Mayday, Mayday: Who Can Save Us From David Sullivan’s West Ham Madness?

A thick-skinned Chairman and thin-skinned Coach promise nothing but despair as West Ham’s abysmal season gets off to the worse possible start. There must be some kind of way out of here!

For many West Ham supporters (probably a majority), it became apparent long ago that responsibility for the underachievement, short-termism and general malaise afflicting the club is down to the leadership of one person, Chairman David Sullivan. A man whose hubris, arrogance, and pretension has led him to wildly overestimate his abilities when it comes to football, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Someone who refuses ever to learn from his myriad mistakes.

Until this week, it was not a view widely shared or spoken of outside the club’s support. In the wider, passively compliant media, supporter dissent was more likley to be depicted as a display of unrealistic entitlement by fans. Stay in your lane and accept that you are followers of a second level club who should be happy to ride on the coattails of the glamourous elite. That suddenly changed when a shambolic transfer window – and an even worse start to the season – prompted others to question what the hell was going on at West Ham. If you haven’t already come across them, I urge you to read the article in Sunday’s Observer and watch the HITC video on YouTube. Nothing new for the seasoned Hammers watcher but refreshing to discover it being recognised externally.

While this change in perception is a reaction to the dreadful performances over the last week or so, the problems at West Ham stem from a long history of under-investment and mismanagement in the boardroom. As the fortunes of English football have been swept along on a tide of global professionalism, West Ham are left stranded on an island of amateur neglect.

A club based in London with a massive fanbase which regularly features in the world’s top twenty rich list should aspire higher than mere Premier League survival. Otherwise, what is the point. Throw in the uninspired appointment of managers who regard entertainment as an optional extra, add the broken promises over the stadium move and it’s no wonder that dissatisfaction is at an all-time high.

Fewer and fewer sources – those who rely on leaks from Sullivan and family for their insider knowledge I guess – continue to peddle club propaganda regarding the constraints of financial rules and regulations. We have become wise to such attempts at distraction. Whatever financial mess the club finds itself in, it is the direct result of the board’s incompetence in the past. No plan, no strategy, and no-one with knowledge of the game to make key football decisions. Investment in scouting and data analytics is minimal and no thought has been given to the concepts of squad succession. Managerial recruitment has been based solely on who is out of work at the time and player recruitment on agent recommendations and the perceived razzle-dazzle factor of any signing.

The latest risible online ‘EXCLUSIVE’ is that Sullivan proposes to take full charge of recruitment during the last days of the transfer window. Are we supposed to thank the lord, we are saved? In truth, he has been in effective control of transfers since he first showed up. Perfectly able to torpedo any deal he doesn’t like the look of by pitching unacceptable bids or insisting on ridiculous payment terms – undermining his recruitment team(s) and alienating many a selling club in the process.

On the few occasions West Ham have tasted success in the Sullivan era, it has been by accident rather than design. The Dimitri Payet inspired season of 2015/16 and Declan Rice’s contribution to Moyes purple patch are prime examples. Moments of optimism which quickly faded and died once the principal player was removed from the scene.

While sentiments of “Sack the Board” are understandable it is improbable in a scenario where they are the only shareholders. One wonders what the other shareholders must make of it all. If they are indifferent, then it is a huge worry. The best (or only) short term hope lies with them ganging up to oust Sullivan as Chairman and replacing Brady with someone who understands the game. Brady’s reputation as a business guru is also a puzzle.

West Ham’s fortunes are now at their lowest ebb since the desperation of Avram Grant. Relegation odds have been slashed on the back of two abysmal performances with survival hopes pinned on there being three even worse teams to take the fall.

Following defeat at Sunderland, the Graham Potter masterplan was to make a single change, replacing the sluggish Guido Rodriguez with the lumbering Tomas Soucek. I can’t quite put my finger on why this didn’t work or why the defence which was shocking at the Stadum of Light didn’t suddenly become impenetrable. Unsurprisingly, Chelsea were gift wrapped five goals without barely having to break sweat.

The one glimmer of hope in Potter’s disappointing spell last season was that he was able to cling to his mantra of being competitive in every match. This has now been shot to pieces and underlines the flaw in his approach. The style of play means his team are never going to score many themselves and, therefore, require a near perfect defence in order to pick up any points. With a trio of centre backs lacking both the physical and mental toughness to compete in the Premier League, this is almost certain to fail.

There comes a period in almost all West Ham seasons where the manager is given so many games to save his job. It is unusual for this happen before the clocks change but reports suggest that Potter already has just two matches to save his – the EFL cup game at Wolves tomorrow night and Sunday’s league visit to Nottingham Forest. If that is the case (and without the prospect of any timely new recruits), he may as well start packing his bags.

Potter comes across as remarkably thin-skinned for a football manager. He is on record as saying he doesn’t care what people write but if he were to ask my advice this is what I would tell him. Put Alphonse Areola back in goal until it is obvious that Mads Hermansen is match ready; abandon the playing it out from the back nonsense, it is more trouble than it is worth; bin the 3/5 at the back formation in favour of a back four (4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1); pick the best two centre backs at heading the ball; prioritise pace and strength in the midfield as much as that is possibl; push Jarrod Bowen back out wide where he is at his most dangerous; don’t leave out players solely because they have challenged your approach in the past; try not to play anyone out of position or get carried away by what you perceive as your own tactical brilliance; buy some lucky heather.

Potter’s departure wouldn’t bother me at all – his football is as dull as anything – but we just know that whoever follows will be equally unimpressive. Another knee-jerk such as Dyche or Cooper to bore the pants from us. Would any progressive manager be stupid enough to sign up under the current regime? I doubt it.

These are truly depressing times as a West Ham supporter. An early exit from the EFL Cup and pointless in the league until late October is a distinct possibility unless three or four inspired signings emerge in the closing days of the transfer window. COYI!

21 thoughts on “Mayday, Mayday: Who Can Save Us From David Sullivan’s West Ham Madness?”

  1. Thank you for telling it like it is ..I actually feel better for reading this.. Instead of listening to people screaming through the TV on YouTube or ranting for the sake of it…. Although I still…Like you .. Don’t know what’s going to happen….COYI..⚒️⚒️

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I think most of us just want to enjoy watching our team play. Something fundamental needs to happen over the course of the next week or else this could be one of the most miserable seasons on record.

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  2. Good piece Geoff, as always, rational, reasoned and without the use of hyperbole and inflammatory language to make your point(s).

    I’m sure West Ham (Sullivan) will bring in some new recruits this week, including a couple of Loans and maybe a freebie or two. Will it be enough to change things this side of Halloween, I’m not sure.

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  3. Brilliantly put, absolutely spot on! How can we expect to beat anyone with centre backs that can’t head, midfielders that can’t run, forwards that also can’t run and can’t stay fit and no-one (apart from Jarrod) who seems to care!

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    1. It would seem blindingly obvious wouldn’t it? Yet those running the club who must have known about the limitations in the sqaud chose to do nothing about before the season started. Quite where we’d be without Jarrod …..

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  4. Hi Geoff, Brilliant but how can ‘like’ be attributal, ha ha. Yes i read and listened toboth pieces you suggested and agree that at least our plight is being recognised elsewhere. I think the players are lucky to be playing away until the break quite honestly. What i cannot understand is that we saw a big improvement in the USA and we played one or two younsters each time who looked quite good. I know the real games are going to be tougher but surely we should be using at least one of our young stars in each game. Where is Scarles in particular this season? I cannot see one or two additions making a great deal of difference to the current scene but are desperately needed if we are to stay above the bottom three anyway. By the way, what a great signing Wilson looked?????? Regards Michael

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    1. Hi Michael, we will have to hope that a few additions will do enough to keep us out of the bottom three. That’s as high as my expectations go. It’s a mystery why the youngsters aren’t given a go. It’s not as if those they’d be replacing are putting in stellar performances. Geoff

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  5. hasn’t Daniel retinal been a massive disappointment too. It’s looking like he bought shares to help his purchase of Royal Mail. If he isn’t actually interested in helping West Ham, he should maybe sell his shares to someone who is.

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    1. Quite what Kretinsky and Tripp Smith expect from their investments is a puzzle. Both appear to be passive investors but they won’t want to see their asset devalued in the event of relegation. I think retinal suggests a vision problem which is appropriate enough.

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  8. People wanted change look where it got us Still not exciting Football last two managers far worse than Moyes with the way they choose to play Potter wont be wrong it’s his way or the highway So nobody wants to play for us That’s why he likes the kids they are easier to manipulate The dressing room do not play into it Brady should have put the club BEFORE the old pals at and Sullivan shouldn’t have listened to her and followed his instincts from the start and said NO The longer he stays the worse it will get

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    1. I do get the feeling that Potter falls out with any player who might date to challenge his style and approach. As you say, his way or the highway. He comes across as quite a fragile individual

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      1. It also doesn’t help when he doesn’t seem to have a clue how to change for the better 2 weeks in and it’s getting worse I think Sullivan is giving far too much control to Brady

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  9. Hi Geoff, I couldn’t agree with you more about where the blame for our current predicament really lies. I am reluctant to try and add up what his ( and they are his, whatever may be said) transfer dealings have cost us in the last ten or twelve years. Not only the players bought for mega – bucks and sold for peanuts, but the wages paid in between each mini disaster. The sale of Declan Rice distorts the scale of the disaster, but doesn’t change it. Every window the cry goes up “ we must sell to buy”, and every window most of the players earmarked for the chop prove to be unsaleable(?) or have to be virtually given away. Every window we end up scrabbling around at the last minute, underbidding and/ or being beaten to every target – most of whom were never going to join us in a month of Sundays. Every window we seem to need urgently to replace or recruit at least six players, and yet we always leave everything until way too late. And yet, as you rightly say, Sullivan fails completely to make any changes or to put in place a coherent strategy. Kretinsky’s continuing indifference and silence make me smell a rat. What is his long game I wonder. Maybe nothing more than a massive profit when Sullivan finally sells up. Talking of which, it now seems our only hope of long term salvation is to be flogged off to some person or some country with bottomless pockets. Not what I have supported the Irons for nearly 70 years for, but we are now so deep in the mire ( if our Board is to be believed) that a sale is our only real hope. In all of those 70 years I have never felt so despairing or so sad about the team I love. COYI. Mike

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    1. It’s heartbreaking the way that things have gone at West Ham under these owners. They don’t seem to have a clue about how to run a football club for the long term. Everything is about today and stumbling along from one crisis to the next. The very idea that telling everyone that the club is skint and that we are desperate to sell one minute and then ending up desperate to buy by the end of the window must be the worst strategy possible. What a mess

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  10. UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 – Lynsey de Paul & Mike Moran – it came 2nd by the way

    Where are we? – Rock bottom
    Tragedies? – We got ’em
    Remedy? – Why don’t we
    Rub it out and start it again

    With sympathy – Oh, I get it
    Harmony – You said it
    Where are we? – Rock bottom
    Rub it out and start it again

    Can you tell me? – Oh, I don’t know
    But can you help me? – I don’t know
    All I know is we can do anything we want to

    Where are we? – Rock bottom
    Tragedies? – We got ’em
    Remedy? – Why don’t we
    Rub it out and start it again

    With sympathy – Oh, I get it
    Harmony – You said it
    Where are we? – Rock bottom
    Rub it out and start it again

    Rock, rock, rock bottom
    Rock, rock, rock bottom
    Rock, rock, rock bottom

    Liked by 1 person

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