West Ham banter 5

05 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

04 Sep 2026 13:16:49
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

04 Sep 2026 08:39:25
Very careful negotiations between existing shareholders end up with Sullivan/Tripp owning exactly 51%?

What a surprise. If that isn't a come on to Staveley to put her money where her mouth is, I don't know what is.

04 Sep 2026 09:44:12
I find it quite repulsive that our current top man in the board room DK has shown his true colours and is working hand in glove with that despicable little man Sullivan. I don't know if it is to keep Staveley out or to make her pay more to try to get any sort of control.

Either way Sullivan will benefit. The current pigs have their heads firmly in the trough

04 Sep 2026 10:46:41
WH is your club, my club, but it's also a business. Who would you rather have in control, Kretinsky or Sullivan? You have just answered the question.

04 Sep 2026 11:30:59
Kretinsky is not working with Sullivan, he bought his allocated rights as he was always going to. As did Sullivan and Tripp.

Sullivan had nothing to do with WH any longer, there is no collusion, he is a large shareholder that's it.

As such, he is entitled to visit both home and away games, he is not allowed any inner sanctum entries, he has zero to do with the running or any decisions made by WH.



Sullivan is 80% responsible for the situation we find ourselves in today.

When he disposes of his shares, to whom and for whatever is his sole and private business, he has no friends at WH.

05 Sep 2026 08:34:22
Thank you, Joyful, for setting the record. Some seem to be thinking that DK was in collusion with Sully. Staverley showed her hand straight away by saying they would buy the LS and land. This wasn't for West Ham's benefit; it was for her and her cronies. If they did buy the land and stadium, there would be nothing stopping the doubling or trebling of the rent. And then coming out with all that crap about building us a new stadium.

First question is, where? Second is, how can someone with a wealth of only 150 million commit to spending over a billion on a new stadium? Does she really think we are all that stupid. The other question is, why would they? It makes zero financial sense. DK might not be what we want, but he is better than someone who got involved with the purchases on City and the barcodes for one reason only: money!

{Ed001's Note - Staveley doesn't use her own money, she never does. She is a front. She brings together consortiums and then fronts them and they give her the money to invest. Her wealth is irrelevant, it is not her money.}

05 Sep 2026 10:20:25
Correct, plus I understand there is another consortium named Silver Lake, so she's fronting four groups presently in all.

Her plan wasn't to improve the stadium, but to demolish it. Ok, first small matter is where WH are going to play for the next three years?

There is virtually nowhere in East London that has the volume of land with accessible routes available.

So a scheme involving a move out on the M11 to Harlow was briefly put forward for a whole new stadium complex, with its own road.

Sounds great, however, it's miles from any public connections.

So without a vehicle, you're not getting there, and then you need space for thousands of parked cars. All a bit fantasy island stuff.

I do not see any return for Sullivan. He sees a big chance to maximise his holdings. Ok, that's it. Everything he touches is to the detriment of WH. Yes, on paper he could block issues etc, will he? Make him look even worse, doubt it. He wants one last big pay day, that's it

05 Sep 2026 10:13:30
I know that Ed, I am not daft, but she talks like it's her money and she can't be making stupid statements as some people believe her. There is no way anyone would invest 1billion on a stadium, what would be the benefit to them? There would be stipulations if anyone bought the land and stadium and not demolishing the LS would be one of them

05 Sep 2026 11:23:04
He isn't going to block anything because he doesn't want to appear even worse!
Come on Joyful! That man has skin like a rhino. He attends games at a stadium where he is thoroughly hated and at the end of last season had about 40K of fans from both teams chanting that he's a sex offender! Yet he continues to go.

As for staveley, nobody actually thought she was investing her own money as Ed says she never does. I've heard she wants to run a club.

But she was open about things the consortium wanted to do. Whereas DK announced he would buy the Gold shares in June but he just didn't bother so you can't blame the Gold family being P-d off
DK has his own wealth mainly in the form if properties and businesses. He did a great job getting decent prices for our players in the transfer window but when is he actually going to pouch some of it back into the club. If or when he does I will say fair enough maybe I was wrong about him. But I just see him as an asset stripper with no real heart for the club or fans. He hasn't even attended games

05 Sep 2026 11:59:43
You're entitled to your opinion, as is everybody else. Sullivan just doesn't want to disappear from view, like an old actor making one film too many.

But he's fringe now. Staveley has four moves; she can buy out Sullivan, maybe Tripp, even Kretinsky, or the whole lot, but it's going to be double or more what her backers want to pay.



It's business. She's now on the back foot, over to you Staveley.

05 Sep 2026 12:02:15
The Staverley bid for the Gold shares stopped Dk investing. Joyful covered this on one of his previous posts.

05 Sep 2026 12:21:18
How much has DK invested in Sparta Prague, his boyhood club? I'm interested, because from what I know it isn't a lot, and that's his boyhood club. As for any delusion that he was going to invest but Staveley's bid stopped it, no it didn't, it just gave him an excuse not to. He still had 1st dibs on all the shares, so could have bought whenever, so why would it have stopped him investing? In fact, I believe if he had invested, other shareholders would have had to match his investment percentage-wise, or he could have taken over there and then.



As for Sullivan not being involved in any decision making, yes he is. He owns 40 % of the shares, giving him a significant vote on any business affecting the club, so 100% he can still influence things.

05 Sep 2026 13:20:55
Let me be clear, it matters not to me who is in charge at West Ham, as long as it is either to the benefit of West Ham or not to their detriment.

Staveley tried a mini hostile takeover. It did not work. It was never going to work. Kretinsky can call on any amount of cash when he needs it, so he was always going to buy the shares.

Sullivan would always want maximum return for his shares, so any thought she was going to buy West Ham for cheap was delusional.



Sullivan is not allowed into any board meetings in person. Yes, he can be represented by proxy. I am not a clairvoyant, I can only tell you the status quo, the now if you like.

At present time he is not involved with any day to day runnings at West Ham. He was not involved with transfer market dealings of any kind.

That is how it is. Tomorrow I do not know, you can think what you like.

05 Sep 2026 19:38:03
Robbo, I'm no expert and this may not be true, but one of my mates has a Czech girlfriend. She supports DK's rivals, Slavia Prague. Sparta used to be the main team in Czechia, but since DK has been there, Slavia have now superseded them. He is hated by both sets of fans. Slavia, for obvious reasons. He also acts like the big cheese in his own country.

But he is also disliked by his own fans because of a lack of investment. Considering of late there are only 2 sides in Czechia, they are currently not doing very well in the league, sitting 9th.

Conversely, when the whole Sullivan stuff broke and DK was popular with all of us, I heard somebody say online that he is doing a good job at Sparta.

03 Sep 2026 13:26:46
Just to add fuel to the Pablo debate, it's worth having a look at "Why do West Ham Only Win With Pablo" by AU on YouTube.

I'm not saying they're right, but what they have to say and the in depth analysis is interesting.

03 Sep 2026 14:43:32
Similar article on Green Street Hammers site.

03 Sep 2026 17:40:03
Yes, that's all well and good, but isn't that the least that's required of an attacker at this level? For £20+million outlay, it might be quite nice to see a few goals added to his West Ham CV! It doesn't change the fact that the first requirement of an attacker is to score goals. Pablo doesn't know how to at this level.

03 Sep 2026 18:22:55
Came on here to say exactly the same thing, Markro! Well worth a watch. Not saying he shouldn't be getting more G/A, but the work he does is v important to the team, and v under appreciated.

03 Sep 2026 19:15:42
I realise there are differences, but Emile Heskey springs to mind. He played as a striker, but his role, particularly in his partnership with Michael Owen, was to hold up the ball until his strike partner got into a goal scoring position.

His role was essential to the success of the Liverpool team. Despite this, Heskey found the net himself a number of times. Pablo doesn't seem capable of this even though he plays a support role in the team front line.

03 Sep 2026 20:53:22
The article has its merits and highlights some surprising statistics. I suppose the main one is the percentage of wins with Pablo in the side. But, using one of Mark Twain's one-liners, "there are lies, dam lies, and statistics", some of the stats would need to be examined again to check that it isn't something that is just specific to Pablo and couldn't be applied to other players. Also, the tenuous links of a pass or run that Pablo did 5 passes before a goal went in is clutching at straws. For example, the first goal had nothing to do with Pablo; it was a fantastic strike from a fantastic player.

If Tatty or Bowen had been in Mukasa's position, they probably wouldn't have scored. He is, for sure, an enigma. We all want him to succeed, and he seems a likeable fella, but he needs to provide more direct assists and some goals. If we had paid a couple of million, nobody would be questioning, but as it was such a large fee, there has to be a stewards' enquiry.
Let's hope he bags one against Derby....

03 Sep 2026 23:02:19
The £20m price tag is a heavy cross for him to bear, that fault doesn't lie with him, surely.

04 Sep 2026 00:03:03
No, but surely for that sort of money it's not unreasonable for us to expect a striker to know where the goal is! The club should have invested in some neon lights around the goalposts and a long elastic band attached to the ball and the back of the net. ?

04 Sep 2026 06:19:03
That is very true, Dabber. But nobody allowed JWP that degree of leeway when he was signed by some fool for 30 mil on over 100k per week on a 7 year deal. But he did initially pay some of that back.

But, as I say, let's hope he does find the net and the stats are definitely something to bear in mind. I think it is far more important to get a lead in these games, whether with or without him on the pitch.

04 Sep 2026 10:00:58
The problem is holding onto that lead!

03 Sep 2026 09:05:34
There’s still some half decent free agents out there that could do a job in the Championship, I know some might say that they’re free for a reason but if you just had them for a season just to get us promoted then it might be worth looking into. ?

03 Sep 2026 11:33:18
They are free for a reason, that may differ hugely for each individual player. Most of them are either past it, or getting to that stage, but there are one or two, however, that pose question marks for West Ham.

One is Diego Liete, Portugal international, left foot Cb, known to Nuno, a very accomplished player.
And the other, Bissouma, former Spurs player.



Both in their twenties. But Nuno went for Morata at Cb on loan.

There may well be something in regard to Bissouma, that’s not known.

I have looked through a long list, and for me, unless desperation strikes, best well left alone.

Now is the time for free agents when the window closes, but I don’t see a rush for any of these players.

03 Sep 2026 10:22:16
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new video entitled entitled, C U Next Time - Transfer Window Edition}

03 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - thefutureisoldgold3 has posted a new article entitled, Wolves Ratings at West Ham: Defence Below Standard

02 Sep 2026 11:30:22
Bourbon in on loan with option to buy.

02 Sep 2026 12:20:07
That's taking the biscuit. ?

02 Sep 2026 14:33:05
It'll take a while to digest. ?

02 Sep 2026 14:46:58
Haha, autocorrect has a lot to answer for. Boiro.

02 Sep 2026 21:30:56
If we can tighten the defence up (which worries me every time the opponent has the ball), play on the front foot, start fast, and attack from the off, I reckon we will do well.

02 Sep 2026 21:34:49
That's the spirit!

02 Sep 2026 11:28:46
Apart from the first half hour, I enjoyed the Wolves game. Yes, it was a bit nerve racking at times, and we looked vulnerable, but it seems that the wonder strike by Mukasa woke up the West Ham players and shook them out of the malaise in which they were initially immersed. It’s as if an unknown hand took hold of them and a voice said, “f*** this defensive bollocks; let’s have a go!” One match a season does not make, but we desperately need more of that.

Nuno looked bemused on the touchline as if it came as a surprise. Maybe it did. If ever there was a lesson for him that this group of lads are capable of playing attacking football, then this was it. Take note Nuno.

03 Sep 2026 07:37:00
Our problem, Tin, is the CBs. Kilman is shocking, and Mav is even worse.

How many goals has Mav cost us so far this season? At least 3 and an own goal!!

Drop them both and then sell them in January.

03 Sep 2026 12:09:35
But Mac, it wasn't that long ago we were saying how good Mavropanos was, me included. I think we have to avoid a knee jerk reaction. Kilman is a different fish.

02 Sep 2026 10:39:42
I'll probably get shot down but I like Pablo. I know he don't know where the goal is yet but he don't stop harassing defenders all the time he is on the pitch. If all our outfield players had his energy then we'd be a force.

02 Sep 2026 11:14:27
In excess of £20million for an attacking player who runs around "harassing" defenders and who can't hit a barn door? Never mind that, because he's got a lot of energy. Really? Unpack your parachute, Skaman.

02 Sep 2026 11:23:27
Pablo is an interesting one. When he plays, we play better, although he never shoots, and therefore never scores, which is his job.
I wonder if he is a little bit like Joelinton and could drop back into centre midfield.
Personally, I think he is a marmite player.

02 Sep 2026 11:53:50
Haha, I knew you'd be first to comment, Tin, cos you have a personal vendetta against him. As Brooking says, he's a bit marmite, I like him, you don't. All the time he has our badge on his chest, I'll support him and any other player. My hand is on the rip-cord.

02 Sep 2026 12:17:47
Well said Skaman, although I do take issue with your comment about a personal vendetta. Not true. I have nothing personal against Nuno. I just believe he is clueless and not the right coach for West Ham. There are better alternatives. I do wonder about his motives with transfers and team selections, and you'll never convince me there's a good footballer in Pablo somewhere.

02 Sep 2026 13:03:37
I agree with you about Nuno, Tin. There are better jobless managers out there, but we're stuck with him now. I mean, Orford has been our best player so far, and he wasn't even on the bench. As for transfers, I don't think he or any manager has much say in who comes and goes anymore. Modern day football, I guess.

02 Sep 2026 13:03:45
Fortunately, you're not the one that needs convincing, TL. He's only a young lad and doesn't stop trying, which can't be said for all of our players, Taty, for example. I like Pablo's attitude and think when he gets one goal, more will follow.

No problem with getting on the manager's case, btw. He's there to be shot at if/when things go wrong, but if Pablo's getting moans and groans from the terraces, that isn't going to help him... the lad needs a break.

02 Sep 2026 13:08:28
He is definitely an enigma. I've slagged him off plenty of times, as he does lack genuine ability in front of goal. But he is a likeable character, and in some of the games we did actually miss him, like against Burnley, where he helps keep the ball in the opposition half.

Don't think he should be starting necessarily, but in comparison to JWP, Cornet and Todibo, he is there when needed.

02 Sep 2026 13:51:45
You couldn't be more wrong, Dabber. I am only one of thousands of supporters who need convincing that each individual player has a role to play in the team, in order to command support. There are plenty of young players who try their best and who have the right attitude, but there are limits to ability.

If a player doesn't have what it takes at this level, no amount of running around will change that.

02 Sep 2026 14:50:55
As you don't buy the players or pick the team your opinion of any player is actually irrelevant. West Ham evidently is a club that commands support irrespectively demonstrated by the thousands of supporters who purchase season tickets every year therefore your argument is flawed. I do however agree that having the right attitude needs to be complimented with ability but until this season concludes none of us will know whether Pablo can cut it in the Championship.

My argument is that those who go to the games every week, which does not include you or I, need to try and help the lad by not getting on his case.

02 Sep 2026 17:55:12
So, in other words, you are saying that the opinions of hundreds of thousands of West Ham supporters worldwide, because they don't physically buy the players or pick the team, matter not a jot (they are irrelevant). What utter nonsense. It's the reason they support the club. If they didn't, they wouldn't buy tickets, would they?

02 Sep 2026 21:00:46
As per usual, you try and resort to smug retort. Every single West Ham fan and supporter has an opinion on players, managers and formations, but ultimately their opinion matters not. Fact. The owners of this club will do whatever they want, as they have the power to do so.

The 60,000 who buy season tickets will continue to do so, because they love the club, demonstrated this season post relegation, and even though we've kept a manager who divides opinion at best. Utter nonsense ... pot calling the kettle, mate!

03 Sep 2026 00:43:33
I don't see how saying that supporters' opinions matter can be 'smug'. True, they have little administrative power, but to suggest they are irrelevant is blatant nonsense. To my mind, supporters' opinions do matter.

03 Sep 2026 01:15:58
The smug comment was reference that my opinion is utter nonsense. Give me an example of supporters having any administrative power or their opinion relevantly affecting any decision and I'll back down

{Ed001's Note - it has happened 3 times that I can think of at liverpool Dabber. FSG backed down over ticket prices on 2 occasions, did over layoffs during Covid as well. If fans get together and organise they have all the power. Clubs can't exist without you.

03 Sep 2026 07:11:58
And at West Ham, the crowd demonstrations at the Burnley (I think) game a few seasons back had an effect on Sullivan and the board.

03 Sep 2026 07:08:03
Thanks Ed, that's exactly what I mean.
Dabber, on reflection, it's not your opinion I think is nonsense. More your misuse of vocabulary. In this case, your use of the word "irrelevant". In my opinion, supporters should never be described as irrelevant. They are the life blood of the sport.

03 Sep 2026 09:02:23
That's fair comment from both of you. I will say, though, my use of the word irrelevant was in relation to your views on Pablo.

03 Sep 2026 11:30:23
Ah, but I am a West Ham supporter! ?

03 Sep 2026 14:49:11
And, as a West Ham supporter, your view on Pablo will have no relevance when it comes to Nuno picking the side on Saturday. ?

03 Sep 2026 15:53:27
That doesn't alter the fact that I am one of thousands who think Pablo is useless and will never be any good at this level. And, if a useless coach keeps selecting a useless player, it will eventually come back to bite them both, making that opinion valid.

03 Sep 2026 23:06:01
Unless, of course, he eventually succeeds, which is also believed by thousands... Either way, your opinion of him or mine is not relevant.

04 Sep 2026 00:20:41
Don't hold your breath! ?

04 Sep 2026 04:45:00
You know, evidence tends to question your assessment of "...believed by thousands", as I've seen little to support that view. Pablo attracts a great deal of the opposite when team selections are announced.

Having said that, I am a West Ham supporter of many years standing, so I hope any WH player comes good and succeeds, even if I believe it's not possible. Good luck to him.