Strong statement issued by concerned West Ham fans urgently seeking answers from the board

A strong statement has been issued by concerned West Ham fans urgently seeking answers from the board on the club’s future.

The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) have spoken following their September 2025 vote of no confidence in the club’s leadership.

In the latest update, they express deep frustration over the board’s lack of adequate responses to key questions on governance, strategic plans, ambitions, and fan-related issues (e.g., ticketing), despite some progress on culture and heritage.

The West Ham FAB also spoke of the club’s dire on-pitch situation, get set for another relegation battle, having cycled through four managers in 18 months, and face leaked reports of impending £100m+ losses in upcoming accounts. Read on below…

“We are mired in a relegation battle, on our 4th manager in 18 months and seeing leaks that the forthcoming accounts will show a £100m loss.” Strong statement from #WHUFC Fan Advisory Board urgently seeking answers from board on governance, ticketing etchttps://t.co/j4y2yzbXZh

— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) December 23, 2025

Good morning all.

Traditional Christmas colours are:

Red – for the #NoMoreBS Red Cards

Green – for the sickness we all feel about the state of our club right now.

Gold – well make up your own minds…..

Merry Christmas – see you at the Fulham game. pic.twitter.com/b3xdq6v30D

— Hammers United (@HammersUnited2) December 23, 2025

STATEMENT:

This statement is intended to update fans on the current situation following the FAB issuing a Vote of No Confidence in the Club’s leadership on behalf of all of our members and those we represent. We are very aware there is a growing demand for a progress report, and of course that all of us are increasingly concerned at the clubs immediate prospects with relegation now a very real danger.

As the members of the various supporter groups and the wider West Ham fanbase will be aware it’s now four months since the FAB announced a Vote of No Confidence ( VONC) in the Club’s leadership. This was swiftly followed by a specifically prepared set of questions at the Club’s request designed to help them provide suitable answers around the Club’s governance, plans and ambitions, and general environment.

As you will see from the detailed analysis in the attached document, bar good progress on the Culture & Heritage issue, the Club has failed to provide adequate responses to any other questions.

When the FAB declared the VONC, we expressed concerns around the forthcoming season, we were told we were overreacting to initial results, and the Club issued a 1300 word statement revelling in what they saw as success, and promising a bright future led by Graham Potter. Two weeks later that self-indulgent nonsense was rendered totally irrelevant.

We are now approaching the new year mired in a relegation battle, on our fourth manager in 18 months, and seeing leaks from the usual sources that the forthcoming accounts will show a £100m loss.

The common view is one of a Club currently in crisis, mired in the relegation spots, a revolving door destination for managers and about to confirm a disastrous set of financial results. We are less than three years on from a European triumph, three years of UEFA cash, the Declan Rice transfer money, and of course shortly before that the massive Kretinsky derived capital injection. This is not a good position for our Club to find itself in. We believe in facing the facts and understanding what can be done to improve things for all supporters and custodians alike. Comparisons with the 2003 “ sleepwalk to relegation” are becoming far too frequent for comfort.

There is a growing sense of frustration at the clubs apparent inability or refusal to answer what are very basic questions. As an illustration of the complacency rife among the Club executives is their announcement their 2025/2030 business plan will be launched in November 2026, with 40% of the relevant period already behind them, a scenario that would see heads roll in any competent organisation.

We have written directly to Baroness Karren Brady strongly expressing our concerns and frustration, and very much hope the Club will answer questions, take positive actions, and most importantly recruit a new leadership team capable of propelling our Club towards that realistic “ best of the rest” status more in tune with the Club’s revenue, and huge loyal fan base. To be overtaken by two newly promoted Clubs, plus a number of other organically far smaller outfits is a direct reflection of the leadership. Replacing a visit from Manchester United with their namesakes from Oxford is not the vision we were sold, it’s not good enough, not acceptable and we request immediate positive answers and actions, placating words are long past their sell by date.”

Here’s the West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) said in their statement about vote of no confidence in the board on the 10th of September 2025…

12 days ago on Friday 29th August 2025, the West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) wrote to the shareholding Board Directors, Messrs Sullivan, Kretinsky, Smith and Ms Gold, to issue a “vote of no confidence” in the executive board director’s management of our club. That letter clearly stated the issues and called for the appointment of top quality professionals to run the club on a daily basis and finally fulfil the unrealised potential that those same executives have claimed our club has.

The FAB held off publication of our letter but to date there has been no response from any of those addressed.

The club, through the nominated board level official, has offered a meeting to discuss our letter.We are due to meet with that board director on Thursday 11th September and we will air our views in a frank and professional manner.

Our letter was written in support of feelings made plain by our members, who we represent, numbering 25,000 loyal supporters. Naturally those supporters have varying nuances in opinion, but the overwhelming flavour is one of growing continued dissatisfaction with how our club is run and its apparent lack of ambition.

We believe our supporters are realistic despite attempts to paint us otherwise. It was the owners who trumpeted “ World Class Team in a World Class Stadium” not the supporters. We never expected to rival Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Man City, Bayern Munich and others, but moving to Stratford, enjoying Europe’s 17th largest revenue streams and crowd numbers among the top ten across the continent should surely provide some benefit. Regular top ten finishes, tilts at UEFA’s lesser competitions, decent cup runs, and an ambition to be “best of the rest” were and still are most supporter’s height of ambition.

Instead we have board members telling us we have a financial crisis. Our infrastructure is shabby and uncompetitive after years of negligible investment, and we are being overtaken by clubs traditionally half our size. For a club with our fanbase size, financial income, history and tradition we feel we are vastly underperforming at many levels.

We’ve seen comments suggesting it’s “patronising” of us to think we are bigger or better than the likes of Crystal Palace or Brighton. Actually we congratulate those clubs on their success, tilting at the giants, but a glance at history and scale might just suggest some justification in thinking we’ve always been a bigger club and that before the move to Stratford. West Ham actually won a major European trophy before Liverpool did; we have some history to fall back on.

The harsh reality of our position is perhaps best illustrated by being seen as among the favourites for relegation in the minds and calculations of bookies and pundits alike, it’s hard to see anything “World Class” in that.

The FAB would also like to thank supporter groups from other clubs including Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City for expressing solidarity with our statement. The wider football family continues to gain strength.

We have various invitations to “go live” and air our grievances. We’d much prefer the shareholding board members to respond directly in a constructive manner and then confirm to our supporters what plans they have to achieve realistic ambitions far removed from relegation threat. We have previously enjoyed media airtime but at present believe any slide towards a public “ war of words” will just inflame a situation that should be resolved in calm orderly fashion.

In the meantime we have asked the club to confirm dates for agreed workshops intended to improve wider fan engagement and experience, our “business as usual” efforts won’t be stopped while reviewing the bigger picture.

Once again, we call on the shareholders to ensure there is a meaningful response to our letter and demonstrate to one of football’s most loyal supporter bases that they recognise the clubs issues, and show real commitment to change.

Yours sincerely,

The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board

Incorporating

West Ham United Supporters’ Trust
Pride of Irons
Old School Hammers
Inclusive Irons
West Ham United Supporters’ Club
Claret Members
West Ham United Away Season Ticket Holders
West Ham United Overseas Supporters Club
Hammers United
West Ham United Bondholders
West Ham United Junior Supporters Board

Here’s how social media users reacted to the strong statement issued by concerned West Ham fans urgently seeking answers from the board…

@c_r_5: Imagine if they’d spent hundreds of millions to build it extend a stadium too. When they’ve got that built-in financial advantage over every other club

@RobHSafc: “To be overtaken by two newly promoted Clubs, plus a number of other organically far smaller outfits is a direct reflection of the leadership.” Unhappy Hammers #safc @RokerReport

@bigvinwestham: Well, it’s been a terrible year to be a West Ham fan! It was definitely time for Moyes to go but every appointment since has got steadily worse! From Loppy to Potter and now the clown Nuno. Relegation inevitable but that will hopefully see the owners foxtrot oscar, and rebuild!

@Woots74: Strand Larsen for £40m will sort all that out no problem.

@Andysilve1: All the fucking Divvys on he quoting the Moyes old Chestnut.Look at his record over the last season and tell me you’d have kept him at your club.He wasnt forced out by the fans, the owners made the right decision not to renew. Theyve fucked up since though for sure.

@smithy2786: The club is fucked and even the most loyal fans are starting to lose interest. This is all the doing of our greedy owners. It just isn’t West Ham United anymore.

@bobballardsport: What happened to that utopia we were promised a decade ago? Sullivan, Brady on your bikes.

@bartong2011: Absolutely no surprise reading this. What a pile of shit the board are 🟥#nomoreBS