Blind hammer appeals to West Ham to honour the Supporter’s Contract with its Disabled Supporters.
It had been difficult for me to post in recent weeks. Partly this has been due to the distraction of my breaking my foot after the Middlesbrough game, but more importantly because it had been hard to post negative articles about the club during the spate of bad news stories over previous weeks. The fact is that as supportive as we have an emotional bond with our club, if things are going wrong, and other people are attacking them, you don’t want to join in. There is an old maxim, “if you cannot find something good to say about the people or things you love, don’t bother saying anything at all.”
On the pitch we had, hopefully, turned the corner. However there are issues going on off the pitch behind-the-scenes which also need resolving. I am particularly concerned about some of the outstanding access issues. Some of these are more serious than others. For example despite assurances from last season, it is irksome that the club had failed to provide me with a seat at the new stadium with which I can attend with my Guide Dog. I have been contacted by others who have experienced similar difficulties.
I had avoided writing about these kinds of issues from the beginning of the season precisely because I did not want to add to the free for all of bad news stories. Now there is a chance results are improving on the pitch West Ham need to also get a grip on the issues off it. Teething difficulties is no longer an excuse.West Ham needs to honour the Supporter’s Contract. They must progress and resolve difficulties off as well as on the pitch.
The first rule of the Supporter’s Contract with the club as far as I am concerned is care for the welfare of their supporters. This means they must talk to us. It is unacceptable for the club to simply ignore repeated communications and requests for assistance, whether this is by letter, email or other form. I and other supportive are not negative moaners. We not only highlight problems which need resolving, but also suggest constructive possible solutions. We were actually doing this for months before we moved into the new stadium, and many of the actual difficulties were anticipated. A lot of issues could have been avoided if the club had simply worked with us. Sadly we were ignored. .
The club promised to meet with its disabled supporters in a Forum before the start of the season. We are still waiting.
We love our club, we are prepared to be understanding, and we just don’t want to be ignored. So this is my appeal to my club. When we write to you, when we contact you, when we try and propose solutions, listen to us and respond to us. Don’t just ignore us.
This is, I believe, the supportive contract, we will support you through thick and thin, in good times and bad, but this is a two way street. We need your support as well.
COYI
David Griffith