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Originally Posted by JoeDiego
Wasn't posting as an excuse I think it's interesting, but coming from a fan of the club that had taxpayers fund a new stadium and then got to move in for basically nothing, pleading poverty doesn't win you sympathy.
Also (sorry if I missed it) but what's your thoughts on Big Sam and his 'West Ham way' comments? Don't you see this expectation that your fans have built up to the point they were booing their team even during victories as a huge millstone around your neck? You should be happy to be Stoke/Swansea which is exactly where Allardyce would have got you now instead your back in the same old relegation/promotion yo-yo team fight.
I'm not pleading poverty (although Gold/Sullivan/Brady are), I'm stating an opinion. If you want to blame someone for building a stadium, outright rejecting a football club as someone that might use it beforehand and then seeing that an annual diamond league meeting wouldn't be enough to pay the bills afterwards is hardly West Ham United's fault. Nobody forced the LLDC to do that deal, indeed I wish they hadn't, however it was the best (i.e. least worst) on offer. Is the RFU going to get any of the blame for the stadium disaster, since they're using it too?
His West Ham way comments were spot on. It's interesting that now he's gone the board are basically naked (and coming in for all sorts of stick) because him and Nolan (who is supposedly having his contract torn up today) acted as a useful lightning rod and detracted from all their failings. The truth is we've played no more or less good or bad football than anyone else in my time as a supporter. He went a little far at times (I didn't see much "winning football" from us in the second half of last season. He also suffered from the board building up expectations far above our level of spending.
A part of me would love to see us go down this season. We're basically trying to spend as little as possible whilst going up. I'd love to see businesswoman of the year lighting the fireworks for the opening game against Preston.
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Also, I like Sunderland fans. There, I've said it.