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Comments
Expat - i dont think April has the money to buy the club.
Mike Ashley is someone who has been protested against on a reasonably regular basis since shortly after his arrival at Newcastle. Is his decision to leave due to the distinct lack of acceptance at the club or is it purely for business reasons? I don't know the answer to that, but he is selling up by all accounts.
From what I can see there are lots of smaller issues that people of the group organising it are unhappy about but essentially it looks to me that they feel they were provided with a vision to get behind the move from the Boleyn to Stratford and many did so in good faith but feel that the vision has not materialised and they now feel the move has not benefitted fans, and may have been in the interest of the owners rather than the fans. There are clearly some fans who feel let down, just how many will be able to be measured by the protest.
I do think it may take people by surprise with regard how organised, vocal and supported it is, I don't think the board will like this one bit.
However, I am storing up some mither for when it is reported as 'West Ham fans' as opposed to 'some West Ham fans' (not their fault, though, just the way the meejah is - assuming they don't claim to represent all of us.)
I would also be mithered if fans who support the protest dismiss those who don't as somehow less proper, informed or caring, either directly, or by implication by suggesting those who do want to protest are the 'real' fans.
Twice.
I think you have misunderstood his post. Or maybe misunderstood what is the difference between an assertion and an opinion, or maybe the difference between a reason and proof.
Assertions can't, by definition, have proof.
Even though I understand and respect that this protest is not about results alone and more about the move and their lack of follow through I feel for it to gather the momentum to signal the end of them results being poor will bring in the undecided fans needed to create the groundswell to unnerve or unseat them.
The March is planned for Mid March and so there are a couple of scenarios and something in between which may have a say on how many decide they need be held accountable.
By March we could be in 8th slot after some good performances and results, Arnie could be banging them in for fun, Mario setting the pitch alight and Sully saying he will do all possible to meet Inters valuation and keep him, or by March we could be in the bottom three with tough matches ahead, Mario and Hugnil have barely made any impression and we look like going down.
The first could make the fans who could be swayed either way ask what all the fuss is about and the second could make those same fans say yes you are right we need do something and now is the time.
I think results will determine how much disgruntlement is displayed.
My general impression of the owners is that they are unlikely to be driven out, if they don't want to sell.
Of course, imagine the hysteria if they do sell, and make a whacking profit, after being hounded out by angry fans.
I suspect there would then be a spot of 'told you they were only in it for the money.'
Unless, but yes, that's it!
This is all a conspiracy fuelled by the owners to provide a valid excuse for them to sell up!
Please don't quote entire posts, especially when they are long, unless it is really necessary. I've edited your post. This is exactly the kind of comment that gets me mithered, since the implication is that those who do not feel like these fans are too stupid to see through the owners, rather than accept that they have informed themselves and come to a different opinion.
There is no 'penny' to drop, imo.
Some fans are coming to conclusion that others would not draw.
That's it.
To insist that you and they have seen the light, or caught the dropping penny, is to imply that others have failed to do so.
Express your view of the owners by all means, but don't tell us that we are too stupid to see what you see (not even by implication.)
I have read/heard all the stuff the owners have said.
So what have the 'disgruntled masses' heard or read that I have missed?
Because I don't believe I was promised anything.
He has been guilty of maybe ‘predicting’. I found it irritating to see him confess “the move only gets us one £12m player with the extra income” AFTER the move, when in campaigning for it that bit of info was conveniently left out.
What they are on record as saying, both the Daves, is something along the lines of “there is no reason why West Ham can’t be competing for the top four/five places in a few years time”. Comments like that, whilst not promises, show an ambition which just has not been matched by money spent, the ONLY way the gap between us and the top 6 can be bridged.
I am not anti-GSB. I think they have done good, nor do I think those who support them are ‘blind’ to their shortcomings. I like the new ground. It’s not the Boleyn but it’s the future. The view is absolutely fine, the stadium brilliant and getting an extra 20,000 fans in there (I appreciate there are issues with neutral fans, fans being absent etc), is only a good thing for the club. We will continue to grow into it over the next decade. No doubt.
Sully, we can all agree, has put his foot in it on several occasions. Whilst there will always be an explanation or something to excuse his behaviour, the fact of the matter is, as an important club official, he is incredibly unprofessional and naive, given his experience. However, they have toned it down over the last year, especially little Jack, now that he’s growing up.
But the first point is what is going to irritate certain people. If you DON’T have the money, fine. I don’t care. We’re not Man City or Chelsea. Let’s look for young local talent, players from the lower leagues and the very best abroad to build a side with the finances we have. No problem with that. But they have made the call (immediately after taking over) to move us to the now London Stadium, and they have gone on record on more than one occasion stating the Champions League is achievable in the future. It’s not, IMO, but they have said so. Those things combined plus the perceived lack of significant funding in proportion to what it is that is needed to move on from a mid-table/bottom half side, is what is causing unrest. Have they spent money on paper? Yes, as grey has pointed out with detailed breakdowns, the money has been spent. Has it been spent well? I would say, on the whole, no.
But stop talking about ‘next level’ when we know and they know it’s not likely to happen without, in Sully’s own words, an ‘oil baron or investor from Abu Dhabi’. The contradictions are slightly tiring.
Let’s focus on 10th for the short term and making sure we finished 10th-8th every season and that will allow us a shot at cup glory. Another thing that irritates certain fans, the almost sacrifice of the cup.
I think a lot of their 'ambitious talk' shall w call it (about wanting to compete with the top 6 etc) is silly. I don't know if they believe it or they think it is what we want to hear.
I suppose offering a more realistic appraisal (we want to be consistent top 10 and maybe pushing regularly for a EL place) and a more modest assessment of the benefits of the stadium (will help make us look a bit better to foreign players, and bring in a bit of extra cash which will give us a small advantage over our direct competitors) would have upset some fans but for different reasons.