Now here’s a thought. Yesterday David Sullivan overtly encouraged anyone with £10 million to come forward to invest in the club. They would get a 10% equity stake and a seat on the board. On the drive home last night I mulled over the possibility of trying to raise £10 million from ordinary West Ham fans. I have no idea how many West Ham fans there are in this country and throughout the world, but I’d have thought it must be at least a couple of hundred thousand. If 10,000 people each invested £1,000, you get to £10 million. Clearly there are all sorts of issues here, not least memories of the ill-fated Bond Scheme. There is also the potential cost of hiring advisers to structure an offer, let alone the obligations of the Financial Services Act.
I am no financial expert but it cannot surely be beyond our wit to structure something that both fans and the new owners would be happy with. This blog has 35,000 individual readers every month. I imagine KUMB has more. The Over Land & Sea fanzine sells quite a few thousand copies at each home game. Surely between us we have enough readers who could come up with this sort of money. A bit of celebrity backing from the likes of Ray Winstone, Phil Jupitus etc would also give any fundraising effort a boost.
I have this morning been in touch with the club and hope to get some positive reaction to the idea.
In the meantime, if you are a West Ham fan who has financial expertise and would be willing to help come up with ideas to structure this, please do get in touch.
Also, if you are a fan, and you would like to express an interest in taking this further, and investing at least £1,000, please do send an email to me. I’m not going to take this any further if there isn’t enough interest.
My email address is iain@iaindale.com – please put “West Ham” in the subject line of the email.
Bolton have gone a goal up………..now REALLY grumpy!!
Celtic Hammer, I wouldn't trust any chairman as far as I could throw them but that is no less further then I would believe anything you have to say about the matter. I guess your not all bitter and twisted but for now, thats how your coming across.
We are all West Ham fans that post on here who care deeply about our club, its obvious that you do so try getting a little more behind the current situation rather then keep slagging the new owners off, it isn't going to get anywhere positive.
I for one would rather go with the new owners and give them the chance to make West Ham for once, into a well run football club. For all you say about the previous owner and his son, there fault or not, they allowed this great club to get so near the brink of ruin that its not easy to forgive. I look forward to a few years of maybe cutting our cloth to suit or means and getting back on a sure footing. I am not going to tell you to get in the real world, but thats where our club needs to be at the moment. A sure and steady approach and I cant see any better for that then Gold and Sullivan at this moment in time. Premiership football is all I ask.
We have tried the billionaire owner approach, it backfired big time, as it could so do at Man City or Chelski when they get bored. As for moving to the Olympic Stadium, why not, I have been going to Upton Park for the past 35 years, 20+ of those as a season ticket holder. it holds a special place in my heart and has some great memories hopefully with lots more to come, but lets face it, Arsenal have moved, Spurs are planning too so why not us. Upton park can never really be developed to more the 45k. A chance to move into a new stadium at a fraction of a cost of having to build one is far to good an opputunity to dismiss out of hand. OK the running track would have to go, if we do that then we should do everything we can to get it.
I remember the day when I found out we had a billionaire buying us and 4 years until CL Football.
How I thought things would change. MMmmmm
the cost of moving to the olympic stadium ….from leagacy co…not me…estimate costs of a football club moving into stadium at around 150 mill, plus another 100 mill if the running track were removed. if our debts are scarey to owners at 100 mill, how will they feel about another 250 mill for it to be converted !!! The cost of improving upton park upto 45k (our record gate 42k) was estimated at 40 mill….as shrewd business men, i think they will take the lattter option once they have looked into and they are just trying to impress us at the present. Also the people moving onto the site (housing) may not want a football stadium and niether will the new westfield shopping centre…poss big objections possible. A lot of cash flush (paying a fiver to get in) oaps and children running around mat concern the locals….dead vicious those oaps….remember hells grannies on the goodies programme!!!
The Stiffs have just equalised, Stanislas claimed it but sounds like it was an own goal
your kidding 2-0…..whats with the Arse, is the game on tv??
Spurs are losing 1-0
Thanks Berks……didvided loyalties there, dont like either side and enjoying Liverpools current "dramas". I see the Arse have got 1 back…..4 in the 2nd half would be nice
know what you mean. I went to see Liverpool at anfield last week and they were bad.____Arsenal have pulled a goal back
3-2 to The Arse
4-2 now!
For Celtic and anyone else who feels that West Ham is no more.
Stop all the clocks, cut off the internet,
Prevent the TV stopping on Sky Sports News,
Silence Radio 5 and Talk Sport
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message our club is dead,
Put claret and blue bows round the gates of Upton Park,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
It was my club, my friend, my life
My talk during my working week and my Saturday fun,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The news owners at not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the club and dismantle the stadium;
Pour away the beer and sweep up the mess.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Celtic
you said a while back that you would sell all your memorabilia if Gold and Sullivan got the job.
Got anything worth buying?
The only bankrupt billionaire and we got the tosser!
Why not try for Marouanne Chamakh of Bordeaux he scored again tonight,Luca Toni 2 on his Roma debut,go get Chamakh Mr.Dildo!
i had the same thought last night after watching the press conference on the bbc
this is possible and workable .i have set up a group page on face book last night called mywhufc ,the first step is to join ,the second is to get the 10,000 fans that would be willing because they are out there , if a group of internet nerds can get 32,000 people to buy a non league team then it is possible for at least 10,000 west ham fans to fund this .remember this would be at first a one off payment not a yearly subscription ,who knows in 20 to 30 years time 100% of west ham could be owned by the fans .remember mywhufc on facebook
Off topic but this just in on SSN transfer clockwatch:
Reports in Iceland say that Eidur Gudjohnsen could sign for west ham tomorrow morning.
Whats everyones thaughts?
Im sure we have hear this about a thousend times in the last 3 years lol so i doubt it to be honest but who knows.
I don't think he has done much this season so it would be a gamble. I think it would only be a loan deal until end of the current season.
Yh very true but maybe he hasn't been able to get used to other countries style as he was great in the prem, like you say, deffinately shoudl be a loan but i see better options to be honest.
David S was reported as saying he wanted to bring in two strikers – one before the Portsmouth game and another before the end of the window. My take on that was the first (EG?) would be a hastily concluded loan to fill immediate need and other (and I am only speculating) would be a permanent signing that might take longer to conclude.
yh sounds like that is what will happen then, we will see. Who do you wana see come in, id like us to have a go at loaning balloteli, unsettled at inter, try and lure him on loan, he is a great talent with real flare which we need more off, would be great.
he may aswell sign for us….dont get in monaco side anymore. was zero goals in 14 games…manager was not impressed !!!
Taking a young player from abroad would represent a big gamble at the moment. We need players who know the Premier League and can slot in and do a job for us straight away – even if it is only for the remainder of the season. Then build for the future.
That's why the likes of Gudjonnsen and McCarthy might be just what we need at the moment.
i would risk gudjohnson…but they want 5 mill…alot of cash. loan ok though. He was never prolific at barca, but could do ok sitting off a striker his play around box good….bit like franco in a way. he was not popular at barca, cos his speed and skill levels did not fit the others, a lot of moves broke down through him and the fans got on his back.
however it does not work at one club, but it can at another…would feel better if had worked at monaco, but worth risk…espec' if loan till end of season with purchase option.
After being 0 – 2 down Arsenal now look to have sealed the game against Bolton. Pity that other team from North London didn't help our cause at the weekend
Ok – now that the bickering has FINALLY ended, all we can conclude is that 1. We are not universaly worshiping at the feet of messers Gold/Sullivan adn proclaiming them the messiahs. 2. There is still a lot of doubt and disbelief at the alleged scale of debt. 3. We have NO IDEA what the future will bring or how Gold/Sullivan intend to manage the club's finances and 4. We were all here before Gold/Sullivan and Eggy and BG before them and most of us will outlive them as well. So based on that i would suggest that we stop prevaricating and get back to supporting the team – which as fans is what WE are supposed to do. As a better woman than me once said, Que sera sera……
Good shout. I am happy to show my support and give them a chance. They claim to be WH fans and now have the opportunity to do something great for the club. To their credit so far they have made all the right noises – long may they continue in the positive way in which they have started.
Very funny Jolly. Sadly our Doris said it to Rock Hudson and she too was on a hiding to nothing!
Well said Jolly!
I'm with you on that. Also Stratford Peter; good post!
Whatever ever will be will be, I've got a ticket to Burnley, que sera sera!
What a night for football Villa thrashed Blackburn 6-4 7-4Agg.
Liverpool thrash Spurs 2-0 (Poor Harry)
& the best news is Arsenal thrash Bolton 4-2 tonight & twice in a week to go top.
This means that Bolton who had 3 games in hand over us have now dropped 6points and are still 19th.
I thought Iain's idea was a lovely thought, but probably not practical or do-able. I'll be checking my euro-millions ticket on Friday and I'll buy the other half of the club for all of us if the right numbers come up! Looking forward to concentrating on football matters on Tuesday night and looking on with interest to who we can bring in before cop Jan 31st. I think we should go for Piquionne at Pompey, (although we prob won't get him before Tue), and perhaps Steve Finnan at full back as we all know how desperate for cash they are. (Even more than us allegedly)!! Interesting times ahead. Enjoy the ride! COYI
It's an idea worth looking into further. Ebbsfleet manage to run a football club with several thousand owners so there must be some mechanism in place that would allow the voice of 10,000 to be represented. I see that Tony Fernandes last tweet suggests he's going to give football a rest. Does not sound like he's interested in taking up Sullivans offer. Maybe he was all mouth and no trousers? Who knows.
Yh not a bad shout their with Piquionne and Finnan, i think options should be as follow in my opinion, please add if you want to as i liek hearing other names:
Pavelchenko
Gomez
Beattie
Gudjohnsen
Balloteli
McCarthy
Yakubu
Chamakh
Van Nistelroy
L Young
Ferraira
Finnan
I know they are mainly satriekr but seeing as that is top priority they are just a good few names, who do you liek out of that and would want at west ham, if others as mentioned please add.
for me balotelli, chamakh and finnan……chairmen said two strikers and defender.=, so that will do.
ps….would like bentley on loan if possible and senderos only 24 yrs old and cheap cover option poss 1 mill.
maybe johnson (L/winger) and wheater (c/def) both from middlesboro, young good prospects….problem maybe around 10 mill cost for pair.
Yh that would be brilliant, i would then have chamakh and cole start with franco and baloteli on the bench then change it if we need to in 2nd half or something, wed have really strong cover and with nouble coming along their will be some strong competition for places. Imagine this team:
Green
Finnan
Upson
Tomkins
Ilunga
Behrami
Parker
Bently
Collison
Cole
Chamakh
SUBS:
Kuruch
Baloteli
Senderos
Wheater
Franco
Noble/noube
Stanislav
We can still dream haha, that would be great to look at, a strong team with great cover on the bench. Keep the faith.
Finnan is past his sell by date. Hutton is a better bet, even on loan.
And sorry forgot to add Piquionne
Sky Sports Transfer rumours that we are after McCarthy who wants to leave Blackburn coz he can't get first team football. Mr Gold is quoted as saying that he is one of their targets for January, he did then further qualify this by saying that all available strikers are a target in January. Two observations; I hope that when our new chairmen talk to the press about what players we would like to bring in, they are stating the opinions of the manager and not their own. Secondly stating that all available strikers are potential targets is not a good opening gambit for getting a good deal. Watch everyone wheel their donkeys out. Personally I would love to see Robbie Keane make the move from Shite Heart Lane.
At least we can look at the transfer pages without worrying which of our prize assets is leaving first.
Well speculation is flying around everywhere now, Robbie keane would be a good addition, plays off a striker well and scores goals, i would like to see him in our claret and blue strip, other are Van Nistelroy, Beattie, Balloteli, Nuno Gomes, McCarthy, Yakubu, Flamini, Jo, Piquionne, Finnan, L Young, Ferraira, Gudjohnsen, chamakh, hutton all being linked, take yor pick, very togh for me as i feel we need one prem experienced forward and the 2nd one maybe a foreign one, Then either hutton or finnan for right back. Could be interesting times ahead to see who we bring in.
Completely agree Kildarehammer.
And if McCarthy can't get a game a Blackburn, why would we want him?
Because that is what we do, take players who can't get a game elsewhere. I don't mind it too much personally, I think McCarthy could be very good, remember we came very close to signing him a few years back.
McCarthy isn't six feet six an able to kick it over the stand. That's the prerequisite for being in an Allardyce team.
Benni McCarthy is an extremely capable striker. On his day he's frighteningly good. If you add to that Gianfranco's coaching with Carlton Cole and what that has done for his confidence then I think GZ would stand a very good chance of getting the best out of Benni.
He's also likely to appear in the World Cup and, as a result, will be extremely keen to get as much gametime as possible under his belt and impress his national coach with his form.
You also have to question why he's not getting games at Blackburn. There's a new manager there who may not have fancied him in the first team & Sam Allardyce has a very specific style of play which he may not have seen Benni fitting in with.
Let's face it – we know what he's capable of. We wanted to bring him to the club from Porto before for good reason before so I guess we have to ask ourselves if that much has changed.
again i agree with you Goaty but, i watched BM last night when he came on and he seemed way short of sharpness and fitness, now, i know he was thrown in a bit last night and clearly there are issues with fat sam but id wished wed got him first time round coz he looked way off it but maybe a move will do him good and as you say working with zola who knows..as with GS only time will tell…
Ian, I love you and ur Blog. No doubt you are a West Ham fan who loves the club but we need people to really invest in the club. Apart from being a student who can't afford many things, we couldn't give the club what it needs once in power of the shares. It would just look like we're meddling and want to stick our two penneth worth in.
Phippsy – what exactly do you think the club NEEDS? Other than a sheikh benefactor with a seemingly bottomless pit of cash instead of a wallet (soon to be banned from Euro comps when Blatter/Platini have their way). If by that you mean, pump in the equivalent again in cash then you are going to be sadly disappointed with how Messrs Gold & Sullivan run the club. There may be an injection of cash from them but I doubt that it will be more than 50% of their stake, ie £25m.
As to what else we could need, I would expect that we all know the answer to that – sensible business management. Sadly, as we know, we haven't had this in years. The Football Project is a good start (work with the kids – traditional strength & encourages more to join us) and then blend in talent/experience with a few shrewd purchases.
… continued….
What makes you think that an elected member from a fans stakeholding would not be capable of voting sensibly in a boardroom? It would be difficult to meddle with only a 10% stake but we would at least know that we have some say over policy.
Leave it to the people who have the money and the will to get on with it. We all love West Ham – lets agree on that and accept that partial ownership by the fans couldn't really be a bad thing.
COYI
It's not a bad thing mate and I think your arguement is a bit premature. I never said we weren't capable, I never said it was a bad idea. But G&S are just going to see it as somebody who doesn't come up with the readdies but wants to stick their oar in every 5 seconds. You're telling me a load of stuff I already know and haven't argued with, yet I feel more than a little patronized. G&S don't have the money but they have business know-how and that's what they offer. I've supported that all along. Hand on heart I've been wrestling with who would have been better, Fernandes or G&S. When it came to G&S, I wasn't dissapointed.
Thinking about games, rather than the politics. Any ideas about watching live, other than going as I'm working, the Portsmouth game next week. I used to go to British Queen in Wanstead but they closed down – better watching with like-minded rather than on pc.
Morning everyone, i'm back, i've returned to this site after several months away due to my comparison to a spud regarding a comment i made once. I vowed never to return but i have due to all the old shenagins going on at my beloved. i'll start with a comment about CH, i know a lot of people have had a go at him and i for one have been astounded at some of he's and others responses to the takeover but the beauty of this site is that everyone can have there say, right or wrong, blinded by rose coloured or just plan old pesimistic like me, let everyone have their views it makes the debate so much better. I like many was very nervous pre takeover regarding GS and wanted TF and still do, i like he's comments this morning i must say but he didnt win and GS did,
Slightly Off Topic: With Villas 6-4 Win over Blackburn in the Carling Cup last night,__How will the FA view Villas position at failing to control fans invading the field of play. OK it was at the end of play, however it is the principle of the rule which applies.
In the Transfer market we are now linked with a possible loan for Robbie Keane as well as Benni Mccarthy.
so, as long as they drip us money to stay in the prem and have our little cup runs every year and the occasional flirt with Europe and not just on a days booze cruise to Calais i'll be happy, we have to understand and manage our expections people, we are West Ham, the internal under achievers and what if club but if you look in your heart of hearts thats what makes us great and loved by everyone (until recently!!) will GS deliver? unlikely..will GS sell us out for business reasons…maybe but until they do and my club is no more then i'll still have my pre match beers in the Wakey, mock the spuds for being spuds and laugh and Chelski's history, we are West Ham and like the song says…fortunes always hiding.
Lawro I used to drink in the Bq in Wanstead all the time I lived 10 doors away,how great was that pub?get the lot on West Ham to win at Pompey cos they have a tough cup game against the mackems that will tire them .
As time has gone by I've learned the wisdom of not rising to people who are simply trying to wind me up. Every now and then I slip and make an error in judgement and respond to them. I'd really encourage you to not respond to them too CH. Some time ago you said that one of them was truly pathetic with nothing better to do with their time – and you were right. Unfortunately they continue to follow you and get a rise out of you chap. As long as you give them a response then they'll continue.
The opinions that you post here are generally well respected. I think you'd get even more respect if you chose to rise above their bating.
Spot on Goatygav. And, Celtic, it does us all good to sometimes admit that we are wrong. It's much more difficult for people to have a go at you when you do that and show a little humility.
reports linking us with Van Nistelrooy this morning utter rubbish i'm sure but would be amazing!
other links with McCarthy (not mick), Fernando Cavenaghi etc
Anyone know much about this Kornilenko we have on trial?
goto transfermarkt.co.uk it will give you a full plan of goals, how scored, assists, injuries etc…… just type name on search or goto europe, then russia and zenit st petersburg……hope it helps
I agree Goaty, idiots drove me away from this site for several months, im may not agree with CH but he has always made some excellent points on this site with well constructed comments
[...] you to all those who have responded to the post below about the possibility of buying shares in West Ham. So far, more than £200k has been offered. This [...]
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[...] West Ham are still half-owned by Icelandic bank Straumur, Sullivan and Gold are confident they can attract local investors to help the club back on its feet and in the words of Sullivan “return it to the [...]
To be honest I don't really follow European football so can't comment on merits or otherwise of some of players to whom we are linked – I had not heard of any of the players GZ has brought in before they arrived! However GZ has the connections and, with a bit more stability now, hopefully he can add one or two more quality players to the squad
i like ballotelli he has attitude, good thing in a striker and is powerful….however it does sometimes come out in the wrong way…dont want him doing a di canio (at shefff wed).