West Ham fans send letter of no confidence in board over 'sustained failure' | OneFootball

Fan Advisory Board slam “ageing uncompetitive squad, inadequate scouting infrastructure and derided training facility”, plus London Stadium experience

The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) have filed a letter of no confidence in the club’s board as supporters prepare to stage a protest ahead of their match against Brentford.

The FAB cite the club’s failure to adequately build on their Conference League victory in 2023 as a key reason behind their decision.

“It is with regret that we feel we need to write to you on behalf of the 25,000 or more dedicated West Ham United supporters that we, the FAB members, directly represent. We now have no choice but to issue a "vote of no confidence" in relation to the Board’s management of the club,” the FAB said.

“Just two years after winning a European trophy and selling our best player (Declan Rice) who had been with us since he was 14 for £105m to hear claims of financial distress, (a year after the last accounts said there were no PSR issues on the horizon) see an ageing uncompetitive squad, inadequate scouting infrastructure and a derided training facility is simply unacceptable and in the supporters’ eyes incontrovertible evidence of sustained failure on behalf of the executive management.”

The FAB went on to criticise the matchday experience at West Ham’s home ground, the London Stadium, where they moved in 2016 following their departure from Upton Park.

“You will have seen the recent supporter-run survey completed by over 9,000 Hammers and run by totally independent sources, including the FSA. It is a damning indictment of the club, and in particular the stadium, which, far from being viewed as “World Class,” is the most criticised ground in the country and home to a match day experience regularly subject to negative chanting from away fans.

“You told us that our move to the London Stadium would take us to the next level. The reality is, our commercial revenues are now dwarfed by our supposed rivals. Supporters find themselves casting envious glances at the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, and Crystal Palace, all of whom outperform West Ham United both on and off the pitch.”

The FAB, who are supporting calls for protest, say they expect wholesale change and no further board interference, with priority given to bringing people to the club who have football and commercial expertise.

“We need professional full-time executives with both football and commercial expertise, and no further Board interference, no more dependence on favoured agents, in short, a move to a competitive professional leadership. The recently quoted description “analogue club in a digital world” is very apt and has to change.”