Author: Geoff Hopkins

Seven Points Thrown Away: And So It’s My Assumption, Nuno’s Up The Watford Junction

Except for the names and a few other changes, it is the same West Ham story at Vicarage Way as slow build up, risk aversion, poor movement and a lack of penetration lead to frustration and the loss of more important league points.

Vicarage Road, Watford. Saturday 29 August 2026. 3:00 PM. Light to Heavy Showers: 19C

Pre-match Thoughts

As ever the big question when West Ham play Watford is “are Watford a London club?” The evidence is conflicting. I’m sure they appeared in a bold typeface in the old Evening News/ Standard Saturday night classifieds; and were occasionally featured on London Weekend Television’s Big Match the following day. The town is served by the London Underground, sits inside the M25 and is no further from Central London than Romford is. On the other hand, it officially remained part of Hertfordshire rather than being annexed (as Romford and indeed West Ham were) during the expansion of Greater London in 1965. So, there you have it. The answer is “possibly”.

The other big question is what lessons, if any, will have been learned from last Saturday’s woeful effort against Charlton and the noticeable midweek improvement at Southampton? We’ll know fairly soon.

This will be the penultimate game before the transfer window closes as West Ham will again be playing on the actual night. Although the Boardroom has lost some its reputation for having more leaks than soup in a basket, the window has largely played out much as it always has. Better prices have been received for departures admittedly, but progress on signings has been as hesitant, haphazard and protracted as usual.

Alongside the transfer window, the pre-emption round for the purchase of the Gold family shares also slams shut over the coming week. The widespread belief is that Daniel Kretinski will emerge as the main buyer, but we can’t know that for certain. Maybe he has seen enough over the last few weeks to have a change of heart and pass the poison chalice onto the Staveley consortium.

The Teams Are Announced

Nuno’s team selection shows three changes from the side that started against Charlton. Out go Mavropanos (injured), Scarles and Piroe. In come Veltman, Golambeckis and Mukasa. On paper it looks like a 4-2-3-1 with Mukasa deployed as the creative attacking midfielder. Walker-Peters is switched to left back ahead of Mayers and Scarles.

A surprise after the midweek performances is that it is Kante who gets the nod over Orford. This may be due to Nuno’s preference for height in centre of midfield – the same rationale for Soucek’s frequent starts last season. The absence of a quick, mobile and tactically aware deep lying midfielder to protect the defence continues to stick out.

Match Report

Watford 1 (Nabizada 19) West Ham 1 (Pollock (OG) 27)

There was too little action this week to divide the match report into its separate halves.      

West Ham had a brightish opening ten minutes but with only another blocked shot from Bowen to show for their efforts. The early momentum then switched as the home side began to grow in confidence and into the game. The Hornets took the lead on 19 minutes with a neat lobbed finish that a proper goalkeeper with normal sized arms should easily have saved. For a while, Watford’s ascendency suggested they might well double their lead to add to visitor’s woes. However, the Hammers survived and largely control possession for the remainder of the game. Apart, that is, from a short spell of Watford dominance just after the break as the Hammers recovered from Nuno’s inspiring half-time team talk.

The game had returned to all square by the break thanks to an unnecessary attempt to play out from the back by Keben in the home defence. Full marks to Taty for not giving up the chase but the goal came gift-wrapped rather than as a reward for any incisive claret and blue play.

The second half was almost entirely without incident. The Hammers created little from their near 70% possession or from the succession of corners which floated carelessly into the night. Watford’s occasional forays up field, while executed with purpose, rarely caused meaningful danger.

It was textbook low intensity football from West Ham. The apparent formation change made little material difference and played out as a hybrid of the anticipated 4-2-3-1 and the 4-4-1-1 that has plagued our approach since its unexpected short-term success at the start of the year.

Transition was again painfully slow; defined by a pointless back and forth in the defensive third. The theoretically most dangerous outlets (Bowen and Solomon) typically received the ball in deep, static positions with a full defensive line reformed in front of them – given ample time get back into its shape.

For the most part, our wingers do most of their work well away from the danger areas. Cutting inside before running out of space and being forced to play sideways or backwards. It is a rarity to have a ball played into space for a wide man to run onto. And if (and when) a ball is eventually delivered into the box, there are never enough bodies arriving to attack it.

Everything we see is a consequence of the low-risk mindset at the heart of Nuno’s footballing philosophy. It might occasionally work when the opposition is attack minded (as it did at Southampton) but is hopeless when confronted with a low block or intense pressing. The sad fact is that this will be case in the majority of Championship games this season.

Of equal significance is the lack of movement this risk averse attitude engenders. Where are the runners, who is creating the space for others to exploit? Mukasa struggled to make any impact – as other attacking midfielders have before him – due to an obvious lack of passing options and movement in front of him. It is a team playing on their heels rather than their toes. This has been a long running West Ham problem relieved only temporarily during the Lingard/ Rice purple patch of 2021.

Supporters are right to want and expect more signings before the window closes. But those signings should be to convert a squad already good enough for top four into certainties for promotion. The fact is we currently sit in 19th place having dropped seven points from the nine available. The only reasonable conclusion is that the underlying problem lies in the dugout. A mindset that was complicit in last season’s relegation and refuses to budge or adapt.

Will bringing in different players make the necessary improvements if nothing else changes. Marginally perhaps but not to the level required to achieve automatic promotion. It would the equivalent of signing up more A-list actors for a movie where the Director is clueless and the script and screenplay are an abomination.

The writing must surely be on the wall for Nuno. There are five more league games and an EFL third round encounter before the international break. It will need a massive turnaround for the manager to survive the chop at that point. We can officially launch the six games to save his job countdown, starting with Tuesday night’s clash with Wolves.

One bright spot from the game was the assured performance of Golambeckis in the centre of defence. He has the look of a very intelligent centre-back with good pace and great awareness. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the more agricultural of Championship strikers. COYI!

A Fistful Of Transfer Fees: A Time To Spend, Spend, Spend? Plus Preview of West Ham at Watford

The lows of last Saturday were partly offset by a youth inspired Carabao Cup high at Southampton. What now for West Ham as they return to league action in the last weekend of the transfer window?

It’s been a fairly typical week in the life of a West Ham supporter. From the anger and despair of that submissive performance against Charlton at the weekend to the delight of a youth inspired Carabao cup romp on the south coast a few days later.

People say that following West Ham is roller coaster ride. But it’s the reverse really. On a roller coaster the thrills come on the way down while in football they are felt on the way up. Perhaps ultimately neither truly live up to expectations or last long enough in the memory.

We should really have learned our lesson by now or accepted that our support is no more than an annual subscription to disappointment. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the club marketed it in this way? Upgrade your Casual Sufferer free trial to enjoy the full benefits of our Frequent Flagellant membership. A special limited time offer which must end when the transfer window closes.

One of the accidental benefits from relegation is the opportunity to survive an extra round or two in the Carabao Cup before the obligatory autumnal elimination comes around, usually away at Liverpool. Even so, an away tie with Southampton looked like no easy task on the evidence of form to date. The Saints boasting an impressive home record at the St Mary’s Stadium.

However, despite the best efforts of master spy, Tonda Eckert – the miniature microphone hidden behind the Piri-Piri sauce bottle in the Rush Green canteen, motion tracking cameras installed on the top of training cones or sending Sammy Saint along with a pair of Meta glasses – he was unable to prepare his side for the youthful exuberance of the West Ham performance.

Once again, the early signs were not encouraging. A lack of awareness and tenacity in the Hammers defence allowing the home side to grab a soft early lead. Gradually, the youngsters grew into the game, drew level just before the break, and blew the hosts away in the second period. Josh Ajala stole many of the headlines with a debut brace but there were also fine contributions from Lewis Orford, Divine Mukasa and Airidas Golambeckis. It was pleasing to see four very well taken goals.

It would be premature to bet the remainder of our season on these young lads but they can surely play an important part and become part of a brighter home-grown future. For me, seeing Mukasa carry the ball forward with confidence was a reminder of how much this has been missed from the Hammers line-up – unfortunately, he is not our player.

I have seen suggestions that Nuno can use the victory as a blueprint for the rest of campaign. If he does let’s hope he doesn’t have it back-to-front or upside down.

With the transfer window still having several days to run, the club is mired in a phoney squad building phase. Not knowing who can be shifted and who can be recruited during the final days as the clock ticks down. The scale of problem has been magnified by circumstances at West Ham this time around. The finances were in a godawful mess even before relegation and will have been giving the bean counters double entry nightmares ever since thanks to a huge drop in revenues, a boardroom stalemate and the need to comply with the 85% squad cost ratio rules. Untangling the gordian knot of inherited chaos, outstanding debt, and ongoing transfers while remaining competitive cannot be underestimated. A bit like attempting to repair a cassette tape that had got mangled up in the tape player with only a pencil for assistance – but harder! Will it ever play properly again?

The good news is that the completed and pipeline transfers out will have saved tidy sums on player wages and amortisation, as well as generating significant player sale profits – which can be added back in to revenues for SCR purposes. Hopefully, it is clear by now what is left in petty cash to strengthen the squad in the final days of the window – assuming there is money left over after meeting outstanding cash flow obligations from previous seasons.

I doubt it’s going to be spend, spend, spend but those gaps in the squad won’t fill themselves. I still want to see reinforcements at centre back and defensive midfield as a minimum – whether that means spending a portion of the transfer windfall or raiding the loan market. As long as no-one is daft enough to sign Reiss Nelson.

Saturday sees West Ham’s first return to Vicarage Road since December 2021, a game the Hammers won 4-1 and featured Nikola Vlasic’s only goal for the Hammers. In fact, the last three visits to Watford have each ended with comfortable away wins at an aggregate of 11 goals for and 3 against.

Can we assume that Nuno has finally seen the light and abandons his 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 obsession for good. It was only ever an expediency to cater for the inclusion of winter signings, Taty and Pablo. A 4-2-3-1 formation makes far more sense in ensuring we are not overrun in midfield and vulnerable through the centre. My own pick for a starting eleven would be: Areola • Veltman Mavropanos Kilman Mayers • Engels Orford • Bowen Mukasa Solomon • Taty (or Piroe).

Watford have started the season with a home win against Southampton and an away draw at Wrexham in the league. In midweek, a much-changed team were thrashed 5-1 Peterborough at Vicarage Road. With a recent history of constant upheaval, being a Hornet’s fan must be equally as frustrating as being a Hammer.

A scene from the Comic Strip’s spoof spaghetti western “A Fistful Of Travelers Cheques” predicted perfectly how the club would later be run under their current owners:

Carlos: Which football team do you support?
Miguel: Eh… Watford.
Carlos: [spits] Watford can’t play to save their lives, amigo!
Miguel: I agree.
Carlos: Oh. Oh, well then, I don’t agree! I think they can play. They just need a new manager!

Any many a new manager have they had. Current incumbent, Alessio Dionisi, is the 25th to hold the title since the Pozzo family assumed control in 2012. Do they bother putting a name on the door? Hiden away on the list are some familiar old names including Glenn Roeder, Gianfranco Zola and Slaven Bilic. Of all the managers employed, it is Zola who holds the record for surviving the greatest number of games.

Other West Ham connections are one time director Jack Petchey who owned Watford during the 1980/90s – buying from and then selling back to Elton John – and current CEO, Scott Duxbury, who held the same role at Upton Park prior to the Gold & Sullivan takeover.  

According to the internet, Dionisi’s style revolves around building from the back, attacking overloads, intense pressing and pushing bodies forward. Basically, the same as most sides outside of West Ham. It should allow space at the back for the Hammers to exploit. It will be a good opportunity to see how young players react to an intense pressing opponent.

What we will get on the day is anyone’s guess. Can we maintain a decent level of intensity over 90 minutes, can we not only pass accurately but with purpose, can we manage to defend a lead without dropping deeper and deeper? Come on Nuno, you know it makes sense. COYI!       

West Ham Face Critical Dilemma Following Charlton Clash: Should He Stay Or Should He Go Now?

An inability to establish an identity on the pitch, players regularly played out of position, glaring gaps in the squad, and another rudderless performance against Charlton on Saturday raise serious concerns over Nuno’s future at the London Stadium

London Stadium. Saturday 22 August 2026. 3:00 PM. Partly sunny: 21C

Pre-Match Thoughts

The season may be a few games old by now, but it is the daily transfer chatter which continues to dominate the cyber waves. With another week or so still to go, further comings and goings are guaranteed as the bean counters grapple with the two-pronged cash flow and squad cost ratio dilemma. A situation not at all helped by the unwelcome and drawn-out ownership skirmishes dividing the boardroom.

The best advice is don’t get that favourite player’s name printed on the back of your shirt until the final squad lists are published, and the window has finally closed on 1 September. Does the transfer window still slam shut when you’re in the Championship? The jerky grating of an old patio door stuck on its runners is perhaps more in keeping with the make-do-and-mend environment we find ourselves in currently.

Reading supporter’s comments online, I get the sense that transfer schizophrenia abounds. It would be great to unearth emerging talent, but what we need are players with experience at this level. Now’s not the right time to take a flyer on unproven talent when there are immediate problems to solve, they say. Just as it won’t be next season, or the season after that. And that, unfortunately, leaves us with the same short-term, unplanned, expedient recruitment approach that has failed to deliver for the past 15 years. The strategy that is responsible for the haphazard, bits and pieces squad we see before us. Buying tomorrow’s deadwood today by scouring the clearance sales for late career players and overpaying for foreign imports unsuited to the English game. All topped up by an assortment of last-minute emergency loans.

Some feel that Nils Koppen should have made more of a mark by now. But that’s a big call for a guy who is just a few weeks into his job; trying to understand Nuno’s requirements and match them to competent players available at knockdown prices. A Director of Recruitment is for life, not just for a single transfer window!

Still, at least Nuno has a  few new options to toy with ahead of today’s visit of Charlton Athletic. Let’s see how it pans out.

The Team Sheets Are In

Chapter 9 of the Timid Manager’s Handbook recommends not starting your new signings until they’ve had at least one game sat on the bench. Surprisingly, Nuno has gone rogue this afternoon and given starting debuts to both Engels and Piroe.

The official website is presenting it as a 4-2-3-1 and it will be interesting to see how that works out in practice. The assumption is that Piroe will be furthest forward and Taty in a more withdrawn role. He’s not my idea of a Number 10 but innocent until proven guilty and all that.  

This will be the first home league meeting with Charlton for almost exactly 20 years when West Ham ran out 3-1 victors in August 2006. Former Hammer, Connor Coventry will feature in the Addicks midfield.

Half Time Report

West Ham 0 Charlton 1 (Jones 7)

An all too familiar sluggish start from the Hammers with a formation that shows how dangerous assumptions are when it comes to Nuno. Our new, proven Championship goalscorer has been shoehorned into the Pablo role behind the striker; leaving a disinterested Taty to wander around up top by himself.

Soon, we are a goal down. An innocuous, not particularly long or flat throw-in is allowed to bounce, and the ball is in the back of the net as defenders and goalkeeper look on in amazement.

The pattern of play for the remainder of the half settles into routine frustration. The thrift shop Charlton side are quick and incisive on the break with players able to run with the ball. West Ham are slow and predictable. Hoping to bore the opposition into a stupor by the monotony of their passing.

Focusing your attacks through wide players is a reasonable tactic if you can get the ball out to them quickly and you’re not playing your main striker in midfield. But when you allow opponents to get back into shape while you play triangles in the middle third blunts any offensive threat. Apart from a late Taty header, the Charlton goal face little danger.

Full Time Report

West Ham 1 (Piroe 74) Charlton 2 (Jones 7, Campbell 56)

Nuno replaced Kante with Orford at half-time. One not-really-a-defensive-midfielder for another. This is apparently the extent of his plan for turning things around as everything stayed thesame. The build-up remained ponderous and West Ham still had no-one capable of carrying the ball through the opposition lines. An ability that left (and has never been replaced) with the departure of Declan Rice. On first appearances, it doesn’t look like Arne Engels is the answer to that deficiency.

By the 56th minute, Charlton were two up. Mavropanos had plenty of time to deal with a straightforward punt up field. He made a mess with his original control, had an opportunity to recover but chose to try and buy a foul instead. The referee, perhaps free from the spectre of scrutiny by VAR, was not so easily fooled. A shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the net completed the embarrassment. Should the keeper have done better?

On a good day, Mavropanos is the club’s only reliable defender. But last season’s HOTY becomes a bag of nerves when partnered with Kilman. Neither full-back excels defensively and it is puzzling why the manager continues to opt for Scarles over Mayers.

Defensive lapses are as much a part of West Ham’s DNA as blowing bubbles. A competent defence is a foundation for success. If the recruitment department have only one focus over the next week it should be to find uncompromising replacements for the defensive midfield and centre back positions.

West Ham’s late second half flurry had more to do with Charlton sitting back than any inspired tactical changes. It resulted in a debut goal for Piroe, several headed opportunities that went begging, and a shot from Mukasa that was well saved by the keeper. There should have been a get-out-of-jail card moment in the closing minutes but inexplicably penalty taking duties had been assigned to Taty rather than Bowen. It’s about time, the show-boaty, stuttering penalty run-up was consigned to the Room 101 of football history.  

Nuno has become the latest in a sequence of West Ham managers to stand forlorn and bemused on the wide expanse of the London Stadium touchline. Apparently powerless to do anything about the events unfolding on the pitch. His body language says, “I wish I wasn’t here” and, for once, I agree with him.

Did he just get lucky (as managers often do) in those brief spells at Wolves and Forest? He has been at West Ham for a year now and the team shows no sign of developing an effective style of play or demonstrating a football philosophy. Just as timidity didn’t lead to safety last season, it is unlikely to win promotion this.

With a tough run of league and cup games coming up before the international break, his future must surely be in the balance. No doubt, we must endure the obligatory x games to save his job charade before sanity prevails.     

Pointathon Update

With two games gone and a points per game average of 0.5, the run rate to reach an automatic promotion target of 90 points has increased from 1.96 to 2.02 points per game. Five out of a possible 138 points have been lost forever.

Plenty to think about on the training ground then. In my old football training days, we would regularly play shirts versus skins. I wonder if Nuno goes for Square Pegs versus Round Holes? COYI!

Familiar Failings Ensure Turf Moor Is Less For West Ham In Season Opener

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. West Ham start the season in time honoured fashion by surrendering a two goal lead against Burnley at Turf Moor. A long, hard season awaits.

Setting The Scene

Turf Moor, Burnley. Sunday 16 August 2026. 16:00. Light clouds and light winds: 18C

Finally, another season is upon us. Some things have changed. A new division, new boardroom leadership, a new Director of Recruitment and the obligatory new season kit for sale in the club shop. Others things stubbornly remain the same. The same manager with the usual press conference blather. The same financial pressures ensuring hesitancy in the transfer market, and (thanks to relegation) the same shirt sponsor – as Championship watchers don’t need the same level of protection from unscrupulous bookies as the worldwide Premier League audience does.

And all too soon, we will know whether it’s going to be the same old safety-first tactics served up on the pitch.

Pre-Match Tension

The teams have been announced. The Hammers squad shows eight survivors from those involved in the 2-0 win at Turf Moor last February. The Clarets squad has nine.

Nuno hasn’t sprung any surprises in the West Ham starting eleven. It’s as expected with the usual vulnerabilities and lack of depth to the fore. I’m still to be convinced by Mads, I would have preferred either Diouf or Mayers at left back over Scarles, and Kilman is an ongoing worry – his score on the central defender bravery index is below the lower limit of detection.

The central midfield pairing of Kante and Orford – in the confirmed absence of Alvarez – feels very light, both in experience and defensive attributes. The inference from the list of excluded players is that the club plan to shift Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Alvarez, and Fullkrug before the end of the window. Replacements will be badly needed.

There’s a starting place for Solomon on the left and a seat on the bench for Veltman. Amusing to hear how excited each of the new signings are about the West Ham ‘project’ – almost as if it were scripted. Wasn’t it Scott Duxbury who always had a project on the go?  

Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles, Orford, Kanté, Bowen ©, Solomon, Taty, Pablo.  Subs: Areola (GK), Veltman, Diouf, Mayers, Golambeckis, Ward-Prowse, Earthy, Ajala, Landers

Half Time Report

Burnley 0 West Ham 1 (Kilman, 10)

What do I know? Scarles has look bright linking up with Solomon on the left. And Kilman pops up with the only goal of the half.

It was another sluggish start from the Hammers as Burnley dominated the opening exchanges with a blast of fast, direct football. The visitor’s barely having a touch of the ball in the initial 5 or 6 minutes. But the Claret’s early threat was rudely blunted on ten minutes when Kilman escaped his marker to head home his first competitive West Ham goal from Bowen’s corner.   

The goal changed the complexion of the game. West Ham taking full control, looking disciplined, well organised, hardworking and racking up a dizzy 63% possession before half-time. Albeit, without creating much in the way of clear-cut chances.

Orford looked very assured on his league debut although the partnership with Kante was leaving gaping holes through the middle to offer Burnley encouragement for the second half.

Full Time Report

Burnley 2 (Fleming, 83 (Pen), 90 + 2) West Ham 2 (Kilman, 10, Solomon 72)

It wouldn’t be a West Ham game without a head scratching substitution moment. To prove a point Nuno obliged by replacing Pablo with JWP at half-time. Initially it was assumed to be a tactical change – to reinforce the central midfield. But later suggestions cited a problem with Pablo’s calf – perhaps a repetitive strain injury from attempting to control the ball.

Would we now see a further repeat of the perplexing Pablo paradox? Can’t play with him, even worse without him!

The weird part of Nuno’s change was that in endeavouring to maintain the 4-4-2 formation, he opted to move Bowen into the centre and plonked JWP on the right wing. Suddenly, the shape and organisation that was so apparent in the first half fell into disarray. Why does this happen so often with our substitutions? It handed the initiative to Burnley as the Hammer’s defending wobbled, the whole team dropped deeper, and thoughts of adding to the goal tally became distant. A home goal looked increasingly likely.

Mavropanos and Kilman has never been the ideal central defensive partnership, and both were dominated in the air by Flemming as a succession of crosses rained in. The pairing hadn’t work in the Premier League and looked no more solid at this level.

Then, out of the blue, West Ham doubled their lead. A fine run down the right by Kante, a deflected cross, and the ball fell nicely to Solomon to rifle home. Solomon can be happy with his debut. He kept himself busy even though his movement was often frantic rather than controlled – like a bluebottle attempting to escape from a lampshade. He’s no Yossi or Eyal but an improvement over Yaniv Katan. More than competent at this level.

Surely the second goal was enough to break Burnley’s spirit. A winning start to the season was just 18 minutes and a display of careful game management away. But as West Ham tired and struggled to keep hold of the ball, the Clarets had other ideas. They became favourites in every 50-50 challenge and refused to lie down.

For all his fine attacking play before the break, Scarles’ defensive chops were repeatedly shown up in the second period. This culminated in the unnecessary and rash challenge which provided the penalty lifeline the hosts were looking for.

As the clock ticked into added time, West Ham hung on desperately. Another ball into the box, a messy scramble, a poor half-hearted clearance by Kilman, and a Burnley equaliser. Another game thrown away in the last knockings. But credit to Burnley, they were well worth their point.

The Promotion Pointathon

Scanning through the final league standings since we were last in the Championship shows that 90 points is generally a realistic target for automatic promotion. Getting there requires between 22 and 30 victories plus enough draws to make up the balance. Reaching ninety points averages out at 1.96 points per game.

The stretch target (as the HR department likes to say) would be to break the 100-point barrier. To reach a ton, needs between 27 and 33 wins at an average of 2.17 points per game.

Let’s see how we do after letting two slip away on Sunday. Playing not lose rather than playing to win is rarely the path to runaway success.

Of course, the benchmark for runaway West Ham promotion pushes is the 1980/ 81 season where, from 42 matches, the Hammers romped to 28 wins, 10 draws, and just 4 defeats. But then that was a side which could boast Parkes, Stewart, Bonds, Martin, Devonshire, Brooking and Cross among its ranks. COYI!

It’s A West Ham Scorcher: Seven Minute Sunny Spell Triggers Soaring Expectations

As West Ham progress through to the second round of the Carabao cup, there is a danger of being seduced by an emphatic scoreline that was not as flattering as it looks.

A wise man once proclaimed, “the truth of the battle is whatever the victor deems it to be.’ I’m not sure who it was, but probably some Chinese fella such as Master Po from the 1970’s Kung Fu TV series. In this spirit, significant swaths of the West Ham commentariat have deemed to interpret Saturday’s ‘comfortable’ 3 – 1 win against Portsmouth as an omen of a glorious Championship season to come. I fear this might be somewhat premature.

The reality of the performance was quite different. Although a pre-season friendly feel still hung in the air, the familiar fragile foibles of last season continued to haunt the London Stadium. A slow start, giving away possession, an inability to play through the lines, stilted movement, and a general lack of adventure. A repeat showing next weekend will result in a very unhappy return trip from East Lancashire.

Let’s remember that Portsmouth are a very average Championship side. They finished 18th last season and will most likely be in and around the lower reaches once more this time around. They looked tidy in possession but with (fortunately) little cutting edge. How and why were they able to dominate so completely for the first 40 minutes of the game is perplexing. Before the Hammers grabbed the equaliser, I believe they were trending at 65% possession.

In his post-match comments, Nuno praised the movement and combinations on show for each of the West Ham goals. But where had those attributes been hiding prior to the seven-minute goal blitz. A period where the best on offer were spells of pointless passing across the back – followed by hopeful punts up field once other options had been exhausted.

When Nuno is interviewed after games, he will frequently suggest that the way we play week in, week out is not what he wants. He is delighted by those brief moments where the team discovers its swaggers, where passing and movement spring to life, and confidence on the ball spreads through the team. Why then, do the players find it so difficult to deliver what he says he wants – and what, we must assume, he prepares them for? Do they not understand the instructions, are they scared to take any risks, is there no leadership on the pitch? How can the same plan fail in the same way with such monotonous regularity?

And what caused the sudden change of heart for those seven glorious minutes? The shock of going a goal behind? Or had someone spiked the hydration break water bottles with shots of concentrated Carabao Raspberry energy burst?

The idea of West Ham as runaway league leaders of the Championship built upon limited possession, scoring on the break, and lengthy periods of defensive game management seems highly implausible. A speculative long shot even though my knowledge of the breadth and depth of quality in the Championship is largely unknown. I just don’t see a quick return to the top level in prospect without a significant boost to the squad’s resources over the remaining days of the transfer window.

It is never ideal to leave most of your transfer business until after the season has started but it is a habit that has proven hard to break. The players yet to leave may be just as important as the new recruits as the club endeavours to manage its shaky finance, comply with the new squad ratio rules and buy a new drive belt for the broken fax machine. As a minimum, I expect we are hoping to offload the attitudes and costs of all three of Todibo, AWB and Fullkrug before the end of the month. Incomings must then address the most pressing gaps in what remains a dangerously sketchy squad.

My simple view when assessing players is that they must primarily be competent in fulfilling the basic purpose of their role. It’s no use being the greatest keeper with the ball at your feet if your handling is weak and you cannot dominate the area. Futile being a ball playing centre half or marauding full back if you don’t have the bravery or positional nous to the fundamental defensive duties. Pointless running around all day, huffing and puffing as a forward if you’re not scoring goals or providing assists. Sadly, we fall down in so many positions. Astute prioritisation and a process of make do and mend will be of over-riding importance.

If it was my decision, creative midfield and wide left would top the list followed by striker and centre back reinforcements. Hopefully, each of these can be satisfied even if it means some are loans from Premier League clubs.

We should forget to mention that there were some decent performances on Saturday. Taty and Jarrod Bowen showed they are sure to score goals at this level – and plenty of them given the right service. KWP did well and we saw flashes (but not the whole of the moon) from Lewis Orford and Mo Kante. I’d hope to see more of the latter pair but doubt they can yet be relied upon to carry the midfield through a gruelling 46 match season.

Listening to Nuno speak, I often detect an air of Master Po’s eastern mysticism in his persona. It would be entertaining and just as informative if he injected a hint of far-eastern philosophical nonsense into his press conferences. Reporter: “Jacob Waffle, Stratford Examiner, will you continue with the same ultra-cautious approach to games in the Championship that we saw last year in the Premier League?” Nuno: “Seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions, Grasshopper”.

It’s worth a try and would make about as much sense as the usual answers. COYI!

Crisis? What Crisis? The Summer of Discontent Heats Up At The London Stadium

West Ham’s approach to new season has the level of preparedness usually associated with someone mistaking blind optimism for a successful strategy. What could possibly go wrong?

West Ham fans of any vintage are well used to the topsy-turvy nature of most football seasons. More turvy than topsy if the truth be told. But at least we used to have the summer break to forget all about it and watch the cricket instead. Nowadays, the close season is filled with almost as much drama, swinging from despair to hope and back again with each news cycle.

Intermittent relegation is a cross we’ve come to bear in east London. We may kid ourselves it shouldn’t happen, that it can never happen again, that we are too big and too rich a club to get things so wrong. But then here we are. Forever cursed with incompetent owners?

Emotions had understandably reached their lowest ebb when relegation was finally confirmed on 24 May. Here was a club with huge debt, expensive credit, plunging revenues, supporting a lopsided squad of overpaid misfits. Turmoil, fire sales, games played in a half empty London stadium, and visions of becoming a second Leicester City were reasonable predictions for the year ahead.

Then a few things happened to slowly lift the gloom. The much-despised David Sullivan resigned to spend more time with his lawyers and following his sidekick Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge out of the door. A joint statement from Daniel Kretinski and Vanessa Gold promised a share transfer deal and a newfound spirit of cooperation that would see the Czech become the club’s largest shareholder. At long last, a specialist director of recruitment had been appointed, and the club had played hard ball in extracting top of the range fees for the sales of Fernandes and Summerville. And loans to Barclay Bank had been paid off, although the more extortionate payday credit from Rights and Media Funding remained in place.

Perhaps things weren’t as bad as we feared after all. The situation was still light on detail. Had West Ham complied with the final year Premier League PSR rules, how would they meet Championship Squad Cost Ratio rules in a world of falling revenues, would the transfer funds received be used to pay off debt or improve the squad?

Regardless, a ray of optimism saw fit to raise its ugly head. And whenever that happens, it’s a sure sign that things are about to come crashing down. And so, it came to pass – and predictably it was a backwards pass! We discovered the boardroom pact was not as harmonious as presented, the pre-season games were a reminder of how one dimensional the football is under the current manager, and despite the gaping holes in the squad, the only new addition has been the permanent signing of Keiber Lamadrid.

Could there be a worse time to be caught in ownership limbo? It is difficult to see it not having knock-on implications in the day to day running of the club. The impasse in the original plan, it seems, were the conflicting desires of Kretinsky and Gold. For reasons unknown (but widely speculated upon), Kretinsky hadn’t wanted to increase his ownership above 50%, and the Gold Family Trust didn’t want to be left holding a small percentage of shares.

It has been suggested that the plan was for Kretinsky to find a separate buyer for the remainder of Gold’s shares but with the passing of time nothing came to fruition. Into this void enter Amanda Staveley and her consortium with an offer for the whole of the Golds shareholding which they saw as too good to refuse. Did Kretinsky fail to follow through or did the Golds renege on the deal. Both claim to be acting in the best interests of West Ham. What to make of it? The malign tentacles of Gold and Sullivan are far from history.

The latest move clearly upset Kretinsky and his desire for stability in the run up to the new season. There must now be a two-month two-round process before anything can be resolved. In round 1, existing shareholders have the right to buy the Gold shares in proportion to their existing holding – Sullivan and Kretinsky could buy 50.8% and 36% of the shares on offer respectively. Other minority shareholders have the same option. In round 2, any unsold shares can be purchased by those buying in round 1.

The general online consensus is that Sullivan is unlikely to be interested in increasing his stake – and he has remained uncharacteristically quiet about his position on the matter. So, everything depends on Kretinsky showing his colours. It will need to be an all or nothing play from him – either doing nothing or buying all the Gold shares to block Staveley’s bid – for now. Until she returns with an eye on Sullivan’s holding.

It has never been obvious what Kretinsky wants. He has been a mostly passive investor with West Ham, just one small part of his immense asset portfolio. The Sullivan situation may have forced his hand to act but possibly only to protect his original investment. Does he have any true appetite to become a majority owner? All we can do now is wait and hope the club does not enter a state of paralysis as the boardroom struggle plays out.

If things in the boardroom are a mess, then the omens on the pitch look no better. It came as a surprise to many when the club decided to persevere with Nuno Espirito Santo after last season’s events. Continuity is fine if what you want is more of the same. True, he was mostly lumbered with the squad he inherited, there was an upturn in form towards the end of the campaign, and he has a previous Championship promotion under his belt. But he wasn’t a late relegation battle arrival. He was appointed in September with plenty of opportunity to make his mark. Is his brand of cautious, counter attacking football really the route to success in the long, hard slog of a Championship season. I see no rationale why West Ham should be among the favourites for the title or automatic promotion.

As yet, nothing has been done to address the squad’s perennial on-field weaknesses: reliable goal-scoring front man; creativity in midfield; energetic defensive midfielder; and fearless central defender – virtually the whole spine of the team. I made the mistake of shelling out a fiver to watch Saturday’s friendly and how toothless was that performance against a side who just about managed to avoid the drop from Bundesliga 2 last season. OK, it was only a friendly, but you would expect to see signs of a team able to take control a game. Instead, it was a reprise of the plodding, unadventurous style that failed to impress in the Premier League.

Listening to players interviewed after games and I get the impression they have no belief either. Platitudes such as “we’re heading in the right direction”, “we need to keep growing as a team” and “we must keep pushing for what we want to achieve” had me checking whether David Brent had been appointed Director of Communications.

I do understand some of the original delay in recruitment while Nils Koppen got his feet under the table but to have done nothing on the eve of the new season is disastrous. Other clubs have shown it is possible to recover from a slow start, but it’s a dangerous game. And far more difficult when you add in an uber cautious coach.

Unfortunately, I’m not on the same page as those who see youth team players stepping up to fill the missing pieces. I love it when a youth team breaks through and am loathe to write any off any individual too quickly. But for a self-styled ‘academy of football’ West Ham have a wretched record of youth development in recent years. Sadly, I’ve yet to be convinced by any of the current crop but will be more than happy to be proved wrong.

The academy might like to think of itself as a production line of talent, but it is turning out identikit graduates where discipline has been drilled in at the expense of flair and risk taking. Players whose first instinct is control, half turn, and short pass. Nothing more. It’s like the way plant breeders eliminated taste from fruit by prioritising appearance. We were perhaps lucky that the only notable academy graduate of the past 15 years got his early footballing education at a completely different club.

What we are left with is players who look elegant but fall short on the other attributes required to make it as a top-level footballer – strength, determination, resilience, stamina, positional sense, awareness, vision, and decision-making. Whether that is peculiar to West Ham or is a wider problem of the rarified academy environment, I don’t know. Are these the skills which were once honed during 20-a-side matches in the street or over the park?

Apart from all that, preparations for the new season look perfect. What could possibly go wrong? COYI!

The Gold and Sullivan Years in Numbers: An Era of Stagnation and Squandered Opportunity

We hope it’s all over. Running the numbers on an unenterprising, wasteful, self-aggrandising and shameful period in the history of West Ham United

It all started with low expectations, went mostly downhill, and ended in a slurry of sleaze and shady behaviour. With the Gold and Sullivan era hopefully gone forever, we look back on the numbers which define this wasteful and distasteful period of West Ham history.

16 – the number of seasons ‘competing’ in the topflight. The first match on 26 January 2010, a 1-1 draw away at Portsmouth leaving West Ham in 16th position. The last, a 3-0 home win on 24 May 2026 confirming the Hammer’s relegation with an 18th place finish.

2 – the number of Premier League relegations. One a consequence of their first disastrous managerial appointment in 2011. The other, the culmination of shocking mismanagement in the aftermath of the European Conference success and the transfer of Declan Rice.

6 – the number of top ten finishes (excluding the Championship year) out of 16 attempts. The highest was 6th place in 2020/21, a season which also set West Ham Premier League records for number of wins (19) and points gained (65).

633 – total number of league games played, of which 214 were won (33.8%) and 258 lost (40.7%). In the Premier League only, the 190 victories from 587 games (32.3%) were overshadowed by 250 defeats (42.6%). West Ham stand proud as holders of the record for all-time number of Premier League defeats.

13th – the average league finishing position throughout the Gold and Sullivan years. This is reflected in an average Premier League points tally of 45. As a club featuring regularly among the world’s top twenty richest – and one of the top 8 richest in England – these are far from impressive statistics.

3 – the number of topflight seasons when West Ham won more league games than they lost. And unsurprisingly, these are also the only seasons that ended with a positive goal difference. The seasons in question: 2015/16, 2020/21 and 2021/22.

9 – number of managers employed – technically, it is 10 if you count David Moyes twice. The entire rogue’s gallery comprises Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant, Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic, David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini, Julen Lopetegui, Graham Potter, and Nuno Espirito Santo. The strongest link in terms of Premier League win percentage is David Moyes (36.87%). The weakest was Avram Grant (18.92%). Anywhere between 45% and 55% is usually considered to be a strong managerial performance.

2.9 billion – the cumulative amount in pounds received in revenues over 17 seasons from broadcast, matchday and commercial sources. A club record of £270 million was posted in the 2024 accounts. It is estimated that relegation will cost the club at least £100 million in income next season.

1.34 billion – the amount paid in euros (sorry, all Transfermkt data is in euros) for player transfer fees. At today’s exchange rate that is £1.15 billion. In addition to the 92 players signed for a fee, there were 36 free transfers and 41 loans – a total of 169 players in all. The record signing was Sebastien Haller at €50 million with another 17 players costing €25 million or more. 

650 million– the amount received (€) for player transfers. West Ham sold 67 players and allowed 55 to leave on a free. The record sale was Declan Rice (€116 m) with only five other players sold for €25 million or more. The sale of Rio Ferdinand in 2000 continues to hold sixth place in the ranking of highest transfer fees received.

1.1 billion– the cumulative amount (£) paid in wages to achieve very little. The wage bill as well as transfer spend has increased significantly in recent years. All to assemble a squad fit for relegation.

16,711,118 – the number shuffling through the turnstiles at West Ham home matches, both at Upton Park and the London Stadium.

47,475 – the average home attendance (excluding COVID restricted games) across 352 matches – they keep turning up regardless. The average for games played at Upton Park was 32,836. At the London Stadium, 58,219. Attendance numbers have now become theoretical rather than actual body counts with the highest recorded attendances of 35,005 at Upton Park and 62,477 at the London Stadium.

214 – total number of players fielded by West Ham during first team games in all competitions. 81 of whom made fewer than 10 starts for the club.

426 – the highest number of appearances made by an individual player during the GSB era – Mark Noble. Next best is Aaron Cresswell at 369 with the following each breaking the 200 barrier: Michail Antonio (323), Tomas Soucek (284), Jarrod Bowen (280), Angelo Ogbonna (249), Declan Rice (245), Manuel Lanzini (226), Winston Reid (222), James Tomkins (205) and Pablo Fornals (203).

85 – the most goals scored by an individual player in all competitions – the ever-reliable Bowen. Antonio is next with 83 and he remains the club’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer (68 to Bowen’s 65.) Just 5 other players managed 20 or more Premier League goals to their name. These are Soucek (41), Noble (37), Andy Carroll (33), Lanzini (27), and Marko Arnautovic (21). The frequently injured Carroll is the only player brought in as an out and out striker to feature on the list.

16 – most league goals scored in a season by an individual player – Bowen in 2023/24. Second place with 14 goes to Carlton Cole in the 2011/12 Championship season. West Ham players have reached double figures on just eight other occasions in the Premier League: Bowen (13) in 2024/25, Bowen (12) in 2021/22, Arnautovic (11) in 2017/18, Antonio (10) in 2019/20, Antonio & Soucek (10) in 2020/21, Diafra Sakho (10) in 2014/15 and Kevin Nolan (10) in 2012/13.

1069– the total number of goals scored by West Ham (1.39 per game) in all competitions. Goals conceded totalled 1083 (1.41 per game). For league games only, the numbers are 849 for (1.34 per game) and 952 against (1.50 per game).

8 – the most goals scored by West Ham in a single game – the 8-0 win against Macclesfield in the 2018/19 League Cup. The biggest league win was 6-0 in the Championship against Brighton (2011/12). Although West Ham scored 5 on 4 occasions in cup competitions, they were unable to repeat that feat in the Premier League. Ironically, the last 5 goal haul came just before the takeover – a 5-3 win over Burnley in November 2009. The Hammers bagged 4 on 30 separateoccasions, 20 times in topflight games.

6 – most goals conceded in a single match – once in a 6-0 league cup semi, first leg defeat by Manchester City in 2014, and again in the league versus Arsenal in 2024.  The West Ham rearguard conceded 5 goals on 12 occasions and 4 goals 33 times.

8 – highest aggregate score in a West Ham game – the 8-0 win against Macclesfield. There were 7 games featuring 7 goals – 4-3 wins against Huddersfield and Portsmouth, 2-5 losses to Liverpool and Arsenal, and 3-4 defeats to Bournemouth, Palace and Newcastle.

139 – the number of West Ham clean sheets earned in Premier League games (23.6% of games played)

161 – the number of Premier League games in which the Hammers failed to score (27.4%)

35 – the total number of goalless games featuring West Ham (5.9%). Goalless draws peaked during the Sam Allardyce years, accounting for 40% of the total.

13 – the number of players to win the Hammer of The Year Award. Declan Rice has three wins, Scott Parker and Mark Noble two, Winston Reid, Aaron Cresswell, Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio, Marko Arnautovic, Lukasz Fabianski, Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Konstantinos Mavropanos one each.

1 – the number of trophies won. That night in Prague and victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League. A victory that the owners hoped to dine on for eternity. West Ham competed in five European campaigns. Two under Slaven Bilic where they were eliminated in the qualifying rounds and three under David Moyes. As well as the Conference win, the Moyes campaigns saw one semi-final and one quarter-final Europa League appearance, losing both to German opposition.

0 – the number of domestic trophies won or finals reached. In the FA Cup, the best efforts were quarter-final exits in 2011, 2016 and 2026. In the League Cup, the Hammers were losing semi-finalists in 2011 and 2014 and were knocked out in the quarter finals four times. Ironically, the best performing cup year was the Avram Grant relegation season.

0 – the number of people disappointed at seeing the back of David Sullivan

Czech Mate: Knight Takes Porn To Capture Control Of West Ham Board

Optimism reigns as Daniel Kretinsky rides to the rescue at the London Stadium. Should we be excited and what is needed to recover from the shortcomings of the last 16 years?

Never in the field of humiliating relegations has despair turned to optimism quite as quickly as it has at West Ham in recent days. First the welcome and overdue resignation of Chairman David Sullivan ahead of the Panorama revelations. And then the news that Daniel Kretinsky is to purchase a chunk of the Gold family shares to make himself the Hammer’s largest stakeholder. Cue an old-fashioned east-end knees up!

Since then, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive with a deluge of plans and proposals (both real and imaginery) that would make West Ham great again. New investment to clear debts, dampening down the fire sale, sorting out the unlovable stadium and developing a fit-for-purpose training facility are just a few of them. Turns out our saviour was hiding in plain sight all along. Just waiting for the asset to get distressed enough to ride to the rescue in his trademark style.

It is a reasonable question to ask what Kretinsky has been doing these past five years. Had he been thwarted in attempts to modernise the club by the intransigent Sullivan/ Gold alliance? Or was it always his intention to take a watching brief from afar and await the collapse? After all, in the most recent accounts he was not even listed as a director. Still, he has been making all the right noises in the media, and we owe him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Time will tell whether he can follow through on the promises or whether the good intentions end up as another piece of nostalgic memorabilia alongside the Gold and Sullivan 10-point pledge?

As I had written previously, if the plan had been to use funds from player sales to pay off the transfer debt to other clubs and to clear the expensive loans that had been taken out, then West Ham were in deep trouble. In that sense, the message that additional investment would be forthcoming (however that is achieved) is as crucial as it is welcome.

Player sales are still be inevitable to comply with the 85% squad cost ratio rules in light of the estimated £100 million hit on revenues that relegation brings. But the impact needn’t be so great if the club’s cash flow problems are ameliorated. It also strengthens the club’s negotiating position for the transfer of those unwilling to spend at least one season in the lower tier. I would be mightily surprised if any of Fernandes, Summerville, Todibo, Diouf, Wan-Bissaka, Areola, Alvarez, and Fullkrug were still around in August. There may also be others who want to leave, or the club would prefer to have off the payroll.

The objective will be to shift the bigger names for as high a price (and as high a profit) as possible. Play hard ball and the more competition for signatures the better. The bigger the player trading profit, the more that can be reinvested in rebuilding.

The flipside of the expected exodus is the size of the rebuild. The challenge to assemble a squad not only capable of battling their way to promotion but also forming the backbone on the return to the Premier League. West Ham have been notoriously poor at player trading for as long as I can remember – would you believe that the sale of Rio Ferdinand 26 years ago is still seventh in the list of the club’s record transfers out – and requires immediate attention. The rumoured appointment of Steve Nickson (from Newcastle) as Director of Football/ Technical Director sounds like a very positive move. His up-to-date knowledge and expertise would allow him to hit the ground the running in the current transfer window. The turnaround in personnel will be huge and I’m nowhere near as bullish as some on the value our youth players can offer.

The thorny issue (for anyone taking up the DoF role) will be Nuno and his historically over-cosy relationship with friend and super-agent Jorge Mendes. The impression I have of the manager is that he is churlish enough to refuse to play a signing simply because he was not involved in the recruitment process. The DoF/ manager relationship is critical to a successful window and a quick return to the top tier.

One area where Kretinsky’s business empire could come in handy is getting in on the associated party action when securing lucrative sponsorship deals. If it’s good enough for Manchester City!  I’m visualising Royal Mail as our shirt sponsor. First Class Mail for the faster players. Second Class for the rest!  

No doubt, Kretinsky’s immediate priorities will be to sort out the finances and oversee the extensive transfer business over the coming months. Improving the stadium and training facilities are both much longer term projects. The stadium is saddled with so many vested interests and reputations that it is difficult to see a clear way forward for now. That the current arrangement really doesn’t suit anyone should, however, be motivation enough to act.

As for the training ground, could the writing be on the wall for the Rush Green Portakabin village and its satellites? A consolidated location has long been needed to bring the facilities up to contemporary standards and to foster continuity from youth to senior football. It will probably mean a move out of Greater London into the estuarine hinterlands of Essex but so be it. In the Czech tradition, maybe land is available at Bataville in east Tilbury. And the ‘Academy of Football’ really deserves a campus, not just a training ground!

The mention of churlishness earlier, reminds us that David Sullivan is not entirely out of the picture as yet. His days of calling the shots on operational matters may be well and truly over but until he sells up, he remains a significant shareholder. And the support of all large shareholders is required for any major restructuring decisions the club may need. How will he react to the impotency of his behind-the-scenes exile? Will he go gently into the night, tail between his legs? Or linger stubbornly like that bad smell when a mate has been sick in the backseat of your Cortina.

The last thing Kretinsky needs is Sullivan as an obstacle as he plots his next moves. One night in Stratford makes a hard man humble, not much between despair and ecstasy. COYI!

Sundry Sport Exclusive: Former West Ham Chairman Probed By Aliens

In a parallel universe.

The scene is a tacky Essex mansion at the start of a new season. Karen Brady reclines on a four-poster waterbed reading the latest Jackie Collins novel as David Sullivan emerges from the bathroom wearing only a Cossack shower cap.

All seems well with the world. The pain, anguish and humiliation of the previous season had never happened. There had been no relegation, no impending fire sale, no executive resignations, and no TV exposés. Graham Potter had tippy-tappyed his team to surprise European qualification, Niclas Fullkrug was up for the golden boot – and Bobby Ewing was still alive. It had all been a bad dream, just like in Dallas.

Back to life, back to reality!

The sudden resignation of David Sullivan from his executive positions at West Ham last Saturday was met with spontaneous, universal and unbridled joy across the West Hammersphere. Prayers had finally been answered; the despised Chairman was no more. As one astute commentator put it: “they’ll be dancing in the streets of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park tonight.”

The Panorama documentary was probably not as revealing as many had hoped. Not helped by its short length, early evening slot, parts played by actors, and that we were already familiar with much of the sleaze involved. Reading the accounts of the accusers in The Times were far more harrowing. The damage for Sullivan is more that it may prompt others to come forward with further allegations from his sordid past.

At least there was enough in the broadcast to close the door on any idea Sullivan may have had about a return to the boardroom. We are well rid of him.

But like everything at West Ham, as one door opens another slams rudely in your face. Sullivan may have stepped away from executive involvement and the day to day running of the club but, for now, remains the largest single shareholder. Not surprisingly, speculation is rife as to what might happen next. Will Sullivan choose to sell? Will he be forced out by the football regulator? Will Kretinski want to assume greater control? Is someone else waiting in the wings in the hope of picking up what has become a distressed asset?

It will be a pivotal summer for West Ham’s future as they scramble to sort out finances, cash flows, compliance with squad cost ratios (from vastly reduced revenues) – and to assemble a squad capable of returning to the Premier League at first time of asking. Not the best time for the club’s ownership to be in limbo.

The previously proposed sale of Gold Family holdings giving Sullivan and Kretinski equal stakes at 40% was never finalised in the light of relegation. Had it happened, the changes to individuals with significant control would have required notification to Companies House – and would be available to see.

So, as things stand, we are left with the original fragmented ownership structure of Sullivan (38.8%), Kretinski (27%), Gold Family (25.1%), Tripp Smith (8%) and Others (1.1%).  Sullivan, like anyone else with a 25% plus stake, is able to veto any resolutions which impact the club’s constitution, share capital, mergers and acquisitions etc. At worst, he can continue to mess things up behind the scenes. At best, he needs to support whatever way forward is proposed.

Further, Sullivan’s appointees (currently his two sons) sit on the board and are able to contribute to decisions on operational matters on his behalf.

In theory, the Independent Football Regulator could order Sullivan to sell his holding, but this is likely to be used as a last resort. As odious an individual as he is, does he really stand out from the crowd when it comes to fit and proper ownership in modern football?

Far better that the ownership is resolved internally. Indeed, a clean sweep purging all Golds and Sullivans from the club would be the ideal scenario. It is difficult to believe that either of Sullivan’s sons would want to spend too much time in the media spotlight given a likely ongoing investigation, and with a mother who is best known as director of ‘Horny Housewives on the Job.’ And the Gold family are only in there by default.

Kretinski has been making all the right noises so far, but it is not known what appetite he has for greater investment. It is understood the put-and-call option negotiated in 2021 is still on the table, but the originally agreed price may no longer be attractive to him.

A third party – Amanda Staveley, Daniel Levy, predatory US venture capital, a Tony Cottee consortium – buying up all the Gold & Sullivan shares would give them majority control although Kretinski would need to approve any such a move.

While all this is going on, a question mark remains over who is at the wheel to oversee the summer clear out and rebuild. Someone needs to drag West Ham’s operational structure, finances, recruitment and coaching into the 21st century. And a cool head is needed to turn to the so-called ‘Fire Sale’ into an effective rebuilding fund – refusing to blink when the big clubs come knocking. And to recruit not only for the Championship but with an eye to the future beyond?

It’s going to be a cold, lonely summer. COYI!

Sifting Through The Wreckage Of West Ham’s Relegation: What Happens Next?

The pride, vanity, stupidity and arrogance of David Sullivan’s leadership was an accident waiting to happen. Now we must rely on the same fools to sort it out again.

The long and painful slow motion car crash which heralded West Ham’s inevitable relegation finally reached its climax at the weekend. A late show of industry but no last minute dramatic escape. Now they are over the edge how far will they fall? A safe landing? Or crashing and burning into the abyss below?

Media coverage of West Ham’s plight has seen assorted journos belatedly understand what fans have known for years. That the fault of the Hammer’s demise lies fairly and squarely in the boardroom. A club run for the self-aggrandisement and vanity of incompetent owners who had always considered themselves as benevolent saviours. Forget the broken promises and the ten-point pledges that were not worth the paper they were written. It was only ever about their own egos – amateur interference and arrogant meddling in a sport that ought to be run by professionals.

Perhaps you could get away with running a club as a hobby in the past when promoted clubs regularly struggled to make the step up to the Premier League. But that has all changed. The game has changed. Data analytics, extensive scouting netwroks, player trading strategies, organisation, planning and a reliance on pace and athleticism on the pitch have been universally embraced – except at West Ham who have plodded along from one short-sighted season to the next.

Post relegation media reports have also homed in on the Hammer’s decline since the 2023 European Conference success, but the rot had set in well before then. Instead, the high-water mark was the surprise sixth-place finish in 2020/21, and it was the failure to refresh and build on that success which started the fire. The departure of Declan Rice and wasting the proceeds on a string of erratic recruits was the accelerant.

West Ham are now on their fourth manager in a little over three years. I was expecting it to be five, but it seems the Czech Sphinx has pulled rank to provide Nuno with a stay of execution. Nuno’s haul of 36 points from 33 games is hardly impressive while strange selections and tactics, multiple points lost from winning positions, and puzzling game management strategies have frequently left us scratching our heads. Still, compared to the other names being bandied about (Parker, Bilic, Dyche) sticking with the devil you know might not be such a bad idea. Only time will tell.

It has not been sacking managers that is the root of the club’s problem but making poor hiring decisions in the first place. The sole criteria for appointment being out of work and available. In the absence of any footballing expertise or competent direction from the boardroom this approach has proven a recipe for chaos. A squad assembled by a succession of drive-by managers, a lame-duck technical director and a meddling know-it-all Chairman. Who could have thought such lack of cohesion and continuity would end in disaster?

Now we are being led to believe the same fools who got us into this mess are the ones capable of getting us out of it again. If the player exodus is anywhere near as extensive as predicted, how on earth does a club with such an abysmal transfer record put together a squad capable of promotion over the long and arduous season ahead.

Understandably, a lot of focus in the wake of relegation has turned to the fragile state of West Ham’s finances. But we should remember that there are two separate views of finance in football. The club’s ability to comply with prevailing league rules such as PSR and SCR is one. The club’s debt and cash flow position is the other. A cynic might say that club owners conveniently conflate the two as a means of hoodwinking fans.

It will come as no surprise that the West Ham board have made a right pig’s ear of both. When it comes to cash flow, the club has extensive transfer debt, expensive financial debt and has factored future transfers receivable at a discount to pay yesterday’s bills. Attempting to address these through revenues and transfers looks like a distressing prospect. The hope is that the owners will break the habit of a lifetime and inject further capital to stabilise the debt burden.

West Ham’s financial year closes on 31 May and plans must now be put in place to comply with the Championship’s 85% Squad Cost Ratio rules based on much reduced revenues for the coming year. My rough back of a beer mat calculations predicts a loss of around £60 million in the current year on revenues of £225 million plus a raft of transfers out. This should be well within the retiring PSR limits thanks largely to the continuing impact of the Rice sale in 2023.

For 2026/27 revenues will probably fall to around £125 million. Squad costs (salaries and player amortisation) are currently circa £245 million but may reduce by £50 or £60 millions depending on how widespread relegation clauses are applied in existing contracts. But this still exceeds SCR limits and player sales are going to be necessary. This is where things become interesting as individual sales have varying impacts in three separate areas: a saving in wages, a reduction in amortisation, and profit or loss on player trading depending on whether a player is sold above or below book value. Profits from player trading are added to revenues for the purposes of SCR. Claims that West Ham must make £150 million in player sales might be valid as a cash flow mitigation but for SCR no two transfers are alike.

As the following table illustrates, this produces many possible permutations. For example, selling Bowen for £50 million would generate a significant wage saving, have little or no amortisation impact but the whole fee can be booked as player trading profit. In contrast, selling Fernandes for £50 million provides a lower wage savings, a significant amortisation reduction, but only £20 million of player sale profit.

At the other end of the scale, it might prove impossible to offload players such as Kilman and Fullkrug without taking an unwanted hit on player sales. I don’t see anyway it makes sense to cancel player contracts early.

The Championship moving from PSR to SCR does seem to offer a glimmer of hope. But that still requires the owners to do the decent thing and inject much needed capital into the club. The club also need to hold their nerve and not sell players on the cheap just to get funds through the door. We will watch this space. COYI!