The “No More BS” campaign led by dissenting West Ham fans needs an update. One half of the double act has left the building but the protesters do not see it as job done. They are celebrating the departure of Karren Brady, who has stepped down as vice-chair after 16 years, and will not stop pushing for change in the way their dysfunctional club is run until David Sullivan has followed her out of the door.
That, though, is not happening yet. No sooner had Brady’s departure been announced than some fans started predicting that Sullivan would not be far behind. But a move by the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky to increase his West Ham stake by lining up a deal to buy a chunk of the Gold family’s shares is not expected to lead to Sullivan going. Kretinsky, it is said, is merely strengthening his hand. Sullivan, who is also planning to buy some of the Gold shares, is not going anywhere. Kretinsky will match the 77-year-old’s old stake, slightly diluting the era of Sullivanism, but the outcome could have been different.
Rothschild & Co led a process to find investors interested in the Gold shares and there were third parties intrigued by a potential route into the Premier League. Sullivan, though, was believed to have had first refusal on the stake after the death of his old business partner David Gold in January 2023. That means he would not have been powerless in the event of an external bidder looking to squeeze him out. He will be able to maintain a semblance of control by taking the shares. The concession is that Kretinsky is said to be buying more, thereby creating an equal partnership in the boardroom.
It has long been the case that Sullivan’s word was final. The dynamic will shift. Kretinsky, who came on board in November 2021, does not say much in public. He is secretive and unapproachable. Judge him by his actions, though, and it is easy to get a sense of someone who wants to change the West Ham way.
Most Hammers fans pine for less silliness and grubbiness. Kretinsky’s silence makes his vision impossible to guess but the hope is there will be a push to make West Ham more nimble. The old ways are failing. Allies of Sullivan say he is swayed too easily by the wrong people.
Good luck finding many fans who will say Brady was the right fit. It is possible to hail her as a pioneering figure in a male-dominated sport but also to consider how she is perceived by some people she came across. There are fans who hated their dealings with Brady. “We see this as a positive move for our club,” West Ham’s Independent Supporters’ Committee said. Hammers United said the club “feels hollowed out” and claimed that meaningful dialogue with supporter groups under Brady’s watch was resisted rather than embraced. “Supporters were spoken at, not spoken with,” it said.
Brady’s departure will not be mourned. News of her exit was accompanied by reminders that she led negotiations when West Ham left Upton Park for the London Stadium in 2016. But she will never live down promising fans “a world-class team in a world-class stadium” in 2013. Thirteen years on, West Ham are further away than ever from the next level. They are one place and two points above the bottom three with five games to go. Krentinsky’s statement on Brady expressed gratitude for her “contribution” to the club’s growth but that looks hard to square with the recent accounts showing a club record loss of £104.2m.
Was it worth it? Supporters of the move can point to West Ham qualifying for Europe under David Moyes, who led the club to their first trophy in 43 years when he won the Conference League in 2023. It is true that there are times when the stadium, which does hold noise well, is bouncing. But there are also many games when it feels soulless and the distance from the pitch detracts from the experience.
Some older fans have felt no longer wanted. The doomed attempt to strip away concession tickets last season was a stupid unforced error. There are regular complaints about away fans sitting in the home end. It adds to the feeling of a club losing touch with its roots.
And yes, it was said that West Ham had to leave their tight, intimidating old ground to compete. But the chase for greater commercial income and more ticket sales perhaps overlooks that having a small ground did not stop Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup last season. It has also not stopped Brentford, another London rival who cannot match West Ham’s history, tradition or fanbase, from repeatedly punching above their weight.
Brentford are smart and maximise their resources. In 2017 Sullivan argued that playing in the London Stadium meant West Ham no longer felt like a tinpot club. But the vibes were superficial. Feeling like a big club only goes so far. There are plenty of deft clubs in the top flight and West Ham are lagging behind. After 10 years in Stratford all the evidence shows that the stadium cannot cover up the structural flaws. Brady leaves with West Ham fighting for survival. It is a questionable legacy. In a season of few wins the overwhelming majority of supporters regard Brady going as a victory, but the work is far from done.
