt
Well, have they? We still owe a boat load of money but it is now owed to THEM!!!!!
Verdict – FAIL!!!!! Clearing the debt means having no debt, not just moving it around a bit!
- Freeze season ticket prices for renewals
If you look at the cost of our London rivals it is fair to say we are not doing too bad.
Verdict – SUCCESS. They have made some cock ups (the increase for disabled supporters being one) but on the whole I think it is certainly more affordable
- Build the status and image of the Club
Um…………….
The badge change is a shocker. We don’t need ‘London’ on the badge. It is a shameful bit of advertising.
Image wise, I think Sullivan especially has done more harm than good. They both need to stay out of the media but that will never happen.
Verdict – FAIL!!!! I think the image of the Club has gone downhill and needs to be rectified if we are to attract a higher calibre of player.
- Make it enjoyable to come and watch
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Yeah, ok!
Verdict – EPIC FAIL!!!!! I don’t need to elaborate on that. If you’ve been to a match you will understand.
- Get closer to the community
Ask Nathans Pies, Ken’s Café or the Boleyn Pub. If anything we are further away from the community. I know for a fact there is a lot of community work that goes unnoticed but there is not enough being done.
Verdict – FAIL. This needs to be rectified immediately.
- Go for the Olympic Stadium
Well, we’re in it!! They said they wanted to take the Club forward and moving stadium was essential to that. I struggle to argue with their logic. The deal they struck was an amazing piece of business from Karen Brady. So much so I would urge the Government to put her in charge of the Brexit negotiations!! But there are things that still need to be improved with the stadium
Verdict – UNDECIDED. More needs to be done and quickly (see point 7)
- Listen to the Supporters
If they were listening to some they’d be putting the Club up for sale today. We have the Supporter Advisory Board but I really don’t know what purpose that serves.
Verdict – FAIL. I think they could do more to engage with the supporters. It’s safe to say we feel disconnected with the Club at present
To summarise, I am not a massive fan of the Board but I’m still glad they took over. The other option was Tony Fernandez and, well, look where QPR are now!! They need to stop making promises they can’t keep and basically keep their mouths shut. They do themselves no favours!
COYI!
By Philip Fisher
@PhilipFisher80