TalkSPORT last night .. I know this is a station that picks its callers to suit its opinions .. BUT .. 3 separate callers, all sounded youngish, opined that they would be happy to get relegated if it was guaranteed that Gold, Sullivan and Brady sold up and pushed off.
All said that the owners had put in the money but still tried to do things 'on the cheap' and whoever okayed the player signings was a halfwit, corrupt, blind or all three.
Bit like Ashley said about his ownership of the Geordies .. I paraphrase .. 'I am a rich man but I am competing with countries let alone multi million or billionaires'
The highly competent Kieran Maguire (price of Football) has had a chat with KUMB on their latest financial numbers. 24 mins, but well worth a listen. I have pointed out to him that he didn't remind listeners of the taxpayer contribution to profit (well there isn't any profit), but its a great summary. Only other thing I disagreed with is his apparent belief that they will still sell out home games in the Championship. Really?
The highly competent Kieran Maguire (price of Football) has had a chat with KUMB on their latest financial numbers. 24 mins, but well worth a listen. I have pointed out to him that he didn't remind listeners of the taxpayer contribution to profit (well there isn't any profit), but its a great summary. Only other thing I disagreed with is his apparent belief that they will still sell out home games in the Championship. Really?
They may do better than most clubs in their first year down due to groundhoppers and 92ers, after that I think their gates will drop like a stone.
The highly competent Kieran Maguire (price of Football) has had a chat with KUMB on their latest financial numbers. 24 mins, but well worth a listen. I have pointed out to him that he didn't remind listeners of the taxpayer contribution to profit (well there isn't any profit), but its a great summary. Only other thing I disagreed with is his apparent belief that they will still sell out home games in the Championship. Really?
No chance of selling out in the Championship - that's madness.
If they go down then the fan backlash will be massive.
There is no way that West Ham would sell out a 60,000 stadium for a normal championship game - no chance at all.
The away support allocation falls away dramatically, and all of those dyed in the wool hammers fans, will soon start to find other ways to amuse themselves on a Saturday, when the fixture list brings up the likes of Hull, Bristol City and maybe even Wycombe Wanderers!
I would suspect that similar to ourselves and Fulham in the PL, the current 60,000 whom attend the West Ham home games, would contain a large section of general football fans, that like to watch PL football in London.
They wouldn't sell out at all, maybe some end of season games if they were going for the title, maybe Leeds if they gave Leeds a 10k away allocation, and i'm sure every tom, dick and harry would come out for the Millwall game. But that would almost certainly be a 12 Sunday kick off.
If anyone's been to the London Stadium or even up The Orbit you can see how unfootball it is.
Admittingly neither of these won the world cup, but if minnows like Juventus and Bayern Munich moved away from grounds with a running track why did West Ham fans think this would be a good move? Even if the hilarious dream of champions league football had been achieved, how enjoyable would it have been at that ground? Celebrate winning the league with a drink up in a bar in Westfield?! The lack of protests from moving away from Upton Park, which could have been easily extended to 45k, they shifted the pitch away from the Chicken Run to enable it to happen; compared to Man Utd launching fireworks at Ed Woodward's house for fuck knows what is extraordinary, especially for a fanbase that celebrates its dark past.
I would have sympathy for them if they hadn't been so welcoming in selling their soul in order to reach the next level.
They wouldn't sell out at all, maybe some end of season games if they were going for the title, maybe Leeds if they gave Leeds a 10k away allocation, and i'm sure every tom, dick and harry would come out for the Millwall game. But that would almost certainly be a 12 Sunday kick off.
Fuck knows how you police a West Ham Millwall game at that stadium, would be near enough impossible to avoid trouble with the staggered walk back through Westfields!
Comments
1 more they would have been 17th on goals scored.
All said that the owners had put in the money but still tried to do things 'on the cheap' and whoever okayed the player signings was a halfwit, corrupt, blind or all three.
Bit like Ashley said about his ownership of the Geordies .. I paraphrase .. 'I am a rich man but I am competing with countries let alone multi million or billionaires'
No chance of selling out in the Championship - that's madness.
If they go down then the fan backlash will be massive.
The away support allocation falls away dramatically, and all of those dyed in the wool hammers fans, will soon start to find other ways to amuse themselves on a Saturday, when the fixture list brings up the likes of Hull, Bristol City and maybe even Wycombe Wanderers!
I would suspect that similar to ourselves and Fulham in the PL, the current 60,000 whom attend the West Ham home games, would contain a large section of general football fans, that like to watch PL football in London.
Admittingly neither of these won the world cup, but if minnows like Juventus and Bayern Munich moved away from grounds with a running track why did West Ham fans think this would be a good move? Even if the hilarious dream of champions league football had been achieved, how enjoyable would it have been at that ground? Celebrate winning the league with a drink up in a bar in Westfield?! The lack of protests from moving away from Upton Park, which could have been easily extended to 45k, they shifted the pitch away from the Chicken Run to enable it to happen; compared to Man Utd launching fireworks at Ed Woodward's house for fuck knows what is extraordinary, especially for a fanbase that celebrates its dark past.
I would have sympathy for them if they hadn't been so welcoming in selling their soul in order to reach the next level.