Dear Mr Gold and Mr Sullivan,
You have had a controlling stake in our football club for what is now approaching twelve years. Thousands of West Ham supporters continue to call for you to leave our club, having lost trust in you due to the decisions you have taken during your tenure.
The loyal supporters of our great club deserve, at the very least, a response to the question being asked time and time again. When will you accept that your ownership has run its course and that it is time to hand over to owners who might be able to address some of the mistakes you seem unwilling to mend?
Owners who truly understood the position of responsibility they hold, would value the opportunity to represent supporters and build trust with the most loyal of followings. You appear to have appointed Karren Brady to fulfil this role: many would describe this as spectacular failure.
West Ham supporters feel you have not shown respect for our identity and heritage; calls for a consultation over our crest (to address the much maligned changes you made) appear to fall on deaf ears.
West Ham supporters want a home, not a rented multi-purpose stadium. You have sold our home. It is therefore incumbent on you to either build a new home or redesign the existing stadium to deliver the intimate and intimidating atmosphere our supporters and team deserve. A home that is a source of pride, not a source of derision. Or sell the club to someone who can.
West Ham supporters truly value community; ours has simply been swept aside under your control. The independent traders and sellers, and stewards who knew us by name, are nowhere to be seen as we enter our sixth season at the London Stadium.
West Ham supporters deserve a service that reflects the loyalty they show; they have been treated with utter contempt when it comes to, for example, seat relocations, information on e-tickets, the ‘waiting-list’, away allocations, mascot packages and sales of replica kits. All the while being labelled as customers.
Owners who truly value supporters could address these areas through genuine engagement and honest communication. West Ham should explore true supporter representation at board level to ensure we can work our way back to something we would recognise as our football club.
David Gold and David Sullivan, please respond this letter.
We would welcome a response where you confirm that you have accepted it is time for your tenure to come to an end and that the football club is for sale. We anticipate that Karren Brady would leave her position as part of any transition.
Sincerely,
On behalf of thousands of West Ham supporters,
Hammers United
