West Ham United's Fan Advisory Board have issued a collective and damning "vote of no confidence" in the club's board.
The FAB, which represent in excess of 25,000 supporters and consists of several independent groups including the Official Supporters' Club, the Ethnic Diversity Supporters Group and Hammers United, the largest independent support group, wrote to the club's board last Friday in order to express their concern regarding the stewardship of the current administration which is headed by chair David Sullivan and vice chair Karren Brady.And the open letter, which was backed by 11 members of the FAB confirmed that all signatories were supportive of forthcoming planned events highlighting supporters'' opposition to the current regime, which includes a protest planned for later this month ahead of the Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace and a boycott of next month's Premier League fixture against Brentford.
"It is with regret that we feel we need to write to you on behalf of the supporters that we directly represent," read the open letter, which was posted on the KUMB Forum and other platforms on Wednesday lunchtime. "We now have no choice but to issue a 'vote of no confidence' in relation to the board’s management of the club.
"Just two years after winning a European trophy and selling our best player 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.
"You will have seen the recent supporter-run survey completed by over 9,000 Hammers. 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.
"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.
"You have no doubt heard our members are calling for multiple protests at forthcoming games," it continued. "We now have no choice but to support those calls and are engaging with the relevant authorities to ensure lawful compliance.
"The FAB would far prefer to be working with the club in a progressive manner. However, we trust you’ll understand current circumstances threaten our existence as a top flight club."
The FAB is described on the club's website as "West Ham United’s primary mechanism for formal consultation and engagement, with representatives sharing their views on issues which impact the club’s fanbase, including the club strategic vision and objectives, London Stadium plans, operational matchday processes and any proposals relating to club heritage items."
It was described earlier this year by vice chair Karren Brady as "one of the standout developments" of last season, and "our primary platform for consultation and a cornerstone of our ongoing relationship with fans".
The full list of groups adding their signatures to the letter includes 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 and West Ham United Junior Supporters Board.
The latter comes just two weeks after Brady participated in a lengthy interview with TalkSport during which she claimed that the move to Stratford had been "a success story", while claiming that "35,000 families" were in regular attendance.
The same platform previously described the London Olympic Stadium as a stadium "not for football", while it regularly features in lists featuring the worst stadia in the country.
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